There are a total of approximately 5500 IIM seats that are available through the CAT exam. Out of the 5500 seats available, around 60% of the IIM seats are reserved for the candidates belonging to the various reserved categories. The non-reserved IIM seats for the General category are around 2200. Over 2 lakh candidates compete every year for these IIM seats by appearing for the Common Admission Test (CAT) exam.
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The candidates for the IIM seats are selected through a series of evaluation rounds. Several important parameters like CAT score, Academic performance, Work experience, etc are rated for the final selection of candidates through a merit list.
The total seats in IIM for the General category candidates are 2200 (approx.) which is around 40% of the total IIM seats. The distribution of the total IIM seats in terms of percentage for each category (open and reserved) is given in the table below.
Category | Distribution of IIM Seats |
General | 40.5% |
27% | |
7.5% and 15% | |
PwD and EWS | 10% |
Check out the Total Seats in IIM for MBA/PGDM
IIMs across the nation have their seat matrix upon which the number of IIM seats for each category in a particular IIM is calculated. The IIM seats for General category candidates across different IIMs have been mentioned in the table below.
Name of the IIM | Total IIM Seats | IIM seats for the General Category |
398 | 194 | |
412 | 193 | |
462 | 233 | |
436 | 211 | |
450 | 226 | |
525 | 189 | |
240 | 60 | |
240 | 60 | |
120 | 80 | |
210 | 52 | |
210 | 60 | |
210 | 60 | |
120 | 27 | |
150 | 60 | |
120 | 60 | |
180 | 60 | |
170 | 30 | |
240 | 60 | |
550 | 220 |
The candidates need to score at par with the required CAT cutoff to secure themselves a seat in the prestigious IIM. The CAT cutoff for IIM seats for the General category candidates for different IIMs is listed in the table below.
Name of the IIM | CAT 2024 cutoff for IIM seats for General Category (Expected) |
99-100 | |
99-100 | |
99-100 | |
97-98 | |
97-98 | |
97-98 | |
95-96 | |
95-96 | |
95-96 | |
94-95 | |
94-95 | |
94-95 | |
92-94 | |
92-94 | |
92-94 | |
90 | |
90 | |
92-94 | |
94 |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The seats for the General category in all the IIMs combined come to around 2200 approximately. The seats are offered to candidates clearing the cutoff prescribed by the IIM for the CAT exam.
The lowest IIM cutoff for General is 90. Most of the selections for the General category happen in the 98-99.9 percentile range. At 90 the lower tier IIMs like IIM Nagpur, and IIM Shillong can be aimed for by General category candidates.
IIM Mumbai has the highest number of seats 550 across MBA/PGDM programs combined. Out of the total 550 seats, only 220 seats are available for the General category candidates.
For a General category candidate the IIMs close their applications at a minimum CAT percentile of 90. With a CAT percentile of 85 candidates from the General category can target non-IIM colleges with good ratings.
On Question asked by student community
Hello there,
Many colleges in India accept Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) score for their admission process. Here link attached which will provide you with the the list of premier B-Schools accepting XAT 2026 along with their percentile and XAT cutoff along with their XAT percentile.
https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/top-b-schools-accepting-xat-scores-and-cutoffs
Many colleges in India
Hi there,
A female candidate with a CAT percentile of 67.97 and low sectional scores should target private and tier-2/3 B-schools that accept overall CAT scores in the 60–70 percentile range and have flexible sectional criteria.
Some suitable options include AIMS Institute Bangalore, Doon Business School Dehradun, Christ Institute of
Hi there,
Yes, you are eligible for XISS Ranchi with a CAT percentile of 67.60.
According to recent admission trends, the CAT cutoff for the PGDM in Human Resource Management for the general category has been around 60 percentile. For other programs such as Marketing, Finance, and Rural Management, the
Hi there,
Careers360 offers a wide range of eBooks and study materials to assist with CAT preparation. You can access past CAT question papers with solutions to understand the exam pattern and difficulty level. Additionally, there are quantitative aptitude handbooks, cheat sheets, and section-specific practice sets for arithmetic, algebra, and
Hi there,
The minimum eligibility criteria for a general candidate to receive a call from IIM Sambalpur are as follows:
VARC: 65%ile
QUANTS: 65%ile
LRDI: 65%ile
Overall: 90%tile
Keep practising and aim to improve your score. You can also focus on other management exams where you may secure a strong
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