
CAT cut offs 2025 for top IIMs such as IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow and IIM Kozhikode are 99.97+ percentile for General category students For SC/ST/PwD category candidates the CAT 2025 cut offs are slightly lower. For non-IIMs, the minimum CAT cutoff 2025 are around 94 percentile. In Tier 2 MBA colleges, CAT cut offs are around 70-80 percentile and above and in Tier 3 MBA colleges the CAT cut offs usually around 60-70 percentile and above. Read below all about CAT 2025 cut offs.
- Factors Determining CAT Cut Offs 2025
- CAT 2026 Exam Dates & Schedule
- CAT 2025 Cut Offs for IIM Admission
- CAT Cut Offs 2025 for Top MBA Colleges (Non-IIM)
- CAT Cut Off 2025: Score vs Percentile
- Previous Years' CAT Cut Off of Top IIMs
- CAT Cut Offs 2025: IIM Admission and Selection Criteria
Factors Determining CAT Cut Offs 2025
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.
Commonly asked questions
The CAT cut offs for IIM Bangalore hovers between 97-100 percentile. The qualifying CAT cut off required for being eligible for IIM Bangalore's Written Ability test (What) and Personal Interview PI is 85 percentile for General category students, whereas for SC candidates, it is 70 percentile. For ST candidates, it is 65 percentile and for PwD candidates it is 60 percentile. Given below are the sectional and overall qualifying CAT cut offs for IIM Bangalore.
- General category: 80 VARC 75 DILR 75 Quantitative Aptitude 85 (Overall)
- NC-OBC category: 75 VARC 65 DILR 65 Quantitative Aptitude 75 (Overall)
- EWS category: 70 VARC 65 DILR 65 Quantitative Aptitude 75 (Overall)
- SC category: 65 VARC 60 DILR 60 Quantitative Aptitude 70 (Overall)
- ST category: 55 VARC 55 DILR 55 Quantitative Aptitude 65 (Overall)
- PwD category: 50 VARC 50 DILR 50 Quantitative Aptitude 60 (Overall)
CAT cutoffs are usually not announced with the CAT result. The CAT cutoffs are also not released to the public.
They are published after a few days of the result announcement when the IIMs and other colleges start their shortlisting process. The IIMs opens their shortlisting window based on the CAT cut-offs two to three days after the result announcement. The CAT percentile of candidates shortlisted for the Written Ability Test (WAT), Group Discussion (GD), and Personal Interview (PI) can be considered the cut-off for that IIM. For example, if a candidate with a CAT percentile of 99 belonging to the General category is selected for the WAT/GD-PI of IIM Calcutta, then the CAT cut-off for IIM Calcutta is 99 percentile. Only those candidates who make it to the WAT/GD-PI round of IIMs will get to know the cut-offs.
CAT cut off is prepared by all accepting colleges individually. There is no one authorized body to do so. Even the IIMs determine their admission cut offs separately.
CAT 2026 Exam Dates & Schedule
Take a look at the table below for the complete schedule of CAT 2026 exam
| Dates | Past Exam Dates |
|---|---|
| 24 Dec ' 25 | CAT 2025 result announcement |
| 08 Dec ' 25 - 10 Dec ' 25 | CAT 2025 answer key challenge |
CAT 2025 Cut Offs for IIM Admission
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.
| IIM |
Qualifying CAT cut offs 2025 |
|---|---|
| IIM Ahmedabad |
95 |
| IIM Bangalore |
85 |
| IIM Calcutta |
85 |
| IIM Lucknow |
90 |
| IIM Indore |
90 |
| IIM Kozhikode |
85 |
| IIM Amritsar |
90 |
| IIM Nagpur |
94 |
| IIM Sambalpur |
94 |
| IIM Trichy |
94 |
| IIM Raipur |
94 |
| IIM Ranchi |
92 |
| IIM Kashipur |
94 |
| IIM Vizag |
82 |
| IIM Udaipur |
94 |
| IIM Bodhgaya |
94 |
| IIM Shillong |
75 |
| IIM Sirmaur |
94 |
| IIM Rohtak |
95 |
| IIM Mumbai |
85 |
| IIM Jammu |
94 |
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.
| IIMs |
*CAT cut offs 2025 (percentile) |
|---|---|
| 99-100 |
|
| 99-100 |
|
| 99 |
|
| 97-98 |
|
| 97-98 |
|
| 97-98 |
|
| 95-96 |
|
| 95-96 |
|
| 95-96 |
|
| 94-95 |
|
| 94-95 |
|
| 94-95 |
|
| 94-95 |
|
| 92-94 |
|
| 92-94 |
|
| 92-94 |
|
| 92-94 |
|
| 90 |
|
| 90 |
|
| 90 |
|
| 90 |
Commonly asked questions
The final CAT cutoff are not released publically. However, candidates can check qualifying cut offs in the admission criteria document released by IIMs and other institute before the exam.
CAT Cut Offs 2025 for Top MBA Colleges (Non-IIM)
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.
| Top MBA College | *CAT 2025 Cut Offs (percentile) |
|---|---|
| 98-99 |
|
| 95-99 |
|
| 95-99 |
|
| 95-97 |
|
| 96 |
|
| 97-99 |
|
| 90 |
|
| 91 |
|
| 85 |
|
| 86 |
|
| 80 |
|
| 85 |
|
| 80 |
|
| 80 |
|
| 80 |
|
| 70 |
|
| 70 |
*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.
| Got a Low Score in CAT, Don't Fret You Can Still Get a Good MBA College |
Commonly asked questions
IM selection criteria includes Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI). Academic record and work experience are also taken into consideration for final selection.
CAT Cut Off 2025: Score vs Percentile
For admission to MBA courses, B-Schools consider CAT percentile. It is calculated from the scaled scores of all test takers. The CAT scaled score is arrived at after normalization of raw scores. Score normalization is done to ensure no candidate across exam shifts has any advantage or disadvantage due to varied difficulty level of the test papers.
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):
| Percentile |
VARC Score |
DILR Score |
QA Score |
Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99.9 |
51 |
46 |
48 |
122 |
| 99.5 |
44 |
39 |
40 |
103 |
| 99 |
40 |
34 |
33 |
90 |
| 98 |
34 |
31 |
30 |
81 |
| 95 |
30 |
26 |
25 |
70 |
| 90 |
23 |
19 |
18 |
53 |
| 85 |
19 |
15 |
16 |
45 |
| 80 |
17 |
13 |
14 |
40 |
| 75 |
15 |
11 |
12 |
34 |
Watch video:
Commonly asked questions
CAT cut offs do not flutuate much. For the past few years, the CAT exam cut offs for IIMs or other top colleges have not seen much change. If there is any change at all, it is in decimals. However, that decimal point too can make or mar admission chances. CAT cut offs for 2026 admission will largely remain the same as the CAT 2025 exam difficulty level was same as last year and number of takers dipped from last year.
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 80 percentile.
Previous Years' CAT Cut Off of Top IIMs
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:
| IIM Bodh Gaya cut off 2019 for male candidates |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category |
Overall CAT cut off |
QA |
DILR |
VARC |
| General |
91 |
80 |
80 |
80 |
| EWS |
70 |
60 |
60 |
60 |
| NC-OBC |
73 |
60 |
60 |
60 |
| SC |
50 |
45 |
45 |
45 |
| ST |
38 |
30 |
30 |
30 |
| PWD |
35 |
30 |
30 |
30 |
| IIM Bodh Gaya cut off 2020 for female candidates |
||||
| Category |
Overall CAT cut off |
QA |
DILR |
VARC |
| General |
88 |
75 |
75 |
75 |
| EWS |
70 |
55 |
55 |
55 |
| NC-OBC |
70 |
60 |
60 |
60 |
| SC |
50 |
43 |
43 |
43 |
| ST |
35 |
30 |
30 |
30 |
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:
| IIMs |
CAT 2018 cut off (percentiles) |
|---|---|
| IIM Ahmedabad |
81.53 |
| IIM Bangalore |
90+ |
| IIM Calcutta |
95+ |
| IIM Lucknow |
90+ |
| IIM Indore |
90 |
| IIM Kozhikode |
95.5 |
| IIM Rohtak |
90+ |
| IIM Trichy |
96 |
| IIM Udaipur |
90 |
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)
| Category | CAT 2017 cut off (percentile) | CAT 2016 cut off (percentile) |
|---|---|---|
| General |
100 |
100 |
| NC-OBC |
100 |
99.99 |
| SC |
99.82 |
99.97 |
| ST |
99.92 |
99.88 |
| DA |
99.28 |
99.97 |
IIM Bangalore CAT cut off (2017, 2016)
| Category | CAT cut off 2017 (percentile) | CAT cut off 2016 (percentile) |
|---|---|---|
| General |
90.72 |
92.48 |
| NC-OBC |
81.48 |
81.14 |
| SC |
75.22 |
76.35 |
| ST |
70.01 |
75.22 |
| DA |
64.21 |
76.21 |
IIM Kozhikode CAT cut off (2017, 2016)
| Category | CAT cut off 2017 (percentile) | CAT cut off 2016 (percentile) |
|---|---|---|
| General |
95.16 |
94.82 |
| NC-OBC |
80.19 |
81.14 |
| SC |
65.03 |
65.56 |
| ST |
55.28 |
55.23 |
| DA |
56.02 |
55.86 |
IIM Indore CAT cut off (2017, 2016)
| Category | CAT cut off 2017 (percentile) | CAT cut off 2016 (percentile) |
|---|---|---|
| General |
90.05 |
90.01 |
| NC-OBC |
80.05 |
80.08 |
| SC |
50.19 |
50.03 |
| ST |
60.16 |
61.38 |
| DA |
50.87 |
50.59 |
IIM Trichy CAT cut off (2017, 2016)
| Category | CAT 2017 cut off (percentile) | CAT 2016 cut off (percentile) |
|---|---|---|
| General |
95 |
96 |
| NC-OBC |
78 (78.01) |
78 |
| SC |
60 (60.01) |
60 |
| ST |
40 (40.01) |
42 (42.07) |
| DA |
40 (40.16) |
40 (40.19) |
IIM Raipur CAT cut off (2017, 2016)
| Category | CAT cut off 2017 (percentile) | CAT cut off 2016 (percentile) |
|---|---|---|
| General |
95 |
96 |
| NC-OBC |
78.01 |
78 |
| SC |
60.01 |
60 |
| ST |
40.01 |
42.07 |
| DA |
40.16 |
40.19 |
IIM Rohtak CAT cut off (2017, 2016)
| Category | CAT cut off 2017 (percentile) | CAT cut off 2016 (percentile) |
|---|---|---|
| General |
95 |
96 |
| NC-OBC |
78.01 |
75.36 |
| SC |
60.01 |
65.05 |
| ST |
40.01 |
42.12 |
| DA |
40.16 |
40 |
IIM Udaipur CAT cut off (2017, 2016)
| Category | CAT cut off 2017 (percentile) | CAT cut off 2016 (percentile) |
|---|---|---|
| General |
95 |
96 |
| NC-OBC |
78.03 |
78 |
| SC |
64.14 |
61.16 |
| ST |
54.10 |
46.60 |
| DA |
43.46 |
41.91 |
IIM Sirmaur CAT cut off (2017, 2016)
| Category | CAT cut off 2017 (percentile) | CAT cut off 2016 (percentile) |
|---|---|---|
| General |
95 |
81.23 |
| NC-OBC |
78.01 |
76.54 |
| SC |
60.01 |
69.61 |
| ST |
40.01 |
61.81 |
| DA |
40.16 |
72.81 |
IIM Nagpur CAT cut off (2017, 2016)
| Category | CAT cut off 2017 (percentile) | CAT cut off 2016 (percentile) |
|---|---|---|
| General |
90.09 |
90.08 |
| NC-OBC |
81.89 |
81.48 |
| SC |
65.48 |
79.78 |
| ST |
45.09 |
73.73 |
| DA |
66.4 |
NA |
IIM Vishakhapatnam CAT cut off (2017, 2016)
| Category | CAT cut off 2017 (percentile) | CAT cut off 2016 (percentile) |
|---|---|---|
| General |
90.09 |
90.02 |
| NC-OBC |
80.01 |
80.04 |
| SC |
75.03 |
75.12 |
| ST |
56.92 |
55.26 |
| DA |
57.3 |
59.58 |
IIM Amritsar CAT cut off (2017, 2016)
| Category | CAT cut off 2017 (percentile) | CAT cut off 2016 (percentile) |
|---|---|---|
| General |
94.76 |
94.9 |
| NC-OBC |
85.35 |
75.09 |
| SC |
71.92 |
55.42 |
| ST |
43.19 |
36.26 |
| DA |
35.58 |
35.33 |
IIM Sambalpur CAT cut off (2017, 2016)
| Category | CAT cut off 2017 (percentile) | CAT cut off 2016 (percentile) |
|---|---|---|
| General |
95 |
NA |
| NC-OBC |
78 |
NA |
| SC |
60 |
NA |
| ST |
40 |
NA |
| DA |
40 |
NA |
Commonly asked questions
In CAT 2025, the number of 100 percentilers was 12. Check state wise data:
Overall Percentile | Total | Gender and Discipline | State wise distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
100 | 12 | Female - 2 Male - 10 Engineering - 3 Non-Engineering - 9 | Uttar Pradesh 1 Karnataka 1 Maharashtra 1 Delhi 3 Haryana 2 Gujarat 2 Jharkhand 1 Odisha 1 |
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.
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.
CAT Cut Offs 2025: IIM Admission and Selection Criteria
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:
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:
- CAT score: Sectional and overall percentile scored in CAT exam
- WAT/GD-PI score: Points scored in the WAT/GD-PI round
- Class 10 score: Percentage scored in Class 10 or equivalent
- Class 12 score: Percentage scored in Class 12 or equivalent
- Graduation score: Aggregate of a three-year bachelor's programme or equivalent
- Gender diversity: 0-5 extra points are given to female/transgender candidates
- Academic diversity: 0-5 extra points are given to candidates belonging to academic background other than Engineering
- 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
Commonly asked questions
Sectional cut-off in the CAT exam refers to the section-wise percentiles required by the candidate to make it to the Personal Interview round of the IIMs or other top MBA colleges. The sectional cut-offs are lower than the overall cut-offs of any institute. To understand better, check the table below for sectional CAT cut-offs for IIM Ahmedabad:
Category | VARC percentile | DILR percentile | QA percentile | Overall percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
General | 70 | 70 | 70 | 80 |
NC-OBC-Transgender | 65 | 65 | 65 | 75 |
SC | 60 | 60 | 60 | 70 |
ST | 50 | 50 | 50 | 60 |
PwD (General, NC-OBC-cum-transgender, SC) | 60 | 60 | 60 | 70 |
PwD (ST) | 50 | 50 | 50 | 60 |
For sectional cut-offs of all IIMs, check this article – IIM shortlist and selection criteria
Qualifying CAT cut off percentiles of Iims for Written Ability Test (What) and Personal Interview PI are listed below. Candidates who MET the qualifying CAT cut off, were eligible for What-PI round. These qualifying CAT cut offs are for General Category. The cut offs for Reserved category students are lower:
- IIM Ahmedabad: 95 percentile
- IIM Bangalore: 85 percentile
- IIM Calcutta: 85 percentile
- IIM Lucknow: 90 percentile
- IIM Kozhikode: 85 percentile
- IIM Indore: 90 percentile
- IIM Udaipur: 93 percentile
- IIM Shillong: 75 percentile
- IIM Trichy: 93 percentile
- IIM Visakhapatnam: 80 percentile
- IIM Rohtak: 95 percentile
- 1IIM Nagpur: 85 percentile
- IIM Jammu: 93 percentile
- IIM Ranchi: 90 percentile
- IIM Sirmaur: 92 percentile
- IIM Bodhgaya: 93 percentile
- IIM Sambalpur: 93 percentile
- IIM Kashipur: 94 percentile
- IIM Raipur: 93 percentile
- IIM Amritsar: 90 percentile
For complete details of IIM selection and admission process read this article: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/iim-shortlist-selection-admission-criteria-blogId-18787.
There is no CAT PI shortlist for IIMs. Candidates have to simply login with their CAT credentials and fill the PI shortlist form.
CAT Exam
Student Forum
Answered 3 hours 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 Yesterday
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 Yesterday
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 8
Answered 3 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 3 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 3 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
Answered 3 days ago
The final CAT cutoff are not released publically. However, candidates can check qualifying cut offs in the admission criteria document released by IIMs and other institute before the exam.
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 days ago
CAT cut off is prepared by all accepting colleges individually. There is no one authorized body to do so. Even the IIMs determine their admission cut offs separately.
J
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 days ago
If we're talking about GIBS Business School Bangalore, they don't have some super high CAT cutoff. In simple words, you don't need to be in the 99+ percentile to get considered.
- They look for a decent CAT score, usually around 70–80 percentile as a safe benchmark
- Scores are important, but they also ca
P
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 5 days ago
Not CAT necessarily, but still, you need to take a national-level entrance exam required for MBA admissions.
J
Contributor-Level 10
1654 Institutes accepting CAT
IIM Ahmedabad - Indian Institute of Management
Vastrapur, Ahmedabad • Public
IIM Bangalore - Indian Institute of Management
Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore • Public
IIM Kozhikode - Indian Institute of Management
Kozhikode • Public
Department of Management Studies, IIT Delhi
Hauz khas, Delhi • Public
Registration - To be notified
Can I get admission in KG Reddy College of Engineering and Technology MBA without CAT?