IIM Cutoff 2025 expected, Previous Year CAT Cutoffs

IIM Cutoff is the minimum qualifying mark required for admission to the most prestigious MBA/PGP Institutes - the Indian Institute of Management, popularly referred to as the IIM. The IIM Cutoff for admission to MBA/PGP programs of top institutes usually ranges between 98 and 100. IIM Cutoff is the main criterion for admission to all IIMs like IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bengaluru, IIM Calcutta, IIM Ranchi, IIM Kozhikode, and more. Admission to the MBA/PGP Programs in these institutes is granted based on the CAT Percentile score and the qualifying IIM Cutoff. It must be noted that the CAT Exam is the only criterion to be eligible for admission to the Indian Institute of Management (IIM).

Check: IIM Eligibility Criteria

The CAT Exam or the Common Admission Test will be held on 30th November 2025 by IIM Kozhikode. Candidates must aim to score at least 98+ percent in the exam to be eligible for admission to a premier MBA Institute like IIM.

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When talking about IIM Cutoff students must understand that there are 2 types of cutoff. One is the IIM Cutoff which is released before the second stage of the IIM Admission Process which is the WAT/PI Round. The second is the CAT Cutoff which is released by each institute separately to shortlist candidates for admission. CAT test takers are called for the WAT/PI Round only if they score as much or above the minimum IIM Cutoff set by the institute.

To understand the concept of IIM Cutoff and CAT Cutoff in detail, read the full article below. the article aims to provide information on the following aspects -

• What is the IIM Cutoff
• Difference between the IIM Call Cutoff and shortlist Cutoff
• IIM Cutoff for previous years
• Expected CAT Cutoff for IIM
• IIM Selection Procedure & Admission Criteria
• IIM parameters for final selection
• Campus Wise IIM Cutoff, Shortlist & Admission Criteria

Also Read:

CAT Total Marks | How to Calculate Scaled Score of CAT

What is IIM Cutoff?

IIM Cutoff refers to the minimum percent marks that an MBA aspirant must score to be eligible for the WAT/PI round of the institutes. The IIM Cutoff varies slightly every year and due to the institutes' premier status, it can go as high as 100%. The IIM Cutoff is different for different categories and varies with institutes. The cutoff for the General category is usually between 95 and 100 while for the Reserved category it ranges between 85 and 95. In case a student has an exceptional academic record, they may get an IIM with a CAT score lower than 95%.

For IIM Ahmedabad the cutoff for the General category has been 99-100 from CAT 2017 - 2023 while for IIM Calcutta the cutoff was around 92 - 99 percentile.

Factors Determining the IIM Cutoff

While the competition to get into the most prestigious MBA Institutes is high, certain factors determine or define the IIM Cutoff. These factors have been listed below:

• CAT Exam Difficulty Level: The first determining factor is the difficulty level of the CAT exam. If the exam standard is difficult then the cutoff percentile will be comparatively lower due to the lower average scores in the examination.
• Number of Test Takers: Another important factor in defining the IIM Cutoff is the number of test-takers in the CAT exam. If the number of students who took the exam is high, the CAT Cutoff for IIM will also be high and vice-versa.
• Availability of Seats: The last factor to determine the IIM Cutoff is the availability of seats. The number of seats in IIM may vary annually. Any increase or decrease in the number of seats will have a direct impact on the cutoff for that particular academic year.

Difference between IIM Call Cutoff and Shortlist Cutoff

IIM aspirants must understand that the institute releases two types of cutoffs. First is the IIM Shortlist cutoff which is released as a part of the IIM Admission policy. This CAT Cutoff is meant to select and shortlist the most qualified candidates for the WAT/PI round. To be eligible for an interview at IIM, candidates must meet this IIM Cutoff criteria. However, it must be noted that clearing this does not guarantee an interview call at IIM. Getting an interview call depends on the fact whether the candidate clears the IIM Call Cutoff or not. the IIM Call Cutoff is released after the CAT results are announced. If the candidate meets this IIM cut-off criteria, only then they are called for the WAT/PI round.

Read in Detail:

IIM CAP | IIM Call Predictor

In simple words, anyone seeking admission to IIM must clear both the IIM Shortlist cutoff criteria and the IIM Call Cutoff criteria. The IIM call Cutoff is often higher than the shortlist cutoff to select only the most qualified candidates. So to say, if any aspirant clears the shortlist cut off but does not meet the call cutoff criteria, they will not be eligible for admission to IIM. For example, in the CAT 2021 session, IIM Ahmedabad's shortlist cutoff was 80, but the call cutoff was 99-100.

Related Article: CAT Score Vs Percentile

IIM Cutoff 2025 Expected - CAT Cutoff

The IIM CAT Cutoff is never released publicly. The table below represents the expected CAT Cutoff for the upcoming academic session at different IIM Institutes. It must be noted that this is just an estimate and the actual cutoff maybe higher than what is represented. But the table will help the aspirants plan their MBA admissions accordingly.