What is the minimum CAT percentile required for IIM Bangalore PGP admission?

The minimum CAT percentile for General category candidates is 85 overall and 80 in each section (VARC, DILR, QA). Meeting this threshold does not guarantee a WAT-PI call. The actual shortlist cutoff is typically above 98 percentile for General category. Over 2.5 lakh aspirants compete for 512 PGP seats every year.

Is GMAT accepted for IIM Bangalore PGP 2027 admission?

No. GMAT is not accepted for the two-year PGP and PGPBA programmes. CAT 2026 is mandatory for domestic applicants to both programmes. GMAT and GRE are accepted for EPGP, PGPEM, and PGPBA international applicants. Only centre-based GMAT and GRE scores are valid. Online exam scores are not accepted.

Is work experience mandatory for IIM Bangalore PGP admission?

Work experience is not mandatory for PGP admission. It earns up to 10 points in Stage 1 and a quality-adjusted 10 points at Stage 2. Candidates without work experience should aim for a high CAT score and strong board marks. CA, ICWA, and CS qualifications also substitute for work experience points.

What is the IIM Bangalore PGP selection criteria weightage?

IIM Bangalore uses a two-stage process. At Stage 1, CAT carries 55 points, academics 30 points, work experience 10 points, and gender diversity 5 points. At Stage 2, PI carries 40 points. CAT adds 25 points. Academics contribute 15 points. Work experience and WAT each add 10 points.

Does IIM Bangalore offer direct admission or management quota?

No. IIM Bangalore does not offer direct admission, a management quota, or an NRI quota. All seats across PGP, PGPBA, EPGP, and PGPEM are filled strictly through merit-based selection. Reservation follows central government norms.

Who is eligible to apply for IIM Bangalore PGP 2027?

Any candidate with a recognised bachelors degree in any discipline with at least 50% aggregate (45% for SC, ST, and PwD) is eligible. Final-year students may apply conditional on completing the degree before joining. Candidates with any active backlogs are not eligible, even if they clear CAT.

What is the fee for IIM Bangalore PGP 2027-29?

The total programme fee for IIM Bangalore PGP based on 2026 fee data is INR 28,10,000 for the two-year programme. Fees for the 2027-29 batch have not yet been officially announced and are subject to revision. Need-based financial aid covers up to 100% of tuition for eligible students.

What entrance exams does IIM Bangalore PGPEM accept?

IIM Bangalore PGPEM accepts four entrance exams: CAT, GMAT, GRE, and the IIMB Test. The IIMB Test is a proprietary online proctored exam with Verbal and Quantitative sections. It is conducted twice a year specifically for working professionals who cannot prepare for CAT or GMAT.

How do I apply for IIM Bangalore EPGP?

Secure a valid centre-based GMAT or GRE score, then submit the EPGP application at iimb.ac.in with an INR 5,000 application fee. Round 1 deadline for the 2027-28 batch is August 17, 2026. Round 2 closes November 25, 2026. Shortlisted candidates attend a WAT and Personal Interview in September (Round 1) or later in the year (Round 2).

What documents are required for IIM Bangalore PGP application?

Required documents include degree transcripts (10th, 12th, and graduation), a graduation certificate or provisional certificate, and identity proof. Final-year students need a bonafide letter. Caste, EWS, or PwD certificates are required if applicable. Work experience letters and pay slips are needed if applying with work experience. Two online reference letters must be submitted through the IIMB portal. These reference letters are mandatory for all applicants.

IIM Bangalore PI Shortlist Composite Score 2027: CAT Cutoff, Weightage & Calculation

IIM Bangalore PI Shortlist Composite Score 2027 is a 100-point pre-PI score. CAT 2026 carries 55 points of that total. Academics carry 30 points and work experience 10 points. Gender diversity adds 5 points.

IIMB has released the PGP 2027-29 admission procedure. The weightages stay the same as the 2026-28 cycle. Gender diversity counts only at the shortlist stage and is dropped later.

Candidates must first clear a minimum CAT 2026 sectional percentile. A positive raw score in all three sections is also compulsory. The full document sits on iimb.ac.in.

IIM Bangalore PI Shortlist Composite Score 2027: CAT Cutoff, Weightage & Calculation

IIM Bangalore PI Shortlist Composite Score 2027 Weightage

The pre-PI score decides who gets a WAT and PI call. It is computed only for candidates who clear the first shortlist filter.

Component	Weightage	Basis of Score
CAT 2026	55	Section-wise scaled scores
Class 10 board score	10	Standardised percentage
Class 12 board score	10	Standardised percentage
Bachelor's degree score	10	Standardised percentage
Work experience or professional course	10	Months of paid work, or CA, ICWA, CS score
Gender diversity	5	Applied at shortlist stage only

Academics together carry 30 of the 100 points. That is a heavier academic load than most other IIMs apply. Board marks cannot change after the application. CAT does the heavy lifting.

Check: IIM Bangalore Course Admission 2027: Dates, Eligibility, Registrations, Selection Criteria

IIM Bangalore Shortlist 2027 Minimum CAT Percentile

The first shortlist uses a fixed percentile floor for each category. The 2027-29 document lists the cut-offs applied to CAT 2025.

Category	Aggregate Percentile	Sectional Percentile (VARC / DILR / QA)
General	85	80 / 75 / 75
NC-OBC	75	70 / 65 / 65
EWS	75	70 / 65 / 65
SC	70	65 / 60 / 60
ST	65	55 / 55 / 55
PWD	60	50 / 50 / 50

IIMB states plainly that these are only screening floors. IIMB notes that scores of those called for interviews were higher. So an 85 percentile makes a General candidate eligible, not shortlisted.

One more filter runs before the score is built. Only a positive raw score in all three CAT 2026 sections counts. A negative raw score in any one section ends the application there.

Read: IIM Bangalore Courses & Fees 2027

How CAT 2026 Marks Convert Into 55 Points?

The CAT weight is not applied to the overall percentile. It is split across the three sections. The split changes after the interview.

CAT Section	Pre-PI Points	Post-PI Points
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)	21	10
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)	19	8.75
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)	15	6.25

DILR carries the single largest CAT block at 21 points. QA carries the smallest at 15 points. A lopsided profile strong only in QA loses ground here.

How Each Component of the Pre-PI Score Is Calculated?

Class 10, Class 12 and Bachelor's Score Standardisation

Raw percentages are not used directly. Each academic score is standardised against the applicant pool for that year.

IIMB applies this formula: Max [0, min {wt, wt/2 + ((val minus mean) / sd) * wt / 6}]. Here wt is the weight and val is the raw score. Mean is the pool average and sd the standard deviation.

Example: a Class 12 score at the pool average scores 5 points. A score one standard deviation above the average scores about 6.67 points. Only three standard deviations above the average touches the full 10.

Intermediate graduation scores are accepted when the final score is still pending. Candidates whose final bachelor's score is available must use that.

Work Experience Score and the July 2026 Cut-off

Work experience is counted in months up to July 2026. Anything after that date does not count for the 2027-29 cycle.

The work experience score is 10x/36 when x is under 36 months. It becomes the full 10 points once x reaches 36 months. Here x is the months of paid work experience.

Example: 24 months of experience by July 2026 scores 6.67 points. A candidate with 36 months or more scores the full 10.

Internships do not count, either during or after a programme. Articleship and other apprenticeship periods are excluded too. Unpaid work in any organisation is also excluded.

For context, the PGP 2026-28 batch averaged 27 months of work experience. The batch had 541 students as per the IIMB inauguration release.

Professional Course Weightage for CA, ICWA and CS

Chartered Accountancy, Cost Accounting and Company Secretary qualifications earn weightage under this head. Only final-year completed scores are standardised and scored.

A professional qualification and work experience are not double counted. IIMB takes the higher of the two scores, not the sum.

Gender Diversity Points at the Shortlist Stage

Gender diversity is worth 5 points in the pre-PI score. IIMB states that this component is not carried into the next stage.

The effect shows in the batch data. Women made up 42 percent of the PGP 2026-28 cohort. That is the highest share recorded at the institute.

Who Gets an Automatic PI Call at IIM Bangalore 2027?

Some candidates skip the pre-PI score race entirely. IIMB automatically qualifies the top-ten candidates in three separate lists.

Top ten by total CAT 2026 score
Top ten by adjusted bachelor's score in commerce, arts and science
Top ten by professional course score in CA, ICWA or CS

This route opens only to candidates already inside the first shortlist. After the interview, these candidates are scored exactly like everyone else.

Check: IIM Bangalore: Admission 2027, Fees, Courses, Cutoff, Ranking, Placement

IIM Bangalore Post-PI Composite Score 2027

The pre-PI score does not decide the final offer. A fresh composite score is built after the WAT and PI.

Parameter	Weightage
Personal Interview	40
CAT 2026	25
Written Ability Test	10
Work experience or professional course	10
Class 10 board score	5
Class 12 board score	5
Bachelor's degree score	5

The interview alone carries 40 points. CAT falls from 55 to 25. Academics fall from 30 to 15, and gender diversity disappears.

The WAT and PI happen on the same day and venue. The WAT runs for about 30 minutes. It is marked on the content and style of the note.

Work experience is treated differently at this stage. The base weight drops from 10 to 5. Each panel member then rates the quality of experience. The scale is 0.25, 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2.

The average quality rating multiplies the base score. A top rating of 2 restores the full 10 points. A rating of 0.25 leaves barely 1.25 points. Weak experience actively hurts.

Final offers in each category are made strictly on the post-PI score.

What Has Changed From the 2026-28 Cycle?

The component weightages are identical across both cycles. Nothing has moved at the pre-PI or the post-PI stage.

Three things do change for the 2027-29 batch. The qualifying exam is CAT 2026 instead of CAT 2025. The work experience count now runs up to July 2026. The reference percentile table now shows the cut-offs applied to CAT 2025.

IIMB also states that the document applies to the 2027-29 cycle alone. The institute reserves the right to change the process at any point.

How Candidates Can Raise the Pre-PI Score for 2027

Only two of the six components are still movable in this cycle. Board marks and graduation marks are fixed.

CAT 2026 is the biggest lever at 55 points. Section balance beats one strong section. DILR and VARC carry 40 points together.

Work experience is the second lever, but only up to July 2026. A candidate at 30 months in July 2026 scores 8.33 points. Six more months of continuous work takes that to the full 10.

Example: a General candidate has 78 percent in Class 12. With 24 months of work experience, the academic block stays weak. A DILR and VARC heavy CAT attempt helps most. A full 36-month work record covers the rest.

Application quality is the third lever. Two online reference letters are mandatory. The form cannot be submitted without them. No extension is given for late references, so referees need early notice.

IIM Bangalore PI Shortlist Composite Score 2027 FAQs

Ques. Does the IIM Bangalore pre-PI composite score count toward the final admission score?

Ans. No. IIM Bangalore calculates a fresh composite score after the WAT and Personal Interview. At the post-PI stage, CAT carries 25 points, while gender diversity points are not included.

Ques. Does the IIM Bangalore Statement of Purpose (SOP) carry any weight in the composite score?

Ans. No. The SOP is a required application document, but IIM Bangalore does not assign separate weightage to it in the pre-PI or post-PI composite score.

Ques. Do reference letters carry any weightage in the IIM Bangalore PI shortlist?

Ans. No. IIM Bangalore does not assign separate points for reference letters. However, two online reference letters are mandatory for completing the application.

Ques. Can a candidate with a negative raw score in one CAT section get the IIM Bangalore PI shortlist?

Ans. No. IIM Bangalore requires candidates to have a positive raw score in all three CAT sections. Meeting the overall CAT percentile requirement alone is not sufficient.

Ques. What happens if a candidate does not have a Class 12 board score for the IIM Bangalore shortlist?

Ans. No points are awarded for the missing Class 12 component. The weights assigned to the other applicable components are re-adjusted according to the IIM Bangalore admission criteria.

Ques. Can candidates without a bachelor's degree apply for the IIM Bangalore PGP 2027?

Ans. Yes. Candidates who have completed CA, ICWA or CS after Class 12 can apply, subject to meeting the eligibility requirements prescribed by IIM Bangalore.

Ques. What is the penalty for submitting false work experience information to IIM Bangalore?

Ans. A candidate found to have submitted false work experience information can be removed from the IIM Bangalore admission process. The institute may also bar the candidate from applying to its programmes for three years.

Ques. Does gender diversity carry weight in the IIM Bangalore PI shortlist composite score?

Ans. Yes. IIM Bangalore awards 5 points for gender diversity at the pre-PI shortlist stage. These points are not carried forward to the post-PI composite score.

Ques. How many points does CAT 2026 carry in the IIM Bangalore PI shortlist composite score?

Ans. CAT 2026 carries 55 out of 100 points in the IIM Bangalore pre-PI composite score. The CAT component is divided among DILR, VARC and QA.

Ques. Does work experience carry weight in the IIM Bangalore PI shortlist score?

Ans. Yes. Work experience or an eligible professional qualification carries 10 points in the IIM Bangalore pre-PI composite score. For the 2027-29 batch, work experience is counted up to July 2026.