What to do after CAT Result 2025? Shortlist MBA colleges, Prepare for GD/PI
Common Admission Test 2026 ( CAT )
Registration - To be notified
What after CAT result 2025? Once the CAT result is announced, MBA aspirants start evaluating their admission chances. So, what are the aspects to keep in mind for it? Read below for the answer.
CAT 2025 exam was held on November 30 and the result has been released today. With the announcement of CAT 2025 result, candidates must now assess their chance of getting the preferred college with the scores received. The most common question is, 'will I get an IIM or not?' Though every CAT aspirant hopes of scoring 99 percentile and above, the bitter truth is that only a handful of them achieve that score. Then, what after CAT result? The wise thing is to keep other options open, even if you’ve performed brilliantly in the exam. So, the next step after CAT 2025 result is to appear for other MBA entrance exams. We advise candidates to appear for other MBA entrance exams because IIM admission is based on many other factors. Even if you have a score of 99 per centile, you may not get through the top IIMs.
- Appear for other MBA entrance exams
- What after CAT result 2025?
- Apply for Admission to B-schools
- Top MBA colleges in India: Admission Process
- Prepare for WAT/GD-PI
- Plan B
Appear for other MBA entrance exams
CAT exam is followed by exam like SNAP, XAT, CMAT and MAT. But to be able to appear for these exams, you need to register beforehand. The registration cycle of these exams are same as CAT, so fill the application forms of these exams too. After CAT result declaration you will still have the chance to ace XAT, CMAT, MAT, ATMA, MAH-CET, TANCET, TSICET and other state level entrance exams held between January and March.
Take a look at colleges accepting other MBA entrance exams:
Commonly asked questions
Yes CAT syllabus is difficult to crack if you do not have enough time. There are three subjects in CAT- VARC, DILR and Quantitative Aptitude. Most of candidates find RC passages tough to crack. In Quants, Arithmetic, Algebra and Geometry pose significant challenge during preparation. In DILR, Reasoning questions often turnout to be tricky and confusion.
IIM shortlist is the list of CAT test takers who make it to the second phase of IIM admission process, which is Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI). The IIM shortlist is the list of candidates who are eligible to participate in the WAT-PI rounds of IIMs for MBA admission.
Yes, you can crack CAT exam even if you haven't studied Maths in class 12. CAT Quant and DI have Mathematical questions of advance level, from the topics studied in Class 9 and 10. You will only need to brush up the basic and practice advance level questions.
What after CAT result 2025?
After the CAT 2025 result is declared, deciding the next step becomes challenging and confusing for candidates who excel in the exam as well as those do not perform up to expectations. Some decide to start looking for a job or pursue another course, while some decide to give CAT exam another shot. The decision taken at this point of time, must be individual choice and a cautious one.
On the other hand, for those who perform well in CAT exam, the next challenge is clearing the written ability test (WAT) group discussion (GD) and personal interview (PI) round of MBA admission process. All the top MBA colleges in India, conduct WAT/GD-PI for admissions. Just like the entrance exam, this round is also not a cake walk. Given the number of aspirants applying to B-schools every year, the institutes take extra care in choosing best of the best. Shiksha brings to you a list of actionables after CAT 2025 result.
Also Read: Got a low CAT Score? Don't fret, you can still get admission in a good B-school
IIM & Non-IIM Call Predictor
Apply for Admission to B-schools
Even before the CAT result is announced, many B-schools begin application process of MBA admissions. So assess your performance (use Shiksha’s CAT percentile predictor) in CAT, check the cut off percentile of B-schools, make a list of institutes you want to target for admission, check out their application process, fees and schedule and apply.
If one gets selected in any of the IIMs, there can certainly nothing better than that, but what if this does not happen? The next step would be to look for a top B-school other than IIM. While looking for a college, a candidate must keep in mind numerous parameters like ranking, alumni, placement record, faculty, return on investment and environment.
Check: Shiksha’s IIM and non-IIM call predictor
For IIMs, you don’t need to apply separately. When you fill the CAT application form, you get the option to select the institutes you want to apply at.
Also Read: IIM admission and selection criteria
Commonly asked questions
While it is not mandatory to attempt all sections in CAT, the IIMs and all top B School consider sectional percentiles too for selecting candidates for admission. Thus, you cannot afford to skip a CAT section all together. You can skip some questions though.
The best way to prepare for DILR section is through practice. Before starting the preparation, aspirants should check previous years’ question papers. Since there is not much conceptual understanding required in this section, practice is important.
Some of the most popular books on DILR section that you can refer are How to Prepare for Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning for CAT by Arun Sharma, Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT by Nishit Sinha, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning for CAT by Pearson, to name a few.
Explore colleges based on CAT
Want better recommendations?
There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.
- Chat with our counselor
- Get your personalised list of colleges & exams matching your preferences
Top MBA colleges in India: Admission Process
Refer to the table below for admission process of some of the top ranked MBA institutes:
| List of Top MBA Colleges You Can Apply To |
|
|---|---|
Also Read:
- MBA from IITs: Know courses, fees, eligibility, cut offs, selection process, placements
- MBA Admissions 2026: Check application deadline and selection criteria of Top B-schools
Course/ specialisation selection: Along with college selection, it is also important to focus on selection of course/ specialization. Many candidates choose a college first, and then select their MBA specialisation, whereas, some candidates search for colleges on the basis of specialization they want to pursue. Both approaches are right. Be clear about what you are looking for. Start weighing your options well in advance, so that there is no confusion at a later stage.
Also Read:
- MBA Colleges Accepting CAT Score 85 Percentile and Above
- MBA Colleges Accepting CAT Score 80-90 Percentile Range
- MBA Colleges Accepting CAT Score 70-80 Percentile Range
- MBA Colleges Accepting CAT Score 60-70 Percentile Range
- MBA Colleges Accepting CAT Score 50-60 Percentile Range
Prepare for WAT/GD-PI
WAT/GD-PI is the second phase of MBA admission. Once the CAT result is declared, the IIMs release their cut off for shortlisting of candidates for this round. The WAT/GD-PI round takes place in February-March. Other MBA institutes also conduct this round in the same months. Thus, after CAT exam you roughly have two months to prepare for this round. To stand a better chance of successfully clearing the GD-PI, candidates can do the following:
- Join a GD/PI workshop: No matter how good you think you are, you will never know what it is to face a large audience without attending a GD/PI workshop. Before joining a workshop ensure that there are huge number of participants in the same – this will give you the confidence to face a large audience.
- Focus on case-based as well as topic-based GDs: B-schools are gradually adopting case based teaching methodology – keeping in mind the same, they are moving towards case-based WAT and GDs. However, to test the candidate’s general knowledge to the maximum, some B-schools go for topic-based GDs. The ideal approach is to prepare for both.
- Seek the guidance of seniors/ mentors: Your mentors and seniors would have certainly faced a GD-PI, and their guidance can be of good help. Also, they might provide you some tips and tricks that you will not find in books or on internet, so make the most of this.\
- Prepare for a specialisation (if holding 4+years of work experience): Professionals holding an experience of about four years or more might be quizzed on the specialisation they want to opt for – being prepared for the same in advance is extremely important.
- Keep in mind the specific format for each call: Every B-school has a distinct GD-PI procedure and criteria for giving out calls. It is extremely important to know about the format for each call, else you might reach unprepared for the same and might miss out on your chance of getting an enrolment in a top B-school.
Also Read:
Explore more MBA exams with upcoming dates
12 Jan '26 - 5 Apr '26
5 Apr '26
31 Oct '25 - 12 Apr '26
15 Apr '26
24 Mar '26 - 5 Apr '26
7 Apr '26
23 Mar '26 - 8 Apr '26
7 Apr '26 - 8 Apr '26
15 Apr '26
Plan B
Life is not always a bed of roses – your CAT attempt might or might not be successful. If you make it to one of the IIMs or your preferred B-School, congratulations for achieving what you had been aiming for, but if things do not fall in place you must always be ready with plan B. Consider the following in case you do not clear CAT exam are:
- Will you apply for a job?
- Will you appear for CAT 2026?
- If you plan to appear for CAT 2026, will you prepare for it full-time or do it while working on a job?
Read More:
- CAT Exam Preparation Tips
- List of CAT books recommended by MBA experts
- What is the best time to start CAT preparation? Experts speak
- How to Prepare for CAT: Ultimate tips from experts
- How to Prepare for CAT exam in 6 months
- How to Prepare for CAT Without Quitting Your Job
- Advantage of Appearing in CAT While Pursuing Final Year Graduation
News & Updates
Explore Other Exams
Jul '26 | XAT 2027 registration dates |
Sep '26 | XAT 2027 mock test |
9 Jan '26 | SNAP 2025 result announcement |
20 Dec '25 | SNAP 2025 session 3 |
Aug '26 | NMAT 2026 Registration Window |
Aug '26 | NMAT 2026 Scheduling Window |
17 Oct '24 - 5 Dec '24 | IIFT 2025 registration and app... |
1 Apr '26 - 25 May '26 | MAT May 2026 Registration PBT |
1 Apr '26 - 8 Jun '26 | MAT May 2026 Registration CBT |
Jul '26 | IBSAT 2026 Registration |
Dec '26 | IBSAT 2026 Exam Date |
17 Feb '26 | CMAT 2026 result |
31 Jan '26 - 2 Feb '26 | CMAT 2026 exam answer key obje... |
7 Apr '26 - 8 Apr '26 | MAH MBA CET 2026 exam |
9 May '26 | MAH MBA CET 2026 exam 2 |
16 Mar '26 - 10 Apr '26 | TANCET registration window |
May '26 | TANCET admit card download |
Mar '25 | IRMASAT 2025 Final Result Anno... |
Feb '25 | IRMASAT Personal Interviews |
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered Yesterday
No, candidates who apply for Sharda University admissions to MBA course with any one of CAT, MAT or XAT results are not required to appear in the GD and PI rounds.
These candidates skip SUAT entirely including the GD and PI rounds however, candidates can only skip SUAT with CAT, MAT or XAT if they se
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
BMS College of Commerce and Management accepts CAT scores for admission to Weekedn Executive PGDM programme. Aspirants with score below 50% need to have CAT, MAT, XAT or ATMA scores for admission. Candidates with score above 50% in graduation are exempted from entrance test.
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered 2 days ago
Yes, students can get admission in Manav Rachna University without CAT. The university considers scores obtained in MAT/ GMAT as well. Alternatively, students can appear for the MRNAT test too.
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
Candidates who are applying for the Jain University MBA admissions with CAT must score above 50% to apply. The aforementioned score will allow candidates to directly apply for the next selection rounds after JET for MBA admissions.
Candidates who do not have a score above the aforementioned limit nee
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
Yes, students can get admission in KG Reddy College of Engineering and Technology MBA without CAT. The college instead accepts TSICET scores. Students do not have to appear for CAT or other management exams.
M
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
No, CAT is not a compulsory entrance exam in order to apply for BITSoM Mumbai MBA admission. Other than CAT, candidates also have the option of applying through a valid score of GMAT, GMAT-GRE or GRE for MBA at BITSoM Mumbai.
Appearing for one of the aforementioned entrance exams is a mandatory requi
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
GIBS Business School's PGDM cutoff is moderate and generally does not reach the high levels of an IIM. The main factors impacting cutoff are your entrance test scores and other criteria.
Cutoff Recent Data:
- CAT: 60-70 Percentile approximately
- XAT: 60-70 Percentile approximately
- MAT: 60-65 Percentile ap
M
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 6 days ago
The minimum marks or CAT cut off to appear for IIM selection round is different for every institute. Tier 1 colleges select candidates with CAT score above 95 percentile, Tier 2 colleges select candidates with score between 80-90 percentile and Tier 2 colleges select candidates with score lower than
P
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 6 days ago
There is no CAT PI shortlist for IIMs. Candidates have to simply login with their CAT credentials and fill the PI shortlist form.
S
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 6 days ago
There is no minimum qualifying marks for CAT. Anybody scoring above 0 in the exam is eligible for admission, however the B-Schools select candidates on the basis of cut offs which are 60 and above percentile.
N
Contributor-Level 7
Vipra Shrivastava is MA in English Literature from Delhi University with extensive experience in content writing of over 14 years. She has been handling content for Management, Accounting and Commerce streams for 8
Read Full Bio