BIMTECH PGDM Admissions 2026
AACSB Accredited | Highest CTC: 22 LPA | Last Date: 31st December 2025
Common Admission Test (CAT 2024) has been conducted on November 24, 2024. Out of the 3.29 lakh registered candidates, around 2.93 lakh appeared for the CAT exam. A total of 1.07 lakh are female candidates, 1.86 lakh are male candidates and 5 are transgender candidates have appeared in the CAT 2024. The overall attendance is approximately 89%. IIM Calcutta conducted the CAT 2024 at 389 test centres spread across 170 cities in India. Compared to last year, the number of CAT candidates has increased by 11 thousand. Last year, it was 2.88 lakh. Read this article to know how many students qualified for the CAT 2024, how many male and female candidates appeared in the CAT, etc.
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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CAT is the most anticipated MBA entrance exam in the country. It is the gateway for many candidates to get into the famous IIMs and other top-rated B schools across India. Almost every management institute in the country accepts CAT scores for admission to its MBA/PGDM courses.
Satisfying the eligibility criteria is the first step towards taking the CAT 2024 exam. The latest CAT eligibility criteria for different category candidates to take CAT 2024 as specified by the CAT authorities is given below.
Candidates with work experience have some added preference/weightage. However, work experience is not mandatory as per CAT exam eligibility 2024.
The total number of applicants for CAT 2024 is 3.29 lakhs. Out of the total applicants, exactly 2.93 lakh candidates took the CAT 2024 exam. The overall attendance is approximately 89%. The competition for the CAT exam has been on a constant rise for the last few years. The MBA trend is considered to be the main reason behind it.
Check out the below table to know the total number of candidates who appeared for the CAT 2024 exam.
| Gender | Number of candidates attended the CAT exam 2024 |
| Male appeared candidates | 1.86 lakhs |
| Female appeared candidates | 1.07 lakhs |
| Transgender appeared candidates | 5 |
| Total candidates appeared in CAT 2024 | 2.93 lakhs |
| Total candidates applied for CAT 2024 | 3.29 lakhs |
From all the candidates, around 10,000 candidates will be clearing the CAT cutoff. They will receive a callback for the personal interview rounds at various IIMs. The total number of seats at IIMs is around 5500. With over 2 lakh candidates taking the CAT exam, only a handful will be able to make it to the IIMs. Therefore, the success rate of converting an IIM is around 2%.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
IIM Calcutta conducted the CAT 2024 exam on November 24. All the aspects, such as exam pattern, marking scheme, formulation of questions, etc., have been decided by the IIM Calcutta.
The success rate of the CAT exam is less than 3% (around 2.17%). The rate for converting an IIM successfully through CAT stands at a mere 2%. It compels candidates to look for other alternatives.
Lower tier IIMs like IIM Raipur, IIM Nagpur, IIM Ranchi, IIM Bodh Gaya, and IIM Sirmaur have fairly lower CAT cutoffs compared to the top IIMs. The cutoff stays at 90 to 95 for these IIMs. Candidates with lower CAT percentile and weaker profiles can apply to these IIMs.
Exactly 2.93 lakh candidates took the CAT 2024 exam. The CAT registrations 2024 are around 3.29 lakh.
On Question asked by student community
HELLO,
With an overall 98.54 percentile ( QA/DILR 97.55, VARC 94.89) and strong academics 9/9/0, you have a good profile. As a B.Tech candidate you can expect calls from :-
Hope this will help you !
Hello aspirant,
Your kid has a good profile even in the general category with a BTech from IIT Delhi, three years of excellent job experience in a leading industry, and a 96 percentile in the CAT. He has a strong chance at reputable MBA schools like IIM Shillong, IIM Udaipur, IIM Trichy, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, and others, depending on interview performance and profile match, even though the top IIMs often require higher percentiles.
Thank you
Hope it helps you
With an overall CAT percentile of 82.71 in CAT 2025 as a general category candidate, along with section-wise percentiles of 80.56 in VARC, 75.81 in DILR and 84.56 in QA, your chances at top IIMs are limited, as most older IIMs usually shortlist general category candidates at much higher percentiles. However, this percentile still keeps you eligible for admission calls from several Tier-2 and Tier-3 MBA colleges across India, especially those that consider overall performance, academic background and work experience along with CAT scores. You can expect calls from institutes such as IMT Nagpur, IMI Bhubaneswar, FORE School of Management (some programs), TAPMI Manipal (borderline), Great Lakes Institute of Management (Chennai or Gurgaon for PGPM/PGDM variants), K J Somaiya (depending on cut-offs), GIM Goa (through CAT or other exams), and state-level universities that accept CAT scores. Additionally, many good private universities and autonomous B-schools consider candidates in the 80–85 percentile range and conduct their own GD-PI rounds. To improve your chances, you should apply widely, prepare well for interviews, and highlight your academics, work experience, certifications and extracurricular achievements, as final selection is not based on CAT score alone.
All the best.
With an overall CAT 2025 percentile of 82.71, you are unlikely to get calls from the IIMs (including new or baby IIMs), as most of them generally shortlist candidates at 90+ percentile, even after considering category and profile factors. However, this percentile is still quite decent and opens doors to many good Tier-2 and Tier-3 MBA colleges in India that offer solid academics, reasonable placements, and good industry exposure.
At around 80–85 percentile, you have a strong chance of getting shortlisted by institutes such as IMI Bhubaneswar, IMT Nagpur, IMT Hyderabad, XIME Bangalore/Chennai, TAPMI Manipal (borderline, profile-dependent), IFMR GSB Krea University, FORE School of Management (certain programs), GIM Goa (specialised programs), LIBA Chennai (borderline), K J Somaiya Institute of Management (profile-based), Great Lakes Chennai/Gurgaon (PGDM – profile matters a lot), and Welingkar Mumbai (especially through profile + GDPI). Many reputed state universities and private institutes like PUMBA Pune, Delhi School of Management (DTU – if accepting CAT that year), BIMTECH (some programs), NDIM Delhi, ITM Navi Mumbai, and Jaipuria Institute of Management campuses are also realistic options.
Your sectional percentiles (VARC 80.56, DILR 75.81, QA 84.56) are fairly balanced, which works in your favor, as several colleges apply sectional cut-offs around 60–70 percentile. Final selection will depend not only on CAT score but also on academic background, graduation marks, work experience, diversity factors, and GD-PI performance. If you have work experience, it significantly improves your chances at colleges like Great Lakes, FORE, IFMR, and Welingkar.
In summary, while top IIMs are not achievable at 82.71 percentile, you can still secure admission into reputed mid-tier MBA colleges that provide good ROI and career growth if you perform well in the GD-PI process. It is advisable to apply broadly, focus on profile-based institutes, and prepare seriously for interviews to convert the best possible calls.
With 84.91 percentile in CAT (General, male, no work experience), top colleges like IIMs, IITs, FMS, MDI, etc. are not possible. You may get calls from private institutes such as IMT Nagpur/Hyderabad, IMI Bhubaneswar, XIME, SDMIMD, Welingkar (some programs) and similar colleges. Universities like Amity or LPU are also options.
It’s better to choose carefully, as placements and ROI may be average. Reattempting CAT or trying XAT/CMAT could improve options.
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