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Master of Business Administration (MBA) is one of the most prestigious postgraduate programs across the world. The course duration is for 2 years, and students from any background who pass the minimum eligibility criteria can apply for MBA admissions. The primary MBA entrance exams held in India for MBA admissions are CAT, XAT, SNAP, CMAT, and IIFT. Around 1000+ colleges in India accept CAT scores; among them. The list of MBA colleges in India in the major cities features colleges that are divided into three tiers based on the CAT cut-off percentile.
The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Amritsar has released the pre-determined minimum percentile cut-off scores for the first stage of shortlisting candidates for admission to its MBA programme for the 2026–2028 batch. These CAT 2025 percentile thresholds, detailed below, will be used to prepare the initial shortlist for further stages of selection at IIM Amritsar.
Category | Quantitative Aptitude (Percentile) | Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (Percentile) | Verbal & Reading Comprehension (Percentile) | Total (Overall Percentile) |
Section-1 | Section-2 | Section-3 | ||
General | 80 | 75 | 80 | 90 |
EWS | 80 | 75 | 77 | 90 |
Non Creamy Other Backward Classes (NC-OBC) | 65 | 60 | 65 | 80 |
Scheduled Castes (SC) | 55 | 50 | 52 | 55 |
Scheduled Tribes (ST) | 40 | 35 | 37 | 40 |
Persons with Disabilities (PwD) | 40 | 35 | 37 | 40 |
IIM Amritsar CAT 2025 cut-off. (Image: Official Website)
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CAT 2025 Important Links
CAT is a national-level MBA entrance exam held by IIM, Indore. This exam is conducted online once a year, and the test duration is 2 hours. The general topics covered in the test are verbal ability and reading comprehension, data interpretation, logical reasoning, and quantitative ability. The questions would mostly be in multiple-choice question (MCQ) format. Students are required to gain scores between 80-95 to achieve admission in any of the top MBA colleges in India accepting CAT. However, those who have scored lower ranks can also seek MBA admissions in either colleges accepting low CAT scores or colleges with a direct admission process.
The primary MBA entrance exams held in India for MBA admissions are CAT, XAT, SNAP, CMAT, and IIFT. The following is a list of the most common MBA admission examinations that students must take:
Although the top MBA colleges in India prefer students with a high CAT score, sometimes students fail to meet these criteria, and this often lets them down. A lower CAT score would not determine someone’s ability and skills; hence, students can surely find B-schools in India that offer admissions to students with a low CAT score. Students should be aware of the fact that admission procedures at the best MBA colleges in India involve several other eligibility factors and are not solely based on CAT cut-off scores. Some of them are as given below: -
The aggregate percentage scored in 10+2 education.
The aggregate marks scored in a four-year undergraduate degree program or a 10+2+3 equivalent education program.
A student’s performance in the Group discussion, the written test conducted by the college, and the personal interview is evaluated.
Candidates with work experience are given preference in some of the MBA colleges in India.
The eligibility cut-off marks can vary based on the reserved and unreserved categories in India.
Here is a list of MBA colleges in India accepting students with low CAT scores, along with critical information required for making a final decision: -
Name of the College | CAT cut-off (percentile) | Fees Avg (INR) |
70 | Rs. 40,000 | |
70 | Rs. 9.5 Lakhs | |
70 | Rs. 8.44 Lakhs | |
70 | Rs. 6.44 Lakhs | |
70 | Rs. 7.00 Lakhs | |
70 | Rs. 15.95 Lakhs | |
70 | Rs. 8.80 Lakhs | |
60-70 | Rs. 17.12 Lakhs | |
60-70 | Rs. 10.60 Lakhs | |
50 + | Rs. 8.59 Lakhs |
Many Indian universities consider CAT scores as a factor for admission to many MBA programmes. You might want to consider the following top destinations in India for some of the best MBA colleges:
Students who wish to apply to top MBA colleges in India should attempt CAT exams, without bothering about the test results. The MBA application can proceed further with a valid CAT score. An overview of the admission procedures for the best MBA colleges in India accepting CAT scores are as given below: -
Register for CAT exams on the official CAT website and give the best efforts for scoring a good cut-off percentile
Once the CAT scores are out, candidates should login to the official college website for attaining the login credentials
Students need to submit mandatory documents, and reservation proofs, if any along with the college options preferred in a higher to lower order
Students are required to make payments via an online or offline mode
After the verification process, students would start receiving call letters from the colleges of their choice, considering the order of CAT scores as well
Students need to attend counselling process and proceed with the payment of the fee at a time allocated to them, without any delay
Apart from IIMs, which give good job placement after graduation, students attend a variety of management colleges that also provide admission with low CAT scores. We've listed MBA colleges in India that accept the CAT score, as well as their placement details, in the table below.
Name of the College | Average salary package (INR) |
Pondicherry University | Rs. 3.5 LPA |
ABBS, Bangalore | Rs. 7.56 LPA |
GITAM, Visakhapatnam | Rs. 7.80 LPA |
Chandigarh University | Rs. 6.80 Lakhs |
VIT, Vellore | Rs. 4.00 Lakhs |
Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida | Rs. 6.30 Lakhs |
Mittal School of Business, LPU, Phagwara | Rs. 4.66 Lakhs |
Doon Business School, Dehradun | Rs. 5.33 Lakhs |
International School of Business and Media, Kolkata | Rs. 5.00 Lakhs |
Army Institute of Management, Kolkata | Rs. 6.00 Lakhs |
The variety of specialisations offered in the MBA programme is one of the reasons for its popularity. Marketing management, finance, human resource management, rural management, and a variety of other fields are also available. In the table below, you'll find a list of other specialisations.
MBA programmes are amongst the most preferred options for students interested in advancing their careers. It's not a big deal if you didn't perform well in the CAT; many institutions will accept you despite the score. Some of the lowest-ranking top MBA colleges are mentioned in the table below.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
CAT percentile is calculated using the formula (1 - All India Rank (Total Candidates in the Exam) * 100%).
Yes, those who wish to take a break from studies can do that prior to joining MBA and attempting CAT exam for the same. Moreover, CAT exams are conducted for students with 10+2+3 or a four-year equivalent bachelor’s degree and there is no age bar for students who wish to take CAT tests.
MBA colleges/ Universities should be affiliated by AICTE, NAAC, or UGC in order to be ranked as a recognized institute for higher studies.
Yes, Students from the reserved category can qualify for MBA admissions with a comparatively low cut-off percentile than those from the General category. However, the selection criteria are based on several other factors as well, and this could vary every year.
Common Admission Test (CAT) is the most popular management aptitude test among candidates seeking admission to elite management colleges in India. The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) only accepts the percentile obtained by candidates in the CAT for their MBA programme. Apart from the IIMs, some other top business schools such as FMS Delhi , MDI Gurgaon, IIFT Delhi , SPJIMR, etc. accept only the scores of the CAT.
However, there are some MBA colleges in India that offers admission to their MBA programme without accepting the CAT scores. To get admission to these colleges, candidates are required to appear for the entrance examinations conducted by these institutions. Candidates must appear for the XAT to get admission to XLRI, SNAP to get admission to Symbiosis Colleges, NMAT to get admission to NMIMS campuses, and SRCC GBO exam to get admission to Shri Ram College of Commerce.
There are many colleges in the country which accept the scores of various other entrance examination along with the CAT, such as, IMI Delhi , FORE School of Management, TAPMI , Goa Institute of Management, etc. Appearing for the entrance examination is a pre-requisite condition to get admission to any good MBA college.
Check these various college predictors to predict the MBA college based on the score and percentile obtained in various entrance examinations.
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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