How to Get Into IIM 2025: Selection Criteria, Cutoff, Admission Process

How to Get Into IIM 2025: Selection Criteria, Cutoff, Admission Process

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Team Careers360Updated on 23 May 2025, 02:52 PM IST

Getting into an IIM is the ultimate dream for every management aspirant. To get into an IIM, the first thing to do is to take the CAT exam, which is then followed by a Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI), only if the candidate gets a valid score. With around 5500 seats, where maximum of which are filled with CAT aspirants as IIM does not accept any other entrance exam for admission. This year, 2025, it is expected that IIM Kozhikode will be conducting the IIM exam. Every year, each IIM gets an opportunity to conduct the CAT exam on a rotational basis.

This Story also Contains

  1. IIM Admission 2025: Eligibility Criteria
  2. IIM Admission & Selection Criteria 2025-27
  3. Documents Required for WAT/GD-PI Round
  4. IIM CAT Cutoff
  5. What After Clearing Selection Process & CAT Cutoff?
How to Get Into IIM 2025: Selection Criteria, Cutoff, Admission Process
How to Get Into IIM: Selection Criteria, Cutoff, Admission Process

IIM conducts a series of rounds to evaluate the candidates on different parameters. To find out more about the parameters, make sure you continue reading the article.

IIM Admission 2025: Eligibility Criteria

Before we dive into the IIM selection criteria 2025, let us look at the basic eligibility criteria for appearing in the CAT 2025 exam.

To become eligible to apply to an IIM, a candidate must satisfy the following eligibility criteria.

  • A candidate must have a 3-year Bachelor’s degree in any stream
  • The candidate must have at least 50% marks or an equivalent CGPA (45% for the reserved category candidates) from a UGC-recognised institute.
  • A valid CAT scorecard.
  • A CAT percentile at par with the CAT cutoff

IIM Admission & Selection Criteria 2025-27

Every year, IIMs announce their admission and selection process for candidates to understand the shortlist, cut-off, selection criteria and other parameters for shortlisting candidates. The IIM admission process not only includes the selection of the candidates based on their CAT cut off percentiles but also based on their WAT/GD and PI rounds, work experiences, gender diversity and more.

Following is the IIM selection process for 2025, which includes all the stages that a candidate must go through:

Stage 1: Shortlisting of candidates based on CAT scores
Once the CAT 2025 exam results are announced, candidates will then have to apply for the WAT/PI rounds for each IIM by going through their official website. All those who meet the shortlist cutoff will then have to log in through their CAT IDs to submit their name and CAT score.

Stage 2: Screening of the candidate for WAT/PI
In the next stage, all those who applied for the WAT/PI rounds are then shortlisted based on their CAT score and academic record. Thereafter, the final interview letters are sent to the candidates to participate in the following rounds.

Stage 3: Calculation of Composite Score and Final Selection
In the third and final round of selection, the composite score of each candidate is calculated based on several parameters to finalise their selection in an IIM.

The parameters based on which the candidate is finalised for MBA admission are as follows:

  • CAT 2025 exam score
  • Graduation score
  • Class 10 marks
  • Class 12 marks
  • WAT/GD-PI scores
  • Gender Diversity
  • Work Experience
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*Note: The weightage allotted to each parameter varies for each IIM; the composite score is also calculated by each IIM individually.

Question: What is CAT composite score?
Answer: CAT composite score refers to the total score (out of 100) that the candidate obtains during the final selection process. This is calculated based on the above-mentioned parameters.

Documents Required for WAT/GD-PI Round

When going for the IIM WAT/GD-PI rounds, the candidate needs to take along some of the most essential documents with them, which are generally required by the institute. These documents are as follows:

  • Marksheets of Class 10, 12 and of Graduation (original copies and self-attested photocopies).
  • Caste/class or disability certificates (original copies and self-attested photocopies).
  • Candidates appearing for the final year bachelor's degree will have to show a certificate from the Principal/Registrar/Director of the university certifying that he/she has obtained 50 per cent aggregate or equivalent in their recent exams. Those from reserved categories can have 45 per cent.
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IIM CAT Cutoff

The CAT cutoff for IIM depends on certain factors like the difficulty level of the CAT exam, the number of qualifying candidates, normalisation of scores, seat matrix, reservation criteria, etc, which must be cleared by each candidate. In addition to that, the candidate must also clear the section cutoff for each CAT exam section.

The 2024 expected CAT cutoff for different IIMs is provided in the table below.

Name of the IIM

CAT Cutoff 2024 (Expected)

CAT Cutoff 2023

IIM Ahmedabad

99-100

99.68

IIM Bangalore

99-100

99.89

IIM Calcutta

99

99.71

IIM Lucknow

97+

98

IIM Indore

97+

98

IIM Kozhikode

97-98

98

IIM Amritsar

95+

96

IIM Nagpur

95+

96

IIM Sambalpur

95+

96

IIM Trichy

94

95

IIM Raipur

94

95

IIM Ranchi

94

95

IIM Vizag

94

95

IIM Udaipur

92

93

IIM Bodh Gaya

92

93

IIM Shillong

92

93

IIM Sirmaur

90

92

IIM Rohtak

95

96

IIM Mumbai

95

96


What After Clearing Selection Process & CAT Cutoff?

All those candidates who clear the final selection rounds of CAT are then offered the final admission letters via their registered email ID. The next most important step of getting into an IIM is 'confirmation of admission'. All those selected must ensure that they accept the offer within the given timeframe by filling up the offer acceptance form and paying the requisite admission acceptance fees (adjustable in the first instalment of tuition fees).

In case the candidates fail to do the same, their admission offer will stand 'cancelled', and it will then be offered to the next candidate on the waitlist.

Interestingly, IIMs, in 2025, introduced a new system 2025 where they provided candidates with the offer to defer admission. In this, candidates who wish to work and have some more work experience can postpone their admission for up to a maximum of two years. in this, around 10 per cent of seats are kept aside for such candidates.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: How can I get into the IIM?
A:

To get into the IIM a candidate must take the CAT exam and score at par with the CAT cutoff specified by the IIM that is aimed for. The candidate then needs to perform well in the PI round to get into IIM by getting shortlisted in the final merit list.

Q: What qualifications do you need to get into IIM?
A:

To get into IIM, candidates should have completed their graduation in any discipline and must have a valid scorecard of CAT and those who are pursuing their final year of graduation are also eligible. 

Q: Can I directly join IIM after the 12th?
A:

Candidates can not join the MBA at IIM after the 12th. However, they can join certain IIMs that have a 5 year integrated program in management (IPMAT). IPMAT program is provided by IIM Jammu, IIM Rohtak, IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Indore, and IIM Ranchi

Q: What is the CAT cutoff for IIM?
A:

The CAT cutoff for the top IIMs is between the 99 to 100 percentile. This is the percentile at which the final selection happens. The qualifying CAT percentile for IIM ranges from 70 to 80 depending on the particular IIM. At this percentile, a candidate becomes eligible to apply to the particular IIM to participate in its selection process.

Q: What is the IIM age limit?
A:

There is no prescribed age limit for IIM as per the latest updates. The CAT exam too does not have any age limit applicable to the candidates.

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Questions related to CAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CAT ?

With a 70 percent in CAT Examination, you can go for various B-Schools or private collages. The S. K. Patel Institute of Management in Gandhinagar is an option for those who score 70-80 percent in their CAT examination or The Gujarat Institute of Management (GIM) in Goa with a cutoff of 60-80 percentage. These are the collages you can look for in Gujarat or nearby.

Collage in other regions: BA Colleges Accepting 70-80 Percentile in CAT 2025

Thank You.

Hello dear candidate,

NO. your application for CAT will not rejected for wrong gender small mistake in the OBC NCL certificate. You will be considered as an OBC candidate.

you just need to get your OBC certificate corrected and need to inform the CAT helpdesk about this error.


Hello,

Here are some top MBA colleges in India with fees under Rs. 2 lakh and their exam/cutoff details:

  • SIMSREE, Mumbai – Fee around Rs. 1.3–1.4 lakh for 2 years. Accepts CAT, CMAT, MAH-CET, MAT, ATMA. Cutoff is very high, usually 99+ percentile in CAT/CMAT.

  • PUMBA (Dept. of Management Sciences, Savitribai Phule Pune University) – Fee around Rs. 1.2–1.3 lakh. Accepts CAT, CMAT, MAH-CET, ATMA. Cutoff approx. 75+ percentile in CAT, 90–95+ percentile in CMAT, high scores in MAH-CET.

  • TISS, Mumbai (MA HRM & other management-related programmes) – Fee around Rs. 1.7–1.9 lakh. Accepts CAT for some courses. Qualifying cutoff is around 60–70 percentile, but final selection cutoffs are higher.

These are the main government institutes where the full MBA/PG programme fee is within Rs. 2 lakh. Cutoffs vary slightly each year and by category, but SIMSREE and PUMBA generally need high scores, while TISS has its own process along with CAT shortlisting.

Hope it helps !

Hey! With a NEET score of 344 in the ST category, it is highly unlikely to get admission in any government BDS college in Delhi through the All India Quota. The cutoff for government BDS seats in Delhi usually falls around 400–450 for ST category, so your score is below that range.

You can consider private dental colleges, state quota seats in other states, or reattempt NEET next year to improve your chances.

Hello dear candidate,

YES, with NEET score 344in the ST category you have high chances of getting admission in a BDS College in J&K through JKBOPEE counselling.

check the seat availability and next participate in JKBOPEE Counselling with all the necessary documents.

Thank you.