CAT Cutoff for IIMs

The Common Admission Test (CAT) is a gateway to securing a seat at the prestigious Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). For many MBA aspirants, the dream begins with cracking CAT and meeting the IIM CAT cutoff. However, the concept of cutoffs is more nuanced than just a fixed score. Each IIM determines its own set of benchmarks, which include sectional and overall scores. This article provides a detailed understanding of the CAT cutoff for IIMs, offering insights into what candidates need to target, how cutoffs vary across different IIMs, and what other factors play a role in the selection process.

Understanding the CAT Cutoff for IIMs

In simple terms, the IIM CAT cutoff refers to the minimum percentile that candidates must achieve to be shortlisted for the next stage of the selection process, which usually involves Written Ability Tests (WAT), Personal Interviews (PI), and sometimes Group Discussions (GD). However, it is essential to note that meeting the cutoff does not guarantee admission. IIMs use a holistic approach, considering academic records, work experience, and diversity factors to prepare the final merit list.

IIM CAT cutoff has two key aspects:

1. Sectional Cutoff: Candidates must meet the minimum percentile in each section – Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA).
2. Overall Cutoff: In addition to sectional cutoffs, candidates need to achieve an overall minimum percentile.

Types of CAT Cutoffs for IIMs: Qualifying vs. Final

A common point of confusion among aspirants is the difference between qualifying and final CAT cutoffs for IIMs. Here’s a quick breakdown of the two:

• Qualifying Cutoff: This is the minimum IIM CAT cutoff percentile required to receive a call for the next stage, such as WAT and PI. It is announced before the CAT results. Meeting this cutoff only makes candidates eligible for the interview process, but it does not ensure final selection.
• Final Cutoff: This refers to the actual IIM CAT cutoff percentile at which candidates secure admission. The final cutoff tends to be higher than the qualifying cutoff due to competition and the limited number of seats available.

IIM Ahmedabad CAT Cutoff

The minimum percentile of IIM Ahmedabad for candidates to be considered for further rounds are as follows:

Category	VARC	DILR	QA	Total
General/ EWS	70	70	70	80
NC-OBC /Transgender	65	65	65	75
SC	60	60	60	70
ST	50	50	50	60
PwD (in General/ EWS/ NC-OBC/ Transgender/ SC)	60	60	60	70
PwD (in ST)	50	50	50	60

The final composite score cutoff are as follows:

General	EWS	NC-OBC	SC	ST	PWD
0.6752	0.5721	0.5565	0.4736	0.4463	0.3200

To understand the calculation of composite scores, please visit the official website of IIM A.

IIM Bangalore Cutoff

The minimum percentile of IIM Bangalore required for further rounds are as follows:

Category	VARC	LRDI	QA	Overall
General	80	75	75	85
NC-OBC	70	65	65	75
EWS	70	65	65	75
SC	65	60	60	70
ST	55	55	55	65
PwD	50	50	50	60

The final composite score cutoff who got admissions are as follows:

General	EWS	NC-OBC	SC	ST	PWD
57.0722	46.3713	46.4607	42.6178	38.6087	42.6691

Please visit the official website of IIM Bangalore to understand the calculation of composite scores.

IIM Calcutta CAT Cut Off

The minimum percentile of IIM Calcutta required for further rounds are as follows:

Category	VARC	LRDI	QA	Overall
OPEN	≥80	≥80	≥75	≥85
EWS	≥70	≥65	≥65	≥75
NC-OBC	≥70	≥65	≥65	≥75
SC	≥65	≥60	≥60	≥70
ST	≥55	≥55	≥55	≥65
PwD	≥45	≥45	≥45	≥55

The final composite score cutoff who got admissions are as follows:

General	EWS	NC-OBC	SC	ST
58.812	48.757	39.778	39.637	34.948

To understand the calculation of composite scores, please visit the official website of IIM Calcutta.

IIM Lucknow CAT Cut Off

The minimum percentile of IIM Lucknow required for further rounds are as follows:

Category	VARC	DILR	QA	Total
General	85	85	85	90
EWS	77	77	77	82
NC-OBC	77	77	77	82
SC	55	55	55	65
ST	50	50	50	60
PwD	50	50	50	60

The final composite score cutoff who got admissions are as follows:

Category	General	EWS	NC-OBC	SC	ST
Non-PWD	58.8515	48.0842	44.2686	40.2157	31.5851
PWD	39.1579	–	24.7697	41.2881	–

Please visit the official website of IIM L to understand the calculation of composite scores.

IIM Kozhikode CAT Cut Off

The minimum percentile of IIM Kozhikode required for further rounds are as follows:

Category	VARC	DILR	QA	Total
General	75	75	75	85
EWS/NC-OBC	65	65	65	75
SC	55	55	55	65
ST/PWD	45	45	45	55

The final composite score cutoff who got admissions are as follows:

General	EWS	NC-OBC	SC	ST	PWD
42.8783	37.8252	34.6737	30.2995	23.0312	29.8986

To understand the calculation of composite scores, please visit the official website of IIM K.

IIM Mumbai CAT Cut Off

The minimum percentile of IIM Mumbai required for further rounds are as follows:

Category	VARC	DILR	QA	Total
General	80	80	75	85
NC-OBC / EWS	70	65	65	75
SC	65	60	60	70
ST	55	55	55	65
PwD	45	45	45	55

As IIM Mumbai recently accepted their first batch of students, there is no past RTI data available for their composite scores yet. However, do visit their website to understand how to arrive at your final composite scores.

IIM Indore CAT Cut Off

The minimum percentile of IIM Indore required for further rounds are as follows:

Category	QA	DILR	VARC	Overall
General/EWS	80	80	80	90
NC-OBC	70	70	70	80
SC	55	55	55	60
ST	40	40	40	45
PWD	40	40	40	45

The final composite score cutoff who got admissions are as follows:

General	EWS	NC-OBC	SC	ST	PWD
43.0126	40.3901	36.8036	30.9486	27.8603	17.3145

To understand the calculation of composite scores, please visit the official website of IIM Indore.

IIM Shillong CAT Cut Off

The minimum percentile of IIM Shillong required for further rounds are as follows. Also note that there is no minimum overall percentile required at IIM Shillong.

Category	VARC	LRDI	QA	Overall
DA	50	50	50	NA
ST	50	50	50	NA
SC	60	60	60	NA
EWS	75	75	75	NA
Others	75	75	75	NA

The final composite score cutoff who got admissions are as follows:

Others	EWS	SC	ST
60.99	55.69	39.85	35.92

To understand the calculation of composite scores, please visit the official website of IIM S.

IIM CAP

IIM CAP includes a total of 10 IIMs, and they include IIM Udaipur, IIM Raipur, IIM Ranchi, IIM Trichy, IIM Kashipur, IIM Jammu, IIM Nagpur, IIM Sirmaur, IIM Sambalpur, and IIM Bodh Gaya. These institutes collectively have a minimum percentile and a common interview. However, for further calculations, each IIM has different calculations of composite scores. Further, IIM Jammu and IIM BG also runs SAP process if seats go empty, with a lower percentile. Let us now try to understand the CAT Cutoff for IIMs (tier 2).

Category	VARC	LRDI	QA	Overall
General	73	73	73	94
EWS	50	50	50	77
NC-OBC	50	50	50	77
SC	44	44	44	60
ST	25	25	30	40
DAP	25	25	30	40

Below are the final composite scores of all the cap IIMs.

IIM U	General	EWS	NC-OBC	SC	ST	PWD
	53.16	45.24	43.82	35.17	31.04	31.02

IIM Raipur		General	EWS	NC-OBC	SC	ST
	Non-DAP	74.9748	70.4229	69.1945	62.1906	48.1938
	DAP	33.803	41.3477	30.558	38.6323	36.5039

IIM Ranchi	General	EWS	NC-OBC	SC	ST
	75.146	71.956	70.446	61.64	51.196

IIM Trichy	General	EWS	NC-OBC	SC	ST	PWD
	77.64	72.59	72.38	64.54	56.06	50.4

IIM Kashipur	General	EWS	NC-OBC	SC	ST	PWD
	50.3004	48.3481	45.8455	39.1098	36.4394	14.0761

IIM Nagpur	General	EWS	NC-OBC	SC	ST	PWD
	5.5034	3.571	4.2505	3.7312	1.909	1.2828

IIM Jammu	General	EWS	NC-OBC	SC	ST	PWD
	65.9452	61.7977	60.546	51.2257	18.7744	24.8619

IIM Bodh Gaya		General	EWS	NC-OBC	SC	ST	PWD
	Gender Neutral	55.2916	51.4427	49.4748	44.546	30.7769	All
	Super Numerary	44.935	46.9573	44.4855	39.0988	36.1701	All

IIM Sirmaur		General	EWS	NC-OBC	SC	ST
	Non-PWD	36.467	37.29	34.648	28.14	8.659
	PWD	11.154	24.054	13.054	11.386	13.242

IIM Sambalpur	General	EWS	NC-OBC	SC	ST	PWD
	49.24	41.67	36.54	29.89	14.47	NA

Visit the official websites of these institutes to understand the exact calculation of the composite scores.

IIM Rohtak Cutoff

The minimum percentile of IIM Rohtak required for further rounds are as follows:

Category	Normal – Overall	DAP – Overall
General	96	86
EWS	92	82
NC-OBC	82	72
SC	60	50
ST	50	40

The final composite score cutoff who got admissions are as follows:

General	EWS	NC-OBC	SC	ST	PWD
81.84	77.57	79.93	72.03	61.84	63.43

IIM Vizag Cutoff

The minimum percentile of IIM V required for further rounds are as follows:

Category	VARC	LRDI	QA	Overall
General	70	70	70	82
EWS	63	63	63	72
NC-OBC	63	63	63	72
SC	40	40	40	50
ST	30	30	30	40
PWD	30	30	30	40

The final composite score cutoff who got admissions are as follows:

General	EWS	NC-OBC	SC	ST	PWD
45.73	38.827	38.227	33.978	22.125	22.901

To understand the calculation of composite scores, please visit the official website of IIM V.

IIM Amritsar Cutoff

The minimum percentile of IIM Indore required for further rounds are as follows:

Category	VARC	LRDI	QA	Overall
General	75	75	80	88
EWS	75	75	80	88
NC-OBC	60	60	65	78
SC	50	50	55	55
ST	35	35	35	40
PWD	35	35	35	40

The final composite scores are not available as per RTI data. However, to understand the calculation of composite scores, please visit the official website of IIM Amritsar.

Conclusion

Securing admission to the IIMs requires more than just meeting the CAT cutoff for IIMs. While the cutoffs set the minimum benchmark, candidates must also perform well in the subsequent selection stages, including WAT, PI, and GD. Each IIM has its unique criteria, and the final selection depends on a combination of CAT scores, academic records, work experience, and personal interviews.