CAT 2022 Official Answer Key & Response Sheet (Slot 1 and 3)

HELLO,

With an overall 98.54 percentile ( QA/DILR 97.55, VARC 94.89) and strong academics 9/9/0, you have a good profile. As a B.Tech candidate you can expect calls from :-

• IIM Shillong
• IIM Udaipur
• IIM Trichy
• IIM Ranchi
• IIM Raipur
• IIM Kashipur
• IIM Nagpur
• IIM Indore is Boderline

Hope this will help you !

Hello aspirant,

Your kid has a good profile even in the general category with a BTech from IIT Delhi, three years of excellent job experience in a leading industry, and a 96 percentile in the CAT. He has a strong chance at reputable MBA schools like IIM Shillong, IIM Udaipur, IIM Trichy, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, and others, depending on interview performance and profile match, even though the top IIMs often require higher percentiles.

Thank you

Hope it helps you

With an overall CAT percentile of 82.71 in CAT 2025 as a general category candidate, along with section-wise percentiles of 80.56 in VARC, 75.81 in DILR and 84.56 in QA, your chances at top IIMs are limited, as most older IIMs usually shortlist general category candidates at much higher percentiles. However, this percentile still keeps you eligible for admission calls from several Tier-2 and Tier-3 MBA colleges across India, especially those that consider overall performance, academic background and work experience along with CAT scores. You can expect calls from institutes such as IMT Nagpur, IMI Bhubaneswar, FORE School of Management (some programs), TAPMI Manipal (borderline), Great Lakes Institute of Management (Chennai or Gurgaon for PGPM/PGDM variants), K J Somaiya (depending on cut-offs), GIM Goa (through CAT or other exams), and state-level universities that accept CAT scores. Additionally, many good private universities and autonomous B-schools consider candidates in the 80–85 percentile range and conduct their own GD-PI rounds. To improve your chances, you should apply widely, prepare well for interviews, and highlight your academics, work experience, certifications and extracurricular achievements, as final selection is not based on CAT score alone.

All the best.

With an overall CAT 2025 percentile of 82.71, you are unlikely to get calls from the IIMs (including new or baby IIMs), as most of them generally shortlist candidates at 90+ percentile, even after considering category and profile factors. However, this percentile is still quite decent and opens doors to many good Tier-2 and Tier-3 MBA colleges in India that offer solid academics, reasonable placements, and good industry exposure.

At around 80–85 percentile, you have a strong chance of getting shortlisted by institutes such as IMI Bhubaneswar, IMT Nagpur, IMT Hyderabad, XIME Bangalore/Chennai, TAPMI Manipal (borderline, profile-dependent), IFMR GSB Krea University, FORE School of Management (certain programs), GIM Goa (specialised programs), LIBA Chennai (borderline), K J Somaiya Institute of Management (profile-based), Great Lakes Chennai/Gurgaon (PGDM – profile matters a lot), and Welingkar Mumbai (especially through profile + GDPI). Many reputed state universities and private institutes like PUMBA Pune, Delhi School of Management (DTU – if accepting CAT that year), BIMTECH (some programs), NDIM Delhi, ITM Navi Mumbai, and Jaipuria Institute of Management campuses are also realistic options.

Your sectional percentiles (VARC 80.56, DILR 75.81, QA 84.56) are fairly balanced, which works in your favor, as several colleges apply sectional cut-offs around 60–70 percentile. Final selection will depend not only on CAT score but also on academic background, graduation marks, work experience, diversity factors, and GD-PI performance. If you have work experience, it significantly improves your chances at colleges like Great Lakes, FORE, IFMR, and Welingkar.

In summary, while top IIMs are not achievable at 82.71 percentile, you can still secure admission into reputed mid-tier MBA colleges that provide good ROI and career growth if you perform well in the GD-PI process. It is advisable to apply broadly, focus on profile-based institutes, and prepare seriously for interviews to convert the best possible calls.

With 84.91 percentile in CAT (General, male, no work experience), top colleges like IIMs, IITs, FMS, MDI, etc. are not possible. You may get calls from private institutes such as IMT Nagpur/Hyderabad, IMI Bhubaneswar, XIME, SDMIMD, Welingkar (some programs) and similar colleges. Universities like Amity or LPU are also options.

It’s better to choose carefully, as placements and ROI may be average. Reattempting CAT or trying XAT/CMAT could improve options.

Hello,

With a CAT percentile of 88.77 and a strong CGPA of 9.0, you are in a competitive range for newer IIMs (like IIM Amritsar, IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Sirmaur, IIM Nagpur) and several top non-IIM B-schools such as TAPMI, BIM Trichy, Great Lakes, IMI Delhi, FORE School of Management, and KJ Somaiya. You may not reach the older IIMs (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, etc.) since they usually require 98+ percentile, but you have excellent chances at mid-tier and emerging institutes.

For more details access mentioned link below:

https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/cat-cutoff-2025-category-wise-iims-iits-top-mba-colleges-cutoff

Hope it helps.

Hello

The expected cutoff for the JAP (Joint Admission Process) is around 90 to 95th percentile, with a minimum sectional cutoff of around 75 percentile in Quantitative Ability. You have scored 82.2% which is very low; that's why you are unlikely to meet the minimum criteria for the JAP IIMs in the general Category.

I hope this information helps you.

Thank you.

Hello,

Here is your IIM Cutoff for Gen/OBC/SC/ST, CS Score Cut Off. I am providing you the link. Kindly open and check it out. From here you can get all the details.

https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/cat-2025-cut-off-live-updates-iim-blacki-expected-cat-cs-score-cut-off-iim-cat-call-cut-off-latest-updates

I hope it will help you.

Thank you.

With a CAT score of around 80 percentile and about 2 years of work experience, getting a call from the top IIMs (IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Kozhikode, Indore) is extremely difficult, as their cutoff percentiles are usually much higher, even for reserved categories. These institutes typically shortlist candidates above 95–99 percentile depending on category, academic profile, and diversity factors.

However, you may still have some chances at a few of the newer or baby IIMs, especially if you belong to a reserved category (SC/ST/OBC/EWS) and have a decent academic background. IIMs such as IIM Jammu, IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Sirmaur, IIM Sambalpur, IIM Nagaland, IIM Amritsar, and IIM Vizag have historically called candidates in the 75–85 percentile range for certain categories. Your 2 years of work experience can also work in your favour, as most IIMs give weightage to professional experience during shortlisting and final selection.

That said, selection does not depend on CAT percentile alone. Factors like your 10th and 12th marks, graduation score, academic consistency, gender and academic diversity, work experience quality, and performance in the personal interview play a very important role. Even with an 80 percentile, a strong interview and profile can improve your chances at newer IIMs.

You should also keep strong non-IIM options open. At this percentile, good colleges like newer IIT MBA programs, some NITs, and reputed private B-schools can offer better and more realistic opportunities. Applying broadly and preparing seriously for the interview stage is very important.

In summary, while top IIMs are unlikely at 80 percentile, you may still have a realistic chance at some of the newer IIMs depending on your category and overall profile.

With a CAT 2025 percentile of 99.27 and all sectional percentiles above 93, your son has a strong and competitive profile, but calls from IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Calcutta depend on more than just CAT score.

For IIM Ahmedabad, the CAT cutoff for the general category is usually very high (around 99+ overall and strong sectionals). However, IIM A gives very high weightage to academic consistency, especially Class 10 and Class 12 marks. With 10th at 89% and 12th at 80%, his academics are decent but not exceptional by IIM A standards, where many shortlisted candidates have 90%+ in both. A call from IIM Ahmedabad is possible but not guaranteed, and would depend on how his profile compares with others in the same academic category.

For IIM Bangalore, the chances are better. IIM B places significant weight on work experience, and 2 years of experience is considered ideal. His CAT percentile, good sectionals, engineering background, and work experience together make him a strong contender for an interview call, provided he meets the institute’s academic eligibility and normalization criteria.

For IIM Calcutta, the selection process is more CAT-score driven, especially for engineers. With a 99.27 percentile and strong sectionals, he stands a fairly good chance of getting a call, as IIM C traditionally gives relatively less weight to Class 12 marks compared to IIM A.

Overall, while calls from all three are not guaranteed, he has realistic chances for IIM Bangalore and IIM Calcutta, and a borderline but possible chance for IIM Ahmedabad. In addition, he is very likely to receive calls from other top IIMs such as IIM Lucknow, Kozhikode, Indore, Shillong, and several top non-IIM B-schools like FMS Delhi, SPJIMR, and IIT Bombay/Delhi.

The final conversion will depend heavily on performance in the personal interview, clarity of goals, quality of work experience, and communication skills, so focused PI preparation will be crucial at this stage.