CAT Cutoff 2025 - Category-wise Cut offs for IIMs and Top MBA Colleges

CAT cut off percentiles for MBA/PGP programmes of every institute are determined on the basis of various factors that influence the exam result. Some of the key factors that determine IIM cut offs category wise, are mentioned below:

• Difficulty level of the CAT exam

• Number of aspirants who appeared for the exam 

• Number of aspirants who cleared the exam

• Previous years' trends of CAT cut off

• Number of seats in a particular institute

• All India ranking of the institute

CAT cut offs never fall drastically. For example, in top rated colleges like IIMs, the cut offs have always been above 99.95 percentile for GEM candidates. In colleges like SPJIMR, MDI or FMS, the cut offs have remained between 95-97 percentile. In tier 2 colleges, the CAT cut offs remain in 70-80 percentile range, year on year. 

The CAT qualifying cut offs are the minimum score requirement for PI shortlisting. For all IIMs the qualifying cut offs are same this year. But, IIM Ahmedabad CAT 2025 cut off has increased from 80 percentile to 95 percentile.

What is IIM CAT qualifying cut off?

The CAT qualifying cut off is the minimum score required by a candidate to be eligible for selection to the WAT-PI round. Which means a candidate who has scored as much or above the final cut off score can apply for IIM PI round but may not be selected.

The qualifying CAT cut off is much lower than the final cut off. For example, the qualifying CAT cut off for IIM Bangalore is 80 percentile but the final CAT cut off is 99.95 percentile and above.

IIM CAT Cut Offs (Final)

Final cut offs for 2026 batch admission have been released after the announcement of CAT 2025 result. The final CAT cut offs are however not revealed publically. Presented below are the estimated CAT cut off percentiles for General category students for admission to the top 21 IIMs. The below mentioned cut offs are the estimated final cut offs on the basis of which the candidates will be called for the interview round. 

The CAT 2025 cut offs for top MBA colleges will be lower than the top IIMs but still high at 95 percentile and above. There are some top ranked MBA colleges that have CAT cut offs in 70-80 percentiles too. Presented below are expected CAT 2025 cut off percentiles for General category students for admission to some of the top MBA colleges (non-IIM) in 2025. 

*Note: These cut offs are based on previous years' trends. CAT cut offs for upcoming session can be higher. 

Check out: Latest CAT Question Papers for Download

List of MBA Colleges - CAT Cut Off Percentile Range

More than 1,300 MBA colleges accept the CAT score. Every college determines CAT cut off for admission individually. You can check the college you are likely to get with your CAT percentile from the links given in the below tbale. 

For admission to MBA courses, B-Schools consider CAT percentile which is calculated from the scaled scores of all test takers. CAT scaled score is not the same as raw CAT score. It is the score arrived at after normalisation of the raw scores of all candidates across exam slots. This is done to ensure that every candidate's performance across the exam sessions are judged on the same scale and no one gets the advantage of solving an easier CAT test form or the disadvantage of solving a tougher test form

A high CAT score may not convert into high percentile if a large number of candidates have scored the same or higher. However, an estimation can be calculated based on number of test takers and difficulty level of CAT exam for that year. Check the table below to know estimated range of CAT score vs CAT percentile 2025 (courtesy IMS India):

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Here are previous years CAT cut offs for some of the IIMs. This data has been obtained from official website and through RTI. Over the years, the CAT cut offs have increased for these IIMs. 

CAT 2019 Cut Off

IIM Bodh Gaya's CAT cut off percentiles in 2019 was 91 percentile for General category. Check the table below for CAT sectional cutoffs for IIM Bodh Gaya's WAT-PI round 2019 for all categories:

CAT 2018 Cut Off

Given below is the CAT 2018 cut off percentiles of some of the top IIMs on the basis of which candidates were selected for admission:

The category-wise CAT cut offs for previous years (CAT 2017 and CAT 2016) for each of the top IIMs have been mentioned below. These cut off percentiles have been obtained by Shiksha through RTI filed with each IIM. 

IIM Ahmedabad CAT cut off (2017, 2016)

IIM Bangalore CAT cut off (2017, 2016)

IIM Kozhikode CAT cut off (2017, 2016)

IIM Indore CAT cut off (2017, 2016)

IIM Trichy CAT cut off (2017, 2016)

IIM Raipur CAT cut off (2017, 2016)

IIM Rohtak CAT cut off (2017, 2016)

IIM Udaipur CAT cut off (2017, 2016)

IIM Sirmaur CAT cut off (2017, 2016)

IIM Nagpur CAT cut off (2017, 2016)

IIM Vishakhapatnam CAT cut off (2017, 2016)

IIM Amritsar CAT cut off (2017, 2016)

IIM Sambalpur CAT cut off (2017, 2016)

Candidates who will meet the required CAT 2025 cut off will be eligible to apply for WAT/GD-PI round. The IIM selection process includes screening of candidates based on CAT score, WAT/GD-PI round and final selection. Most of the IIMs conducted WAT and PI rounds from February to April while 'offer of admission' letters are issued to successful candidates in May.

On receiving invitation for WAT/GD-PI round, the candidate must present the following documents for confirming participation:

• Original and self-attested photocopies of marksheets of Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation.

• Original and self-attested photocopies of caste/class and/or disability certificate in case of SC, ST, NC-OBC and PwD candidates.

• Candidates appearing for the final-year bachelor's degree exam or equivalent must present an original certificate from the Principal/Registrar/Director of the university/institution certifying that the candidate has obtained a minimum of 50 per cent aggregate or equivalent (45 per cent in case of the candidates belonging to SC, ST, and PwD categories) based on latest available grades/marks.

Also Read:

What is IIM SAP 2026?

What is IIM CAP 2026?

All about IIM Selection and Admission Process 2026

The IIM final offer of admission will be based on the Composite Score of a candidate that takes into account the factors mentioned below:

1. CAT score: Sectional and overall percentile scored in CAT exam    
2. WAT/GD-PI score: Points scored in the WAT/GD-PI round
3. Class 10 score: Percentage scored in Class 10 or equivalent
4. Class 12 score: Percentage scored in Class 12 or equivalent
5. Graduation score: Aggregate of a three-year bachelor's programme or equivalent
6. Gender diversity: 0-5 extra points are given to female/transgender candidates
7. Academic diversity: 0-5 extra points are given to candidates belonging to academic background other than Engineering
8. Work experience: 0-5 extra points are given to candidates having relevant work experience at executive or managerial level

Each MBA college announces its admission process and selection criteria beforehand. It includes the qualifying CAT 2025 cut offs, which are the minimum scores required for PI shortlisting. You can check the selection criteria at Shiksha college pages or from the official website of each institute/college.

Also read: Procedure for admission in Top MBA colleges in India