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IIM BLACKI Selection Criteria 2025: Beyond the CAT Percentile - The CAT 2024 result came out as expected on December 19, 2024, and as expected, students are getting curious about the minimum percentile to get IIM BLACKI interview calls. IIM BLACKI consists of the top IIMS such as IIM Bangalore, IIM Lucknow, IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Calcutta, IIM Kozhikode, and IIM Indore. This year, out of the 2.93 lakh students who appeared for the CAT 2024 examination, 14 applicants secured 100 percentile, while 29 students scored 99.99 percentile. Being the top IIM, IIM BLACKI has a low acceptance rate, while the minimum percentile to get an IIM BLACKI interview call is also very high. IIM BLACKI considers several other factors apart beyond the CAT percentile. Read this article to learn about IIM BLACKI Selection Criteria beyond the CAT percentile.
IIM Raipur, IIM Kashipur, IIM Ranchi, and IIM Tiruchirappalli have jointly launched a JAP admission process. In this joint admission process (JAP 2026), IIM Raipur will shortlist candidates and conduct the interview rounds on behalf of the other three institutions.
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Latest: CAT 2024: Minimum Percentiles to get IIM BLACKI Interview Calls
Also Read: 96 Percentile In CAT 2024 Means How Many Marks.
New: CAT Marks for 99 Percentile: How Many Marks Should I Score in CAT to Get 99 Percentile?
According to NIRF 2024, IIM Bangalore was ranked as no. 2 in the management category. While the final cut off list includes the higher cut off percentile, the candidates also need to understand what the admission criteria are under the selection process of the IIM Bangalore. IIM Bangalore is one of the top IIMs, and they consider factors that are beyond the CAT percentile. Here are the IIM BLACKI selection criteria for 2025 beyond the CAT percentile for IIM Bangalore.
First, a short list is prepared based on a predetermined minimum score in all sections of CAT 2024. Those candidates who have secured those minimum marks will be considered for the first shortlist. All the subsequent processing, standardization, and selection are limited to candidates in the first shortlist alone.
Then for the candidates selected in the first list, a 'Pre-PI score’ is created. This ‘PRE-PI’ score takes into account several factors, including CAT score (55), marks of Class 10 (10), marks of Class 12 (10), marks obtained in the bachelor’s degree courses (10), work experience/professional courses (10), and gender diversity (5).
Out of the 55 marks allotted to CAT, VARC, DILR, QA has 19, 21, and 15 marks, respectively.
The scores for class 10, class 12, and the bachelor's degree courses are normalized.
Candidates with Chartered Accountancy (CA), Cost Accounting (ICWA), or Company Secretary (CS) certifications are eligible for weightage under the category of professional course. The scores obtained in these professional courses (final year completed only) are normalized and weightage is calculated.
The pre-PI score for work experience is (10x/36) if 0<x<36.
10 if x>= 36.
(x is the duration of the work experience in months.)
For candidates in the first shortlist, the top 10 candidates in each of the following categories automatically qualify for the PI stage: total score in CAT, adjusted bachelor’s degree score (commerce, arts, and science disciplines), and professional (CA/ ICWA/ CS) score. Post-PI, all such candidates are evaluated in the same way as any other candidate.
Based on the pre-PI score, a certain number of candidates from each category are selected for the next stage in the admission process.
The second stage of the admissions process at IIMB consists of a personal interview (PI) and a Written Ability Test (WAT) where candidates will be required to write a note.
The PI and the WAT will happen on the same day and in the same location. The duration of the WAT is approximately 30 minutes. The WAT will be evaluated based on the content and style of the note.
For all candidates called for interviews, the weights for the parameters at the post-PI stage are as follows: Personal interview = 40, WAT = 10, CAT = 25, 10th board score = 5, 12th board score = 5, Bachelor’s score = 5, Work Experience / Professional Course = 10. The 25 points for CAT are derived from the performance in each of the three sections as follows: Verbal and Reading Comprehension (VARC) - 8.75 points, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) - 10 points, and Quantitative Aptitude (QA) – 6.25 points.
Final offers of admission to candidates from each category will be made strictly based on the post-PI scores
Here is the table of minimum marks needed to be considered for the first shortlist of PI calls. However, it is recommended that the applicants visit the official website of IIM Bangalore to check if they have been shortlisted for the interview or not.
Minimum Percentile Requirements for the first shortlist for the batch of 2025-27 | ||||
Category | VARC | DILR | QA | Aggregate |
General | 80 | 80 | 80 | 85 |
NC-OBC | 70 | 70 | 70 | 75 |
EWS | 70 | 70 | 70 | 75 |
SC | 60 | 60 | 60 | 70 |
ST | 55 | 55 | 55 | 65 |
PWD | 50 | 50 | 50 | 60 |
latest: How Many Marks Required for IIM Bangalore Admission Through CAT 2024?
Read More: CAT 2024: How Many Marks are Required for IIM Calcutta?
According to NIRF 2024, IIM Calcutta was ranked as no. 5 in the management category. While the final cutoff list includes the higher cut off percentile, the candidates also need to understand the admission criteria under the selection process of the IIM Calcutta. IIM Calcutta is one of the top IIMs, and they consider factors that are beyond the CAT percentile. In IIM Calcutta, candidates will be shortlisted based on CAT 2024 score and other parameters like academic performance and gender diversity. Here are the IIM BLACKI selection criteria for 2025 beyond the CAT percentile for IIM Calcutta.
In the first stage, the candidates need to match the minimum requirements on both section-wise and overall percentiles in CAT 2024, which are mentioned in the above table. However, it would be worth noting that these are the minimum qualifying marks to apply for the IIM Calcutta, while the cutoffs for the final selection might go higher than this.
The candidates fulfilling the criteria of the first stage, shortlisted candidates, will be called for Personal Interview (PI) and Writing Ability Test (WAT). This shortlisting will be based on the composite score derived using the parameters and the corresponding weights as specified:
Parameters | Weight | Method of Calculation |
CAT 2024 Score | 56 | (A/B)* 56 |
Class 10 marks | 10 | As per the below table |
Class 12 marks | 15 | As per the below table |
Gender Diversity Factor | 4 | 4 points will be awarded for female and transgender candidates only. |
Total | 85 | |
A = CAT 2024 Total Overall Scaled score of the Candidate B = Maximum possible CAT 2024 Total Overall Scaled Score | ||
Points for the marks secured in Class 10 and Class 12, respectively, will be allotted as per the below table:
Class 10 marks (percent) | Points | Class 12 marks | Points |
≥80 | 10 | ≥80 | 15 |
≥75 and <80 | 8 | ≥75 and <80 | 12 |
≥70 and <75 | 6 | ≥70 and <75 | 9 |
≥65 and <70 | 4 | ≥65 and <70 | 6 |
≥60 and <65 | 2 | ≥60 and <65 | 3 |
<60 | 0 | <60 | 0 |
From the candidates who might be wondering about how many marks are required in CAT for IIM Calcutta and also have been selected for the PI and WAT, some of the candidates will be selected based on the composite score, using parameters and corresponding weights listed in the table below, for the final selection:
Parameters | Weights |
CAT 2024 Score | 30 |
Personal Interview (PI) | 48 |
Writing Ability Test (WAT) | 08 |
Points awarded for Academic Diversity at Bachelor’s and Master’s levels for non-engineering degrees and professional qualifications as per the below table | 06 |
Work Experience (as per the formula provided in the section on Work Experience) | 08 |
Total | 100 |
No | Academic Diversity for CAT 2024 | Points |
1 | Bachelor's degree in engineering stream OR Master’s degree in engineering stream OR Integrated Master’s degree in engineering stream | 0 |
2 | Bachelor's degree in non-engineering stream | 4 |
3 | Dual bachelor’s degree in Law (e.g. BA LLB, BSc. LLB, B.Com LLB, BBA LLB). | 5 |
4 | Bachelor's degree in engineering stream and Masters in non-engineering stream | 2 |
5 | Bachelor's degree in non-engineering stream and Masters in non-engineering stream | 5 |
6 | Dual/Integrated degree where bachelor is non-engineering and master is in non-engineering stream | 5 |
7 | Dual/Integrated degree where Bachelor in engineering stream and Master is the non-engineering stream | 1 |
8 | CA/ICWA/CS or Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of India (FIAI) without having a bachelor’s degree. | 5 |
9 | CA/ICWA/CS or Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of India (FIAI) with a bachelor’s degree. | 6 |
10 | CA/ICWA/CS or Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of India (FIAI) with or without a bachelor’s degree and with Masters in non-engineering stream. | 6 |
11 | Integrated bachelor’s degree in Law and Master's in non-engineering stream. | 6 |
Here is the formula to calculate the marks awarded for the work experience of the candidates, which forms an integral part of knowing how many marks are required in CAT for IIM Calcutta-
Work Experience | Points Awarded |
X = work experience in months | |
If X <= 6 | 0 |
If 6 < X <= 24 | X/3 |
If 24 < X <= 36 | 8 |
If 36 < X <= 48 | 26 - (X/2) |
If X > 48 | 2 |
Here is the table of minimum marks needed to be considered for the first shortlist of PI calls of IIM Calcutta. However, it is recommended that the applicants should visit the official website of IIM Bangalore to check if they have been shortlisted for the interview or not.
Minimum Percentile Requirements for the first shortlist for batch 0f 2024-26 based on CAT 20223 | ||||
Category | VARC | DILR | QA | Aggregate |
General OPEN | ≥80 | ≥80 | ≥75 | ≥85 |
EWS | ≥70 | ≥65 | ≥65 | ≥75 |
NC-OBC | ≥70 | ≥65 | ≥65 | ≥75 |
SC | ≥65 | ≥60 | ≥60 | ≥70 |
ST | ≥55 | ≥55 | ≥55 | ≥65 |
PwD | ≥45 | ≥45 | ≥45 | ≥55 |
The admissions process at IIM Ahmedabad, the top IIM according to the NIRF Ranking of 2024 consists of multiple rigorous stages. Students, who have received their CAT results, and are willing to apply for the IIM Ahmedabad, also need to understand how the selection is done, as a part of the admission criteria. It is going to be crucial to get a much clearer picture of the admission scenario. Here are the IIM BLACKI selection criteria for 2025 beyond the CAT percentile for IIM Ahmedabad.
Preliminary Screening: Only the candidates who have the minimum cut off in the sectional percentile, and overall percentile and have the positive RAW score will be considered for the next stages.
In the screening at the same time Along with CAT scores, 10th, 12th, Graduation, and Work experience will also be considered to make the Application Rating Score (AR). This Rating score would be considered for shortlisting and WAT and PI.
Written Ability Test (WAT): Shortlisted candidates are required to write an essay on a given topic to assess their writing skills and ability to articulate thoughts coherently.
Personal Interview (PI): Candidates who perform well in WAT are invited for personal interviews during which their interpersonal skills, leadership potential, and overall fit for the program are evaluated.
Here is the table of minimum marks needed to be considered for the first shortlist of PI calls of IIM Ahmedabad. However, it is recommended that the applicants visit the official website of IIM Ahmedabad to check if they have been shortlisted for the interview or not.
Category | Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehensive Percentile Rank | Data Interpretation | Quantitative Ability Percentile Rank (PQA) | Overall Percentile Rank |
General/EWS | 70 | 70 | 70 | 80 |
NC-OBC | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 |
SC | 60 | 60 | 60 | 70 |
ST | 50 | 50 | 50 | 60 |
PwD | 60 | 60 | 60 | 70 |
PwD (ST) | 50 | 50 | 50 | 60 |
Latest: How Many Marks Are Required in CAT 2024 for IIM Kozhikode Admission?
IIM Kozhikode has an extensive selection process conducted in several phases. The candidates needed to go through several other selection criteria beyond the CAT percentile for IM Kozhikode. Here are the IIM BLACKI selection criteria for 2025 beyond the CAT percentile for IIM Kozhikode.
First of all, a shortlist is prepared based on a predetermined minimum score in sectors like CAT, Graduation, Class XII, and Class X. Those candidates who have secured those minimum marks can register for the interview. However, the candidates needed to keep in mind that these are pre-interview registration processes rather than the call for an interview.
The Stage 2 process applies to the eligible candidates who completed the registration process in Stage 1 for admission to IIM Kozhikode, and it is for the determination of the candidates to be called for personal interview (PI). A shortlist of candidates in each category will be prepared based on an aggregate Index Score (AIS). The AIS is computed based on the performance in CAT 2024, Class X, Class XII, Gender/Academic diversity criterion, and work experience. Each component of the AIS is given a different weightage.
Aggregate Index Score Computation for Stage 2 Shortlist | |
Component | Weightage |
CAT 2024 Index Score | 50% |
Class X Percentage Score | 15% |
Class XII Percentage Score | 20% |
Gender/Academic Diversity Score | 10/5 % |
Work Experience Score | 5% |
The short-listed candidates must appear for a Written Ability Test (WAT) followed by a Personal Interview (PI).
The entire process will last for a half-day (morning or afternoon). In this process, the candidates will write an essay, followed by a PI. The essay topic will be announced at the venue just before the start of the WAT session.
During the PI process, the panel will evaluate each candidate's academic efforts and disposition, general awareness and social disposition, attitude, personality and communication, and quality of work experience. The resume score will be calculated based on academic and professional qualifications and certifications.
After the WAT and PI process concludes, the final scores will be computed based on the performances in CAT 2024, PI, WAT, and resume scores.
A category-wise merit list will be prepared based on the final scores.
Admission offers will be made to candidates following the merit list as per the Government of India reservation norms.
Here is the table of minimum marks needed to be considered for the first shortlist of PI calls of IIM Kozhikode. However, it is recommended that the applicants visit the official website of IIM Kozhikode to check if they have been shortlisted for the interview or not.
Minimum Percentile Requirements for the first shortlist for a batch of 2025-27 | ||||
Category | VARC | DILR | QA | Aggregate |
General | 75 | 75 | 75 | 85 |
NC-OBC | 65 | 65 | 65 | 75 |
EWS | 65 | 65 | 65 | 75 |
SC | 55 | 55 | 55 | 65 |
ST | 45 | 45 | 45 | 55 |
PWD | 45 | 45 | 45 | 60 |
IIM Lucknow, which has set the minimum cut off to 90 to be applicable to be included in the list to get the interview calls, has a complex selection process under the admission criteria. The students who have applied for the IIM Lucknow also need to learn about the admission criteria for IIM Lucknow as a part of the selection process.
IIM Lucknow will create the list based on the composite score for the candidates who qualify in Stage 1a, and the shortlist for the WAT-PI process shall be available on our official website, www.iiml.ac.in.
Such candidates shall be required to fill in and submit the WAT-PI form online by the stipulated deadline.
The candidates who fail to submit their WAT-PI form online by the prescribed time limit shall not be allowed for the WAT-PI process.
Candidates are advised to check the official website of IIM Lucknow (www.iiml.ac.in) regularly after the declaration of CAT-2024 results for updates and notifications related to the admission process.


Weights for Final Score calculation after the WAT-PI stage from IIM Lucknow - MBA | |
Component for the Final Score | Weightage |
CAT Score | 30 |
Academic Performance | 5+5 |
Diversity Factor | 5 |
Work Experience | 5 |
Written Ability Test | 10 |
Personal Interview | 40 |
Final Score | 100 |
It would be important to note that the minimum requirement for getting a pass in PI is 12 out of 40. The applicants who have appeared for the PI round but don't clear the PI cutoff won’t be included in the final merit list.
Category for IIM Lucknow | Maximum Composite Score to Get Interview Call | Minimum/ Cut off Composite Score to get IIM Lucknow Interview Call | Shortlisted Candidate |
|---|---|---|---|
General | 75.9865796 | 53.2367142 | 1268 |
EWS | 68.3960618 | 40.3656987 | 312 |
NC-OBC | 65.1367935 | 38.7191020 | 910 |
SC | 64.3497262 | 31.1258124 | 793 |
ST | 62.9267202 | 21.9151259 | 396 |
General PWD | 57.1941793 | 12.0215651 | 186 |
EWS PWD | 58.4859482 | 15.2371709 | 10 |
NC -OBC-PWD | 48.9679352 | 13.8157749 | 28 |
SC-PWD | 45.8944411 | 21.3143887 | 6 |
ST-PWD | 33.3166654 | 26.7645449 | 2 |
Total | 3911 |
IIM Indore has extensive selection criteria conducted in several phases. IIM Indore will adopt a three-stage selection process (I) Eligibility criteria (II) Shortlist for Personal Interview (PI) (III) Final Selection. However, it would be worth noting that IIM Indore considers some other factors like diversity factors beyond the CTA percentile. Here are the IIM BLACKI selection criteria for 2025 beyond the CAT percentile for IIM Indore
The candidates who want to know about the selection process need to follow the admission criteria of IIM Indore-
Stage-I: Eligibility Criteria
All applicants who apply for the two-year PGP of IIM Indore must satisfy the eligibility criteria mentioned in the CAT 2024 advertisement and also the minimum sectional percentile and overall percentile scores in CAT 2024.
Only those applicants meeting the specified criteria will be considered for Stage 2 of the selection process.
The minimum cutoff for the general candidates was set at 90 percentile.
Stage II: Shortlist for Personal Interview (PI)
Only those candidates satisfying the requirements mentioned in Stage-I will be considered for this stage of shortlisting for Personal Interview (PI).
A sufficient number of candidates for PI for each category (General, EWS, NC-OBC, SC, ST, and PwD) will be shortlisted using the merit list generated based on Composite Score (CS) as mentioned in Table 2.
Candidates shortlisted for PI will be intimated in January 2025.
IIM Indore will conduct the admission interviews offline (in Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Indore, Kolkata, and Mumbai) or online, depending on the situation.
Candidates shortlisted for Personal Interview (PI) at Stage II will have to attend PI, failing which they will not be considered for the next stage of the selection process, i.e., Stage III.
It is expected that the candidates score minimum marks in the PI round decided by IIM Indore.
Candidates not meeting the minimum performance in any of the PI parameters will not be considered for the next stage of the selection process, i.e., Stage III.

Stage III: Final selection
The candidates satisfying the requirements mentioned in Stage II will only be considered for the final selection.
A category-wise merit list will be generated based on the Final Composite Score (FCS) as mentioned in Table 3, and provisional admission offers will be made accordingly, adhering to the reservation norms.

Here is the table of minimum marks needed to be considered for the first shortlist of PI calls of IIM Indore. However, it is recommended that the applicants visit the official website of IIM Indore to check if they have been shortlisted for the interview or not.
Minimum Percentile Requirements for the first shortlist for a batch of 2025-27 | ||||
Category | VARC | DILR | QA | Aggregate |
General | 80 | 80 | 80 | 90 |
NC-OBC | 70 | 70 | 70 | 80 |
EWS | 80 | 80 | 80 | 90 |
SC | 55 | 55 | 55 | 60 |
ST | 40 | 40 | 40 | 45 |
PWD | 40 | 40 | 40 | 45 |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
2.93 lakh students gave CAT 2024.
IIM BLACKI accepts CAT scores to get into the IIMs for their management courses.
Though the actual cut off for the IIMs never gets published, it would be safe to assume that a percentile of above 97 might get an interview call from the top IIMs.
Though the actual cut off for the IIMs never gets published, it would be safe to assume that a percentile of above 97 might get an interview call from the top IIMs.
Though the actual cutoff for the IIMs never gets published, it would be safe to assume that a percentile of above 97 might get an interview call from the top IIM BLACKI.
On Question asked by student community
Hello,
Yes, you are eligible to join MBA by giving CAT.
CAT accepts graduates from every stream. One has to get 50% in graduation to appear for the examination. After cracking the examination one can get into top rater IIM'S.
MBA is top tier, 2 year post graduate program having lot's of careers opportunities in the management field. The students can choose specialisations from finance, HR, analyst, etc.
For more information check out the official website of Careers360.
https://www.careers360.com/courses/mba-master-of-business-administration
Thank you.
Hello aspirant,
With a CAT 2025 raw score of 84 and strong sectionals, your expected percentile may fail in the high 98 range , depending on scaling. Your excellent academics and 2 years of work experience strengthen your profile .IIM Lucknow calls are possible but competitive for EWS engineers , while FMS Delhi looks mainly at CAT score and VARC , so you have a reasonable chance there . Final calls depend on cutoffs and composite score.
FOR REFERENCE : https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/cat-cutoff
Hope the details will help you.
THANK YOU
Hello aspirant ,
For MANAGE Hyderabad MBA , the OBC cutoff in CAT 2024 was generally around 85-90 percentile for shortlist consideration , tough exact figures vary by section and profile . For CAT 2025, if fewer candidates appeared , the cutoff might slightly adjust , but percentile based cutoffs dont change drastically year to year. A minor decrease is possible , but you should still aim for 90+ percentile to be competitive. Factors like VARC, QA-LRDI and overall profile influence the final shortlist.
FOR REFERENCE : https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/cat-cutof f
Hope the details will help you.
THANK YOU
Hello,
For a raw score of 56 in CAT 2025 Slot 3, your expected overall percentile is likely to be in the range of the 90th-95th percentile. The exact percentile can vary slightly on the final normalization process and the process and performance of all test-takers. In this article you'll find more about the CAT result.
I hope it will clear your query!!
Hello,
With a projected CAT percentile of 87% but not clearing sectional cutoffs, your chances at top IIMs are limited because they require both overall percentile and sectional minimums. However, you still have a good shot at other reputed management institutes and non-IIM B-schools. Consider colleges like NMIMS, SPJIMR, IMT, TAPMI, Great Lakes, and other well-ranked private or state-level B-schools that accept CAT scores and weigh your profile holistically. Your academic record, BSc in Animation with 80%, and 5 years of work experience at Ubisoft India are strong points and may help in institutes that value work experience in their selection process. Also, explore institutes that accept XAT, MAT, or CMAT, where your profile can be competitive.
Hope this helps you.
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