CAT 2025 Cutoff for General Category for IIMs and Non-IIMs

CAT 2025 Cutoff for General Category for IIMs and Non-IIMs

Team Careers360Updated on 10 Dec 2025, 11:43 AM IST

CAT cutoff 2025 for the general category is higher compared to other reserved categories. The CAT 2025 cutoff for the general category for IIMs and non-IIM admissions will be released for the academic year 2026-28 after the CAT 2025 results. The general category does not get any reservations in the seats for IIMs as well as non-IIMs. The collective seats for MBA/PGDM courses that the IIMs offer are close to 5500. The CAT percentile range required by IIMs for the general category candidates is between 95 and 99.9. For the previous year CAT exam, 14 students secured the 100 percentile, and 29 students got 99.99 percentile.
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Candidates can analyze their performance and calculate their expected score based on the answer key of CAT 2025.

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This Story also Contains

  1. CAT 2025 Cutoff for General category (Expected): IIMs and Non-IIMs
  2. CAT cutoff for General category: IIMs and non-IIMs Past Trends
  3. What After Qualifying the IIM CAT Cut Off 2025?
  4. Why are CAT Cutoffs 2025 Important for MBA Aspirants?
CAT 2025 Cutoff for General Category for IIMs and Non-IIMs
CAT 2025 Cutoff for General Category for IIMs and Non-IIMs

CAT 2025 Cutoff for General category (Expected): IIMs and Non-IIMs

The CAT cutoff for the general category for IIMs will depend on the CAT 2025 difficulty level, the number of appearing candidates, seats offered, and the normalisation process. The expected CAT cutoff for general category candidates for IIMs and non-IMs is mentioned in the table below.

ALSO CHECK: CAT 2025 Slot 1 Score vs Percentile | CAT 2025 Slot 2 Score vs Percentile | CAT 2025 Score vs Percentile vs Colleges

CAT cutoff for General category: IIMs and non-IIMs Past Trends

The trends have remained unchanged when it comes to the CAT exam cutoff for the general category. The previous year's IIM general cutoff and general cutoff for non-IIMs accepting CAT 2025 scores are listed in the table below.

What After Qualifying the IIM CAT Cut Off 2025?

After the candidate has met the IIMT CAT Cut Off, the following are the next steps that they will need to follow:

  • Shortlisting by IIMs: Each IIM will individually shortlist candidates who will meet their respective cut offs. One must note that these cutoffs will vary significantly between the older and more prestigious IIMs and the newer IIMs. Furthermore, the shortlisting criteria typically consider the CAT score, academic performance (in 10th, 12th and graduation), and sometimes even work experience and diversity factors are included.

  • Written Ability Test (WAT) and Group Discussion (GD): Based on the CAT score, all shortlisted candidates will then be called for further selection rounds, which will include WAT/GD.

  • Personal Interview (PI): All those who clear the WAT-GD rounds will further be called for the Personal Interview (PI) round. In this round, candidates will need to go through a one-on-one interaction with the panel of faculty who will assess the candidates' personality, communication skills, general knowledge and overall suitability for the MBA program. Candidate must be prepared for all types of questions as interviewers can also ask questions about the candidate's background, academic achievements, work exp (if applicable).

  • Final Selection: The final selection will be based on a composite score which will consider the candidate's performance in the CAT exam, WAT/GD/PI, academic record, work experience and diversity factors. One must note that each IIM has its own weightage for different components.

  • Offer Acceptance and Admission: Successful candidates will receive an offer from the IIM. To accept the offer, candidates will need to confirm their acceptance within a stipulated time and pay the required admission fee.

Why are CAT Cutoffs 2025 Important for MBA Aspirants?

CAT cut-offs hold significant importance for all MBA aspirants as they represent the minimum percentile score the candidates need to have to become eligible for further stages of the admission process at various MBA colleges.

The CAT 2025 cut-offs will act as eligibility criteria and will determine whether an applicant's CAT performance is sufficient for a particular business school to consider their candidature for selection rounds, such as Group Discussion and Personal Interview.

Furthermore, CAT cut-offs will indicate the competition level for admission to specific MBA programs; higher cut-offs will lead to greater applicant volume and a more competitive environment.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What is the lowest IIM cutoff for the General category?
A:

The lowest IIM cutoff for the General category comes to 90 percentile. A few IIMs like IIM Bodh Gaya, and IIM Nagpur can be aimed for this percentile. The IIM cutoff for the General category for most of the IIMs remains between 95-100 percentile.

Q: What is the CAT cut-off for non-IIM?
A:

The CAT cutoff for non-IIM colleges offering MBA/PGDM programs ranges mostly from 80 to 90 percentile. Few of the non-IIM institutes like the FMS, Delhi are expected to have a CAT 2025 General category cutoff close to the 98 percentile.

Q: Can I get IIM with 85 percentile general category?
A:

For a General category candidate the IIMs close their applications at a minimum CAT percentile of 90. With a CAT percentile of 85 candidates from the General category can target non-IIM colleges with good ratings.

Q: How much percentile is required for IIM for the General category?
A:

For IIM admission the CAT percentile required for the General category is between 90-100. At the upper band of 99-100 CAT percentile the IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Calcutta, and IIM Bangalore can be targeted. For the lower band 90-95 of CAT percentile IIMs like IIM Trichy, IIM Raipur, and IIM Ranchi can be aimed for.

Q: What is the cut off for CAP 2025?
A:
CategoryCutoff 2025 Cutoff 2024Cutoff 2023Cutoff 2022Cutoff 2021
General9292
92
93
94
EWS7070
70
7475
NC-OBC7474
74
74
75
SC54
54
54
54
55
ST4040
40
40
40
DAP40
40
40
40
40
Q: Will CAT 2025 be tough?
A:

The CAT 2025 exam was moderate to tough, as expected from previous trends. 

Q: What is the CAT cut off for IIT Bombay 2025?
A:

The CAT cutoff for IIT Bombay for candidates belonging to General category will be 90 percentile and for SC/ST/PwD category, the CAT cutoff will be 60 percentile.

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Questions related to CAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CAT ?

Hello,
With a projected CAT percentile of 87% but not clearing sectional cutoffs, your chances at top IIMs are limited because they require both overall percentile and sectional minimums. However, you still have a good shot at other reputed management institutes and non-IIM B-schools. Consider colleges like NMIMS, SPJIMR, IMT, TAPMI, Great Lakes, and other well-ranked private or state-level B-schools that accept CAT scores and weigh your profile holistically. Your academic record, BSc in Animation with 80%, and 5 years of work experience at Ubisoft India are strong points and may help in institutes that value work experience in their selection process. Also, explore institutes that accept XAT, MAT, or CMAT, where your profile can be competitive.
Hope this helps you.

Good Morning,

NIT Rourkela CAT cutoff range is between 70-85 percentiles for the general category. 70 is the minimum percentile needed to apply, and 85 is the highest percentile. However, the maximum percentile depends on the particular year competition. It can be changed.

Thank You.

If you filled the UGC NET form under EWS but you don’t have a valid EWS certificate, then forget using the EWS category. They won’t accept it. You’ll automatically be treated as General category during document verification.


And no, this won’t make your form “invalid” or “illegal.” It just means you won’t get the EWS benefit.


So yes — you can still go for General category posts and Professor recruitment. Just don’t try to submit a fake/invalid certificate; that will get you disqualified.

Hello,
If your CAT admit card shows your surname first followed by your first name as entered in the form, it is correct. You do not need to worry about this format as long as it matches the details you provided. Ensure all other information on the admit card is accurate and carry it to the exam along with the required identification documents.
Hope this helps you.

Hello,

If your CAT admit card has a different date of birth than your Aadhaar card, you should get it corrected immediately . Here’s what you can do:

  1. Check the CAT website : Log in to your candidate portal and look for the option to correct personal details.

  2. Contact the CAT helpdesk : Email or call them explaining the issue. Attach a copy of your Aadhaar card as proof.

  3. Do not ignore it : The date of birth must match your ID, otherwise you may face problems at the exam or during admission.

Usually, the CAT authorities allow corrections before the exam, so act quickly.

Hope it helps !