The IIMs shortlist candidates based on the CAT percentile for WAT and PI rounds in the selection process for their MBA/PGDM programs. To be eligible for applying to the IIMs, the candidates must clear the CAT cutoff criteria for individual IIMs. The official CAT cutoff for IIMS and top MBA colleges is expected to be released by January 2026. Apart from the CAT overall cutoff, the IIMs also have a criterion for the CAT sectional cutoff for all three sections of the CAT exam. The IIM sectional-wise cutoff is decided based on the category of the candidate, reserved or unreserved. The IIM sectional-wise cutoff for candidates from the general category is different from that of candidates from OBC, EWS, SC, and ST.
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The Indian Institute of Management, Rohtak, is the only institute among all the IIMs that does not have any sectional cutoff for the CAT 2025 exam. In this, the candidate has to only clear the overall CAT cutoff 2025 to be shortlisted for the additional rounds.
Additionally, in several other IIMs, they do have overall and sectional cutoffs in VARC, DILR and QA, which are used to shortlist candidates for admission.
Thus, IIM Rohtak gives candidates the benefit of a fair chance to be accepted by the institution to those applicants who score highly on the overall score but have lower scores in the sections.
The IIMs have a sectional cutoff for the VARC (Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension) section. Candidates applying for the different IIMs must clear the specified VARC sectional cutoff. The sectional cutoff for VARC for different IIMs is given in the table below.
Name of the IIM | VARC sectional cutoff |
70 | |
80 | |
80 | |
85 | |
80 | |
75 | |
75 | |
72 | |
70 | |
80 | |
70 |
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The Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) section will have a specified cutoff for every IIM, which is mandatory to be cleared by the candidate. The DILR sectional cutoff for different IIMs is mentioned in the table below.
Name of the IIM | DILR sectional cutoff |
70 | |
75 | |
80 | |
85 | |
80 | |
75 | |
75 | |
72 | |
70 | |
80 | |
70 |
Also See: CAT Sectional Cutoff Marks 2024: Detailed Analysis and Expert Insights
The Quantitative Aptitude section of the CAT exam will have a cutoff to be cleared by the candidate along with a cutoff for the other two CAT exam sections. The sectional cutoff for the quantitative aptitude section for various IIMs is given in the table below.
Name of the IIM | QA sectional cutoff |
70 | |
75 | |
75 | |
85 | |
80 | |
75 | |
80 | |
72 | |
70 | |
80 | |
70 |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
IIM Rohtak is the IIM with no sectional cutoff for any of the CAT exam sections. The candidate only needs to clear the overall CAT cutoff specified by the college to get shortlisted for further WAT and PI rounds.
IIM Ahmedabad has one of the least sectional cutoffs among all the IIMs. The IIM Ahmedabad sectional cutoff for each section is equal to around 70. The sectional cutoff along with the overall CAT cutoff is mandatory to clear for getting shortlisted.
Sectional cutoff for all the CAT exam sections is mandatory to be cleared by every candidate along with the specified overall CAT cutoff for applying to a particular IIM. Candidates not meeting the cutoff criteria for any one of the sections.
Colleges other than IIMs consider the sectional cutoff in some cases. Most of the MBA/PGDM colleges other than the IIMs do not consider sectional cutoffs for admissions. However, they do require good performance in all the sections of the CAT exam.
On Question asked by student community
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Low-Tier IIIT CSE vs Jadavpur University B.Arch (for MBA Aspirants)
If your primary goal is to pursue an MBA later, switching from CSE at a lower-tier IIIT to B.Arch at Jadavpur University solely for academic diversity is generally not the best strategy.
B.Arch and MBA Preparation
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EWS eligibility for CAT 2025-26 hinges on current financial records, but a renewed certificate is required for final IIM admissions. If future income exceeds the 8 lakh threshold, candidates will likely lose EWS status and be reclassified to the General category rather than facing seat cancellation.
Hope
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With a KCET rank of 37,000 in the SC category , you are in a fairly good position for CSE-related branches in a number of Karnataka engineering colleges. Category-wise cutoffs for SC candidates are often significantly higher than General Merit cutoffs, especially for AI/ML, AI & DS,
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