What is a Good Score in CAT for Top IIMs?

More than 2.5 lakh candidates appear for the CAT exam every year. Most of these candidates aim for admission to a top IIM. Almost all IIMs shortlist candidates for selection rounds if they secure 95+ percentile score. Check what is a good score in CAT for the top IIMs below.

What is a Good Score in CAT for Top IIMs?

Good Score in CAT for IIMs: Every year, more than 2.5 lakh aspirants register for the CAT exam, hoping for admission into one of the top IIMs. With candidates preparing for the CAT 2026 exam, the most frequent query among aspirants is: What is a good CAT score to get shortlisted for IIM admission? To know the CAT target score for IIMs, candidates must start with understanding the IIM selection criteria, scoring methodology, and past cutoff trends. Scroll down for complete information on a good score in CAT for IIMs.

What is a Good Score in CAT?

To evaluate performance effectively, candidates must first understand the CAT scoring structure. When the exam concludes, calculations based on the correct and incorrect answers is the raw score. This raw metric is calculated by awarding three marks for each correct response and deducting one mark for incorrect choices. Non-MCQs do not carry negative markings. CAT raw scores are normalised to evaluate all test takers across an equal scale.

This scaled score is helps calculate CAT percentile scores. IIMs shortlist candidates for the selection process based on their percentile scores. A good score in CAT depends on the target IIM.

Past IIM CAT cutoffs indicate the score range to get shortlisted for the admission process. The table below mentions the safe percentile ranges to get shortlisted via CAT:

CAT Score vs Percentile

Immediately after the exam, candidates start calculating their CAT scores based on correct and incorrect answers marked by them. The table below outlines an approximate correlation between CAT raw scores and expected percentiles based on recent admission trends.

Expected CAT Marks vs Percentile Mapping

CAT Score Required for Top IIMs

The required CAT score for IIM campuses varies depending on whether the college belongs to the older, newer, or baby IIM clusters. Admission criteria vary every year, meaning figures remain approximate.

Good CAT Score for Older IIMs

For premier institutions like IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, and IIM Calcutta, general category candidates usually require a final admission percentile in the 99-100 range to secure interview calls. The CAT score required for IIM Ahmedabad normally hovers around a 99+ percentile overall, paired with sectional cutoffs around 70-85 percentile.

Similarly, the CAT score required for IIM Bangalore and the CAT score required for IIM Calcutta necessitate an overall minimum of 99+ percentile for realistic selection. Other older campuses, such as Lucknow, Indore, and Kozhikode, typically issue final calls in the 97-99 percentile range for general applicants.

Good CAT Score for Newer and Baby IIMs

The CAT score for new IIMs (such as Ranchi, Trichy, or Udaipur) is slightly more relaxed, with an overall 95-97 percentile generally considered good for general aspirants. For candidates looking at the CAT score for baby IIMs (like IIM Jammu, IIM Sambalpur, or IIM Nagpur), an overall percentile of 90-95 can be sufficient to make the shortlist.

Category-wise Good CAT Score

Reservation criteria play a major role in shortlisting thresholds across all campuses. Relaxations are provided across different categories, meaning the CAT qualifying percentile is significantly lower for reserved groups. The table below provides the minimum qualifying overall percentiles across different IIM groups. These figures represent the baseline eligibility filters, while the final effective cutoffs are typically much higher based on candidate competition.

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