Is 99%ile in CAT Good for top IIMs: Now that CAT 2025 is only a few days away, one of the questions that students often ask is “if 99%ile in CAT Good to get a call from top IIMs. While all top IIMs require a percentile higher than 99th percentile, it is not enough to receive an admission call from IIMs, as selections depend on multiple factors beyond the CAT score.
This detailed guide breaks down everything you need to know about CAT percentiles, how top IIMs shortlist candidates, and what a 99 percentile actually means for your chances.
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Table of Contents
Understanding The Importance Of 99%ile In CAT Exam
Scoring the 99 percentile in CAT places you among the top 1% of all test-takers. Considering that over 2–2.5 lakh students appear for CAT each year, this puts students who score 99%ile in an elite group.
However, top IIMs use a holistic selection process, which involves:
- CAT percentile
- Academic scores (10th, 12th, Graduation)
- Work experience
- Gender diversity factor
- Academic diversity factor
- WAT-PI performance
This means that CAT score alone does not guarantee an IIM call, especially from the top 3–6 IIMs.
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CL’s IIM Profilizer Shows That Getting 99%ile Alone Is Not Enough
One of the most effective ways to understand whether 99 percentile in CAT is enough for a call from the top IIMs is by analysing your profile through Career Launcher’s IIM Profilizer. This tool evaluates your chances based on the same parameters that IIMs use, which are academics, work experience, category, gender, academic background, and CAT percentile, to show you a realistic shortlist possibility.
The profiling clearly demonstrates that two students with the same 99 percentile can have completely different outcomes depending on their profile strength.
A noticeable difference exists in the expected B-school cutoffs for different candidates with different profiles. Let’s understand this with the help of a table using CL’s IIM profilizer tool.
| Profile A | Profile B | Profile C | Profile D | |
| Category | NC-OBC | General | SC | General |
| Gender | Female | Male | Female | Male |
| 10th Marks | 90% | 90% | 90% | 70% |
| 12th Marks | 90% | 90% | 90% | 70% |
| Education | Engineer | Engineer | Commerce | Commerce |
| Graduation Marks | 85% | 85% | 85% | 60% |
| Work Experience (in months) | 6 Months | 24 Months | 20 Months | 24 Months |
| Percentile | 99.2%ile | 99.2%ile | 99.2%ile | 99.2%ile |
Also, check out the Career Launcher’s IIM Profilizer to get your own detailed B-school prediction and CAT percentile predictor.
CAT 2025 Percentile Analysis Based on Different Profiles
Profile A
The image shows the top B-schools from which you can expect a call based on your academic profile and work experience.
| B-Schools | Profile Match | Cut Off Required for your Profile |
| IIM A – PGP | Moderate | 97.12 |
| IIM B – PGP | Strong | 94.12 |
| IIM C – PGP | Strong | 98.72 |
| IIM Lucknow – PGPM | Strong | 95.85 |
| IIM Indore – PGP | Strong | 90.91 |
| IIM K – PGP | Strong | 92.37 |
Profile B
The chances of profile B have decreased when compared to profile A because of the category and gender.
| B-Schools | Profile Match | Cut Off Required for your Profile |
| IIM A – PGP | Moderate | 97.12 |
| IIM B – PGP | Strong | 94.12 |
| IIM C – PGP | Moderate | 98.72 |
| IIM Lucknow – PGPM | Moderate | 95.85 |
| IIM Indore – PGP | Moderate | 90.91 |
| IIM K – PGP | Strong | 92.37 |
Profile C
Among all the profiles, Profile C has the strongest matches due to multiple factors, like category, gender and educational qualifications.
| B-Schools | Profile Match | Cut Off Required for your Profile |
| IIM A – PGP | Strong | 97.12 |
| IIM B – PGP | Strong | 94.12 |
| IIM C – PGP | Strong | 98.72 |
| IIM Lucknow – PGPM | Strong | 95.85 |
| IIM Indore – PGP | Strong | 90.91 |
| IIM K – PGP | Strong | 92.37 |
Profile D
Profile D has the lowest strong matches because of low marks in 10th, 12th and graduation. These are the important parameters considered for the student profile for IIM selection.
| B-Schools | Profile Match | Cut Off Required for your Profile |
| IIM A – PGP | Weak | 97.12 |
| IIM B – PGP | No match | 94.12 |
| IIM C – PGP | Weak | 98.72 |
| IIM Lucknow – PGPM | Moderate | 95.85 |
| IIM Indore – PGP | No Match | 90.91 |
| IIM K – PGP | Moderate | 92.37 |
| IIM Shillong PGP | Strong | 96.5 |
Also read: CAT Score vs Percentile
Is 99 Percentile Enough for New & Baby IIMs?
For aspirants aiming at the newer generation of Indian Institutes of Management, commonly referred to as “New IIMs” or “Baby IIMs”, the target percentile is considerably lower than the legacy older IIMs. These institutes include campuses such as IIM Kashipur, IIM Visakhapatnam, IIM Jammu, and IIM Amritsar, all of which were established after 2011.
Cut-off Percentiles & Why 99 %ile Is More Than Enough
- According to data, many Baby IIMs shortlist general-category candidates at percentiles between 90 and 95.
- Some newer IIMs list minimum overall CAT percentiles for General category candidates as low as 80–92.
- In this context, a 99 percentile in CAT places a candidate well above the cut-off thresholds for most Baby IIMs.
You can also refer to expected CAT scores required for 99, 95, and 90 percentile to understand what marks typically correspond to these percentiles.
What This Means
If you score 99 percentile in CAT and you are targeting a Baby or New IIM:
- You are very competitive for many of these institutes.
- Your profile (academics, diversity, work experience) still matters, but the percentile barrier is not the major hurdle.
- Section-wise scores still need to clear the institute’s individual sectional cut-offs (e.g., VARC, DILR, QA).
- With 99 percentile, you can shift your focus from the percentile target to profile enhancement and WAT-PI preparation.
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Conclusion
A 99 percentile in CAT is an outstanding achievement, but for top IIMs, it is only one part of the selection puzzle. Your academic background, sectional performance, work experience, and interview performance all play an equally important role.
While a perfect profile at 99 percentile can open doors to IIM A, B, C, and beyond, a strong WAT-PI performance can elevate your chances even further. For aspirants targeting the best B-schools in India, the key is to maintain consistency across all selection parameters, not just the CAT score.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is 99 percentile enough for IIM Ahmedabad?
A 99 percentile gives you a chance, but IIM Ahmedabad places heavy weightage on consistent academics, diversity, and WAT-PI performance. It is not a guaranteed call.
2. Which IIMs can I get with 99 percentile?
IIM Calcutta, Kozhikode, Lucknow, and Indore are highly achievable at 99 percentile, however, the composite score is still determined by the profile.
3. What percentile is needed for top 3 IIMs?
Typically, 99–99.8 percentile is the competitive range for IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Calcutta (varies by category and profile).
4. Can a non-engineer get into a top IIM with 99 percentile?
Yes. Non-engineers often receive academic diversity points, which boosts their chances, especially at IIM K, IIM L, and IIM I.
