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CAT Cutoff 2024 for IIM & Top MBA Colleges

19 March, 2025
Parthiva Mewawala

With the CAT 2024 exam now over, tensions are running high amongst all MBA aspirants. Lakhs of students with high ambitions are vying for a few thousand seats in IIMs and other top colleges. The animosity has become amplified, with speculations running rife about the expected cutoffs for admissions to the best colleges. While the exact CAT cutoff 2024 will only be released after the admissions are done, we can formulate the expected cutoffs for 2024 based on past years’ cutoff percentiles and scores.

CAT Cutoff

CAT 2024 was held on 24 November 2024. Now that the exam is up, students have a faint idea of how well they’ve done. While CAT scores will officially be released only in January, the answer key will be out much sooner in December. Based on the key, you can accurately gauge your score and compare it to previous years’ scores to get a fair idea of your percentile. And then, based on those percentiles, you can figure out the cutoffs you will most likely clear and the colleges to expect a call from.

Read More: CAT Exam 2025: Date, Registration, Eligibility, Pattern, Syllabus, Preparation Tips, Cutoff

In general, there are two types of cutoffs to track. The first is the minimum cutoff, both overall and sectional, that you need to clear for admission consideration, and the other is the final admission cutoff, which represents the actual score of students who got a call. Usually, the minimum cutoffs are far lower than the final cutoffs. For instance, IIM Ahmedabad has a minimum qualifying CAT cutoff of 80%, while the final cutoffs were as high as 99% for general candidates.

CAT score vs percentile 2024

Beware, the CAT cutoff is expected to track upwards due to the lower difficulty level of the exam. We’ll continue to update this space based on new data as and when it comes in.

 

PERCENTILE VARC SCORE DILR SCORE QA SCORE OVERALL SCORE
80.00 18.00 17.00 11.00 43.00
85.00 20.00 19.00 14.00 49.00
90.00 24.00 22.00 17.00 57.00
95.00 30.00 27.00 22.00 70.00
98.00 36.00 34.00 29.00 85.00
99.00 41.00 38.00 33.00 96.00
100.00 59.00 63.00 57.00 151.00

 

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CAT cutoff 2025 – Factors affecting cutoffs

The actual cutoffs won’t be revealed until after the scores are declared officially in January 2024. However, a general idea of the cutoffs can be estimated by following the trends of scores from the previous years. The CAT cutoff 2023 will be based on an amalgamation of a number of factors:

 

  1. The difficulty level of the paper – A higher difficulty level will consequently lower the cutoff scores.
  2. Total number of applicants – Last year saw a record 3.3 lakh applications for CAT resulting in higher cutoffs due to increased competition.
  3. Total number of seats available—IIMs and other colleges often change the number of seats available to candidates. Changes in the reservation policy can also affect the number of seats available for general candidates. Fewer seats will push the cutoffs higher.
  4. College rankings – Colleges perceived to be better will generally have higher cutoffs.
  5. Number of candidates that clear the minimum qualifying cutoffs – Often, due to the varying difficulty level of the CAT exam, the number of candidates going past the qualifying overall and sectional cutoffs also changes. This can again affect the final admission cutoffs.

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What is a safe score to clear the CAT cutoff 2025 (expected) for top IIMs?

 

The CAT cutoff 2024 to actually stand a chance to get a GDPI call from top IIMs is much higher than the minimum qualifying one. Moreover, it can also vary greatly based on how high the IIM is ranked and how many students fill up their forms. For the older IIMs, general candidates will require above 98% to land a call. For other IIMs, the percentile can range from 94% to 97%. CAP calls require a minimum of 95%, although some even get calls at scores as low as 89%-90%, depending on how many seats go empty in the initial rounds.

Read More – CAT Preparation – Tips and strategies from IMS mentors to start your CAT prep on the right note

 

Name of the IIMs CAT Cutoff 2025 Percentile (Safe Score)
IIM Ahmedabad 94-100
IIM Bangalore 94-100
IIM Calcutta 94-100
IIM Lucknow 91-99.5
IIM Indore 91-99.5
IIM Kozhikode 91-99.5
IIM Amritsar 95+
IIM Nagpur 95+
IIM Sambalpur 95+
IIM Trichy 95+
IIM Raipur 95+
IIM Ranchi 95+
IIM Kashipur 95+
IIM Vizag 92+
IIM Rohtak 96+
IIM Udaipur 95+

 

Read More – CAT Score vs Percentile – How much do you need to score to get >90%ile?

What was the final admission CAT cutoff 2024-26 (lowest score to get admission) for top IIMs?

 

Name of the IIMs Final Admission CAT Cutoff 2024 Percentile (Lowest Score to Secure Admission) (General – Overall)
IIM Ahmedabad 93.76
IIM Bangalore 91.97
IIM Calcutta NA
IIM Lucknow NA
IIM Indore 92.92
IIM Kozhikode 88.14
IIM Vizag 82.03
IIM Rohtak 96
IIM Nagpur 94

 

Read More – MBA from IITs – Everything you need to know about pursuing an MBA from the top IITs

What was the minimum qualifying overall CAT cutoff 2024 for all IIMs?

The minimum qualifying cutoff is only used to determine eligibility for the GDPI process. But clearing these cutoffs won’t guarantee a place on the shortlist. This is merely the minimum score you need to clear even to be considered for the GDPI process.

 

IIMs Qualifying CAT cutoff 2024 percentile (Minimum criteria)
IIM Ahmedabad 80
IIM Bangalore 85
IIM Calcutta 85
IIM Lucknow 90
IIM Indore 90
IIM Kozhikode 85
IIM Mumbai 85
IIM Tiruchirappalli 95
IIM Shillong 75
IIM Raipur  95
IIM Ranchi 95
IIM Kashipur 95
IIM Rohtak 96
IIM Tiruchirappalli 95
IIM Udaipur 95
IIM Nagpur 94
IIM Visakhapatnam 82
IIM Amritsar 90
IIM Bodhgaya 92
IIM Jammu       92
IIM Sirmaur 95
IIM Sambalpur 95

 

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IIM CAP cutoff 2024 

9 colleges out of the 21 IIMs participate in the Common Admission Process or CAP rounds. Every year, the CAP cutoff is changed on the basis of the same factors mentioned above. For 2024, the IIM CAP cutoff was 95%ile.

 

IIM CAP Participating Colleges IIM CAP Cutoff 2024 (Percentile)
IIM Bodhgaya 95
IIM Jammu 95
IIM Sirmaur 95
IIM Sambalpur 95
IIM Ranchi 95
IIM Raipur 95
IIM Trichy 95
IIM Udaipur 95
IIM Kashipur 95

 

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IIM SAP cutoff 2024 

After the CAP rounds are over, a few IIMs also initiate a Supplementary Admission Process or SAP round in case seats aren’t filled. This year, only 2 colleges participated in the SAP round and the IIM SAP cutoff as set at 92%ile.

 

IIM SAP Participating Colleges IIM SAP Cutoff 2024 (Percentile)
IIM Bodhgaya 92
IIM Jammu 92

 

Read More – CAT Syllabus – Complete section-wise syllabus and important topics

What was the final admission CAT cutoff 2024-26 (lowest score to get admission) for top non-IIM colleges?

Like the best IIMs, other colleges, such as FMS and MDI, post extremely high cutoffs. These colleges are as reputed as IIM ABC and provide students with excellent career opportunities. 

 

Institute CAT cutoff 2024-26 (GEM)
FMS 99+
IIT Delhi 90+
IIM Mumbai 97
MDI Gurgaon 94
IIT Madras 84.99
IMT Ghaziabad 90
SPJIMR 85 (profile-based calls)
IIT Bombay (SJMSoM) 94.73
IIFT 95.7
IIT Kharagpur 90
TISS 93
MICA 85+
XIMB 92

 

Apart from these colleges, many others accept scores above 85%. There’s IIT Bombay, IIT Kharagpur, MICA, IIT Roorkee, JBIMS, Great Lakes, TAPMI, XIMB, and GIM.

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What is the minimum qualifying sectional cutoff for top IIMs?

Besides the overall cutoff, candidates must also clear the sectional cutoffs to maintain eligibility. Missing the cutoff by even one percentile or mark in just one section will render you ineligible. But clearing the sectional cutoffs alone won’t land you a call. There are other parts of the composite score that determine the PI call as well as the final admission.

 

Name of the Institutes Sectional CAT Cutoff 2024
VARC DILR QA
IIM Ahmedabad 70 70 70
IIM Amritsar 75 75 80
IIM Bangalore 80 80 80
IIM Bodh Gaya 73 73 73
IIM Calcutta 80 80 75
IIM Indore 80 80 80
IIM Jammu 73 73 73
IIM Kashipur 73 73 73
IIM Kozhikode 75 75 75
IIM Lucknow (PGP) 85 85 85
IIM Nagpur 73 73 73
IIM Raipur 73 73 73
IIM Ranchi 73 73 73

 

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Top MBA from IIT cutoffs 2024

With the IITs gaining ground on other legacy management institutes, they’ve also become prime targets for MBA aspirants. Great brand value and top placements have made the IITs a very attractive destination for students. IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay rule the roost, followed by IIT Madras and IIT Kharagpur.

 

S.No. Institution Name Minimum CAT Score Required for Admission CAT cutoff percentile for MBA from IITs (Lowest percentile for final admission offer)
1. DoMS IIT Delhi 90% 89.31%
2. SJMSOM IIT Bombay 90% 94.73%
3. DoMS IIT Madras NA 84.99%
4. DoMS IIT Roorkee 90% NA
5. VGSOM IIT Kharagpur

HSS IIT Kharagpur

90%

80%

NA
6. DoMS IIT Kanpur 80% NA
7. DoMSIE IIT (ISM) Dhanbad 75% NA
8. SME IIT Jodhpur 80% NA

 

Read More – Top Tier 2 MBA Colleges in India

CAT cutoff marks vs percentile

Now we come to the most critical section of this blog. You’ve already read about the percentiles required to clear CAT as well as get a call. But without the corresponding raw scores, you’ll find it very difficult to correctly estimate your position. Below, we have compiled past data to give you a sense of what percentile your raw score will translate into.

 

Percentile Marks in CAT 2022 Marks in CAT 2021 Marks in CAT 2020 Marks in CAT 2019 Marks in CAT 2018 Marks in CAT 2017 Marks in CAT 2016
99.9 111 120 131 196 192 208 191
99.5 93 107 115 170 170 183 168
99 82.5 97 102 157 155 173 153
95 60 71 77 120 125 139 123
90 48.5 59 63 90 110 121 108
85 41 45.5 55 87 90 103 93
80 35.5 40 49 75 80 98 84
70 29 35 36 57 62 83 68

 

Read More – NMAT Cutoff

CAT cutoff 2023 vs percentile – section-wise

Initial Estimates: Percentiles Overall
Percentile Slot 1 Slot 2 Slot 3
99.9%ile 102 105 101
99.5%ile 89 91 87
99%ile 80 81 77
98%ile 71 73 70
95%ile 57 59 56
90%ile 49 50 48
85%ile 40 41 39
80%ile 36 36 35

 

Revised Estimates will be released 2-3 days after the CAT Response Sheet is released.

Please do not make any B-School application decision based on the initial estimate. They serve only as a first indicator of likely performance.

Initial Estimates: Percentiles Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension
Percentile Slot 1 Slot 2 Slot 3
99.9%ile 48 50 46
99.5%ile 44 46 42
99%ile 40 42 38
98%ile 36 38 34
95%ile 30 32 28
90%ile 25 26 23
85%ile 21 22 20
80%ile 19 20 18
Initial Estimates: Percentiles Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning
Percentile Slot 1 Slot 2 Slot 3
99.9%ile 36 38 36
99.5%ile 32 34 32
99%ile 28 30 28
98%ile 25 26 25
95%ile 19 20 19
90%ile 16 17 16
85%ile 13 13 13
80%ile 11 11 11

 

Read More – SNAP Cutoff

Initial Estimates: Percentiles Quantitative Aptitude
Percentile Slot 1 Slot 2 Slot 3
99.9%ile 40 40 40
99.5%ile 30 30 30
99%ile 27 26 26
98%ile 23 23 23
95%ile 18 18 18
90%ile 15 14 14
85%ile 12 12 12
80%ile 10 10 10

 

While the CAT cutoff 2024 will only officially be released after the admission process is complete, keeping an eye on how the numbers are changing will help you set a target score. With a target score in mind, you can then tweak your preparation strategy.