CAT 2025 Pass Percentage: Expected Cutoff Percentiles for IIMs & Top MBA Colleges

CAT 2025 Pass Percentage: Expected Cutoff Percentiles for IIMs & Top MBA Colleges

Ongoing Event

CAT Admit Card Date:12 Nov' 25 - 30 Nov' 25

Himanshu ShekharUpdated on 13 Nov 2025, 11:31 AM IST

CAT 2025 pass percentage is the minimum percentile a candidate needs to get in the CAT exam to be eligible to apply for different CAT accepting colleges. The CAT pass percentage is calculated based on the normalized CAT scores. The CAT pass percentage varies for every college. The CAT pass percentage is released in the form of a CAT cutoff by all the participating MBA/ PGDM/ MMS institutes. In this article, know the college-wise expected CAT pass percentage.

This Story also Contains

  1. CAT Pass Percentage 2025: Expected
  2. CAT Pass Percentage: Previous Year Trends
  3. CAT Pass Percentage: VARC Scores
  4. CAT Pass Percentage: DILR Scores
  5. CAT Pass Percentage: QA Scores
  6. CAT Pass Percentage for IIMs
  7. CAT Pass Percentage for Non-IIMs
CAT 2025 Pass Percentage: Expected Cutoff Percentiles for IIMs & Top MBA Colleges
CAT Pass Percentage

CAT Pass Percentage 2025: Expected

The CAT pass percentage will depend on factors like CAT 2025 difficulty, seats offered, the number of candidates appearing, and the normalization effect. Considering all these contributing factors, the expected CAT pass percentage for 2025 for different categories is provided in the table below.

CAT Pass PercentileVARC ScoreDILR ScoreQA ScoreCAT Total Marks

99.5

42

30

30

105-110

99

36

25

25

95-100

95

30

20

22

70-75

90

24

14

13

58-62

80

20

11

9

44

70

18

9

7

30

Also see: What is a good CAT score? How to achieve it in CAT exam

CAT Pass Percentage: Previous Year Trends

Here are the CAT pass percentage previous year trends to help candidates preparing for the CAT 2025 exam understand the required percentile and target accordingly.

CAT PercentileCAT Exam 2024CAT Exam 2023CAT Exam 2022CAT Exam 2021CAT Exam 2020
99.59123101109124130
99.51048492110115
9996768498101
977961728285
957054627376
905844496063
804435364548

CAT Pass Percentage: VARC Scores

VARC is one of the important sections of the CAT exam. The candidate must score more in the VARC section to maximise chances of selection. Here are the CAT pass percentage VARC scores for your reference.

CAT VARC Percentile CAT VARC Score 2024CAT VARC Score 2023CAT VARC Score 2022
99.95557.3252.43
99.5444445.57
994039.741.77
973331.4734.18
953028.6829.12
902423.3924.06
8520--
801817.68-
751515.27-
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CAT Pass Percentage: DILR Scores

DILR previous year scores vs the percentile breakout are given below. Candidates preparing for the CAT exam can check the table for more information.

CAT DILR PercentileCAT DILR Score 2024CAT DILR Score 2023CAT DILR Score 2022
99.95042.748.31
99.54129.7134.37
993727.39-
973020.88-
952719.6-
902215.6318.56
851913.01-
801711.67-
7514--
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CAT Pass Percentage: QA Scores

The CAT exam section of QA is considered difficult among the three sections. Candidates appearing for the CAT 2025 exam must check the CAT QA previous year scores vs the percentile breakout given below for better understanding.

CAT QA PercentileCAT QA Score 2024CAT QA Score 2023CAT QA Score 2022
99.945-46.3
99.536-36.85
9933-36.07
9725-26.85
9522--
9017--
8513--
8011--
759--
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CAT Pass Percentage for IIMs

The pass percentage in the CAT exam for IIMs is expected to be in the range of 97-99.9 CAT percentile. The CAT pass percentage is used by IIMs to shortlist the candidates for the next selection rounds. The CAT pass percentage 2023, the CAT 2022 pass percentage, and the CAT pass percentile 2021 are given in the table below.

List of IIMsExpected CAT Pass Percentage (Last year)CAT Pass Percentage 2023CAT Pass Percentage 2022
CAT Pass Percentage 2021

IIM Ahmedabad

99-100

99.68

99-100

99-100

IIM Bangalore

99-100

99.89

99-100

99-100

IIM Calcutta

99

99.71

99

99

IIM Lucknow

97+

98

97-98

97-98

IIM Indore

97+

98

97-98

97-98

IIM Kozhikode

97-98

98

97-98

97-98

IIM Amritsar

95+

96

95-96

95-96

IIM Nagpur

95+

96

95-96

95-96

IIM Sambalpur

95+

96

95-96

95-96

IIM Trichy

94

95

94-95

94-95

IIM Raipur

94

95

94-95

94-95

IIM Ranchi

94

95

94-95

94-95

IIM Vizag

94

95

92-94

92-94

IIM Udaipur

92

93

92-94

92-94

IIM Bodh Gaya

92

93

92

92

IIM Shillong

92

93

90

90

IIM Sirmaur

90

92

92

92

IIM Rohtak

95

96

92-94

93-94

IIM Mumbai

95

96

90

91-92

CAT Pass Percentage for Non-IIMs

CAT scores are accepted nationwide by colleges other than IIMs for admission to their MBA/PGDM programs. The non-IIMs CAT pass percentage 2023, the CAT pass percentage 2022, the CAT 2021 pass percentage, and the CAT pass percentage 2020 are given in the table below.

CAT Accepting CollegesExpected CAT Pass Percentage (Last Year)
CAT Pass Percentage 2023
CAT Pass Percentage 2022
CAT Pass Percentage 2021
CAT Pass Percentage 2020

FMS

99

98.2

97-99

98-99

97-99

BITSOM

94

95

90

85

85

DMS, IIT Delhi

98+

97

97+

98

98+

Loyola Institute of Business Administration (LIBA) Chennai

90+

95

90

70

90

SJMSOM, IIT Bombay

99+

99

99

99+

99

Institute of Management Technology (IMT) Ghaziabad

90+

98

95-99

95-97

95-99

MDI Gurgaon

95+

95

94+

97+

95+

National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE) Mumbai

95+

96

95

97

95

SPJIMR

85+

90

95-99

95-99

95-99

XIMB

90+

94

91

91


Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras

95+

95

90

85.11

85.11

T A Pai Management Institute (TAPMI) Manipal

85+

90

85

80

80

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What is the pass percentage for the CAT exam?
A:

The CAT pass percentage generally ranges from 90-99 percentile for most of the good B schools. For getting into IIMs the required CAT pass percentage is usually between 97-99.9 percentile. IIMs also have sectional CAT pass percentage criteria for selection.

Q: What is the percentage for clearing the CAT exam?
A:

There is no specified percentage required for clearing the CAT exam. The IIMs and other B schools accepting CAT scores for admission to their MBA/PGDM programs have their own respective CAT pass percentage for shortlisting applicants.

Q: What is a good CAT score?
A:

A good CAT score will differ from college to college. If a candidate aims for IIMs a good CAT score would be 97-99.9 percentile for normalized CAT scores. For colleges other than IIMs any CAT score above 90 percentile will be considered as a good score.

Q: Which IIM is easiest to get into?
A:

IIM with lower CAT pass percentage are easy to get into. IIMs such as IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Sirmaur, IIM Amritsar, IIM Shillong, and IIM Nagpur are much easier to get into if the CAT scores are low and the overall is not strong enough for top IIMs.

Q: What is the qualifying score for CAT?
A:

The qualifying score for the CAT exam varies from one institute to another. The qualifying CAT cut off required for the top MBA colleges in India is 90 to 99 percentile.

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Questions related to CAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CAT ?

You can get the previous year's CUSAT CAT papers in pdf format sample papers from careers360 article. Follow the link given below from careers360 to get the the CUSAT CAT previous years question papers.

Link- https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/cusat-cat-sample-papers

Hello,

Since the CAT application form correction window is closed, you must contact the CAT help desk immediately to explain the situation, as you can't edit a wrong date of birth after submission. If it's a major error like date of birth, you may need to go to the exam center with proof and the correct admit card, although getting it corrected before the exam date is the most important first step.

I hope it will clear your query!!

Hi there,

You have to apply separately for each symbiosis college, like SIBM Pune, as they as not automatically included. The CAT form automatically includes many IIMs, but the SNAP exam is a separate test that is given for admission to Symbiosis Institute, which requires its own separate application and fee.

Hope it helps!!!

Toppers usually study 3–6 focused hours a day, but it’s not just about time — it’s about smart preparation and consistency. Focus on quality practice, regular mocks, and targeted revision.

Check this complete guide to learn how toppers plan their day and reach 99 percentile: Read Now

Hello,

To get admitted to the Institute of Management Studies (IMS), BHU, for an MBA in 2026, you must clear the CAT entrance exam. For that you need to fill out the application form of the CAT in August 2026, which you can get on the Official CAT website

I hope it will clear your query!!