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CAT Percentile Required for IIM Colleges 2026
Getting a good CAT percentile is one of the biggest milestones in your MBA journey. However, many aspirants often wonder, "Which IIM can I get with my percentile?" The answer depends on several factors, including your category, academic profile, work experience, and the admission policy of each IIM.
While older IIMs such as Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Calcutta generally shortlist candidates with 99+ percentile in the General category, many newer IIMs consider candidates with 90–95 percentile. Some baby IIMs may also shortlist candidates around 80–85 percentile depending on the category and profile.
This guide provides an overview of the CAT percentile required for IIM colleges in 2026, along with IIM-wise percentile expectations and category-wise eligibility.
CAT Percentile Required for IIM Colleges 2026
The CAT percentile required for IIM admission varies across institutes. While the older IIMs generally shortlist General category candidates with 98–99.5+ percentile, newer and baby IIMs may consider candidates with 90–95 percentile. Keep in mind that the CAT percentile is only the first stage of the admission process. Final selection also depends on academics, work experience, diversity, and performance in the Personal Interview (PI). Official qualifying cutoffs published by IIMs are lower than the actual interview shortlist percentile.
IIM | Expected CAT Percentile (General Category) |
IIM Ahmedabad | 99.5+ |
IIM Bangalore | 99+ |
IIM Calcutta | 99+ |
IIM Lucknow | 98.5–99 |
IIM Kozhikode | 97–98 |
IIM Indore | 97–98 |
IIM Mumbai | 97–98 |
IIM Shillong | 95–96 |
IIM Udaipur | 94–95 |
IIM Trichy | 94–95 |
IIM Raipur | 94–95 |
IIM Ranchi | 93–94 |
IIM Kashipur | 92–94 |
IIM Rohtak | 96–97 |
IIM Nagpur | 92–94 |
IIM Jammu | 90–92 |
IIM Amritsar | 90–92 |
IIM Visakhapatnam | 90–92 |
IIM Sambalpur | 90–92 |
IIM Sirmaur | 90–92 |
IIM Bodh Gaya | 90–92 |
CAT Percentile-Wise IIM Calls and Chances of Comversion
Every IIM follows its own admission policy, so there is no common CAT cutoff applicable to all institutes. The older IIMs place greater emphasis on a high CAT percentile, whereas newer IIMs often use a more balanced selection process that includes academics, work experience, and diversity. Candidates should treat these percentile ranges as safe targets rather than guaranteed admission cutoffs.
IIMs You Can Get at 80+ Percentile
IIM | Profile and Admission Factors That Can Improve Your Chances | Chances of Conversion at Around 80 Percentile |
IIM Bodh Gaya | Category advantage, balanced sectionals, strong academics, diversity and excellent PI performance | Low, but possible for suitable category/profile |
IIM Jammu | Category, academic consistency, work experience, gender diversity and a strong PI | Very Low to Low for favourable profiles |
IIM Sambalpur | Relevant work experience, gender diversity, category and strong PI can significantly strengthen the final composite score | Very low to Low for favourable profiles |
IIM Sirmaur | Category, gender diversity, academics and good PI performance can improve chances | Very Low to Low for favourable profiles |
IIMs You Can Get at 85+ Percentile
IIM | Profile and Admission Factors That Can Improve Chances | Chances of Conversion at 85–89.99 %ile |
IIM Visakhapatnam | Strong 10th/12th/graduation, useful work experience and excellent PI | Low to Moderate |
IIM Jammu | Category, academic consistency, work experience, gender diversity and a strong PI | Low to Moderate for favourable profiles |
IIM Bodh Gaya | Category advantage, balanced sectionals, strong academics, diversity and excellent PI performance | Low to Moderate, possible for suitable category/profile |
IIM Guwahati | Strong academics and work experience are especially useful under its latest application-rating model | Low to Moderate |
IIM Sambalpur | 85 applies to General-category women and General men with 1+ year relevant work experience; work experience carries major weight | Low to Moderate |
IIM Sirmaur | 85 can become relevant through special female-candidate shortlisting routes; PI/profile still matter | Low to Moderate for applicable candidates |
IIMs You Can Get at 90+ Percentile
IIM | Profile and Admission Factors That Can Improve Chances | Chances of Conversion at 90–94.99 %ile |
IIM Bodh Gaya | Good PI, academics, work experience and diversity | Low at 90; Moderate near 92–94 |
IIM Jammu | Strong PI; good academics and 2–3 years work experience help | Moderate to Good |
IIM Sirmaur | Good PI/profile; diversity can improve composite score | Moderate to Good |
IIM Sambalpur | Work experience is highly valuable; good academics and PI | Moderate |
IIM Amritsar | Academics, work experience, diversity and PI all help | Moderate |
IIM Rohtak | Category, academic consistency, work experience, gender diversity and a strong PI | Very low to Low for favourable profiles at 94-95 range |
IIM Visakhapatnam | Good academics plus strong PI and work experience | Moderate to Good |
IIM Guwahati | Strong academic record and work experience improve application rating | Moderate to Good |
IIM Udaipur | Be closer to 94+; academics, work experience, diversity and PI matter | Low around 94 |
IIM Lucknow | Near-perfect sectionals, strong academics, work experience/diversity and excellent PI | Very Low to Low |
IIM Indore | Class 10/12 performance is particularly important; excellent PI needed | Very Low to Low |
IIM Kozhikode | Excellent academics and diversity may compensate partly | Very Low |
IIM Mumbai | Very strong sectionals and profile needed | Very Low |
IIMs You Can Get at 95+ Percentile
IIM | Profile and Admission Factors That Can Improve Chances | Chances of Conversion |
IIM Ahmedabad | Exceptional academics, academic diversity, work experience, AWT/PI | Very Low to Low |
IIM Bangalore | Strong 10th/12th/UG, work experience and PI | Low |
IIM Calcutta | Strong 10th/12th, high sectionals, WAT/PI | Low |
IIM Lucknow | Academics, work experience/diversity and excellent PI | Moderate near 97+ |
IIM Kozhikode | Academics, diversity, work experience and PI/WAT | Moderate near 97+ |
IIM Indore | Excellent 10th/12th and PI | Moderate near 97+ |
IIM Mumbai | Very high sectionals, academics/work experience and PI | Low to Moderate near 97+ |
IIM Shillong | Academics, work experience, diversity and PI | Good |
IIM Udaipur | CAT plus academics, work experience, diversity and PI | Good |
IIM Tiruchirappalli | Latest JAP threshold makes 96.25+ important; PI/profile | Strong |
IIM Raipur | 96.25+ under latest JAP shortlist; strong PI | Strong |
IIM Ranchi | 96.25+ under latest JAP shortlist; strong PI/profile | Strong |
IIM Kashipur | 96.25+ under latest JAP shortlist; strong PI | Strong |
IIM Rohtak | Applicable from about 97; CAT, PI and diversity matter | Low to Moderate at 97+ |
IIM Nagpur | 95 overall and 70 sectionals under latest policy; PI/profile matter | Strong |
IIM Amritsar | Strong PI and balanced profile | Strong |
IIM Bodh Gaya | Strong PI | Very Strong |
IIM Jammu | PI, academics and work experience | Very Strong |
IIM Sambalpur | Work experience and PI have considerable weight | Very Strong |
IIM Sirmaur | Strong PI/profile | Very Strong |
IIM Visakhapatnam | PI, academics and work experience | Very Strong |
IIM Guwahati | Strong academics/work experience | Very Strong |
IIMs You Can Get at 98+ Percentile
IIM | Profile and Admission Factors That Can Improve Chances | Chances of Conversion at 98–98.99 %ile |
IIM Ahmedabad | Exceptional academics, academic diversity, relevant work experience and an excellent AWT/PI can significantly improve chances | Low to Good with a strong profile |
IIM Bangalore | Strong 10th/12th/UG academics, quality work experience, diversity and an excellent PI | Moderate to Good for favourable profiles |
IIM Calcutta | Strong 10th/12th academics, very high sectionals and excellent WAT/PI performance | Moderate to Good for favourable profiles |
IIM Lucknow | Strong academics, work experience, diversity and an excellent PI | Good to Strong |
IIM Kozhikode | Strong academics, diversity, relevant work experience and excellent PI/WAT | Good to Strong |
IIM Indore | Excellent Class 10/12 performance and a strong PI are especially important | Good to Strong |
IIM Mumbai | Strong sectionals, good academics/work experience and excellent PI performance | Good to Strong |
IIM Shillong | Strong academics, work experience, diversity and excellent PI | Good to Strong |
IIM Udaipur | CAT score, academics, work experience, diversity and strong PI | Very Strong |
IIMs You Can Get at 99+ Percentile
IIM | Profile and Admission Factors That Can Improve Chances | Chances of Conversion at 99+ %ile |
IIM Ahmedabad | Exceptional academics, academic diversity, relevant work experience and outstanding AWT/PI | Strong |
IIM Bangalore | Excellent academics across 10th/12th/UG, strong work experience and outstanding PI | Strong |
IIM Calcutta | Excellent Class 10/12 academics, very high sectionals and outstanding WAT/PI | Strong |
IIM Lucknow | Strong academics, work experience/diversity and excellent PI performance | Very Strong |
IIM Kozhikode | Strong academics, diversity, work experience and excellent PI/WAT | Very Strong |
IIM Indore | Excellent Class 10/12 academics combined with a strong PI | Very Strong |
IIM Mumbai | Excellent sectionals, strong academics/work experience and PI | Very Strong |
IIM Shillong | Strong academics, work experience, diversity and PI | Very Strong |
Minimum CAT Percentile Required for IIMs
Every IIM announces a minimum qualifying CAT percentile in its admission policy. Crossing this cutoff only makes a candidate eligible for consideration and does not guarantee a Personal Interview (PI) call. For example, IIM Ahmedabad requires a minimum overall percentile of 95 for General category candidates, but the actual shortlisted candidates generally have much higher scores.
Category | Minimum Qualifying CAT Percentile* |
General | 95 |
EWS | 95 |
NC-OBC | 90 |
SC | 85 |
ST | 75 |
PwD (General/EWS) | 85 |
PwD (NC-OBC) | 80 |
PwD (SC) | 75 |
PwD (ST) | 65 |
*Example based on the official IIM Ahmedabad admission policy. Other IIMs may prescribe different qualifying cutoffs.
Maximum CAT Percentile Required for IIMs
There is no official maximum CAT percentile prescribed by any IIM. However, candidates targeting the top IIMs should aim for a percentile above 99 to maximize their chances of receiving interview calls. Even then, admission is not guaranteed, as institutes evaluate candidates on multiple parameters beyond the CAT score.
IIM Group | Competitive CAT Percentile |
IIM Ahmedabad | 99.5+ |
IIM Bangalore | 99+ |
IIM Calcutta | 99+ |
IIM Lucknow | 98.5+ |
IIM Kozhikode | 97–98 |
IIM Indore | 97–98 |
New IIMs | 92–96 |
Baby IIMs | 90–93 |
Category-Wise CAT Percentile Required for IIM Admission
The CAT percentile required for IIM admission differs across categories due to the reservation policy followed by all IIMs. Reserved category candidates generally receive interview calls at comparatively lower percentiles. However, final admission depends on several additional factors, including academic performance, work experience, and interview performance.
Category | Expected CAT Percentile for Good IIM Calls |
General | 98–99.5+ |
EWS | 93–97+ |
NC-OBC | 90–96+ |
SC | 75–90+ |
ST | 65–80+ |
PwD | 60–75+ |
Also Read: CAT Percentile Required for IIM Colleges 2026
CAT Score vs Percentile for IIM Admission CAT Colleges
Many aspirants focus only on CAT scores, but IIMs consider percentile rather than raw marks. Since the CAT difficulty level changes every year, the score corresponding to a particular percentile also changes. The table below provides an approximate score-to-percentile mapping based on recent CAT trends to help you estimate your chances of admission.
CAT Percentile | Expected CAT Score* | Top Colleges |
99.9 | 125+ | IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta |
99.5 | 110–120 | IIM Lucknow, Kozhikode, Indore, FMS, SPJIMR |
99 | 95–105 | IIM Mumbai, Shillong, Top New IIMs |
95 | 70–80 | IIM Udaipur, Trichy, Raipur, Ranchi, Kashipur, MDI, IIFT |
90 | 55–65 | IIM Amritsar, Sambalpur, Bodh Gaya, IMT Ghaziabad, MICA |
85 | 45–52 | IMI Delhi, FORE, GIM Goa, GLIM |
80 | 38–44 | Welingkar, Jaipuria, LBSIM, IMS Noida |
*Approximate scores based on recent CAT trends. The exact score required varies every year depending on the exam difficulty and candidate performance.
Also Read: CAT Score vs Percentile 2026, 2025, 2024 Detailed Analysis
Conclusion
Securing admission to an IIM is about much more than just achieving a high CAT percentile. While a 99+ percentile significantly improves your chances of receiving interview calls from the top IIMs, candidates with 90–95 percentile can also secure admission to several new and baby IIMs. Moreover, reserved category candidates may receive calls at comparatively lower percentiles based on the institute's admission policy.
Instead of focusing only on the cutoff, aspirants should aim for a balanced profile by maintaining strong academics, gaining relevant work experience (if applicable), and preparing thoroughly for the Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI). Before applying, always check the latest IIM admission criteria published by each IIM, as qualifying cutoffs, shortlisting parameters, and selection processes may change every year. With a strategic preparation plan and a realistic target percentile, you can maximize your chances of converting your dream IIM.
