CAT Examination Cut-offs

CAT 2019 cutoffs for IIM admission will be declared on the official website of each IIM once the results are published (on January 5^th, 2020). Only the candidates who appeared for the exam can access these cut-offs. Candidates who meet the cut off can apply for the Written Ability Test and Personal Interview round of IIMs. 

For their admission process, the IIMs have two cut-offs in place – qualifying cut off and final cut off. While the former is announced before the CAT result declaration, the latter is announced after the result declaration. Other institutes that accept CAT exam scores also fix a minimum cut off to shortlist candidates for admission. Read through this article to get a better idea of CAT cut-offs including determining factors, the difference between qualifying and final cutoffs, previous years cut-offs and expected cut-offs for 2019 admission.

Minimum percentile of 90 is the expected cut off of IIMs and other Top MBA colleges in India

All the top B-schools including the IIMs set their own cut-off. For selection into top IIMs like IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, and IIM Kozhikode, the cut off is 99 percentile and above. 

Also Check CAT 2020 Examination Question Papers

CAT Cut Offs 2019: Highlights 

• IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, and a few other institutes have announced the qualifying cut-offs for admission to MBA/PGP
• Both IIM Calcutta and IIM Bangalore have fixed 85 percentile (General category) as their qualifying cut off
• IIM Lucknow has set 90 percentile (General category) as qualifying cut off for the upcoming academic year
• IIM Ahmedabad has fixed the qualifying cut-off at 80 percentile
• The cut-offs of top MBA institutes like SPJIMR-Mumbai, FMS-Delhi, MDI-Gurgaon and IMT-Ghaziabad are expected to remain above 95 percentile.

CAT 2020 Expected Cut-Offs

Refer to the table below for the expected final cut off percentiles at IIMs for the General category. Based on these cut-offs, candidates will be called for the interview round. It is worth noting that while the CAT cut-offs are high each year (90-100) for general category students it is relatively less for students from the Reserved category.

Why High CAT 2018 Scores Alone Are Not Enough To Gain IIM Admission

Expected CAT cut-offs for IIMs

Also Check CAT Mock Test 2020

Expected CAT Cut-off  for Top Non-IIM MBA Colleges

Featured below are the expected CAT 2020 cut off percentiles for General category students for top non-IIM MBA colleges that accept the CAT score:

Factors Determining Cat Cut-Offs

CAT cut off percentile for each institute is calculated based on several parameters. The main ones are mentioned below:

• The difficulty level of the exam
• Number of aspirants who took the exam
• Number of aspirants who cleared the exam
• Number of seats for PGP/MBA in a particular institute
• Ranking of the institute

IIMs Announce Cut-offs for CAT 2016

CAT Qualifying Cut-Off Vs CAT Final Cut-Off

IIM aspirants should understand the difference between the two types of CAT cut-offs that are key elements in the admission process. The two types of cut-offs are: Qualifying CAT cut-offs (IIM eligibility cut off) and final CAT cut-offs (IIM call cut off) and the main difference between these two is highlighted below:

Previous Years’ CAT Cut Offs of Top IIMs

IIM CAT 2018 Cut Off

The given table includes CAT cut off percentiles of top IIMs on the basis of which selection was made:

Take a look at the category-wise CAT cut-offs for previous years (CAT 2017 and CAT 2016) for each of the top IIMs:

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)

CAT 2020: IIM Admission and Selection Criteria

Once the CAT 2020 result is announced, the candidates who clear the minimum cut-offs will be eligible to apply for WAT/PI-GD round at the IIMs they had selected at the time of filling the CAT application form.

The IIM selection process involves the screening of candidates based on CAT score, WAT/GD-PI round, and final selection. The WAT/GD-PI round is usually held in the months of February and March, and the ‘offer of admission’ letters are issued to successful candidates in the months of April and May.

Also Check CAT 2020 Application Form

On being called for WAT/GD-PI round, the following documents are to be presented:

• The original mark sheet and self-attested photocopies of mark sheets of class 10, class 12 and Graduation
• Caste/class and/or disability certificate in case of SC, ST, NC-OBC, and PWD candidates- in original and self-attested photocopy
• Candidates who are in their final year of bachelor’s degree or equivalent must produce an original certificate indicating that the applicant has earned 50 percent or equivalent marks (45 percent for SC, ST, and PWD candidates) based on the latest available grades / points. This certificate should be signed by the Principal / Registrar / Director of the university / institution

The final offer of admission at the IIMs is dependent on the candidate’s composite score and takes into consideration the following:

1. CAT score: Both sectional percentile and overall percentile scored in CAT exam
2. WAT/GD-PI score: Marks obtained in the WAT/GD-PI round
3. Class 10 score: Class 10 marks or equivalent
4. Class 12 score: Class 12 marks or equivalent
5. Graduation score: Aggregate of three-year Bachelor’s program 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 awarded to candidates having relevant work experience in an executive or managerial level

The details of the admission process and the eligibility criteria followed at MBA colleges are mentioned in advance on their official websites so that the candidates can gain a fair idea of the process and decide accordingly.

Also read:

• CAT Admit Card
• CAT Registration
• CAT Result
• CAT Exam Preparation
• CAT Exam Pattern
• CAT Eligibility
• CAT Syllabus
• CAT Exam Answer Key
• CAT Exam Analysis
• CAT Question Paper
• CAT Exam Dates
• CAT Mock Test
• CAT  Score Vs CAT Percentile

CAT Cut-offs FAQs