CAT Cutoff 2025 – Expected Cutoffs for IIM & Top MBA Colleges

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 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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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.

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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.

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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.

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CAT cutoff 2023 vs percentile – section-wise

Initial Estimates: Percentiles Overall

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

Initial Estimates: Percentiles Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

Initial Estimates: Percentiles Quantitative Aptitude

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.