BIMTECH PGDM Admissions 2026
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CAT 2025 Cutoff for IIM BLACKI - The CAT 2025 result is expected to be out in the fourth week of December, and as expected, students are getting curious about the minimum percentile to get IIM BLACKI interview calls. IIM BLACKI consists of the top IIMS such as IIM Bangalore, IIM Lucknow, IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Calcutta, IIM Kozhikode, and IIM Indore. This year, around 2.95 Lakhs students appeared for the CAT 2025 examination. Being the top IIMs, IIM BLACKI has a low acceptance rate, while the minimum percentile to get an IIM BLACKI Interview call is also very high. Having said that students are curious to know about the admissions criteria for the IIMs that fall into IIM BLACKI. Read this article to learn more about the admission criteria for 2025 of the IIMs under IIM BLACKI.
IIM Kozhikode will retain its three-stage admission process for the MBA (PGP) 2026–28 batch, with CAT 2025 scores carrying a final weightage of 35 percent. The minimum overall CAT cut-off for general category candidates remains at 85 percentile, with sectional qualifying scores required in VARC, DILR, and QA. Shortlisting of candidates will be based on CAT performance, academic record, and personal interview rounds.
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According to NIRF 2025, IIM Bangalore was ranked 2 out of 125 institutions in the management category. While the final cut-off list includes the higher cut-off percentile, the candidates also need to understand the admission criteria under the IIM Bangalore Selection Process
As mentioned earlier, the IIM Bangalore has an extensive selection process conducted in several phases. Here is the admission criteria for IIM Bangalore
First, a short list is prepared based on a pre-determined minimum score in all sections of CAT 2025. Those candidates who have secured the minimum marks will be considered for the first shortlist. All the subsequent processing, standardization, and selection are limited to candidates in the first shortlist alone.
Then, for the candidates selected in the first list, a ‘Pre PI score’ is created. This ‘PRE-PI’ score takes into account several factors, including the CAT score (55), marks of Class 10 (10), marks of Class 12 (10), marks obtained in the bachelor’s degree courses (10), Work experience /professional courses (10), and the gender diversity (5).
Out of the 55 marks allotted to CAT, VARC, DILR, QA has 19, 21, and 15 marks respectively.
The scores for class 10, class 12, and the bachelor's degree courses are normalized.
Candidates with Chartered Accountancy (CA), Cost Accounting (ICWA), or Company Secretary (CS) certifications are eligible for weightage under the category of professional course. The scores obtained in these professional courses (Final year completed only) are normalized, and weightage is calculated.
The pre-PI score for work experience is (10x/36) if 0<x<36.
10 if x>= 36.
(x is the duration of the work experience in months)
For candidates in the first shortlist, the top 10 candidates in each of the following categories automatically qualify for the PI stage: total score in CAT, adjusted bachelor’s degree score (commerce, arts, and science disciplines), and professional (CA / ICWA / CS) score. Post PI, all such candidates are evaluated in the same way as any other candidate.
Based on the pre-PI score, a certain number of candidates from each category are selected for the next stage in the admission process.
The second stage of the admissions process at IIMB consists of a personal interview (PI) and a Written Ability Test (WAT), where candidates will be required to write a note.
The PI and the WAT will happen on the same day and in the same location. The duration of the WAT is approximately 30 minutes. The WAT will be evaluated based on the content and style of the note.
For all candidates called for interviews, the weights for the parameters at the post-PI stage are as follows: Personal interview = 40, WAT = 10, CAT = 25, 10th board score = 5, 12th board score = 5, Bachelor’s score = 5, Work Experience / Professional Course = 10. The 25 points for CAT are derived from the performance in each of the three sections as follows: Verbal and Reading Comprehension (VARC) - 8.75 points, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) - 10 points, and Quantitative Aptitude (QA) – 6.25 points.
Final offers of admission to candidates from each category will be made strictly based on the post-PI scores
Latest: How Many Marks Required for IIM Bangalore Admission Through CAT 2025?
Read More: CAT 2025: How Many Marks are Required for IIM Calcutta?
IIM Calcutta has an elaborate selection process, conducted in several phases. Students who have received their CAT results and are willing to apply for the IIM Calcutta also need to understand how the IIM Calcutta selection process unfolds, as part of the admission criteria. It is going to be crucial to get a much clearer picture of the admission scenario. In IIM Calcutta, candidates will be shortlisted based on CAT 2025 score and other parameters like academic performance and gender diversity -
In the first stage, the candidates need to match the minimum requirements on both section-wise and overall percentile in the CAT 2025. However, it would be worth noting that these are the minimum qualifying marks to apply for the IIM Calcutta, while the cut-offs for the final selection might go higher than this.
Shortlisted candidates will be called for a Personal Interview (PI) and Writing Ability Test (WAT). This shortlisting will be based on the composite score derived using the parameters and the corresponding weights as specified-
Parameters | Weight | Method of Calculation |
CAT 2025 Score | 56 | (A/B)* 56 |
Class 10 marks | 10 | As per the table below |
Class 12 marks | 15 | As per the table below |
Gender Diversity Factor | 4 | 4 points will be awarded for female and transgender candidates only. |
Total | 85 | |
A = CAT 2025 Total Overall Scaled score of the Candidate B = Maximum possible CAT 2025 Total Overall Scaled Score | ||
Points for the marks secured in Class 10 and Class 12, respectively, will be allotted as per the table below -
Class 10 marks (percent) | Points | Class 12 marks | Points |
≥80 | 10 | ≥80 | 15 |
≥75 and <80 | 8 | ≥75 and <80 | 12 |
≥70 and <75 | 6 | ≥70 and <75 | 9 |
≥65 and <70 | 4 | ≥65 and <70 | 6 |
≥60 and <65 | 2 | ≥60 and <65 | 3 |
<60 | 0 | <60 | 0 |
For the candidates who might be wondering about how many marks are required in CAT for IIM Calcutta and have also been selected for the PI and WAT must note that some of the candidates will be selected based on the composite score, using parameters and corresponding weights listed in the table below.
Parameters | Weights |
CAT 2025 Score | 30 |
Personal Interview (PI) | 48 |
Writing Ability Test (WAT) | 08 |
Points awarded for Academic Diversity at Bachelor’s and Master’s levels for non-engineering degrees and professional qualifications as per the table below | 06 |
Work Experience (as per the formula provided in the section on Work Experience) | 08 |
Total | 100 |
No | Academic Diversity for CAT 2025 | Points |
1 | Bachelor's degree in the engineering stream OR Master’s degree in the engineering stream OR Integrated Master’s degree in the engineering stream | 0 |
2 | Bachelor's degree in a non-engineering stream | 4 |
3 | Dual bachelor’s degree in Law (e.g., BA LLB, BSc. LLB, B.Com LLB, BBA LLB). | 5 |
4 | Bachelor's degree in the engineering stream and Master's in the non-engineering stream | 2 |
5 | Bachelor's degree in non-engineering stream and Master's in non-engineering stream | 5 |
6 | Dual/Integrated degree where the bachelor's is non-engineering stream and the master's is in a non-engineering stream | 5 |
7 | Dual/Integrated degree where a Bachelor's in the engineering stream and a Master's in the non-engineering streamCAT Sectional Cutoff 2025 | 1 |
8 | CA/ICWA/CS or Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of India (FIAI) without having a bachelor’s degree. | 5 |
9 | CA/ICWA/CS or Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of India (FIAI) with a bachelor’s degree. | 6 |
10 | CA/ICWA/CS or Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of India (FIAI) with or without a bachelor’s degree, and with a Master's in a non-engineering stream. | 6 |
11 | Integrated bachelor’s degree in Law and a Master's in a non-engineering stream. | 6 |
Here is the formula to calculate the marks awarded for the work experience of the candidates, which forms an integral part of knowing how many marks are required in CAT for IIM Calcutta.
Work Experience | Points Awarded |
X = work experience in months | |
If X <= 6 | 0 |
If 6 < X <= 24 | X/3 |
If 24 < X <= 36 | 8 |
If 36 < X <= 48 | 26 - (X/2) |
If X > 48 | 2 |
The admissions process at IIM Ahmedabad, the top IIM according to the NIRF Ranking 2025, consists of rigorous multiple stages. Students who have received their CAT results and are willing to apply for the IIM Ahmedabad must know the IIM Ahmedabad selection process, as part of the admission criteria. It is going to be crucial to get a much clearer picture of the admission scenario.
Preliminary Screening: Only the candidates who have the minimum cutoff percentile in the CAT 2025 exams and sections and have a positive RAW score will be considered for the next stages.
At the time of screening, class 10, class 12, graduation scores, and work experience, along with the CAT 2025 exam scores, are used to calculate the Application Rating Score (AR). This AR score is then considered for Shortlisting candidates for WAT and PI.
Written Ability Test (WAT): Shortlisted candidates are required to write an essay on a given topic to assess their writing skills and ability to articulate thoughts coherently.
Personal Interview (PI): Candidates who perform well in WAT are invited for personal interviews where their interpersonal skills, leadership potential, and overall fit for the program are evaluated.
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Latest: How Many Marks Are Required in CAT 2025 for IIM Kozhikode Admission?
IIM Kozhikode has an extensive selection process conducted in several phases. The candidates need to follow the IIM Kozhikode admission criteria.
Candidates who have opted for the IIM Kozhikode in their CAT 2025 application and are meeting the IIM Kozhikode eligibility criteria will receive an email for online registration. Candidates who complete online registration will be considered for the next stage.
The Stage 2 process applies to the eligible candidates who completed the registration process in Stage 1 for admission to IIM Kozhikode, and it is for the determination of the candidates to be called for a personal interview (PI). A shortlist of candidates in each category will be prepared based on an Aggregate Index Score (AIS). The AIS is computed based on the performance in CAT 2025, Class X, Class XII, Gender/Academic diversity criterion, and work experience. Each component of the AIS is given a different weightage.
Aggregate Index Score Computation for Stage 2 Shortlist | |
Component | Weightage |
CAT 2025 Index Score | 50% |
Class X Percentage Score | 15% |
Class XII Percentage Score | 20% |
Gender/Academic Diversity Score | 10/5 % |
Work Experience Score | 5% |
The short-listed candidates must appear for a Written Ability Test (WAT) followed by a Personal Interview (PI).
The entire process will last for a half-day (morning or afternoon). In this process, the candidates will write an essay, followed by a PI. The essay topic will be announced at the venue just before the start of the WAT session.
During the PI process, the panel will evaluate each candidate's academic efforts and disposition, general awareness and social disposition, attitude, personality and communication, and quality of work experience. The resume score will be calculated based on academic and professional qualifications and certifications.
After the WAT and PI process concludes, the final scores will be computed based on the performances in CAT 2025, PI, WAT, and resume scores.
A category-wise merit list will be prepared based on the final scores.
Admission offers will be made to candidates following the merit list as per the Government of India reservation norms.
IIM Lucknow, which has set the minimum cut-off to 90 to be applicable for interview calls, has a complex selection process. The students who have applied for the IIM Lucknow also need to learn about the IIM Lucknow admission criteria as a part of the selection process.
IIM Lucknow will create the list based on the composite score for the candidates who qualify in Stage 1, and the shortlist for the WAT-PI process shall be available on our official website, www.iiml.ac.in.
Such candidates shall be required to fill in and submit the WAT-PI form online within the stipulated deadline.
The candidates who fail to submit their WAT-PI form online by the prescribed time limit shall not be allowed for the WAT-PI process.
Candidates are advised to check the official website of IIM Lucknow (www.iiml.ac.in) regularly after the declaration of CAT 2025 results for updates/ notifications related to the admission process.


Weights for Final Score calculation after the WAT-PI stage from IIM Lucknow - MBA | |
Component for the Final Score | Weightage |
CAT Score | 30 |
Academic Performance | 5+5 |
Diversity Factor | 5 |
Work Experience | 5 |
Written Ability Test | 10 |
Personal Interview | 40 |
Final Score | 100 |
It would be important to note that the minimum requirement for getting a pass in PI is 12 out of 40. The applicants who have appeared for the PI round but don't clear the PI cut-off won’t be included in the final merit list.
IIM Indore selection process is conducted in several phases. IIM Indore has adopted a three-stage selection process (I) Eligibility criteria (II) Shortlist for Personal Interview (PI) (III) Final Selection. The candidates who want to know about the IIM Indore selection process must know the following steps.
Stage I: Eligibility Criteria
All applicants who apply for the two-year PGP of IIM Indore must satisfy the eligibility criteria mentioned in the CAT 2025 advertisement, and also the minimum sectional percentile and overall percentile scores in the CAT 2025 exam.
Only those applicants meeting the specified criteria will be considered for Stage 2 of the selection process.
The minimum cut-off for the general candidates is set at 90 percentile.
Stage II: Shortlist for Personal Interview (PI)
Only those candidates satisfying the requirements mentioned in Stage I will be considered for the Personal Interview (PI).
A sufficient number of candidates for PI for each category (General, EWS, NC-OBC, SC, ST, and PwD) will be shortlisted using the merit list generated based on the Composite Score (CS) as mentioned in Table 2.
Candidates short-listed for PI are expected to be informed in January 2026.
IIM Indore will conduct the admission interviews offline (in Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Indore, Kolkata, and Mumbai)/ online mode depending on the situation.
Candidates shortlisted for Personal Interview (PI) at Stage II will have to attend PI, failing which they will not be considered for the next stage of the selection process, i.e., Stage III.
It is expected from the candidates to score a minimum of marks in the PI round decided by IIM Indore.
Candidates not meeting the minimum performance in any of the PI parameters will not be considered for the next stage of the IIM Indore selection process, i.e., Stage-III.

Stage III: Final selection
The candidates satisfying the requirements mentioned in Stage II will only be considered for the final selection.
Category-wise merit list will be generated based on the Final Composite Score (FCS) as mentioned in Table 3, and provisional admission offers will be made accordingly, adhering to the reservation norms.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Though the actual cut-off for the IIMs never gets published, it would be safe to assume that a percentile of above 97 might get an interview call from the top IIM BLACKI.
Though the actual cut-off for the IIMs never gets published, it would be safe to assume that a percentile of above 97 might get an interview call from the top IIMs
Though the actual cut-off for the IIMs never gets published, it would be safe to assume that a percentile of above 97 might get an interview call from the top IIMs
IIM BLACKI accepts CAT scores to get into the IIMs for their management courses.
On Question asked by student community
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:
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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.
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Yes, with an 89 percentile in CAT, your daughter has a good chance of securing admission in several reputed MBA colleges in India, though top IIMs may be difficult unless she has strong academic diversity, category reservation, or exceptional profile factors. At this percentile range, many well-known Tier-2 and upper Tier-3 management institutes consider candidates for their flagship MBA/PGDM programs.
Institutes such as IMI New Delhi, IMT Hyderabad, XIMB HRM, GIM Goa (certain programs), FORE School of Management, LBSIM Delhi, TAPMI Manipal (borderline), IFMR GSB, Great Lakes (PGDM) and several reputed university MBA programs actively shortlist candidates around the 85–90 percentile range. Final selection does not depend on CAT score alone; academic background, work experience, diversity, performance in GD/PI/WAT also play a significant role.
To maximise chances, she should apply to a balanced mix of colleges, prepare well for interviews, and highlight strengths such as internships, certifications, leadership roles, or work experience. If her profile is average and she aims for higher-ranked institutes, she may also consider repeating CAT with focused preparation to push her percentile above 95.
With an overall CAT percentile of around 80 and belonging to the NC-OBC category, you do have a reasonable set of MBA college options in India, including some IITs, though the older IIMs and top IIT MBA programs will be difficult at this score.
Among the IITs, you can realistically look at newer and mid-tier MBA programs. IIT Jodhpur (MBA), IIT Bhilai, IIT Jammu, and IIT Dharwad have historically considered candidates in the 75–85 percentile range under reserved categories like NC-OBC. These institutes usually evaluate candidates on a composite score that includes CAT performance, academic background, work experience (if any), and interview performance. However, IIT Bombay, Delhi, Madras, Kharagpur, Kanpur, and Roorkee typically require much higher CAT percentiles even for reserved categories, so the chances there are quite low at 80 percentile.
Apart from IITs, several good government and semi-government institutions can be strong options. NIT Trichy (DOMS), NIT Warangal (SOM), NIT Calicut (SOM), and NIT Durgapur are worth applying to, as NITs often have relatively lower cutoffs for NC-OBC candidates compared to IIMs. Central universities such as Jamia Millia Islamia, Aligarh Muslim University, University of Hyderabad, and Delhi School of Management (DTU) can also be considered, subject to their sectional cutoffs and your academic profile.
In the private B-school space, there are multiple reputed institutes where an 80 percentile with NC-OBC reservation offers a fair chance. These include IMT Nagpur and IMT Hyderabad, GIM Goa (for some programs), TAPMI Manipal, FORE School of Management, K J Somaiya Mumbai, BIMTECH Greater Noida, IRMA Anand (profile dependent), and IFMR GSB at Krea University. At these institutes, interview performance, SOP quality, and overall profile play a major role in final selection.
Overall, it is advisable to apply broadly and not rely on a single institute. Focus on newer IITs, NITs, and well-established private B-schools, and prepare thoroughly for the personal interview and group discussion rounds, as at this percentile level, strong performance beyond CAT can significantly improve your final admission chances.
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