IIM Admission Guide for PwD Candidates: CAT 2024 Exam, Seat Intake, Eligibility, Cutoff, Selection Criteria

IIM Admission Guide for PwD Candidates: CAT 2024 Exam, Seat Intake, Eligibility, Cutoff, Selection Criteria

SundararajanUpdated on 27 May 2024, 02:25 PM IST

IIM Admission Criteria for PwD: CAT exam is the first step to get into IIMs. The next steps are a written ability test (WAT) and a personal interview (PI). Like the general category, even for PwD, WAT and PI are the main selection criteria for IIM MBA admission. PwD candidates who meet the CAT cutoff are shortlisted for the WAT and PI rounds. The final selection for IIM admission for PwD candidates is based on the overall profile of the candidate – CAT score, academic score, work experience, and WAT/ PI score. Get all information related to reservation criteria and guidelines for applying for IIM admission under the PwD category.

LiveIIM CAT 2025 Result (OUT) LIVE: MBA admission criteria for IIMs; CAT score weightage, cut-offsDec 26, 2025 | 11:01 PM IST

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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This Story also Contains

  1. IIM Admission Guide for PwD Candidates
  2. IIM Admission for PwD: Eligibility Criteria
  3. How to Get Admission in IIM for PwD Candidates
  4. CAT Exam Pattern for PwD candidates
  5. IIM Admission Guidelines for PwD Candidates
IIM Admission Guide for PwD Candidates: CAT 2024 Exam, Seat Intake, Eligibility, Cutoff, Selection Criteria
IIM Admission Guide for PwD Candidates

IIM Admission Guide for PwD Candidates

The selection process and criteria for IIM PwD admission are different from each other. Some IIMs have different eligibility criteria, cutoffs, fees, and the number of seats reserved for PwD. For example, IIM Ahmedabad has a qualifying CAT cutoff of 80, but IIM Kashipur has 94.

Careers360 has compiled important information related to IIM admission guidelines under the PwD category. In this article, aspirants will get all the details related to the IIM PwD admission guidelines and reservation criteria.

IIM Admission for PwD: Eligibility Criteria

To get an invitation from the desired IIM, it is mandatory for the PwD candidates to fulfil the required IIM eligibility criteria.

  • Candidates should score a minimum of 45% aggregate marks in graduation for PwD category candidates.

  • Should meet the respective IIM CAT cutoff

  • Crack the WAT/ PI

  • Work experience (if any) - Not mandatory

Know how to crack WAT and GD/PI rounds for MBA/ PGP admission

How to Get Admission in IIM for PwD Candidates

Generally, the IIM admission process for PwD consists of three stages. Below are the details on how to get into IIM.

Stage 1: Shortlisting of candidates on the basis of their CAT score

Stage 2: Screening of students for WAT/GD-PI

Stage 3: Calculation of Composite Score and Final Selection

IIM Admission Criteria: Parameters Considered for PwD Category

IIM Admission Parameter

What It Means?

CAT score

Overall percentile obtained in the CAT exam.

Graduation Score

Aggregate percentage obtained in a three years degree or equivalent course.

Class 12 Score

Aggregate percentage of marks in class 12 or equivalent marks.

Class 10 Score

Aggregate percentage of marks in 10th grade or equivalent.

WAT/GD-PI

Each candidate's performance in WAT/GD-PI will be evaluated and marks assigned accordingly.

Academic Diversity

Additional points are awarded to candidates from non-engineering backgrounds to ensure a fair representation of students from other streams.

Gender Diversity

To promote fair representation of each gender, IIMs award additional points to female/transgender students.

Work Experience

Candidates with prior work experience will be awarded additional points (from 1-5). For this, a range is defined from low to high.

Note: Points of academic diversity, gender diversity, and work experience vary from campus to campus.

IIM MBA Reservation for Physically Disabled (PD) or Persons with Disability (PwD)

The CAT entrance exam has reservations for the PwD category. There are two important points that every aspirant applying under the PwD category should check before applying for the CAT exam.

  • The applicant must possess a valid certificate attested by the concerned authority; otherwise, the candidates will be treated as general category candidates.

  • Candidates must check before filling out the application form. It is important to check the eligibility criteria of the CAT examination and the individual IIMs.

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CAT Exam Criteria and Guidelines for PwD Candidates

Exam Name

Categories

Seats Reserved in Institutes

Certificates Required

CAT

Persons with disabilities (PwD)/ differently abled (DA) are divided into three categories:

  • Low vision blindness

  • Hearing impairment

  • Loco-motor disability/ cerebral palsy

PwD/DA: 5%

Certificate for Persons with Disabilities

CAT Exam: Eligibility Criteria for DA category students and application fee

Eligibility criteria and application fee information for the CAT entrance exam for PwD candidates are listed below in the table.

Exam Name

Eligibility

Application Fees

CAT

Minimum aggregate marks required in graduation for PwD candidates is 45%

CAT Application fee for PwD candidates is Rs. 1100

CAT Exam Pattern for PwD candidates

The actual duration of the CAT exam is 2 hours (40 minutes per section). PwD candidates will get an additional 20 minutes per test hour.

CAT Exam Sections

No. of Questions

Time limit for PwD students

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)

24

53 minutes and 20 seconds

Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)

20

53 minutes and 20 seconds

Quantitative Aptitude (QA)

22

53 minutes and 20 seconds

Total

66

160 minutes

IIM Admission Guidelines for PwD Candidates

Refer to the table below for IIM admission guidelines and selection criteria for PwD candidates.

Note: The seat reservation for Person with Benchmark Disabilities (PwD) is 5%

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Questions related to CAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CAT ?

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.

Hello,

With a CAT percentile of 88.77 and a strong CGPA of 9.0, you are in a competitive range for newer IIMs (like IIM Amritsar, IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Sirmaur, IIM Nagpur) and several top non-IIM B-schools such as TAPMI, BIM Trichy, Great Lakes, IMI Delhi, FORE School of Management, and KJ Somaiya. You may not reach the older IIMs (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, etc.) since they usually require 98+ percentile, but you have excellent chances at mid-tier and emerging institutes.

For more details access mentioned link below:

https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/cat-cutoff-2025-category-wise-iims-iits-top-mba-colleges-cutoff

Hope it helps.

Hello

The expected cutoff for the JAP (Joint Admission Process) is around 90 to 95th percentile, with a minimum sectional cutoff of around 75 percentile in Quantitative Ability. You have scored 82.2% which is very low; that's why you are unlikely to meet the minimum criteria for the JAP IIMs in the general Category.

I hope this information helps you.

Thank you.

Hello,

Here is your IIM Cutoff for Gen/OBC/SC/ST, CS Score Cut Off. I am providing you the link. Kindly open and check it out. From here you can get all the details.

https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/cat-2025-cut-off-live-updates-iim-blacki-expected-cat-cs-score-cut-off-iim-cat-call-cut-off-latest-updates

I hope it will help you.

Thank you.


With a CAT score of around 80 percentile and about 2 years of work experience, getting a call from the top IIMs (IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Kozhikode, Indore) is extremely difficult, as their cutoff percentiles are usually much higher, even for reserved categories. These institutes typically shortlist candidates above 95–99 percentile depending on category, academic profile, and diversity factors.

However, you may still have some chances at a few of the newer or baby IIMs, especially if you belong to a reserved category (SC/ST/OBC/EWS) and have a decent academic background. IIMs such as IIM Jammu, IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Sirmaur, IIM Sambalpur, IIM Nagaland, IIM Amritsar, and IIM Vizag have historically called candidates in the 75–85 percentile range for certain categories. Your 2 years of work experience can also work in your favour, as most IIMs give weightage to professional experience during shortlisting and final selection.

That said, selection does not depend on CAT percentile alone. Factors like your 10th and 12th marks, graduation score, academic consistency, gender and academic diversity, work experience quality, and performance in the personal interview play a very important role. Even with an 80 percentile, a strong interview and profile can improve your chances at newer IIMs.

You should also keep strong non-IIM options open. At this percentile, good colleges like newer IIT MBA programs, some NITs, and reputed private B-schools can offer better and more realistic opportunities. Applying broadly and preparing seriously for the interview stage is very important.

In summary, while top IIMs are unlikely at 80 percentile, you may still have a realistic chance at some of the newer IIMs depending on your category and overall profile.