CAT cutoff is an indication of the minimum percentile score that a candidate is expected to achieve to get shortlisted by the participating institutes. While top B-schools are known to have a higher CAT cutoff range, the minimum cutoff varies from institute to institute.
CAT cutoff generally depends on certain factors like the difficulty level of the exam, number of test-takers, number of seats, etc.
Further, it is worth noting that there are two stages to qualify for the admission procedure of CAT:
Find below the tabulated CAT cutoff of top-tier IIMs for the previous year:
List of IIMs |
CAT Cutoff 2023 |
CAT Cutoff 2023 (Required Score) |
IIM Ahmedabad |
99.5%ile+ |
80 |
IIM Bangalore |
99.5%ile+ |
85 |
IIM Calcutta |
99.5%ile+ |
85 |
IIM Lucknow |
99%ile+ |
90 |
IIM Kozhikode |
98.5%ile + |
85 |
IIM Indore |
98%ile + |
90 |
IIM Mumbai |
97%ile+ |
85 |
IIM Shillong |
97%ile+ |
75 |
IIM Ranchi |
97 %ile+ |
94 |
IIM Udaipur |
96%ile+ |
94 |
IIM Raipur |
96%ile+ |
94 |
IIM Rohtak |
96%ile+ |
95 |
IIM Trichy |
96%ile+ |
94 |
IIM Kashipur |
96%ile+ |
94 |
IIM Sirmaur |
96%ile+ |
94 |
IIM Visakhapatnam |
96%ile+ |
80 |
IIM Amritsar |
96%ile+ |
88 |
IIM Nagpur |
96%ile+ |
94 |
IIM Sambalpur |
96%ile+ |
94 |
IIM Jammu |
93%ile+ |
94 |
IIM Bodhgaya |
93%ile+ |
94 |
*Mark that the above-mentioned percentile are just the indicative numbers as per CAT 2023.
For Example: There might be candidates who do not receive calls from the respective institute at the mentioned percentile, regardless of achieving the required CAT percentile, because the selections are purely based on profiles.
The CAT cutoff serves as a benchmark for the minimum percentile score required for the colleges listed below. This criterion is typically influenced by factors such as the exam's difficulty level, the number of test-takers, available seats, and other considerations. The table below provides information for distinct categories.
Institute Name |
General |
OBC |
SC |
ST |
EWS |
IIM A |
99.68 %ile |
97.71 %ile |
78.95 %ile |
72.79 %ile |
97.71 %ile |
IIM B |
99.89 %ile |
96.08 %ile |
83.38 %ile |
78.93 %ile |
95.48 %ile |
IIM C |
99.71 %ile |
97.87 %ile |
91.44 %ile |
77.90 %ile |
99.03 %ile |
** For all the above variants, Gender/10th/12th/Grad is considered as Male/90%/85%/80% (Engineer) with a work experience of 12 months.
** These are indicative numbers as per CAT 2023. For Example, there might be someone who did not get calls at the mentioned percentile from the respective institute.
The CAT Exam is a computer-based test (CBT) conducted in 3 slots on the same day. The CAT 2024 exam pattern will follow the same lines as that of CAT 2023.
The previous year's exam pattern is given below:
The expected exam pattern for CAT 2024 is provided in the table below for your reference:
Section |
MCQs |
TITA |
Total Questions |
Time Allotted |
VARC |
21 |
3 |
24 |
40 minutes |
DILR |
14 |
6 |
20 |
40 minutes |
QA |
14 |
8 |
22 |
40 minutes |
Total |
49 |
17 |
66 |
120 minutes |
Coming Soon
After each CAT Exam, one question that burns in the mind of every CAT aspirant is, “How have I performed?” Well, Career Launcher aims to answer this question with our CAT 2023 Score Calculator & Percentile Predictor. Over the years, we have collected information on the CAT attempts of thousands of candidates and, with the help of machine learning techniques, have been able to build a robust model of percentile prediction, which has proven its worth over the years.
Possible deviations from the predicted percentiles as observed in the previous CAT results are given below:
The selection procedure differs according to various participating institutes.
After the CAT selection procedure ends, each IIM releases its separate merit lists. The final selection process of B-schools or the CAT selection procedure of participating B-schools is based on multiple criteria, such as performance in CAT and GD/WAT and PI rounds and past academic records and/or work experience. The CAT eligibility criteria or parameters vary from institute to institute. IIMs release their detailed admission criteria every year after the CAT notification.
It is very important to look at past trends before proceeding with your preparation for CAT 2024. By doing so, you can adopt a better exam-taking strategy and learn smart tips and tricks to score better.
One frequently asked question among CAT aspirants is, What CAT score is required to reach the top percentiles, which are essential for meeting the cutoffs of B-schools?
Given below are the CAT scores and the net questions candidates can aim for according to CAT 2023:
CAT 2023 Score |
Percentile Rank |
Net Qs |
84.5 |
99.5 |
28 |
76 |
99 |
25 |
62 |
97 |
20 |
55 |
95 |
18 |
44.5 |
90 |
14 |
38 |
85 |
12 |
34 |
80 |
11 |
30 |
75 |
10 |
27 |
70 |
9 |
22 |
60 |
7 |
17 |
50 |
5 |
Also check: CAT Score vs Percentile
The overall difficulty of CAT 2023 was higher than that of CAT 2022. The exam followed the exam pattern of CAT 2022, with 66 questions to be answered in 120 minutes. The distribution of questions across the sections also remained the same, with 24 questions in VARC, 20 questions in DILR, and 22 questions in QA. Each section had to be attempted in 40 minutes.
Among the 3 slots, there was only a marginal difference in the level of difficulty.
Section (CAT 2023) |
Most Difficult |
Moderately Difficult |
Least Difficult |
VARC |
Slot 1 |
Slot 2 |
Slot 3 |
DILR |
Slot 3 |
Slot 1 |
Slot 2 |
QA |
Slot 3 |
Slot 2 |
Slot 1 |
DILR was the most difficult section of CAT 2023, and the easiest was VARC. Ideally, a CAT score of 76 was required to get a 99%ile in CAT 2023.
You can also check the detailed exam analysis of CAT 2023 by clicking here.
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According to the CAT 2024 examination paper, the overall level of difficulty of the exam can be characterized as ranging from moderate to difficult. Upon closer examination of the individual sections, it can be observed that the Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension segment appears to fall within the range of Easy to Moderate difficulty, while the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section is inclined toward the Moderate to Difficult category. Furthermore, the Quantitative Ability section is also assessed as being of moderate difficulty, in line with the overall level of the CAT 2024 examination.
It is important to note that the difficulty level of the examination for the current year may exhibit variations.
In a comparative analysis, it is evident that slot 3 of the CAT 2024 examination can be characterized as the most difficult. This observation is primarily attributed to the higher level of complexity in the Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning as well as the Quantitative Ability sections in slot 3. The easiest slot seemed to be slot 2.
For the preceding eight years, the toughest examination was administered by the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM Bangalore) in 2021.
The percentile depends on both accuracy and the number of questions attempted. To attain a 99 percentile in CAT 2024, it was necessary to achieve an overall score of 84 marks by correctly answering at least 27 questions. The sectional scores could exhibit variability contingent upon the number of questions attempted, particularly when accompanied by a higher degree of accuracy. So, a good attempt with moderate to good accuracy will be 33-35 questions.
The detailed analysis of CAT Exam 2024 for each slot will be live on Career Launcher’s website 1 hour after each slot exam ends