Great Lakes - PGDM & PGPM Admissions 2026
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CAT Admit Card Date:05 Nov' 25 - 30 Nov' 25
The CAT total marks are 204 for all the CAT sections combined. The CAT total marks for different sections are 24, 22, and 22 across the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA) sections of the CAT exams respectively. The total time duration for the CAT exam is 120 minutes with 40 minutes for each section. For every correct answer, 3 marks are given. For each wrong answer, 1 mark is deducted as per the CAT negative marking scheme. This year, IIM Calcutta conducts the CAT 2024 on November 24, 2024. The result for CAT 2024 has been announced on December 19.
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As per the CAT eligibility criteria a candidate needs to have at least 50% marks or an equivalent CGPA (45% for reserved category candidates) in the Bachelor’s Degree. Only the candidates with the above-stated marks are eligible to apply for the CAT 2024. Apart from these the marks of the 10th and 12th standards. IIMs and other colleges have their weightage given to the marks of 10th and 12th standard for the final selection process.
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Admissions Open | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025
Ranked No. 3 Business School in India and no.35 in world by Financial Times MiM 2025 Ranking | Highest CTC: INR 89 LPA
The CAT total marks for cutoff are the marks required for the candidate to apply for different colleges for admission to their MBA/PGDM courses. The CAT total marks for the CAT cutoff depend on certain factors like the CAT difficulty level, number of appearing candidates, normalization process, etc. The expected CAT 2024 total marks for different percentile cutoff are provided in the table below.
CAT percentile | Score VARC | Score DILR | Score QA | CAT Total Marks |
99.5 | 42 | 30 | 30 | 86 |
99 | 36 | 25 | 25 | 74 |
95 | 30 | 20 | 22 | 52 |
90 | 24 | 14 | 13 | 42 |
80 | 20 | 11 | 9 | 35 |
70 | 18 | 9 | 7 | 30 |
The CAT total marks for the selection process will be released after the 2024 CAT results are declared. The candidates having enough scores will have the CAT total marks for the selection process at IIMs and other top B schools. The CAT total marks for the selection process will be released by different colleges for undertaking candidates to their respective MBA/PGDM programs. The CAT total marks for the selection process across IIMs and other colleges are given in the table below.
Name of the College | CAT Total Marks 2024 (Expected) | CAT Total Marks 2023 |
99-100 | 99.68 | |
99-100 | 99.89 | |
99 | 99.71 | |
97+ | 98 | |
97+ | 98 | |
97-98 | 98 | |
95+ | 96 | |
95+ | 96 | |
95+ | 96 | |
94 | 95 | |
94 | 95 | |
94 | 95 | |
94 | 95 | |
92 | 93 | |
92 | 93 | |
92 | 93 | |
90 | 92 | |
95 | 96 | |
95 | 96 | |
99 | 98.2 | |
94 | 95 | |
98+ | 97 | |
90+ | 95 | |
99+ | 99 | |
90+ | 98 | |
95+ | 95 | |
95+ | 96 | |
85+ | 90 | |
90+ | 94 | |
95+ | 95 | |
85+ | 90 |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The total marks for the Common Admission Test (CAT) exam are 204. The time duration of the CAT exam is 120 minutes (2 hours). The three sections have 24, 22, and 22 questions, respectively. Each question carries three marks. It also has a negative mark, with 1 mark being deducted for every wrong answer.
A good CAT score will depend on the college that a candidate aims for. If the goal is to pursue an MBA from IIMs then a good score would be percentile between 98-99.9. Other than IIMs a percentile between 90-99 would be considered good enough.
A good number of attempts in CAT would be different for each section and would depend on the accuracy with which a candidate attempts each section. With an estimated accuracy of 90% a good number of attempts would be somewhere between 40-55. Difficulty level of the exam should also be considered.
Yes. The CAT exam has negative marking. For every answer marked wrongly by a candidate, 1 mark will be deducted. For every correct answer, 3 marks are awarded. No marks are deducted for questions left unattempted by the candidate.
On Question asked by student community
Hello dear candidate,
Yes, you have a very good chance of getting a BPT seat with 488 out of 600 and TS EAMCET rank of 14,000 under the ST category.
As the cut off of BPT for ST category students are generally between 25,000 to 45,000 ranks, depending upon the college and you have TS EAMCET rank of 14,000.
Thank you.
If you got 802 marks in Telangana Intermediate and belong to the ST category, you have a fair chance to get admission in a BPT course in 2025, but it depends on the college and cut-off. Most BPT colleges in Telangana ask for 12th marks in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, and some also use the TS EAMCET rank for admission. The cut-off for ST students is usually lower than for general students, but it changes every year. It is better to check the previous year’s cut-offs of the colleges you want to apply to.
Hello, Getting shortlisted for IIM Lucknow or IIT Bombay (SJMSOM) with your profile is challenging, primarily due to your 58% in Class 10th, which significantly impacts the composite score calculation for both institutes. While your 98 percentile CAT score is excellent, and your 24 months of work experience, B.Com (Hons) background (providing academic diversity, especially for IIM-L), and KVS National player status are valuable additions, top IIMs and IITs heavily weigh consistent academic performance. Your 74% in 12th is also on the lower side. IIM Lucknow places substantial weight on 10th and 12th marks, making a call quite difficult despite your strengths. You likely have a relatively better, though still uncertain, chance at IIT Bombay, as their weighting might be slightly less penalizing for past academics compared to IIM-L, and your high CAT score is a major factor. However, the low 10th score remains a significant hurdle for both prestigious institutions.
I hope you found this information helpful and for study related queries you can ask in careers360 app, Have a great day and!
Hey,
You already have a strong profile with the score of 58% in Class 10, 74% in Class 12, and 80% in graduation, but admission in IIT Bombay, Shailesh J Mehta School of Management is quite competitive, especially if you are in general category because the cutoff for general goes to 98.5-99%. Your CAT percentage is impressive but your 10th marks might reduce your score during the shortlisting process. If you perform well in Written Ability Test and Personal Interview, and present your commerce background you still stand a fair chance. But it would also be wise if you have some backups like MDI Gurugram, IMT Ghaziabad, IMI Delhi, where your marks and profile will fit well in their selection range.
HELLO,
I am providing you the link below through which you will be able to download the previous 10 years CAT question papers
Here is the link :- CAT Previous year Question papers
Hope this Helps!
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