IIM CAP 2026 Started - Registration, Selection Criteria, Interview Dates, Top Colleges & Cutoff
Common Admission Test 2026 ( CAT )
Registration - To be notified
IIM CAP or the Common Admission Process is a single-window selection process for MBA admission for new IIMs. The selection is based on CAT cut offs. One of the participating IIMs conduct the selection process for all campuses. Read more about IIM CAP 2026 for MBA admission on the basis of CAT score.
IIM CAP is a common admission process in which 3 IIMs participate. Under this Common Admission Process or CAP, selection process of the participating IIMs is common. The responsibility to conduct the CAP is given to one of the participating IIMs every year on rotation basis. For 2025 admission, IIM Bodhgaya conducted IIM CAP and it will be the coordinating institute for 2026 admissions too. Earlier, 8 IIMs used to participate in the CAP, but in IIM CAP 2026, only three campuses will participate - IIM Bodhgaya, IIM Jammu and IIM Sirmaur.
IIM Trichy, IIM Ranchi, IIM Raipur and IIM Kashipur have opted out of CAP and will selecting canddidate through IIM JAP. IIM Udaipur will conduct admission individually like other IIMs.
IIM CAP process includes shortlisting of candidates based on their CAT exam score, conduct of Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI) and final selection based on various parameters including academic record and work experience. CAT 2025 cut offs have been announced and they are same as last year. The registration window for IIM CAP 2026 open now for candidates to submit Expression Of Interest (EOI).
- IIM CAP 2026 Important Dates
- IIM CAP Registration Process
- IIM CAP 2026 Highlights
- What is IIM CAP 2026?
- IIM CAP: Qualifying CAT Cut Offs
- IIM CAP Final Merit List: Parameters and Weightage
- IIM CAP Process 2026
- IIM Admission Criteria of non-CAP institutes
IIM CAP 2026 Important Dates
Check below key dates related to IIM CAP 2026.
| Event | Dates |
|---|---|
| Submission of EOI | Jan 21 to Jan 25, 2026 |
| Shortlist Release | To be announced |
| Slot booking | To be announced |
| PI round | Feb 23 to Mar 31, 2026 |
IIM CAP Registration Process
Candidates can apply for IIM CAP at the conducting institute website with the help of their CAT login ID. Check steps to follow:
- Log on to IIM CAP 2026 website
- Click on the link indicating CAP
- Enter CAT ID and password
- If you are a new user, you'll need to register as new user
- Fill the CAP form, upload relevant documents and click on submit
IIM CAP 2026 Highlights
Check below some key highlights of IIM CAP:
- Some of the new IIMs participate in IIM CAP conducted for MBA/PGP admission.
- Until last year, the IIM CAP colleges are IIM Nagpur, IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Jammu, IIM Kashipur, IIM Ranchi, IIM Sirmaur, IIM Trichy and IIM Udaipur.
- In 2026, IIM Udaipur will not participate in the CAP and concduct WAT-PI round on its own
- IIM Trichy, Raipur, Kashipur and Ranchi will conduct MBA admissions together under JAP 2026.
- Until 2024, IIM Sambalpur also participated in the IIM CAP. For 2025 admissions, it opted out and will conduct admission individually.
- IIM Raipur, which was a part of IIM CAP till 2024, also opted out of the process for 2025 admission.
- IIM CAP cut off for interview calls is common for all participating IIMs.
- IIM CAP is conducted for full time MBA courses only.
- IIM CAP interview dates, PI scheduling dates will be announced online.
- Shortlist for IIMs CAP is released at the convening institute website. Candidates have to fill an online application form to participate in IIM CAP 2026.
- If a candidate's one IIM CAP interview clashes with another one, they can send a mail to CAP help desk for rescheduling the dates.
- The CAP conducting IIM releases the final merit list of candidates by May, but admission offers will be made to selected students individually by the institutes.
- IIM CAP selection round will be conducted in February-March-April.
Also Read:
What is IIM CAP 2026?
IIM CAP or the Common Admission Process is a single-window selection process in which candidates eligible for admission to a group of IIMs have to appear for a single WAT-PI round. For example, the candidate who has selected IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Jammu and IIM Sirmaur for admission, will not have to appear for WAT-PI round of all the four institutes. He/she only has to appear for this round conducted by the CAT conducting institute.
Under the IIMs CAP, participating IIMs send the list of candidates shortlisted for WAT-PI process to the institute conducting CAP for that particular year. The IIM CAP conducting institute conducts the WAT-PI round. Qualifying CAT cut off, admission parameters and their weightage are common to all CAP participating colleges.
The scores obtained by candidates in CAP are shared with individual institutes. Based on the final score of candidates, the IIMs declare their own merit list of candidates selected for admission. The final list of selected candidates is displayed on individual institute website. Only those candidates who have institute login can access the merit list.
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IIM CAP: Qualifying CAT Cut Offs
The table below indicates qualifying IIM CAT cut off percentiles for various categories for 2025 batch. Candidates were shortlisted for WAT-PI round on the basis of following percentiles.
| Category |
IIM CAP Cut Off 2025 VARC |
IIM CAP Cut Off 2025 DILR |
IIM CAP Cut Off 2025 QA |
IIM CAP Cut Off 2025 Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEN |
75 |
75 |
75 |
95 |
| EWS |
55 |
55 |
55 |
81 |
| NC-OBC |
52 |
52 |
52 |
81 |
| SC |
45 |
45 |
45 |
66 |
| ST |
25 |
25 |
30 |
42 |
| DAP |
25 |
25 |
30 |
42 |
IIM CAP Final Merit List: Parameters and Weightage
The final merit list of IIM CAP 2026 will be prepared on the basis of all participating candidates’ scores on the following parameters. Academic profile includes 4 points for more than 70% in class 10 and 5 points for more than 70% in class 12. For work experience, 10 points will be awarded for 2 to 4 years of work experience, 5 for more than four years or less than 2 years of work experience. The parameters and weightage are mentioned below:
| Parameters |
Points |
|---|---|
| CAT Score |
50 |
| Personal Appearance |
25 |
| Academic Profile |
15 |
| Work Experience |
10 |
| Total |
100 |
IIM CAP Process 2026
The IIM CAP process in explained below in 8 steps.
Step 1: Candidates select IIM campuses in the CAT application form.
Step 2: CAP institutes shortlist candidates on the basis of CAT score and predefined criteria for WAT-PI.
Step 3: The CAP conducting IIM collates list of candidates selected by participating IIMs sends e-mails to the aspirants, mentioning the IIMs which have shortlisted them for WAT-PI.
Step 4: The shortlisted candidates have to fill an online form for participation in WAT-PI.
Step 5: CAP conducting IIM sends an email informing the WAT-PI date and venue to students who confirmed participation in the admission round.
Step 6: Candidates participate in the common WAT-PI process.
Step 7: The CAP conducting IIM sends WAT-PI score report to all participating institutes under CAP
Step 8: Based on the scores received, each IIM prepares final merit list and sends offer letters to selected candidate via email.
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The IIM Trichy MBA/ PGPM selection criteria is done based on various parameters. Hence, the candidates selection is done just based on CAT score. Mentioned below are the considered parameters along with the weightage:
- CAT percentile: 50%
- PI performance: 25%
- Academic performance: 10%
- Work experience: 5%
- Female candidates: 5%
- Verbal composition: 3%
- Professional qualification: 2%
The Indian Institute of Management Kashipur accepts CAT 2023 scores for MBA admission 2024. IIM Kashipur cutoff 2023 is yet to be release for the next academic session. As per the previous year cutoff, IIM Kashipur overall CAT percentile was 93 for the General ALL India category candidates. So, basis the previous year data, candidates expecting a call from the institute must secure more than 93 CAT percentile.
Candidates can refer to the table given below to check out the year-wise sectional CAT cutoff for IIM Kashipur MBA course:
| Section | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 94 | 93 | 93 |
| Quants | 80 | 93 | 93 |
| VA-RC | 80 | 93 | 93 |
| DI-LR | 80 | 93 | 93 |
For admission to MBA (or PGP) at IIM Bodh Gaya, the CAT test is usually conducted in November. Aspirants of IIM Bodh Gaya are required to appear for the exam in Computer Based Testing mode at the allotted test centres. CAT exam is held in three slots:
Morning slot: 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM
Afternoon slot: 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM
Evening slot: 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
IIM Sirmaur shortlists candidates for PhD programme based on GMAT, GRE, CAT, GATE or JRF (NET) scores. Aspirants also need to submit a statement of purpose and research proposal. Selected candidates are further called for a personal interview round for PhD admission.
IIM Udaipur MBA course admission is entirely based on CAT exam. Candidates needs to apply for the CAT exam if they desired to apply to IIM Udaipur. However, IIM Udaipur does offers courses which doesn't requires CAT exam for admission. IM Udaipur offers a regular Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (PGDBA) for Working Executives, designed for building a solid foundation and deep understanding of Business Management. The duration of the programme is 24 months, i.e. two years.
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
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 23 hours ago
NMIMS does not accept scores of the CAT exam for admission in its MBA courses. Even if you have a good percentile in CAT, you have to qualify the eligibility criteria for NMIMS MBA as well as take the NMAT exam. NMAT exam is a national level exam conducted by GMAC as an entrance exam for admission i
S
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 23 hours ago
PIBM Pune provides opportunities to students to enrol to MBA and PGDM programs even with low CAT scores based on the profile and interview performance of the student. We conduct our internal assessment test called PMAT, in which students are required to score a minimum of 50% to qualify for the GD a
K
Beginner-Level 4
Answered Yesterday
CAT and ATMA are both MBA entrance exams. But, historically, the difficulty level of CAT exam is higher as compared to that of ATMA exam.
A
Contributor-Level 6
Answered Yesterday
IIM Calcutta offers a large diversity of courses to students in Management field. IIM Calcutta admissions are held on the basis of entrance tests. Students seeking course admissions must clear their previous qualifying examination and appear for any of the prescribed entrance exams such as CAT, amon
U
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
CAT DILR preparation is completely based on practice papers and mock tests. You should obtain recommended CAT DILR sample papers and mock test series. Make sure to cover all types of question. Also practice DILR questions of past year with the help of CAT question papers.
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Contributor-Level 6
Answered Yesterday
Yes, you can crack CAT through self study but it will require a lot of discipline and consistency on daily basis. You will need the most recommended books, best mock test series and online practice sessions. Join YouTube channels for online tutorial. Give yourself 9 months and study for 8 hours dail
Contributor-Level 10
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While it is advised to dedicate at least 9 months to CAT preparation, six months of dedicated study can also help you crack the exam. You will need daily, weekly and monthly plan for syllabus coverage. Practice a good number of mock tests and study for about 8 hours daily.
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Contributor-Level 6
Answered Yesterday
Overall difficulty level of CAT exam has always been moderate to high. CAT is of higher difficulty level than all other MBA entrance exams in India.
P
Contributor-Level 6
Answered Yesterday
As per the latest CAT exam pattern, there will be 68 questions. The format will be MCQ and non-MCQ. VARC will have 24 questions, DILR will have 22 questions and QA will have 22 questions. Each question will carry 3 marks and there will be negative marking of -1 for incorrect answer. Sectional time l
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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.
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Contributor-Level 6
The answer to this question of whether an average student can get into IIM can be both yes and no depending on the definition of an average student.
Based on the above factors, it can be considered that while getting into top Management institutes, such as IIM is extremely tough, the past performance, CAT performance, student category and a lot of factors can be the reasons for a student to receive that final call.