There are several different factors that can affect the CAT Cut Off:
Number of Test Takers for the CAT exam: If the number of test-takers increases, the CAT Cutoff generally increases too. This is because while the number of people that the college calls for the further processes is generally the same, the increase in the number of test-takers means that people getting admission calls are at higher CAT Cutoffs.
The difficulty level of the exam: On the other hand, an increase in the difficulty level of the CAT exam would lower the percentiles. This is the case due to a drop in the score of a majority of candidates.
The number of seats in the institute: When the number of seat increases, the colleges calls more people to fill these seats which leads to a decrease in the CAT Cutoff. Also, for a limited number of seats in one of the top B-schools, the cut-offs would be very high and competitive.
University/College Repute: The reputation of a university and the cutoff score go hand in hand as top institutes will get the best candidates with high percentiles applying for their programs. So a university that changes to a rank of a higher reputed institute would consequently have a higher cutoff.
The CAT cutoffs for the IIMs for candidates from the general category are high. According to the trends over the past few years, the CAT Cut Offs for top IIMs are:
Institute |
CAT Cut off (2019) |
CAT Cut off (2020) |
CAT Cut off (2021) |
CAT Cut off (2022) |
|
81.53%ile |
99%ile |
80%ile |
80%ile |
|
90+%ile |
99%ile |
85%ile |
85%ile |
|
95+%ile |
99%ile |
>=85%ile |
85%ile |
|
90+%ile |
97-98%ile |
90%ile |
90%ile |
|
95.5%ile |
97-98%ile |
85%ile |
85%ile |
|
90%ile |
97-98%ile |
90%ile |
90%ile |
|
90%ile |
95%ile |
85%ile |
85%ile |
|
90%ile |
95%ile |
92%ile |
92%ile |
|
90%ile |
95%ile |
94%ile |
92%ile |
|
90-94%ile |
95%ile |
>=92%ile |
92%ile |
|
90+%ile |
95%ile |
95%ile |
95%ile |
|
96%ile |
94%ile |
>=92%ile |
>=92%ile |
|
90%ile |
94%ile |
92%ile |
92%ile |
|
95%ile |
90-95%ile |
94%ile |
92%ile |
|
90+%ile |
90-95%ile |
92%ile |
92%ile |
|
90%ile |
90-95%ile |
80%ile |
80%ile |
|
90%ile |
90-95%ile |
85%ile |
85%ile |
|
90%ile |
90-95%ile |
93%ile |
90%ile |
|
90%ile |
90-95%ile |
85%ile |
90%ile |
|
90%ile |
90-95%ile |
92%ile |
92%ile |
While most aspirants aim to get into the older IIMs as they are considered to be the best B-schools in India, not everyone can accomplish this goal. However, there are several other colleges that have almost the same level of repute as the IIMs. Some of these colleges include SP Jain, FMS, MDI Gurgaon, IIT Delhi, JBIMS, NITIE, etc. The CAT Cut Offs for these colleges are often times as high and occasionally even higher than that of the IIMs.
B-schools | CAT Cutoff |
FMS Delhi | 98%ile+ |
SPJIMR | 85%ile |
MDI Gurgaon | 93%ile + |
IIT Kharagpur | 90%ile + |
SJMSOM (IIT Bombay) | 90%ile + |
Given below is the section-wise distribution of the CAT cutoff percentile for all the IIMs-
Institute |
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension |
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning |
Quantitative Aptitude |
Overall Percentile |
|
70 |
70 |
70 |
80 |
|
80 |
75 |
75 |
85 |
|
80 |
80 |
75 |
85 |
|
85 |
85 |
85 |
90 |
|
75 |
75 |
75 |
85 |
|
80 |
80 |
80 |
90 |
|
75 |
75 |
75 |
85 |
|
70 |
70 |
70 |
92 |
|
70 |
70 |
70 |
92 |
|
70 |
70 |
70 |
92 |
|
- |
- |
- |
95 |
|
>=70 |
>=70 |
>=70 |
>=92 |
|
70 |
70 |
70 |
92 |
|
70 |
70 |
70 |
92 |
|
70 |
70 |
70 |
92 |
|
70 |
70 |
70 |
80 |
|
75 |
75 |
80 |
85 |
|
65 |
65 |
65 |
90 |
|
65 |
65 |
65 |
90 |
|
70 |
70 |
70 |
92 |
The CAT 2022 Exam had approximately 2.5 lakh registrations out of which more than 2.2 lakh candidates appeared. This makes it difficult for colleges to select the ideal candidates from this vast pool. An added complexity to the criterion is that other colleges will also be selecting candidates for their own batch simultaneously.
Therefore, the business colleges decided to bring in something called the CAT Cutoff. This represents a basic percentile requirement which the colleges decide upon based on:
These two factors are somewhat inter-related because the better the reputation of the college, the more the number of candidates who would want to gain admission there.
There are certainly other factors such as the quality of the faculty, the placement record and even the location of the college. The last factor matters because if there are two colleges with an equally competent student base, companies would rather visit the college which is closer to their location. It is due to this reason, that colleges tend to crop up in industrial hubs such as Mumbai and Bangalore.
Being an average student does not necessarily mean that you are someone with a poor academic foundation and weak analytical skills.
Yet, the answer to the question is that yes, an average student can crack the CAT cutoff. It is not a difficult feat as long as you are consistent, committed and hardworking.
You need to understand that you have what it takes to get into an IIM and are viable to crack any sort of examination that comes in your way, provided you work smartly and analyze your own learning pattern. Consistency is mandatory. Focus on your objectives and re-invent your working pattern in other formats.
Meticulous management of your time will help you stay focused. Breaking up your studying time into small chunks helps concentrate more and mind mapping can straightaway hit the nail on the coffin and help you ace CAT or any competitive test for that matter.
The CAT exam represents a milestone in the life of several candidates. Therefore, they need to plan their entire CAT Exam Preparation extremely carefully. This is where the CAT Cut Off and the CAT Score come into play.
Every candidate has a basic idea of what they can achieve in the CAT exam with a good level of preparation. Keeping this in mind, the candidate needs to build a shortlist of Business Scores that they can aspire for. While making this shortlist, the candidate must acknowledge the selection criteria and usual CAT cutoff scores of said institutes.
These selection criteria are usually available on the college website itself or on some other internet source. With the help of the selection criteria, the candidate can make a realistic estimate of the Business Schools that the candidate has a fair chance of getting selected.
Summarize the course curriculum - Identify and prioritize the topics that require the most amount of attention that require deep learning. You can refer to the previous year's CAT question papers, question banks framed specifically for the candidates and the individual weightage of each section in the CAT exam.
Devote your time to Online Sectional Tests
Plan your Schedule
Segregation of Time
Video lectures on QA and Reasoning by experts
Mock Practise Tests
Get in touch with your Peers and Faculty Members
The CAT Cutoff is just another tool that the candidate has in his locker. It gives the candidate a better idea of where they need to focus their efforts and the kind of CAT Score and CAT Percentile that they need to aim for. This is especially important because while aiming for 100%ile is good, there should also be a realistic target for the candidate to chase.
Yes, for admissions to the IIMs, 85% in 12th is sufficient. Getting admission to an IIM is dependent on various factors, along with 12th scores. The profile of the candidate, the CAT score, and the performance in the GDPI round together determine whether a candidate is admissible for admission or not.
Yes, candidates who score a high percentile might still not make the cut for IIM-A as the CAT scores are not the only criterion for admission to an IIM. The performance of the candidate in further admission rounds, the overall profile, including 10th and 12th grades, work experience, qualification, etc, also plays a role in the final score given to the candidate.
A good CAT percentile is necessary for the interview shortlisting and each IIM has a separate minimum cutoff as mentioned above. However, the final decision for admission to any IIM is based on various factors including profile, diversity, CAT scores, and other factors.
The overall cutoff for IIM-A is 80%ile and the sectional cutoff is as follows: