Any CAT aspirant has an eye out on all the top B-Schools for the CAT Cut so that he/she has an idea of what they’re shooting for. The CAT score Cut Off is the initial stage that must be cleared for approval by the applicant for further procedures. Although the actual CAT score Cut Off is much higher than the CAT score Cut Off offered by the schools, these CAT Cut Offs must still be kept in mind to ensure that the candidate has a reasonable goal at which they can reach.
The general trends for the top B-Schools are:
- The Top IIMs and colleges like FMS and ISB Hyderabad require a CAT Score of over 99%ile to get a call for the interview rounds.
- New IIMs like IIM Udaipur, IIM Trichy, etc. all have a CAT Cut Off of 90-95%ile for an interview call.
- Baby IIMs have similar CAT Cut Offs as in the New IIMs, but some can dip to 85%ile for the candidate with the right profile.
- Tier 2 and Tier 3 Colleges can have CAT Scores and CAT Cut Offs between 50 and 80%ile.
Apart from the total CAT Cut Off listed in the above paragraph, most of the top B-Schools also have a sectional CAT Cut Off. If the nominee clears the CAT Cut Off but fails to clear the CAT Cut Off portion, he/she will not receive a call from the B-School.
CAT 2020 will take effect in the last week of November, with the final date revealed by the CAT 2020 Notification in the last week of July.
Colleges accepting CAT scores in India and abroad
What exactly does the CAT Cut Off mean?
The CAT Exam drew nearly 2,10,000 students in 2019. This makes it impossible for colleges to pick the ideal applicants from this list. An added complication is that other colleges can pick applicants for their batch at the same time.
The Business Colleges then agreed to incorporate something called the CAT Cut Off. This is the primary percentile criterion that colleges settle based on:
- Reputation of College
- Number of Aspirants for the college
These two aspects are somewhat interrelated, since the more significant the institution’s prestige, the greater the number of students who would like to be accepted to college.
Other considerations, such as the faculty’s calibre, placement record, and even the institution’s position exist. The last concern is relevant because if there are two colleges with an equally qualified student body, businesses will choose to attend a college that is closest to their venue. It is for this cause that colleges begin to develop in industrial hubs such as Mumbai and Bangalore.
Can an average student clear CAT Cut off?
Being an ordinary student does not mean that you have a mediocre academic record and bad analytical skills. It can mean that somewhere deep down, you’ve cast an enormous shadow on your skillset, and you’ve bought yourself a decision that it’s almost difficult to break a competitive examination. You often insist on researching and observing something at others, and as a result, you are procrastinating and incapacitating your self-confidence and problem-solving skills.
You need to realise that you have what it takes to get into the IIM and that you can break any kind of exam that falls in your way if you work smartly and evaluate your learning pattern. Consistency is compulsory. Focus on your goals and re-invent your work pattern in other formats.
Careful control of your time will help you remain focused. Breaking the time to learn into small pieces makes you focus better, and mind mapping will automatically strike your nail on your coffin and make you ace CAT or any successful exam for that matter.
CAT Cut Off for IIM [2021 Update]
Factors Affecting CAT Cut Off
Several different factors can affect the CAT SCORE Cut Off:
- Number of Test Takers
- Difficulty Level of Exam
- Number of Seats
- University/College Repute
Both of these considerations come into play as the final CAT Cut Off is decided. If the number of test-takers increases, the CAT Cut Off will usually increase. This is because, while the number of people the college calls for more processes is typically equivalent, the number of test-takers means that this number of people will be found at higher CAT Cut-Offs. On the other hand, as the paper’s complexity level increases, the CAT Cut Off decreases. The tale is close to the number of chairs. As the number of seat increases, the colleges call for additional students to occupy these seats, which leads to a decline in the CAT Cut Off. The University Repute impacts the CAT Cut Off as it varies as higher reputed colleges appear to have higher CAT Cut-Offs.
CAT SCORE 2020 Cut Off for old IIMs
There is no announcement deadline for the CAT 2020 cut-off. As mentioned above, the CAT Cut Off is very complex, which often leaves a certain amount of confusion for the claimant.
| IIM | SECTION | GENERAL | OBC-NC | SC | ST | EWS | PwD (except ST) | PwD (ST) |
| IIM Ahmedabad | VARC | 70 | 65 | 60 | 50 | 60 | 50 | |
| DI&LR | 70 | 65 | 60 | 50 | 60 | 50 | ||
| QA | 70 | 65 | 60 | 50 | 60 | 50 | ||
| Aggregate | 80 | 75 | 70 | 60 | 70 | 60 | ||
| IIM Bangalore | VARC | 85 | 75 | 70 | 60 | 70 | 50 | |
| DI&LR | 80 | 70 | 65 | 60 | 65 | 50 | ||
| QA | 80 | 70 | 65 | 60 | 65 | 50 | ||
| Aggregate | 90 | 80 | 75 | 70 | 75 | 60 | ||
| IIM Calcutta | VARC | 85 | 75 | 65 | 60 | 70 | 60 | |
| DI&LR | 80 | 75 | 65 | 60 | 65 | 60 | ||
| QA | 80 | 75 | 65 | 60 | 65 | 60 | ||
| Aggregate | 90 | 85 | 70 | 70 | 75 | 70 | ||
| IIM Lucknow | VARC | 85 | 77 | 55 | 50 | 77 | 50 | |
| DI&LR | 85 | 77 | 55 | 50 | 77 | 50 | ||
| QA | 85 | 77 | 55 | 50 | 77 | 50 | ||
| Aggregate | 90 | 82 | 70 | 65 | 82 | 65 | ||
| IIM Kozhikode | VARC | 75 | 65 | 55 | 45 | 65 | 45 | |
| DI&LR | 75 | 65 | 55 | 45 | 65 | 45 | ||
| QA | 75 | 65 | 55 | 45 | 65 | 45 | ||
| Aggregate | 85 | 75 | 65 | 55 | 75 | 55 | ||
| IIM Indore | VARC | 80 | 70 | 55 | 45 | 80 | 45 | |
| DILR | 80 | 70 | 55 | 45 | 80 | 45 | ||
| QA | 80 | 70 | 55 | 45 | 80 | 45 | ||
| Aggregate | 90 | 80 | 60 | 55 | 90 | 50 |
CAT SCORE 2020 Cut Off for New IIMs
| IIM | SECTION | GENERAL | OBC-NC | SC | ST | DAP | EWS |
| IIM Trichy | VARC | 80 | 60 | 50 | 50 | 50 | |
| DILR | 80 | 60 | 50 | 50 | 50 | ||
| QA | 80 | 60 | 50 | 50 | 50 | ||
| Aggregate | 95 | 78 | 60 | 65 | 65 | ||
| IIM Shillong | VARC | 75 | 75 | 50 | 60 | 50 | 75 |
| DILR | 75 | 75 | 50 | 60 | 50 | 75 | |
| QA | 75 | 75 | 50 | 60 | 50 | 75 | |
| IIM Udaipur | VARC | 80 | 60 | 50 | 30 | 30 | 80 |
| DILR | 80 | 60 | 50 | 30 | 30 | 80 | |
| QA | 80 | 60 | 50 | 30 | 30 | 80 | |
| Aggregate | 90 | 78 | 60 | 40 | 40 | 85 | |
| IIM Ranchi | VARC | 80 | 60 | 45 | 30 | 30 | 60 |
| DILR | 80 | 60 | 45 | 30 | 30 | 60 | |
| QA | 80 | 60 | 45 | 30 | 30 | 60 | |
| Aggregate | 94 | 75 | 55 | 40 | 40 | 75 | |
| IIM Rohtak | VARC | 70 | 60 | 50 | 30 | 30 | 70 |
| DILR | 70 | 60 | 50 | 30 | 30 | 70 | |
| QA | 70 | 60 | 50 | 30 | 30 | 70 | |
| Aggregate | 95 | 78 | 60 | 40 | 40 | 95 | |
| IIM Raipur | VARC | 80 | 60 | 50 | 30 | 30 | 80 |
| DILR | 80 | 60 | 50 | 30 | 30 | 80 | |
| QA | 80 | 60 | 50 | 30 | 30 | 80 | |
| Aggregate | 90 | 78 | 60 | 40 | 40 | 85 | |
| IIM Kashipur | VARC | 80 | 60 | 45 | 30 | 30 | 60 |
| DILR | 80 | 60 | 45 | 30 | 30 | 60 | |
| QA | 80 | 60 | 45 | 30 | 30 | 60 | |
| Aggregate | 94 | 75 | 55 | 40 | 40 | 75 |
CAT Cut Off for IIMs
The CAT Cut Offs for the IIMs for candidates from the general category is extremely high. According to the trends over the past few years, the CAT Cut Offs for top IIMs are:
- Ahmedabad – 99%ile
- Bangalore – 99%ile
- Calcutta – 99%ile
For the top three IIMs, the CAT Cut Offs are, as expected, extremely high. However, IIM Ahmedabad gives opportunities to candidates who have different profiles. So candidates from the B. Arts background can receive a call from IIM Ahmedabad with slightly lower percentiles as well. For the other old IIMs:
- Lucknow – 97-98%ile
- Kozhikode – 97-98%ile
- Indore – 97-98%ile
These items have to reduce their CAT Cut Offs so that they can attract students other than those who have a chance at the top 3 IIMs. Thus by reducing the CAT Cut Off, the IIMs can attract a larger group of candidates.
For new IIMs and baby IIMs:
- Shillong – 95%ile
- Udaipur – 95%ile
- Ranchi – 95%ile
- Raipur – 95%ile
- Rohtak – 95%ile
- Trichy – 95%ile
- Kashipur – 95%ile
- Sirmaur – 90-95%ile
- Bodh Gaya – 90-95%ile
- Vizag – 90-95%ile
- Amritsar – 90-95%ile
- Jammu-90-95%ile
- Nagpur – 90-95%ile
- Sambalpur – 90-95%ile
Similar to the rationale of IIM Lucknow, IIM Kozhikode, and IIM Indore, the student community targeted by these institutes vary from the students targeted by the top IIMs.
CAT Cut Offs for Non-IIMs
Though most aspirants aspire to get into older IIMs as they are known to be the best B-Schools in India, not everyone can make their dream come true. However, many other colleges have about the same degree of prestige as the IIMs. Some of these colleges are SP Jain, FMS, MDI Gurgaon, IIT Delhi, JBIMS, NITIE, etc. The CAT Cut Offs for these colleges are just as high and often even higher than the IIMs.
- FMS Delhi – 99%ile+
- SPJIMR – 85%ile (More Profile-Based)
- MDI Gurgaon – 95%ile +
- IIT Delhi – 98%ile +
- JBIMS – 99%ile +
- NITIE – 95%ile +
- SJSOM (IIT Bombay) – 99%ile +
- IIT Madras – 95%ile +
- IMI New Delhi – 90%ile
These are the colleges that are rated among the best B-Schools in India, contributing to the high CAT Cut Offs as shown above.
The CAT Cut Off is yet another weapon the nominee has in his locker. It gives the nominee a clearer sense of where they need to direct their attention and the kind of CAT Score and CAT Percentile they need to target.
This is extremely relevant because, while targeting 100 percent of the percentile is nice, there should still be a practical goal for the nominee to follow.
Any CAT aspirant has an eye out on all the top B-Schools for the CAT Cut so that he/she has an idea of what they’re shooting for. The CAT Cut Off is the initial stage that must be cleared for approval by the applicant for further procedures. Although the actual CAT Cut Off is much higher than the CAT Cut Off offered by the schools, these CAT Cut Offs must still be kept in mind to ensure that the candidate has a reasonable goal at which they can reach.
General Trends
The general trends for the top B-Schools are:
- The Top IIMs as well as colleges like FMS and ISB Hyderabad require a CAT Score of over 99%ile to get a call for the interview rounds.
- New IIMs like IIM Udaipur, IIM Trichy, etc. all have a CAT Cut Off of 90-95%ile for an interview call.
- Baby IIMs have similar CAT Cut Offs as in the New IIMs but some can dip to 85%ile for the candidate with the right profile.
- Tier 2 and Tier 3 Colleges can have CAT Scores and CAT Cut Offs of anywhere between 50 and 80%ile.
Apart from the total CAT Cut Off listed in the above paragraph, most of the top B-Schools also have a sectional CAT Cut Off. If the nominee clears the CAT Cut Off but fails to clear the CAT Cut Off portion, he/she will not receive a call from the B-School.
CAT 2020 will take effect in the last week of November, with the final date revealed by the CAT 2020 Notification in the last week of July.
What exactly does the CAT Cut Off mean?
The CAT Exam drew nearly 2,10,000 students in 2019. This makes it impossible for colleges to pick the ideal applicants from this list. An added complication is that other colleges can pick applicants for their batch at the same time.
The Business Colleges then agreed to incorporate something called the CAT Cut Off. This is the basic percentile criterion that colleges settle based on:
- Reputation of College
- Number of Aspirants for the college
These two aspects are somewhat interrelated, since the greater the prestige of the institution, the greater the number of students who would like to be accepted to college.
There are other considerations, such as the caliber of the faculty, the record of placement, and even the position of the institution. The last consideration is relevant because if there are two colleges with an equally qualified student body, businesses would choose to attend a college that is closest to their venue. It is for this cause that colleges begin to develop in industrial hubs such as Mumbai and Bangalore.
Can an average student clear CAT Cut off?
Being an ordinary student does not simply mean that you are someone with a mediocre academic record and bad analytical skills. It can mean that somewhere deep down, you’ve cast an enormous shadow on your skillset, and you’ve bought yourself a decision that it’s almost difficult to break a competitive examination. You often insist on researching and observing something at others, and as a result, you are procrastinating and incapacitating your self-confidence and problem-solving skills.
You need to realize that you have what it takes to get into the IIM and that you can break any kind of exam that falls in your way if you work smartly and evaluate your learning pattern. Consistency is compulsory. Focus on your goals and re-invent your work pattern in other formats.
Careful control of your time will help you remain focused. Breaking the time to learn into small pieces makes you focus better and mind mapping will automatically strike your nail on your coffin and make you ace CAT or any successful exam for that matter.
Factors Affecting CAT Cut Off
Several different factors can affect the CAT SCORE Cut Off:
- Number of Test Takers
- Difficulty Level of Exam
- Number of Seats
- University/College Repute
Both of these considerations come into play as the final CAT Cut Off is decided. If the number of test-takers increases, the CAT Cut Off will usually increase. This is because, while the number of people whom the college calls for more processes is usually equivalent, the rise in the number of test-takers means that this number of people will be found at higher CAT Cut-Offs. On the other hand, as the complexity level of the paper increases, the CAT Cut Off continues to decrease. The tale is close to the number of chairs. As the number of seat increases, the colleges call for additional students to occupy these seats, which leads to a decline in the CAT Cut Off. The University Repute impacts the CAT Cut Off as it varies as higher respectable colleges appear to have higher CAT Cut-Offs.
CAT SCORE 2020 Cut Off for old IIMs
There is no announcement deadline for the CAT 2020 cut-off. As mentioned above, the CAT Cut Off is very complex, which often leaves a certain amount of confusion for the claimant.
| IIM | SECTION | GENERAL | OBC-NC | SC | ST | EWS | PwD (except ST) | PwD (ST) |
| IIM Ahmedabad | VARC | 70 | 65 | 60 | 50 | 60 | 50 | |
| DI&LR | 70 | 65 | 60 | 50 | 60 | 50 | ||
| QA | 70 | 65 | 60 | 50 | 60 | 50 | ||
| Aggregate | 80 | 75 | 70 | 60 | 70 | 60 | ||
| IIM Bangalore | VARC | 85 | 75 | 70 | 60 | 70 | 50 | |
| DI&LR | 80 | 70 | 65 | 60 | 65 | 50 | ||
| QA | 80 | 70 | 65 | 60 | 65 | 50 | ||
| Aggregate | 90 | 80 | 75 | 70 | 75 | 60 | ||
| IIM Calcutta | VARC | 85 | 75 | 65 | 60 | 70 | 60 | |
| DI&LR | 80 | 75 | 65 | 60 | 65 | 60 | ||
| QA | 80 | 75 | 65 | 60 | 65 | 60 | ||
| Aggregate | 90 | 85 | 70 | 70 | 75 | 70 | ||
| IIM Lucknow | VARC | 85 | 77 | 55 | 50 | 77 | 50 | |
| DI&LR | 85 | 77 | 55 | 50 | 77 | 50 | ||
| QA | 85 | 77 | 55 | 50 | 77 | 50 | ||
| Aggregate | 90 | 82 | 70 | 65 | 82 | 65 | ||
| IIM Kozhikode | VARC | 75 | 65 | 55 | 45 | 65 | 45 | |
| DI&LR | 75 | 65 | 55 | 45 | 65 | 45 | ||
| QA | 75 | 65 | 55 | 45 | 65 | 45 | ||
| Aggregate | 85 | 75 | 65 | 55 | 75 | 55 | ||
| IIM Indore | VARC | 80 | 70 | 55 | 45 | 80 | 45 | |
| DILR | 80 | 70 | 55 | 45 | 80 | 45 | ||
| QA | 80 | 70 | 55 | 45 | 80 | 45 | ||
| Aggregate | 90 | 80 | 60 | 55 | 90 | 50 |
CAT SCORE 2020 Cut Off for New IIMs
| IIM | SECTION | GENERAL | OBC-NC | SC | ST | DAP | EWS |
| IIM Trichy | VARC | 80 | 60 | 50 | 50 | 50 | |
| DILR | 80 | 60 | 50 | 50 | 50 | ||
| QA | 80 | 60 | 50 | 50 | 50 | ||
| Aggregate | 95 | 78 | 60 | 65 | 65 | ||
| IIM Shillong | VARC | 75 | 75 | 50 | 60 | 50 | 75 |
| DILR | 75 | 75 | 50 | 60 | 50 | 75 | |
| QA | 75 | 75 | 50 | 60 | 50 | 75 | |
| IIM Udaipur | VARC | 80 | 60 | 50 | 30 | 30 | 80 |
| DILR | 80 | 60 | 50 | 30 | 30 | 80 | |
| QA | 80 | 60 | 50 | 30 | 30 | 80 | |
| Aggregate | 90 | 78 | 60 | 40 | 40 | 85 | |
| IIM Ranchi | VARC | 80 | 60 | 45 | 30 | 30 | 60 |
| DILR | 80 | 60 | 45 | 30 | 30 | 60 | |
| QA | 80 | 60 | 45 | 30 | 30 | 60 | |
| Aggregate | 94 | 75 | 55 | 40 | 40 | 75 | |
| IIM Rohtak | VARC | 70 | 60 | 50 | 30 | 30 | 70 |
| DILR | 70 | 60 | 50 | 30 | 30 | 70 | |
| QA | 70 | 60 | 50 | 30 | 30 | 70 | |
| Aggregate | 95 | 78 | 60 | 40 | 40 | 95 | |
| IIM Raipur | VARC | 80 | 60 | 50 | 30 | 30 | 80 |
| DILR | 80 | 60 | 50 | 30 | 30 | 80 | |
| QA | 80 | 60 | 50 | 30 | 30 | 80 | |
| Aggregate | 90 | 78 | 60 | 40 | 40 | 85 | |
| IIM Kashipur | VARC | 80 | 60 | 45 | 30 | 30 | 60 |
| DILR | 80 | 60 | 45 | 30 | 30 | 60 | |
| QA | 80 | 60 | 45 | 30 | 30 | 60 | |
| Aggregate | 94 | 75 | 55 | 40 | 40 | 75 |
CAT Cut Off for IIMs
The CAT Cut Offs for the IIMs for candidates from the general category is extremely high. According to the trends over the past few years, the CAT Cut Offs for top IIMs are:
- Ahmedabad – 99%ile
- IIM Bangalore – 99%ile
- IIM Calcutta – 99%ile
For the top three IIMs, the CAT Cut Offs are, as expected, extremely high. However, IIM Ahmedabad gives opportunities to candidates who have different profiles. So candidates from the B. Arts background can receive a call from IIM Ahmedabad with slightly lower percentiles. For the other old IIMs:
- Lucknow – 97-98%ile
- Kozhikode – 97-98%ile
- Indore – 97-98%ile
These items have to reduce their CAT Cut Offs to attract students other than those who have a chance at the top 3 IIMs. Thus by reducing the CAT Cut Off, the IIMs can attract a larger group of candidates.
For new IIMs and baby IIMs:
- Shillong – 95%ile
- Udaipur – 95%ile
- Ranchi – 95%ile
- Raipur – 95%ile
- Rohtak – 95%ile
- Trichy – 95%ile
- Kashipur – 95%ile
- Sirmaur – 90-95%ile
- Bodh Gaya – 90-95%ile
- Vizag – 90-95%ile
- Amritsar – 90-95%ile
- Jammu-90-95%ile
- Nagpur – 90-95%ile
- Sambalpur – 90-95%ile
Similar to the rationale of IIM Lucknow, IIM Kozhikode, and IIM Indore, the student community targeted by these institutes vary from the students targeted by the top IIMs.
CAT Cut Offs for Non-IIMs
Though most aspirants aspire to get into older IIMs as they are known to be the best B-Schools in India, not everyone can make their dream come true. However, many other colleges have about the same degree of prestige as the IIMs. Some of these colleges are SP Jain, FMS, MDI Gurgaon, IIT Delhi, JBIMS, NITIE, etc. The CAT Cut Offs for these colleges are just as high and often even higher than the IIMs.
- FMS Delhi – 99%ile+
- SPJIMR – 85%ile (More Profile-Based)
- MDI Gurgaon – 95%ile +
- IIT Delhi – 98%ile +
- JBIMS – 99%ile +
- NITIE – 95%ile +
- SJSOM (IIT Bombay) – 99%ile +
- IIT Madras – 95%ile +
- IMI New Delhi – 90%ile
These are the colleges that are rated among the best B-Schools in India, contributing to the high CAT Cut-Offs, as shown above.
The CAT Cut Off is yet another weapon the nominee has in his locker. It gives the nominee a clearer sense of where they need to direct their attention and the kind of CAT Score and CAT Percentile they need to target.
This is extremely relevant because, while targeting 100 per cent of the percentile is nice, there should still be a practical goal for the nominee to follow.
Hope this blog clears away any questions you had about the CAT Cut Off for MBA, for any other queries connect to our counsellors for expert advice.
Hope this blog clears away any questions you had about the CAT Cut Off for MBA, for any other queries connect to our counsellors for expert advice.