Can you get into IIM without Maths: Is Maths a Must? What You Need to Know

Can you get into IIM without Maths: Is Maths a Must? What You Need to Know

Team Careers360Updated on 05 Mar 2025, 06:39 PM IST

Maths is an important part of the syllabus prescribed for the CAT exam. The fact that someone can get into IIM without maths is impossible. The main reason for that is the criteria of the sectional cutoff. The IIMs have sectional cutoffs that are mandatory to clear for satisfying the eligibility criteria. Also, Maths is required to attempt the quantitative aptitude, data interpretation, and logical reasoning sections of the CAT exam. Almost 60–70% of the CAT exam is based on different mathematical concepts. IIM Kozhikode will conduct the CAT 2025 exam on November 30, 2025.

LiveIIM CAT 2025 Result (OUT) LIVE: CAT cut-offs, MBA admission process explained; five IIMs exit CAP 2026Dec 25, 2025 | 9:22 PM IST

Yes, a 97 percentile in the CAT exam can fetch calls from several IIMs, such as Trichy, Rohtak, Ranchi, Udaipur, and newer ones like Amritsar and Jammu, as well as top B-schools like SPJIMR, FMS, and MDI. However, ABC IIMs usually require 99+ percentile for the general category, and a strong overall profile remains key to conversion.

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This Story also Contains

  1. Weightage of Maths for IIM
  2. Maths Important Topics
  3. Importance of Maths for IIM
Can you get into IIM without Maths: Is Maths a Must? What You Need to Know
Can you get into IIM without Maths

Weightage of Maths for IIM

Maths holds significant weightage in the CAT exam and IIM selection process as well. The 66 marks out of 198 total are from the Maths (QA section). A total of 22 questions out of 66 will be in maths. Neglecting maths is not a wise choice for any candidate wishing to go into IIMs. The weightage of maths is explained in the table below.

ParticularsDetails

CAT Exam Section

Quantitative Aptitude

Total Math Questions

22

Total Marks

66

Marking Scheme

  • 3 marks for every correct answer.
  • -1 mark for every incorrect answer.

Maths Important Topics

The CAT syllabus for maths is not defined. It has a wide array of topics that a candidate must study to excel in this section of the CAT exam. Concepts from arithmetic, trigonometry, and geometry are a few to state the important ones. The important topics that a candidate should keep on their checklist while preparing for the CAT Quantitative Aptitude section are mentioned in the table below.

CAT Exam Section

CAT Math Syllabus Important Topics

Quantitative Aptitude

  • Logarithms
  • Number System
  • Inequalities
  • Trigonometry
  • Simple interest and compound interest
  • Work and Time
  • Permutation & Combination
  • Surds and Indices
  • Percentages
  • In-equations Quadratic and linear equations
  • Time-Speed-Distance
  • Mensuration
  • Probability
  • Partnership (Accounts)
  • Square Root and Cube Root
  • Profit & Loss
  • Ratios and Proportion
  • Geometry
  • Mean, mode, median
  • Binomial theorem
  • Geometric Progression

Importance of Maths for IIM

The importance of maths as a subject and also as a skill is utmost in the IIM. The IIM requires its students to be extraordinary when it comes to number crunching skills and using mathematics for interpreting large data sets to produce useful insights. IIM has maths as a core subject in its curriculum. MBA specializations like finance require extensive mathematical abilities, as these students will in turn be working with asset management organisations and banks. Therefore, Maths is the ultimate subject one needs to be good at to successfully navigate through IIMs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Does IIM require maths?
A:

Qualifying CAT and sectional cutoffs are required for IIM so it makes maths essential for IIM. Having your way with numbers and mathematical ability surely adds up to the overall profile of a candidate applying for IIM.

Q: What level of math is CAT?
A:

The level of math in the CAT exam is somewhere between moderate to difficult. To score well candidate needs to be good with the fundamental concepts of the subjects. It will require rigorous practice along with regular analysis through mock tests.

Q: Does CAT have 11 and 12 maths?
A:

Most of the mathematical concepts used to formulate questions in the quant section of the CAT exam are the ones taught in the 10th, 11th, and 12th standard mathematics. The level of the questions however remains a bit inclined towards the advanced level.

Q: Can I clear CAT if I am weak in maths?
A:

Clearing CAT will be a difficult task if a candidate is weak in maths. Being good in maths is very important for qualifying for the CAT exam as well as clearing the sectional cutoff for the Quant section for different IIMs.

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Questions related to CAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CAT ?

Hello,

The results for the CAT 2025 entrance, which is conducted on November 30, 2025, were declared on December 22, 2025. Candidates can download and see their results on the official IIM CAT website. On the website, click on the "CAT 2025 Result/Scorecard" link to download the result by entering the required details.

I hope it will clear your query!!

Hello,

The link to the website where you can check the published result is attached herewith.  The result will be out soon. You can also check the cutoffs on the website of Careers360.

https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/cat-result

Thank you.

CAT does not restrict eligibility based on stream. Candidates from commerce, arts, science, engineering or any other background can appear for CAT and apply to MBA programmes offered by IIMs and other top B-schools.

The basic eligibility criteria for CAT are:
You must hold a bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognised university with at least 50 percent marks (45 percent for SC, ST and PwD categories). Final-year graduation students are also eligible to apply.

Being a commerce graduate can actually be an advantage in areas such as accounting, finance, economics and business studies, especially during MBA coursework in finance, marketing and operations.

After qualifying CAT, admission depends on multiple factors including CAT percentile, academic background, work experience (if any), performance in GD, WAT and personal interview rounds. Many IIMs and B-schools follow a diverse academic background policy, which means non-engineering candidates, including commerce graduates, often receive additional weightage.

Apart from IIMs, several reputed institutes such as FMS Delhi, SPJIMR Mumbai, MDI Gurgaon, IMT Ghaziabad, and many state and private universities also accept CAT scores for MBA admissions.

So, as a commerce graduate, you are fully eligible to appear for CAT and pursue an MBA, provided you meet the minimum academic requirements and perform well in the selection process.

If you want, I can also help you with realistic CAT percentile targets based on your academic profile or suggest suitable MBA colleges.


Hello aspirant,

With a CAT 2025 raw score of 84 and strong sectionals, your expected percentile may fail in the high 98 range , depending on scaling. Your excellent academics and 2 years of work experience strengthen your profile .IIM Lucknow calls are possible but competitive for EWS engineers , while FMS Delhi looks mainly at CAT score and VARC , so you have a reasonable chance there . Final calls depend on cutoffs and composite score.

FOR REFERENCE : https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/cat-cutoff

Hope the details will help you.

THANK YOU

Hello,

For a raw score of 56 in CAT 2025 Slot 3, your expected overall percentile is likely to be in the range of the 90th-95th percentile. The exact percentile can vary slightly on the final normalization process and the process and performance of all test-takers. In this article you'll find more about the CAT result.

I hope it will clear your query!!