CAT 2026 Cutoffs: Expected Percentiles for IIMs & Top B-Schools

What Is CAT Cutoff?

The CAT cutoff represents the minimum percentile or score a candidate must achieve to qualify for admission to IIMs and other leading B-schools through the Common Admission Test (CAT). These cutoffs are influenced by multiple factors, including the exam’s difficulty level, the total number of test-takers, and the number of available seats in each institute. However, meeting the CAT cutoff alone does not ensure a call from the B-schools, parameters such as academic performance, work experience, and gender or academic diversity also play a crucial role in the shortlisting process.

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Final Cutoff vs IIM Qualifying Cutoff: Key Differences Table

Final cutoffs and IIM qualifying cutoffs differ in purpose, timing, and application during admissions.

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CAT 2026 Cutoff For Top IIMs - Expected CAT Percentile Required for IIMs

The CAT cutoffs for percentile-based calls for general category candidates are higher than those for reserved categories. According to the trends over the past few years, the expected target percentiles for the academic year 2026-27 are as follows:

CAT 2026 Target percentiles

*We have collected similar IIM CAT cutoff data based on the previous year's CAT cutoff.

Note:

• Cutoffs vary year-to-year and by programme. Many IIMs apply sectional cutoffs (VARC/DILR/QA) + composite scoring (academics, work-exp).
• Clearing the cut-off does not guarantee admission — it means eligibility for WAT/PI rounds. Final selection depends on multiple factors (academics, work experience, etc.).

This will help all aspiring CAT takers get an idea about the required percentiles of the colleges they might be targeting and mold their CAT preparation accordingly.

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IIM CAT 2026 Cutoff - Expected Score Required

To have a good chance of getting a call from top IIMs, you'll need a score much higher than the minimum qualifying score. This cutoff can vary significantly depending on the ranking of the IIM and the number of applications it receives. For the older IIMs, general candidates typically need a score above 98% to receive a call. For other IIMs, the required percentile can range from 94% to 97%. For CAP calls, a minimum score of 95% is typically required; however, some candidates may receive calls with scores as low as 89% to 90%, depending on the number of vacant seats in the initial rounds.

Check Out: How to Get into IIMs: IIMs Admission and Selection Process

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CAT Score Vs Percentile 2026 - Expected Marks vs Percentile

The table below represents the expected CAT 2026 score vs percentile based on CAT previous year's trends and CAT 2025 for your reference:

*The data has been collected by our CAT students and is subject to change based on the number of responses collected on our CAT Score Calculator.

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Factors Affecting CAT 2026 Cutoff

The CAT cutoff 2026 for each B-school will be determined based on several factors that comprise the selection process for MBA/PGDM. Some of the key factors that determine the IIM cutoffs category-wise are mentioned below:

• 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 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 scores of a majority of candidates
• The number of seats in the B-school: When the number of seats increases, the colleges call more people to fill these seats, which leads to a decrease in the CAT Cutoff. Also, the cut-offs would be very high and competitive for a limited number of seats in one of the top B-schools.
• All India Rankings of the B-school: 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.

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CAT 2026 Expected Section-Wise Score vs Percentile

We have jotted down the estimated CAT expected cutoff percentiles based on the difficulty level of CAT 2025; utilise the information and gear up your CAT preparation accordingly:

The best possible way to match these cutoff scores is practice, practice, and lots of practice. Attempting mocks and solving previous year questions are a must. Analysis is a must-do. After solving every mock, do check out their analysis.

For example, suppose you have attempted the CAT 2026 paper as a full-fledged mock test. Once you are done, you can check out the CAT 2026 exam analysis. This will help you get a know-how of how one is supposed to conduct an analysis.

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IIM CAP Cutoff 2026 (Expected)

Three out of the twenty-one IIMs take part in the Common Admission Process (CAP) rounds. Each year, the cutoff for CAP changes based on various factors.

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Expected Minimum Qualifying CAT 2026 Cutoff 

If we talk about the general category, for the top 6 IIMs, the CAT 2026 cutoff may reach as high as 99.99 or may even be 100%ile. For newer IIMs, it might range between 95-97%ile depending on various factors. Refer to the table below for a better understanding of the qualifying CAT sectional cutoff.

*Disclaimer - The cutoffs listed above are the minimum qualifying CAT percentiles based on CAT 2025, applicable to the 2026-28 MBA batch, as published in each IIM's official admission policy. 

Feeling scared after looking at this? —If you are looking forward to improving your sectional scores, get your hands on the detailed preparation strategy for each section. You can refer to:  Preparation Tips for CAT QA | Preparation Tips for CAT DILR | Preparation Tips for CAT VARC

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Expected CAT Cutoff 2026 For Top Non- IIM MBA Colleges

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, several other colleges have almost the same level of repute as the IIMs. These colleges include SP Jain, FMS, MDI Gurgaon, IIT Delhi, JBIMS, NITIE, etc. The CAT cutoffs for these colleges are often as high as and occasionally even higher than those of the IIMs.

*Important Note: Meeting the required percentiles does not guarantee a call, as it also depends on various profile parameters such as academic performance (10th &12th score, Graduation score), work experience, category, and diversity.

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Can An Average Student Clear The CAT Cutoff 2026?

Being an average student does not necessarily mean that you are someone with a poor academic foundation and weak analytical skills.

You need to understand that you have what it takes to get into an IIM and are capable of cracking any sort of examination that comes your way, provided you work smartly and analyse your own learning pattern. Consistency is mandatory. Focus on your objectives and reinvent 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 you 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.

Check out: What is a good CAT score?

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What To Do With CAT Cutoff 2026?

The CAT exam represents a milestone in the lives of several candidates. Therefore, they need to plan their entire CAT Exam Preparation extremely carefully. This is where the CAT cutoff 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 for which they can aspire. While making this shortlist, the candidate must acknowledge the institute's selection criteria and usual CAT scores.

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 B-schools for which the candidate has a fair chance of getting selected.

Also Read: What After CAT?

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How To Improve Your Scores To Match IIM CAT Cutoff 2026?

Start by identifying and prioritising the topics that require the most attention and deep learning. You can refer to the actual 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

• The test series and sectional tests allow candidates to prepare themselves according to the different sections of the CAT exam and identify their weaker areas. It is an easy-to-use prep tool that would help candidate analyse their performance at every step.

Try out our free CAT mocks and topic tests to see where you stand in your CAT preparation and identify the areas that need to be addressed.

Plan your Schedule

• The limited time between today and the CAT Exam means the need to establish a sound schedule for how to prepare for CAT. This plan needs to cover all the major areas and requires the candidates to have a good idea of their strengths and weaknesses.

Segregation of Time

• Over the period of 1 month, the time to be spent on each section has to be carefully subdivided so that every section receives adequate attention. After all, each section in the CAT exam also has its own sectional cut-offs, which means that focusing on a couple of sections to maximise the score is not possible. While planning the schedule, the candidate needs to ensure that they assign adequate time to each section and maximise their score at the same time.

Video lectures on QA and Reasoning by experts

• It is extremely important for the candidate’s CAT Preparation that they attend as many video lectures as possible in this 1-month period. At this stage of time, the candidate should be prepared to attend a lecture every second day if not every day, even if he/she is a working professional. This will ensure that they have the maximum amount of exposure when they actually sit for the CAT Exam.

Practise Mock Tests

• It is important to attempt CAT mock tests and analyze the mocks given so that the candidate can keep track of their progress and identify the areas where some additional efforts might be required. Also, get in touch with previous exam analyzes and the latest exam notifications related to shifting of the exam dates, change in the syllabus, paper pattern and dynamic ranking scheme that is to be followed that particular year. Additional information adds to your knowledge.

Get in touch with your Peers and Faculty Members

• Aligning yourself with a training expert can help you in a number of ways. This is why candidates prefer to stay in touch with the academic team, search for daily updates on the student portal and buddy up with ex IIM Alumni who can be torchbearers in times of need. A good networking circle sets a benchmark in making you academically polished, strong and noticed.

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Conclusion

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.