CAT 2025 Exam Analysis Slot 1, 2 and 3 Available: Difficulty, Good Attempts & Score vs Percentile

With a CAT percentile of around 80 and 2 years of work experience, getting into the top or older IIMs (like IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Kozhikode, Indore, Shillong) is extremely unlikely, even with work experience, because their minimum shortlisting cut-offs usually start much higher, including for reserved categories. These IIMs typically look for very strong CAT percentiles along with excellent academics and profiles.

However, at 80 percentile, you may still have some limited chances at a few of the newer or baby IIMs, especially if you belong to a reserved category (SC/ST/OBC/EWS) and have decent academics and interview performance. IIMs such as IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Sambalpur, IIM Jammu, IIM Sirmaur, IIM Amritsar, and IIM Nagpur have, in past admission cycles, called candidates with CAT percentiles in the 75–85 range for reserved categories. Even for general category candidates, borderline chances may exist at a few of these institutes if the overall profile is balanced.

Your 2 years of work experience definitely works in your favour, as many IIMs give weightage to professional experience during shortlisting and final selection. Still, it is important to understand that at this percentile, the personal interview, written ability test, and profile evaluation become extremely critical. A strong interview, clarity of career goals, relevant work experience, and good communication skills can make a difference at the newer IIMs.

That said, you should not rely only on IIMs at this score. It is strongly recommended that you also apply to other good government and private B-schools, such as newer IIT MBA programs, NITs (like NIT Trichy, Warangal, Calicut), state universities, and reputed private institutes where 80 percentile with work experience gives a realistic chance. These colleges often offer good ROI and solid placements if chosen carefully.

In summary, getting an IIM at 80 percentile is difficult but not completely impossible, mainly limited to newer IIMs and largely dependent on category, academics, and interview performance. Apply broadly, prepare seriously for interviews, and keep strong backup options to maximise your chances of securing a good MBA college this year.

With a CAT 2025 percentile of 99.27 and all sectional percentiles above 93, your son has a strong and competitive profile, but calls from IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Calcutta depend on more than just CAT score.

For IIM Ahmedabad, the CAT cutoff for the general category is usually very high (around 99+ overall and strong sectionals). However, IIM A gives very high weightage to academic consistency, especially Class 10 and Class 12 marks. With 10th at 89% and 12th at 80%, his academics are decent but not exceptional by IIM A standards, where many shortlisted candidates have 90%+ in both. A call from IIM Ahmedabad is possible but not guaranteed, and would depend on how his profile compares with others in the same academic category.

For IIM Bangalore, the chances are better. IIM B places significant weight on work experience, and 2 years of experience is considered ideal. His CAT percentile, good sectionals, engineering background, and work experience together make him a strong contender for an interview call, provided he meets the institute’s academic eligibility and normalization criteria.

For IIM Calcutta, the selection process is more CAT-score driven, especially for engineers. With a 99.27 percentile and strong sectionals, he stands a fairly good chance of getting a call, as IIM C traditionally gives relatively less weight to Class 12 marks compared to IIM A.

Overall, while calls from all three are not guaranteed, he has realistic chances for IIM Bangalore and IIM Calcutta, and a borderline but possible chance for IIM Ahmedabad. In addition, he is very likely to receive calls from other top IIMs such as IIM Lucknow, Kozhikode, Indore, Shillong, and several top non-IIM B-schools like FMS Delhi, SPJIMR, and IIT Bombay/Delhi.

The final conversion will depend heavily on performance in the personal interview, clarity of goals, quality of work experience, and communication skills, so focused PI preparation will be crucial at this stage.

Hello aspirant,

You have a strong chance of getting into new/baby IIMs, mid-tier IIMs, and many other top MBA schools, but you are unlikely to get into top IIMs with a 94.3 percentile in CAT 2025 because their general cutoffs are 98–99+ percentile. I suggest you to use our CAT college predictor to get better idea:

https://bschool.careers360.com/cat-college-predictor?utm_source=cat_cp&utm_medium=GoogleAds&utm_campaign=2711&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23307111065&gbraid=0AAAAADvfvKHKjs-CHQdy0VrhxYOTnau5c&gclid=CjwKCAiA3rPKBhBZEiwAhPNFQMRoWS17nrJJFmvjqNa2E4UzNGb9VdB8dKpTrnOeVkLTcMDJ7S5QSBoCkgsQAvD_BwE

Thank you

With a CAT 2025 percentile of 86.5, BBA graduation score of 67%, and 10th marks of 76%, you meet most of the basic academic requirements for MBA admission at Nirma University. However, Class 12 marks are an important factor to consider in your case.

Nirma University’s Institute of Management usually specifies a minimum eligibility of 50% aggregate in Class 10, Class 12, and graduation for general category candidates (45% for reserved categories). Since you have scored 48% in Class 12, you are slightly below the usual minimum requirement. This means that, strictly speaking, you may face eligibility issues at the application or shortlisting stage.

That said, Nirma University follows a composite score–based shortlisting process. CAT score, academic profile, work experience (if any), diversity factors, and performance in PI are all considered together. In some admission cycles, candidates marginally below the Class 12 cutoff have still been allowed to participate in the selection process, especially if their CAT percentile and interview performance were strong.

However, you should be realistic. A low Class 12 score does weaken your profile and cannot be fully “compensated” by CAT score alone. The PI performance can help improve your chances only if you clear the basic eligibility criteria set by the institute for that particular year. Final admission depends on institute-level scrutiny of documents.

What you should do:

• Carefully check the latest Nirma MBA admission brochure for the exact Class 12 eligibility clause.

• Apply if you meet the minimum eligibility or if the institute allows provisional consideration.

• Prepare very well for the PI to justify academic improvement from Class 12 to graduation.

• Keep backup MBA colleges that accept 85–90 percentile and have more flexible academic criteria.

In summary, admission to Nirma University is possible but uncertain due to your Class 12 marks. Your CAT score and PI can strengthen your case, but they may not completely override the minimum eligibility requirement.

Hello aspirant,

Here below I am providing you with the name of some of the best CAT coaching in Chandigarh:

• Career Launcher
• Quantifiers CAT Academy
• iQuanta
• EduCorp Consultancy Services Pvt Ltd
• SuperGrads Coaching Centre
• Time Chandigarh

Thank you