IIM Seats for General Category

IIM Seats for General Category

Team Careers360Updated on 24 Nov 2024, 09:05 AM IST

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.

LiveCAT 2025 Result LIVE: IIM Kozhikode to announce scores soon on iimcat.ac.in; cut-off, normalisationDec 23, 2025 | 2:29 PM IST

The expected CAT 2025 cut-offs for IIM Calcutta vary across categories and sections. Candidates need to meet both the section-wise and overall percentile requirements to be considered for shortlisting. The table below provides the category-wise expected cut-offs for VARC, DILR, QA, and overall percentile. 

Category

Section – I - Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)

Section – II - Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)

Section – III - Quantitative Ability (QA)

Overall Percentile

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

CAT 2025 result is expected to be declared in the first week of January 2026.IIM Calcutta Admission 2025: CAT 2025 cut-off. (Image: Official Website)

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This Story also Contains

  1. Total Seats in IIM for General Category
  2. Seats in IIMs for General Category
  3. CAT Cutoff for IIM Seats for General Category
IIM Seats for General Category
IIM Seats for General Category

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.

Total Seats in IIM for General Category

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%

IIM Seats for OBC Category

27%

IIM Seats for ST and SC Category

7.5% and 15%

PwD and EWS

10%

Check out the Total Seats in IIM for MBA/PGDM

Seats in IIMs for General Category

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

IIM Ahmedabad

398

194

IIM Bangalore

412

193

IIM Calcutta

462

233

IIM Lucknow

436

211

IIM Indore

450

226

IIM Kozhikode

525

189

IIM Amritsar

240

60

IIM Nagpur

240

60

IIM Sambalpur

120

80

IIM Trichy

210

52

IIM Raipur

210

60

IIM Ranchi

210

60

IIM Vizag

120

27

IIM Udaipur

150

60

IIM Bodh Gaya

120

60

IIM Shillong

180

60

IIM Sirmaur

170

30

IIM Rohtak

240

60

IIM Mumbai

550

220

CAT Cutoff for IIM Seats for General Category

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)

IIM Ahmedabad

99-100

IIM Bangalore

99-100

IIM Calcutta

99-100

IIM Lucknow

97-98

IIM Indore

97-98

IIM Kozhikode

97-98

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

92-94

IIM Udaipur

92-94

IIM Bodh Gaya

92-94

IIM Shillong

90

IIM Sirmaur

90

IIM Rohtak

92-94

IIM Mumbai

94

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: How many seats are there in IIM for general?
A:

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.

Q: What is the lowest IIM cutoff for General?
A:

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.

Q: Which IIM has the highest number of seats?
A:

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.

Q: Can I get IIM with 85 percentile general category?
A:

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.

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Questions related to CAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CAT ?

CAT does not restrict eligibility based on stream. Candidates from commerce, arts, science, engineering or any other background can appear for CAT and apply to MBA programmes offered by IIMs and other top B-schools.

The basic eligibility criteria for CAT are:
You must hold a bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognised university with at least 50 percent marks (45 percent for SC, ST and PwD categories). Final-year graduation students are also eligible to apply.

Being a commerce graduate can actually be an advantage in areas such as accounting, finance, economics and business studies, especially during MBA coursework in finance, marketing and operations.

After qualifying CAT, admission depends on multiple factors including CAT percentile, academic background, work experience (if any), performance in GD, WAT and personal interview rounds. Many IIMs and B-schools follow a diverse academic background policy, which means non-engineering candidates, including commerce graduates, often receive additional weightage.

Apart from IIMs, several reputed institutes such as FMS Delhi, SPJIMR Mumbai, MDI Gurgaon, IMT Ghaziabad, and many state and private universities also accept CAT scores for MBA admissions.

So, as a commerce graduate, you are fully eligible to appear for CAT and pursue an MBA, provided you meet the minimum academic requirements and perform well in the selection process.

If you want, I can also help you with realistic CAT percentile targets based on your academic profile or suggest suitable MBA colleges.


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.