The CAT Cutoff 2026 for General category candidates is expected to remain around 98–99+ percentile for top IIMs.

Highly competitive non-IIM colleges such as FMS Delhi and JBIMS may require 99+ percentile. For newer IIMs and other leading B-schools, a 90–95 percentile may be competitive, depending on the institute and candidate profile. Candidates targeting IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore and IIM Calcutta should ideally aim for well above 98 percentile, with 99+ percentile being a safer target.

Click here to check the CAT Cutoff for Joint Admission Process 2026
  • Sectional cutoffs for VARC, DILR and QA may be around 70-75 percentile at several newer IIMs and non-IIM B-schools, while more competitive institutes may set higher sectional requirements.
  • Candidates targeting mid-tier or newer IIMs and leading non-IIM B-schools may find a 90-95 percentile competitive for the next admission stages, subject to the institute's selection criteria.
  • Top IIMs generally require a much higher overall percentile, so candidates should aim well beyond 98 percentile rather than relying only on the minimum qualifying cutoff.
  • Reserved-category candidates may have lower qualifying cutoffs, with some IIM admission policies setting minimum cutoffs in the 32–65 percentile range.
  • The CAT cutoff has two levels, overall and sectional. Meeting both minimum cutoffs does not guarantee an IIM interview call.
  • IIM shortlisting is not based on CAT percentile

Note: Your CAT 2026 percentile is not the only factor that IIMs consider. Sectional cutoffs and the strength of your profile also matter.

Related Links:

CAT Cutoff 2026

Key Summary

In this article, we discussed category-wise cutoffs and CAT cutoffs for IIMs. We also covered top MBA colleges and a detailed analysis of CAT marks vs percentile.You will also find what is a good score for CAT 2026.

  • The CAT 2026 cutoff will vary across categories and colleges.
  • As per the CAT 2026 result, with a score of 118-136, a 99+ percentile requires a raw score of around 118-136.
  • The top IIMs (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta) continue to have a cutoff of 99+ percentile for General category candidates.
  • Reputed B-schools such as IMI, IMT and TAPMI, along with the newer IIMs, typically require a CAT percentile in the 90-95 range.
  • OBC/EWS candidates typically need to have cutoffs that are 10-15 percentiles lower.
  • SC/ST candidates may need cutoffs that range from 35-70 percentile, depending on the institute.

Table of Contents

  1. CAT Cutoff 2026: Key Highlights
  2. CAT Cutoff 2026: Expected IIM-wise Percentile
  3. Do IIMs Have Sectional CAT Cutoffs?
  4. CAT 2026 Score vs Percentile: Expected
  5. CAT Score vs Percentile 2026: Reddit Discussion
  6. CAT Cutoff 2026 Category-Wise: General, OBC, EWS, SC, ST, PwD
  7. CAT Cutoff 2026: 95, 90, 80 and 70 Percentile Colleges
  8. CAT 2026 Cutoff: IIM CAT Cutoff Previous Years Trends
  9. Do Institutes have any ranking based on their CAT Cut off Score requirement?
  10. CAT 2026 Cutoff: Good score
  11. Non IIMs CAT vs CMAT, XAT, GMAT, MAT, NMAT Exam wise Cut off
    CAT Cut off 2026 for IITs
  13. CAT 2026 Cutoff: Check Colleges Based on Your Percentile

CAT Cutoff 2026: Key Highlights

Particular CAT Cutoff 2026
Top IIM qualifying range 90-95+ percentile
Top IIM competitive target 97-99+ percentile
IIM Ahmedabad/Bangalore/Calcutta target 99+ percentile
Sectional cutoff Usually 70-85+ percentile
Cutoff type Overall + Sectional
Category-wise cutoff Different for each category
Final selection CAT percentile + IIM selection criteria

CAT Cutoff 2026: Expected IIM-wise Percentile

  • The ABC IIMs require the highest competitive percentile of around 99+ for General category candidates.
  • IIM Lucknow, Kozhikode, Indore and Mumbai has a requirement of around 97-99+ which is also a stronger range.
  • The gap between the published qualifying cutoff and competitive percentile is significant. You should not try to secure the minimum percentile if you want to take admission in IIMs.
IIM Expected CAT 2026 Cutoff Competitive Target
IIM Ahmedabad 95+ 99+
IIM Bangalore 85+ 99+
IIM Calcutta 85+ 99+
IIM Lucknow 90+ 97-99+
IIM Kozhikode 85+ 97-99+
IIM Indore 90+ 97-99+
IIM Mumbai 90+ 97-99+
IIM Shillong 90+ 95+
IIM Udaipur 90+ 92-95+
IIM Trichy 90+ 92-95+
IIM Raipur 90+ 92-95+
IIM Ranchi 90+ 92-95+
IIM Kashipur 90+ 92-95+
IIM Nagpur 90+ 92-95+
IIM Amritsar 90+ 92-95+
CAT Cutoff 2026: Expected IIM-wise Percentile

Check: IIM Admission Process 2027-29: Check Admission Process for IIM, MBA Eligibility Criteria for IIM, CAT Cut off

100 Marks in CAT Percentile 70 Marks in CAT Percentile 75 Marks in CAT Percentile
50 Marks in CAT Percentile 80 Marks in CAT Percentile 90 Marks in CAT Percentile
10 Marks in CAT Percentile CAT Topper Marks out of 198 CAT Topper Marks Out of 204

Ques. Which IIM has the highest CAT cutoff?

Ans. IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore and IIM Calcutta are among the most competitive IIMs. General category candidates should target 99+ percentile for these institutes.

Do IIMs Have Sectional CAT Cutoffs?

  • IIM Ahmedabad has a higher sectional cutoff than several other IIMs, which is 10 points above IIM Bangalore's 85 percentile.
  • For example, IIM Ahmedabad needs at least 85 percentile in VARC, DILR, and QA. So, a candidate scoring below 85 in any section may not clear its initial screen
  • A candidate with a strong overall percentile can not qualify because of a low VARC, DILR or QA percentile.
  • The sectional cutoff is not the same as a safe sectional percentile. Candidates should aim above the minimum.
IIM VARC DILR QA Overall
IIM Ahmedabad 85 85 85 95
IIM Bangalore 80 75 75 85
IIM Calcutta 80 80 75 85
IIM Lucknow 85 85 85 90
IIM Indore 80 80 80 90
IIM Kozhikode 75 75 75 85
Do IIMs Have Sectional CAT Cutoffs?

Related Articles:

Ques. Is sectional cutoff compulsory for IIM admission?

Ans. Yes, when an IIM specifies sectional cutoffs, candidates must clear the required percentile in VARC, DILR and QA, along with the overall cutoff.

CAT 2026 Score vs Percentile: Expected

  • QA requires around 15 marks for the 90 percentile benchmark and 27 marks for 99 percentile, showing a 12-mark increase across these two levels.
  • VARC requires a higher score at each percentile benchmark, rising from around 26 marks at 90 percentile to 45 marks at 99 percentile.
  • DILR shows a relatively gradual increase, from 15 marks at 90 percentile to 30 marks at 99 percentile.
  • Around 39 marks is shown as the 99.99 percentile benchmark in both QA and DILR, while VARC requires around 54 marks in the cited analysis.
CAT Percentile QA Score QA Correct Questions VARC Score VARC Correct Questions DILR Score DILR Correct Questions
90 Percentile 15 5 26 9 15 5
95 Percentile 18 6 33 11 21 7
98 Percentile 24 8 39 13 27 9
99 Percentile 27 9 45 15 30 10
99.99 Percentile 39 13 54 18 39 13

Source: YouTube: CAT Score vs Percentile 2026 expected

CAT 2026 Score vs Percentile last 5 years

The CAT marks vs Percentile data of 2026 shows that the top percentile has slightly increased in 2025, indicating exam difficulty is tough, requiring 118-136 to secure a 99.9+ percentile.

  • Candidate with 99 percentile, scored 85-110 marks, slightly higher than previous years.
  • For 98 percentile, candidates scored in a score range of 79-85, showing consistent high performance to stay in the top percentiles.
  • 95 percentile: 64-66 marks, indicating that if candidates score above 65 ensures a strong percentile.
  • 90 percentile: 52-61 marks, suggesting that candidates with moderate accuracy has secured good ranks.
Percentile CAT 2026 (Expected) CAT 2025 CAT 2024 CAT 2023 CAT 2022
99.9+ 115 – 130 118 - 136 100 - 110 101 - 112 109 - 118
99.0 88 – 100 85 - 110 92 - 101 94 - 103 101 - 108
98.0 78 – 87 79 - 85 80 - 89 82 - 90 88 - 95
95.0 65 – 72 64 - 66 69 - 75 70 - 76 75 - 81
90.0 53 – 60 52 - 61 58 - 65 59 - 66 63 - 69
85.0 46 – 52 45 - 49 50 - 56 51 - 57 54 - 60
80.0 40 – 45 39 - 44 43 - 49 44 - 50 46 - 52
CAT 2026 Score vs Percentile last 5 years

Also Read: CAT Score Vs Percentile: Check Section-Wise, Slot-Wise & Previous-Year Detailed Analysis

Ques. What is the expected cutoff score for the CAT exam in 2026?

Ans. The expected CAT 2026 cutoff for General category candidates may be around 95–99+ percentile for IIMs, while the final shortlist cutoff for top IIMs can go higher. The exact cutoff will depend on the institute, category, sectional performance and applicant pool.

Ques. Is 37 a good score in CAT?

Ans. A 37-mark CAT score may be competitive for some colleges, but it is unlikely to be enough for the top IIMs. The percentile corresponding to 37 marks can change each year based on the difficulty level and normalization.

Ques. What percentile is 43 marks in CAT?

Ans. A score of 43 marks does not have a fixed CAT percentile. The percentile depends on the difficulty of the paper, slot-wise performance and normalization. Candidates should use the final CAT marks vs percentile data for an accurate estimate.

CAT Score vs Percentile 2026: Reddit Discussion

According to a Reddit post, a user wanted to know the college options he might be getting based on the CAT 99.42 percentile OBC NCL category. As per the response, he/she might be getting a call from old IIMs and was suggested to prepare well for the WAT/PI round.

CAT Score vs Percentile 2026: Reddit Discussion

Source: Reddit

Check: CAT 2026 99 Percentile: IIMs That Will Shortlist You and College List

CAT Cutoff 2026 Category-Wise: General, OBC, EWS, SC, ST, PwD

  • The General category is expected to have the highest cutoff at 90-95+ percentile, while the ST category may have a cutoff of 60-80 percentile.
  • EWS and OBC cutoffs are generally 5-15 percentile points lower than General category cutoffs.
  • For example, 90th percentile for General vs 70 for SC shows a 20-point gap.
Category Expected Overall Range Expected Sectional Range
General 90-95+ 70-85+
EWS 85-95+ 65-80+
NC-OBC 80-95+ 60-80+
SC 70-90+ 55-75+
ST 60-80+ 50-70+
PwD 50-80+ 40-70+
CAT Cutoff 2026 Category-Wise: General, OBC, EWS, SC, ST, PwD

Related Articles:

Ques. What is the CAT cutoff for IIMs for General category candidates?

Ans. The CAT cutoff for IIMs for General category candidates generally ranges from 80 to 95+ percentile, depending on the institute. Top IIMs may require a much higher percentile for an interview call.

Ques. What is the CAT cutoff for IIMs for OBC candidates?

Ans. The CAT cutoff for IIMs for NC-OBC candidates is generally lower than the General-category cutoff. It can range from around 70 to 85 percentile, depending on the IIM and admission policy.

Ques. What is the CAT cutoff for IIMs for SC candidates?

Ans. The CAT cutoff for IIMs for SC candidates can range from around 50 to 70 percentile at several IIMs. The actual percentile needed for a shortlist may be higher than the minimum qualifying cutoff.

Ques. What is the CAT cutoff for IIMs for EWS candidates?

Ans. The CAT cutoff for IIMs for EWS candidates generally falls between the General and other reserved-category cutoffs. Depending on the IIM, the minimum cutoff can be around 70 to 90+ percentile.

Ques. What is the CAT cutoff 2026 for IIMs?

Ans. The CAT cutoff 2026 will vary by IIM and category. Candidates should check both the overall and sectional cutoffs because meeting the overall percentile alone does not guarantee an IIM interview call.

Ques. What is the CAT cutoff for IIMs for ST candidates?

Ans. The CAT cutoff for IIMs for ST candidates is generally lower than the General-category cutoff and may range from around 40 to 60 percentile, depending on the IIM and admission policy.

CAT Cutoff 2026: 95, 90, 80 and 70 Percentile Colleges

  • With 99+ percentile, you can get into the most competitive IIMs.
  • At 90-95 percentile, you should consider your college options beyond the top IIMs like old IIMS or any new IIMs
  • Below 90 percentile, college selection should be based on placement data, fees, NIRF ranking and programme quality, not just the CAT cutoff.
CAT Percentile MBA Options to Explore
99+ IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta and other top IIMs
95–99 Older/newer IIMs and leading CAT-accepting institutes
90–95 Several newer IIMs and reputed MBA colleges
80–90 Multiple CAT-accepting private and university institutes
70–80 Selected MBA colleges accepting CAT scores
IIM Ahmedabad CAT 2026 Expected Cutoff IIM Bangalore CAT 2026 Cutoff IIM Calcutta CAT 2026 Expected Cutoff

Ques. Can I get a good MBA college with 90 percentile in CAT?

Ans. Yes. A 90 percentile can provide options among several newer IIMs and other CAT-accepting MBA institutes. The exact options depend on the candidate's profile and category.

CAT 2026 Cutoff: IIM CAT Cutoff Previous Years Trends

  • IIM Rohtak had the most stable General cutoff, which is between 95 and 97 percentile from 2021 to 2025.
  • IIM Visakhapatnam has not much increase in its General cutoff, just increasing from 80.34 percentile in 2021 to 82 percentile in 2025.
  • The category-wise gap was highest at IIM Rohtak in 2025, where the General cutoff of 97 percentile was 47 points higher than the ST cutoff of 50 percentile.
  • IIM Ahmedabad saw its General cutoff increase from 90.98 percentile in 2024 to 95 percentile in 2025, while its EWS cutoff declined from 97.30 to 95 percentile.
  • IIM Indore's General cutoff remained within the 90–92.43 percentile range during the years covered, with the 2025 cutoff standing at 90 percentile.
IIM / College Category CAT 2025 CAT 2024 CAT 2023 CAT 2022 CAT 2021
IIM Ahmedabad General 95 90.98 93.76 87.10 93.90
EWS 95 97.30 98.20 99.39 98.94
NC-OBC 90 77.53 79.02 86.50 87.87
SC 85 85.39 73.68 82.86 76.90
ST 75 73.14 74.52 72.40 60.10
IIM Bangalore General 85 95.45 91.97 86.18 93.26
EWS 75 91.03 90.16 89.88 79.50
NC-OBC 75 81.70 82.65 81.01 83.53
SC 70 73.04 75.12 76.21 71.83
ST 65 76.33 74.52 73.91 67.04
IIM Kozhikode General 85 91.03 88.14 91.94 90.85
EWS 75 82.26 85.67 80.45 76.51
NC-OBC 75 75.20 75.42 79.01 75.41
SC 65 67.80 67.06 65.11 66.81
ST 55 55.17 57.02 55.16 56.54
IIM Lucknow General 90 91.02 92.48 — —
EWS 82 90.13 88.18 — —
NC-OBC 82 86.20 83.74 — —
SC 65 67.20 67.36 — —
ST 60 60.30 62.51 — —
IIM Indore General 90 92.43 92.92 90.72 90.75
EWS 90 92.14 92.50 92.99 91.73
NC-OBC 80 81.26 80.44 80.17 80.21
SC 60 64.71 68.93 63.31 65.38
ST 45 49.25 52.30 48.34 51.90
IIM Mumbai General 85 97.04 — — —
EWS 75 90.55 — — —
NC-OBC 75 92.07 — — —
SC 70 80.94 — — —
ST 65 68.62 — — —
IIM Udaipur General 94 95.26 95.85 92.03 92.01
EWS 81 86.43 88.36 81.28 76.51
NC-OBC 81 81.20 80.43 77.42 75.88
SC 66 70.76 60.76 56.44 55.06
ST 42 43.09 43.55 55.16 40.51
IIM Rohtak General 97 97.00 96.00 95.00 95.00
EWS 93 93.04 92.02 90.12 90.05
NC-OBC 83 83.19 84.76 78.00 78.14
SC 60 63.61 68.62 57.20 57.53
ST 50 50.00 54.01 54.71 42.50
IIM Kashipur General 95 95.09 94.00 92.00 92.00
EWS 81 81.48 77.37 71.54 70.16
NC-OBC 81 81.04 77.37 74.01 74.07
SC 66 66.43 60.76 54.25 54.03
ST 42 42.59 40.18 44.71 40.09
IIM Jammu General 91 90.06 89.01 87.03 93.14
EWS 74 78.36 72.75 67.06 91.48
NC-OBC 74 78.44 72.08 71.13 78.87
SC 54 63.16 52.24 51.07 78.98
ST 32 39.05 30.57 36.46 37.88
IIM Visakhapatnam General 82 82.03 82.03 80.92 80.34
EWS 72 73.22 72.05 72.04 70.50
NC-OBC 72 72.90 72.11 72.65 70.51
SC 50 50.42 51.33 46.62 46.85
ST 40 40.09 41.54

Check:

Do Institutes have any ranking based on their CAT Cut off Score requirement?

Yes, the CAT participating institutes can be ranked as per their indicative Cut-Off Percentile.

Rating Level (Indicative CAT Cut-Off Percentiles for General Category Candidates)
A+ I (CAT Percentile 98.5+)
II (CAT Percentile 96.5+)
A III (CAT Percentile 94.5+)
I (CAT Percentile 90+)
B+ II (CAT Percentile 87+)
III (CAT Percentile 85+)

Check: CAT 2026 Selection Procedure

CAT 2026 Cutoff: Good score

In CAT 2025, a raw score between 102-120+ is considered an excellent score, which can place the candidate in the percentile range 99+, providing an opportunity to get admission into Top IIMS like IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Calcutta.

A score range between 80-100 in the CAT is considered a very good score, with the percentile range between 95–98. The candidate can get into Mid Tier IIMs like Shillong and IIM CAP.

A score ranging between 72 and 84 can place the candidate in the 90th-95th percentile and is considered a good score. With this score range, the candidate can get admission into Newer IIMS like Nagpur, Amritsar, Vishakhapatnam, and Sambalpur

Raw Score Range Likely Percentile What It Means Top Colleges You Can Expect Calls From
102-120+ 99+ Percentile Excellent Score IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Kozhikode, Indore, FMS Delhi, MDI Gurgaon
80-100 marks 95-98 Percentile Very Good Score IIM Shillong, IIM CAP (Udaipur, Trichy, Kashipur, Raipur, Ranchi, Bodhgaya, Jammu, Sirmaur), IIT Bombay (SJMSOM), IIT Delhi (DMS), NITIE Mumbai
72–84 90–95 Percentile Good Score Newer IIMs (Nagpur, Amritsar, Vishakhapatnam, Sambalpur), TAPMI, GIM Goa, FORE Delhi, IMT Ghaziabad, K J Somaiya Mumbai

Ques. Can I get IIM with 70 percentile?

Ans. A 70 percentile can qualify for some IIMs in certain categories, but it is generally not enough for a General-category candidate targeting an IIM. For example, the 2026 CAP cutoff is 90 percentile for General candidates, while the minimum is 75 for EWS/NC-OBC, 60 for SC and 38 for ST/PwD.

Ques. Which IIM has the lowest CAT cutoff?

Ans. Among the IIMs, IIM Visakhapatnam has one of the lowest General-category cutoffs at around 82 percentile based on the latest admission trends. However, the cutoff only indicates the minimum eligibility level and does not guarantee an interview call or admission.

Non IIMs CAT vs CMAT, XAT, GMAT, MAT, NMAT Exam wise Cut off

Find top Non IIM and private MBA colleges CAT, XAT, MAT, NMAT, and CMAT cut off percentiles, and GMAT scores here for 2024.

College CAT GMAT CMAT XAT MAT NMAT
XLRI Jamshedpur - 700+ - 99+ - -
MDI Gurgaon 95+ 690+ 85+ - - -
JBIMS Mumbai 98+ 700+ 80+ 95+ -
SPJIMR Mumbai 88+ 660+ 88+ 93+ 80+ -
NMIMS Mumbai - 680+ - - - 96+
Amity Business School 85+ 500+ 80+ 80+ 80+ 70+
IMI Delhi 88+ 660+ 85+ 90+ 80+ -
Great Lakes Institute of Management 87+ 665+ 82+ 81+ - -
MICA Ahmedabad 88+ 700+ 80+ 85+ -
IBS, Hyderabad 82+ 620+ - - - 70+
LPU 50+ - 78+ 75+ 70+ 90+
IMT Ghaziabad 90+ 675+ 84+ 83+ - -
GIM Goa 90+ 650+ 80+ 85+ 75+ -
TAPMI Manipal 90+ 700+ 85+ 85+ 80+ -
FORE Delhi 80+ 630+ 78+ 75+ 70+ -
BIMTECH 70+ 570+ 75+ 78+ 74+ -
Non IIMs CAT vs CMAT, XAT, GMAT, MAT, NMAT Exam wise Cut off

CAT Cut off 2026 for IITs

CAT 2026 scores will be accepted by 8 IITs to offer admission to MBA/ PGDM programmes.

IIT CAT Cut off for General CAT Cut off for SC/ST/PwD
IIT Kharagpur 90 percentile 75 percentile
IIT Madras 90 percentile -
IIT Bombay 90 percentile 60 percentile
IIT Delhi 90 percentile 60 percentile
IIT Kanpur 80 percentile 55 percentile
IIT Roorkee 90 percentile 70 percentile
IIT Dhanbad (ISM) 80 percentile 60 percentile
IIT Jodhpur 98th percentile (direct admission based on CAT percentile score) -

Also Check: CAT Cut Off 2026 for IITs, MBA Admission Criteria 2026-28, Dates, Percentile, Selection Process

Ques. Is 72 a good score in CAT?

Ans. 72 marks can be a good CAT score, but its value depends on the year's paper difficulty. It can potentially translate into a strong percentile and make several MBA colleges accessible, although top IIMs generally require a much higher percentile.

Ques. Can I get IIM with 70 percentile in CAT?

Ans. A 70 percentile may meet the qualifying cutoff for some reserved categories at certain IIMs, but it is generally not enough for a General category candidate targeting the IIMs. Meeting the minimum cutoff also does not guarantee an interview call or admission.

Ques. Is 85 percentile easy in CAT?

Ans. 85 percentile is achievable with consistent preparation, but it should not be treated as an easy target. The actual difficulty depends on the CAT paper, competition and your performance across VARC, DILR and QA. For top IIMs, candidates should target a substantially higher percentile

CAT Cut off for Top MBA Colleges Other than IIMs

Top Non-IIM B-Schools

Apart from the top leading IIMs of India, there are Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs) and other top MBA Colleges that accept CAT scores too. CAT percentile for some of the top non-IIM CAT accepting MBA colleges at which you will be shortlisted for PI is provided in the table below.

Name of the Institute CAT Score Required
FMS Delhi CAT Cut off 99 Percentile
JBIMS CAT Cut off 95 Percentile
IMI Delhi CAT Cut off 90 Percentile
Welingkar Mumbai CAT Cut off 80 Percentile
IMT Nagpur CAT Cut off 85 Percentile
GIM Goa CAT Cut off 88 Percentile
Delhi School of Management CAT Cut off 85 Percentile
MDI Gurgaon CAT Cut off 94 Percentile
SP Jain CAT Cut off 85 Percentile
XIMB CAT Cut off 91 Percentile
IMT Ghaziabad CAT Cut off 90 Percentile
NITIE Mumbai CAT Cut off (now IIM Mumbai) 97 Percentile
TAPMI Manipal CAT Cut off 85 Percentile
Jaipuria Institute of Management CAT Cut off 50 Percentile
LIBA Chennai CAT Cut off 80 Percentile
IFMR Chennai CAT Cut off 80 Percentile
AIMS Bangalore CAT Cut off 60 Percentile

The CAT cut-off 2026 will vary for each participating institute based on a number of factors. The major factors taken into consideration while determining the CAT cut-off percentile are:

  • Difficulty level of the CAT exam
  • Number of candidates who took the exam
  • Number of candidates who cleared the exam
  • Number of seats available at the respective institute
  • Previous Year Cut-off Trends
  • Number of candidates across different categories

CAT 2026 Cutoff: Check Colleges Based on Your Percentile

CAT 2026 Cutoff: Check Colleges Based on Your Percentile

Check: List of Top Colleges in India Accepting CAT Based on 2026 Ranking

Ques. What is the CAT cutoff for the top MBA colleges in India?

Ans. The CAT cutoff for top MBA colleges can range from around 90 to 99+ percentile. IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Calcutta generally require very high percentiles, while several other reputed MBA colleges accept candidates in the 90–95 percentile range.

Ques. Which MBA colleges are good for someone with a 75 percentile in CAT?

Ans. With a 75 percentile, candidates can explore newer IIMs where applicable, along with several other MBA colleges accepting CAT scores. The options also depend on category, academic profile, work experience and sectional percentiles.

CAT Cutoff 2026 FAQs

Ques. Is CAT cutoff 2026 released?

Ans. No. The final CAT 2026 admission cutoffs will depend on the criteria released by individual IIMs.

Ques. What is the expected CAT cutoff 2026 for General category?

Ans. A 90–95+ percentile can meet the minimum screening range at several IIMs, while 97–99+ percentile is a stronger target for competitive IIM calls.

Ques. Is 99 percentile enough for IIM Ahmedabad?

Ans. A 99 percentile is highly competitive, but it does not guarantee a call. IIM Ahmedabad also considers academic profile and other shortlisting parameters.

Ques. What is the minimum CAT percentile for IIMs?

Ans. The minimum varies by IIM and category. Several IIMs publish minimum overall cutoffs around 90–95 percentile for General candidates, while some have lower thresholds.

Ques. Can I get IIM with 90 percentile?

Ans. Yes, depending on the IIM, category and profile. However, 90 percentile is generally not a strong target for the older IIMs.

Ques. Can I get IIM with 95 percentile?

Ans. Yes. A 95 percentile can make candidates eligible for several IIMs, but the actual shortlist depends on the institute's admission formula.

Ques. Do IIMs consider sectional percentile?

Ans. Yes. Many IIMs specify separate VARC, DILR and QA sectional cutoffs.

Ques. Does CAT cutoff change every year?

Ans. Yes. IIMs can revise their minimum cutoffs and selection criteria. The effective competitive percentile can also change with candidate performance and competition.

Ques.Does CAT cutoff guarantee admission?

Ans. No. Meeting the CAT cutoff only makes a candidate eligible for further consideration. Final admission depends on the IIM's complete selection process.