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IIM Call Cutoff Vs IIM Eligibility Cutoff: After the release of admission criteria by all the IIMs, candidates must feel optimistic about getting selected or receiving an interview call from their dream management institutes based on the CAT percentile. But there is a difference between the IIM call cutoff and the IIM eligibility cutoff. Have you ever wondered why there are huge gaps between the two cutoffs of the IIMs? Careers360 brings to you the factors behind the gaps that exist between the actual interview call and the official shortlist cutoff of the CAT exam at IIMs.
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CAT 2024 exam date is November 24, 2024, following which the CAT result 2024 will be announced tentatively on December 19. The previous year, while MBA aspirants rejoiced in the fact that the IIM Bangalore overall cutoff for general category candidates was 85 percentile and the sectional cutoffs were 75 percentile (Quantitative Ability, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning, Verbal and Reading Comprehension) the reality was quite different. The interview cutoff for the general category candidates at IIM Ahmedabad will probably be much higher for the 2025–27 batch.
Check out the related articles on IIM Call cutoff Vs Shortlist cutoff
The IIM Eligibility Cutoff is the minimum CAT Cutoff score, which a candidate needs to secure in the CAT exam, to be eligible for the IIM admission process. There is no official IIM call cutoff for CAT test-takers. Each IIM that accepts the CAT score announces their own CAT cutoffs. The individual cut-offs by IIMs consist of both sectional and overall cutoffs, which candidates need to satisfy to be eligible for further selection rounds of admission criteria.
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Hence, the eligibility cutoffs for each IIM are different, and before applying for admissions, candidates need to check the eligibility first. If a candidate falls under the eligibility cutoff range of an IIM, that does not mean they will get a call from that IIM.
The gap exists because the eligibility cutoff announced by an IIM is the minimum CAT percentile candidates are required to secure for getting into the list of candidates who can be considered for the next stage of the CAT selection process, comprising WAT and PI.
The actual IIM call cutoff, however, depends on the number of candidates available from the top. Thus for IIM Lucknow, which may call 600-1000 general category candidates (generally three times the seat capacity), it gets the desired numbers within the 98 to 100 percentile. This is because, within the top 2 percentile, it may get as many as 4,000 candidates in a scenario where the number of test-takers is near 2 lakh.
Thus, you must understand that the CAT cutoff percentile released by IIMs is the eligibility criteria or the minimum percentile a candidate has to secure to be eligible for getting shortlisted.
A percentile is a measure indicating the value below which a given percentage of test-takers come under. For example, the 90 percentile refers to the value below which 90% of the CAT exam takers would fall. Hence, test takers securing 90 percentile or above refers to the top 10% of the test takers. So, if the total number of actual test takers is near 2 lakh, approximately 20,000 candidates (1%) would come under the percentile range of 99 to 100.
IIMs, generally, shortlist three times the number of seats for the next level of the IIM selection process. The total number of seats in 20 IIMs is around 4000, which means the total number of short-listed candidates would be 12,000. Out of this, the number of general category candidates to be shortlisted will be 50 percent, which is nearly 6,000. Now, if we consider the case of IIM Lucknow, where the total number of seats is around 400, with around 200 general category seats, the number of shortlisted candidates in the general category would be around 600.
This means that in the top institute within the IIMs system, IIM-L could get the desired number of candidates within the range of 99.5–100 percentile. But since the candidate profile is also considered while shortlisting candidates, the shortlisting cutoff percentile finally settles in the range of 98 to 100 percentile. So, it is quite evident that the candidates to be finally shortlisted belong to the top percentile bracket of 98 to 100 and are not within the 90 percentile as mentioned in the IIM admission criteria.
For the top IIMs, which are popularly and collectively referred to as BLACKIS (B-Bangalore, L-Lucknow, A-Ahmedabad, C-Calcutta, K-Kozhikode, I-Indore, S-Shillong) by the MBA aspirants, the combined intake is around 2600, which is approximately half of the number of candidates falling within the top three percentile brackets (97 to 100 percentile). So you can understand why the actual interview call cutoff of the top IIMs ranges from 97 to 100 percentile.
Top IIMs—BLACKIS, consider other factors like past academic records, work experience, academic and gender diversity, and overall candidate profile for making the final shortlist offer. They calculate a scaled score or percentile based on the above-mentioned factors. To equate the scores in all other parameters, IIMs may have to go down a couple of percentiles, say 97 percentile. The actual interview call cutoff is the culmination of these factors.
At the same time, securing above the 99 percentile is not always a benchmark for appearing in IIM interview rounds, as the composite score for shortlisting depends upon multiple factors. For the final selection, IIMs also calculate the composite scores in terms of performance in CAT, WAT & PI, and candidate profile.
Executive MBA cutoff and marks vary from institute to institute as well as the type of entrance exam. CAT exam score is important in deciding admission to the EMBA program in reputed B-schools in India.
The CAT 2024 cut off will be decided by the institutes based on the overall performance of the students in the CAT exam. IIMs, IITs, and top MBA colleges like IMT, MDI, SPJIMR, MICA, FMS, and others will release the CAT cutoff for WAT/PI shortlisting before the CAT 2024.
CAT cut offs for IIM admission will be in the range of 95-100 percentile for general candidates. For the top 6 IIMs, the CAT 2024 cutoffs will go as high as 99.99 and 100 percentile, whereas for newer IIMs, it will range between 95-97 CAT percentile.
A few IIMs, like IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Sirmaur, IIM Nagpur, and more, have one of the lowest CAT cutoffs. The qualifying CAT cutoff for these IIMs ranges between 50 and 70, depending on the category of a candidate.
The criteria for IIM Bangalore final selection include 40% weightage to PI, 10% weightage to WAT, 25% weightage to CAT 2024 score, 5% weightage to Class 10 marks, 5% weightage to Class 12 marks, 5% weightage to degree marks, and 10% weightage to work experience.
Hello dear,
The CAT exam requires a significant amount of time for preparation, including brushing up on basic concepts and practicing advanced problem-solving. Starting too early can feel overwhelming and may not be sustainable with other academic commitments.
The CAT exam requires a level of focus and maturity that is not always present in class 9. Starting preparation at this stage can be challenging to maintain. At class 9, you're primarily focused on learning foundational concepts. So you just need to boost your fundamentals by practicing more and more at class 9 because the Quantitative Aptitude section of CAT syllabus includes all the topics of Mathematics from Class 9 to 10 such as Arithmetic, Geometry, Algebra, Trigonometry and Mensuration.
Start Preparation 12 Months Prior:
Identify Weak Sections:
I hope you got your answer, That's all Thank you.
IIFT CAT Cutoff 2024
IIFT Delhi
General: 95–98 percentile
OBC: 90+
SC: 85–95
ST/PwD: 75–93
IIFT Kolkata
General: 85–95 percentile
OBC/SC/ST: 50–95 (varies)
Note: Final selection also includes WAT, GD, PI, academics, and work experience.
To prepare for CDS, CGL, and CAT during graduation, create a clear study schedule focusing on basics, reasoning, and aptitude. Practice daily mocks, improve time management, and stay consistent. Balance college and preparation with discipline and regular revision.
Many colleges accept low CAT scores or have their own exams. Some examples:
Lovely Professional University (LPU)
Amity University
UPES Dehradun
Jaipuria Institute of Management
ITM Navi Mumbai
These often have GD/PI rounds after application.
Hello Devansh, With your VITEEE rank close to 42,000, it is very much possible for you to get CSE in VIT Vellore (CAT 1 or CAT 2) and possible for VIT AP contingent on the opening ranks for that year. CSE in VIT Vellore is very competitive, especially CAT 1, so it is more realistic to get a stream instead. VIT AP is growing, with areas of opportunity and growing, and better infrastructure than what was in the beginning. If you get CSE there as I indicated, the same thought process indicates that it is worth consideration.
Many students say to avoid VIT Bhopal due to it being new (less facilities) and less industry connections. It also does not compare, facility-wise and industry-wise, to VIT Vellore and VIT AP. However, getting CSE is most important and if everything else fails, braking VIT Bhopal is possible. My suggestion would be VIT Vellore (CAT 1 or CAT 2) if you got to sit for CSE or relevant stream. Otherwise, VIT AP is a strong second option. Avoid VIT Bhopal if you have better options.
Best of luck!
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