The expected CAT 2026 cutoff will be between 97 and 99+ percentile for top-tier IIMs (such as IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Calcutta) for General category candidates.

Newer and baby IIMs generally require an overall cutoff between 85 and 95+ percentile.

  • Minimum sectional cutoff requirements across VARC, DILR, and QA typically range from 50 to 85 percentile depending on the category and institute.
  • Institutes require candidates to clear both sectional and overall aggregate cutoffs simultaneously before shortlisting for the personal interview round.
  • Achieving the qualifying percentile gets candidates past the initial screening, but converting a call typically requires a competitive score of 97+ percentile.

Based on recent admission trends, the expected category-wise qualifying percentile for CAT 2026 is outlined below:

Category Top IIMs: Competitive Target Newer/Baby IIMs: Indicative Target
General/UR 97–99+ 85–95+
Gen-EWS 85–95+ 75–85+
NC-OBC 80–90+ 70–80+
SC 70–85+ 55–70+
ST 60–75+ 45–60+
PwD 60–80+ 45–65+
Note: Official CAT 2026 cutoffs will be released individually by respective IIMs during the shortlisting process following the exam results.

Percentile requirements fluctuate based on exam difficulty, total test-takers, and seat availability, making prior-year cutoffs a baseline guide rather than a guarantee.

CAT Cutoff 2026 gives candidates a clear view of category-wise IIM cutoffs, sectional requirements, IIM CAP cutoffs, and expected cutoffs for top non-IIM B-schools.

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CAT Cutoff 2026 Expected

IIM CAT Minimum Qualifying Cutoff 2026

Every IIM considers both sectional and overall percentiles during shortlisting. Missing the sectional cutoff in VARC, DILR, or QA disqualifies candidates even with a high overall percentile.

  • General/EWS candidates are expected to score a 95-99+ percentile for top IIMs.
  • NC-OBC candidates are expected to score 75-90+ percentile, while SC/ST cutoffs drop to 50-70 percentile.
  • Sectional requirements generally range from 40 to 85 percentile across categories.
IIM Institute Category VARC Percentile DILR Percentile QA Percentile Overall Percentile
IIM Ahmedabad General/EWS 85 85 85 95
NC-OBC 80 80 80 90
SC 75 75 75 85
ST 65 65 65 75
IIM Bangalore General 80 75 75 85
NC-OBC/EWS 70 65 65 75
SC 65 60 60 70
ST 55 55 55 65
IIM Calcutta Open 80 80 75 85
NC-OBC/EWS 70 65 65 75
SC 65 60 60 70
ST 55 55 55 65
IIM Lucknow General 85 85 85 90
NC-OBC/EWS 77 77 77 82
SC 55 55 55 65
ST 50 50 50 60
IIM CAT Minimum Qualifying Cutoff 2026

This video breaks down category-wise minimum qualifying percentiles vs safe percentiles and scores for IIMs.

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Ques. What is the minimum percentile required for IIM admission for reserved categories?

Ans. Reserved category candidates (SC/ST/OBC/EWS) have relaxed qualifying cutoffs, with minimum expected qualifying percentiles ranging from 40 to 75 overall, though safe target percentiles are higher for final call conversion.

CAT Cutoff 2026: Minimum Qualifying vs Safe Percentile

  • A candidate scoring 95 percentile may meet IIM Ahmedabad's published minimum but should not assume that this guarantees an interview call.
  • IIM Calcutta explicitly states that actual cutoffs can be higher than its published minimum requirements.
  • Candidates should therefore set a target above the minimum whenever possible.
Cutoff Type Meaning Example
Minimum Qualifying Cutoff Minimum percentile needed to remain eligible for consideration IIM Ahmedabad General/EWS: 95 overall
Sectional Cutoff Minimum percentile required in individual sections IIM Ahmedabad General/EWS: 85 in VARC, DILR and QA
Competitive Percentile A higher target that can improve shortlisting chances 97–99+ for many top-IIM aspirants
Final Admission Level Depends on CAT + profile + PI/WAT/AWT and other factors Varies by IIM and candidate

Expected IIM CAP Cutoff 2026

The Common Admission Process (CAP) has shrunk significantly for this cycle. Only three IIMs, i.e., IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Jammu, and IIM Sirmaur, are now using the unified CAP shortlisting criteria.

  • Candidates now appear for one common PI round across all three CAP institutes.
  • Each of the three IIMs prepares its own final merit list using composite scores.

Expected Category-wise CAP Percentile Cutoffs

Category VARC Percentile DILR Percentile QA Percentile Overall Cutoff
General 65 65 65 90
EWS 50 50 50 75
NC-OBC 45 45 45 75
SC 40 40 40 60
ST 25 30 30 38
DA/PwD 25 30 30 38
Note: Figures reflect the qualifying cutoff structure common to all three institutes; each IIM's actual PI shortlisting cutoff can vary by a few percentile points.
Expected Category-wise CAP Percentile Cutoffs

IIM CAP 2026 Participating Institutes

Three IIMs now participate in the centralised CAP shortlisting process.

  • Composite Weightage: Final calls depend on CAT score, academic diversity, gender diversity, and PI performance.
IIM Campus Expected General Cutoff Expected SC Cutoff Expected ST Cutoff
IIM Bodh Gaya 90-95 60 38-50
IIM Jammu 89-91 54-66 32-42
IIM Sirmaur 87-90 55-60 35-38

Joint Admission Process (JAP)

IIM Kashipur, IIM Raipur, IIM Ranchi, and IIM Trichy have moved to a separate Joint Admission Process (JAP), coordinated by IIM Raipur. IIM Udaipur and IIM Nagpur now run independent admission processes and are not part of either CAP or JAP.

This video provides a comprehensive guide to the IIM Joint Admission Process (JAP) 2026 and the Common Admission Process (CAP) 2026 for CAT 2026 aspirants, clarifying eligibility, cutoffs, work experience rules, and the selection process.

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Ques. Which IIMs participate in IIM CAP and JAP 2026?

Ans. IIM CAP 2026 includes only three institutes, i.e., IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Jammu, and IIM Sirmaur.

IIM Kashipur, IIM Raipur, IIM Ranchi, and IIM Trichy participate in a separate Joint Admission Process (JAP) instead, while IIM Udaipur and IIM Nagpur conduct independent admissions.

CAT Cutoff 2026 Expected for Top Non-IIM B-Schools

The expected CAT 2026 cutoff for top non-IIM business schools ranges from the 85 to 99+ percentile, depending on the institution's reputation and tier.

  • FMS Delhi and JBIMS Mumbai require around the 96-99+ percentile for the general category.
  • DMS IIT Delhi and SJMSOM IIT Bombay require somewhere around the 90-98.5+ percentile.
  • Institutes like SPJIMR shortlist candidates at the expected 85+ percentile based on strong profile credentials.
  • Several private/deemed institutes, including IMT Ghaziabad, don't apply a reservation-based cutoff split across General, EWS, OBC, SC, and ST.
Institute Name Location Expected CAT Cutoff (General) Expected CAT Cutoff (SC/ST)
FMS Delhi New Delhi 99.3+ Percentile 70-85+ Percentile
JBIMS Mumbai Mumbai 96+ Percentile 96+ Percentile (uniform cutoff, no reservation split reported)
SPJIMR Mumbai Mumbai 98.5+ (Score-based) / 85+ (Profile-based) 85+ Percentile
MDI Gurgaon Gurgaon 97+ Percentile 75-85+ Percentile
DMS IIT Delhi New Delhi 98+ Percentile 80-85+ Percentile
SJMSOM IIT Bombay Mumbai 98.5+ Percentile 82-88+ Percentile
IMT Ghaziabad Ghaziabad 93-95 Percentile (same across all categories) 93-95 Percentile (same across all categories)
GIM Goa Sanquelim, Goa 90+ Percentile 60-70+ Percentile
TAPMI Manipal 85+ Percentile 65-75+ Percentile
Note: JBIMS Mumbai's published cutoff has recently been applied uniformly across categories rather than showing a wide General-vs-SC/ST gap.

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Ques. What is the CAT cutoff for FMS Delhi and MDI Gurgaon?

Ans. FMS Delhi requires an expected CAT cutoff of 99.3+ percentile for General candidates, while MDI Gurgaon requires an overall percentile of 97+.

Ques. What is the CAT cutoff for IMT Ghaziabad?

Ans. IMT Ghaziabad's expected CAT cutoff is 93-95 percentile, and unlike most IIMs, this figure applies uniformly across General, EWS, OBC, SC, and ST categories since the institute does not follow a caste-based reservation policy.

CAT Cutoff 2026 Expected: Category-wise IIM and Non-IIM Percentile Cutoffs: Quora Discussion

This relevant Quora thread features an expert response explaining why scoring a 99.5+ percentile in CAT does not guarantee admission to top institutes like IIM Ahmedabad.

  • The author highlights that out of roughly 1,200 top scorers competing for under 200 general category seats, over 83% miss out due to non-CAT criteria.
  • It emphasizes that IIM Ahmedabad heavily prioritizes exceptional past academic records and candidate profile alignment over raw test scores to meet top recruiter preferences.
Quora

Source: Quora

CAT Cutoff 2026 Expected FAQs

Ques. When will the CAT Cutoff 2026 be released?

Ans. Official qualifying cutoffs are released in the admission policies of respective IIMs before the exam, while final shortlisting cutoffs are declared after the CAT 2026 results in January 2027.

Ques. Is clearing the CAT cutoff enough for IIM admission?

Ans. No, clearing the qualifying CAT cutoff only makes candidates eligible for shortlisting consideration. Final admission calls depend on composite scores incorporating academic records, work experience, diversity points, and WAT-PI performance.

Ques. What is the difference between sectional and overall CAT cutoff?

Ans. The sectional cutoff is the minimum percentile required in each section (VARC, DILR, QA). In contrast, the overall cutoff is the minimum aggregate percentile needed across all sections combined. Candidates must clear both to receive interview calls from most IIMs.

Ques. Which IIM has the highest expected CAT cutoff?

Ans. Older IIMs, specifically IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, and IIM Calcutta, maintain the highest effective shortlisting cutoffs, typically requiring 99+ percentile for general candidates.