What factors influence CAT cut-off trends?

CAT cut-offs are affected by the level of exam difficulty, competition, institutional admission policies, and changing trends in management education.

What was the approximate CAT cut-off range in 2020?

In 2020, the approximate overall CAT cut-off range was 92-96 percentile.

How has competition impacted CAT cut-offs from 2020 to 2025?

Competition has generally increased, pushing competitive cut-offs for elite IIMs upwards, reaching the 90th percentile range to near 99+ over the years.

Does exam difficulty affect the required cut-off percentile?

Yes, when the exam is said to be more challenging, the cut-off percentile that one must achieve generally drops.

What is the likely CAT cut-off trend for 2025?

The trend of 96-99+ percentile is likely to continue for 2025, with slight variations depending on the pattern and difficulty of the exam.

CAT Cut Off Trends (2020–2025): Year-Wise Analysis for IIMs & Top B-Schools

Explore CAT cut-off trends from 2020 to 2025: how percentiles for top IIMs, newer IIMs, and non-IIM MBA colleges have evolved over the years, backed by section-wise and overall cutoff data.”

Table of Contents

CAT Cut Off Trends (2020–2025): Year-Wise Overview
Year-Wise CAT Cut Off Analysis (2020–2025)
Category-Wise CAT Cut Off Patterns Over the Years
Factors Behind Changing CAT Cut Off Trends
Conclusion

CAT cut off trends are important determining factors in admission to IIMs and other top business schools in India. These cut-offs have, over the years, exhibited visible fluctuations with the admissions being affected by the level of difficulty of the exam, level of competition, and different admission policies by the institutions and changing trends in the management education.

This article outlines the year-wise analysis of CAT cut off trends between 2020 and 2025 to enable aspirants to have a clear picture of how the requirements have changed. By analysing the trends of various categories and schools, the potential applicants will be able to estimate more accurately the range of scores required to get accepted by the leading B-schools as well as work out their preparation plan.

CAT Cut Off Trends (2020–2025): Year-Wise Overview

The cut-off percentile to the best MBA programmes in India through CAT has been slightly varying over the last six years, this is mainly because of changes in exams, number of test takers and availability of seats. For the top business schools, mainly the elite ones of the IIMs, the competitive cut-offs have been pushed upwards to the 90th percentile range to near 99+ over the years.

When the exam is said to be more challenging, the cut off percentage that one must achieve drops. Questions in the slots that have more difficult questions in the DILR/QA make the cut off percentile to push higher.

The table shown below is a simplified year-by-year table that shows the approximate overall ranges of percentiles aspirants have achieved within the years 2020-2025.

Year	Cut-Off Range	Key Observations
2020	92-96 percentile	Lower overall test volume due to the pandemic, there was some flexibility in cut-offs.
2021	93-97 percentile	Competition rose with the increased registration of students and a similar exam pattern.
2022	94-98 percentile	A higher percentile was needed as scoring improved and more candidates achieved higher marks.
2023	95-99 percentile	More competition at the top end as more questions were accurately solved by higher-percentile candidates.
2024	96-99+ percentile	Many top B-schools reported calls only above 98 percentile or 99+ for flagship seats.
2025	96-99+ percentile	Trend likely to continue with high competition; slight variation depending on pattern and difficulty of the exam.

Also Read: List of MBA Colleges with OBC Reservation: Check CAT Cutoff and Admission Process

Year-Wise CAT Cut Off Analysis (2020–2025)

The trends of CAT cuts off through the year 2020 to 2025 indicate a slow but steady increase in the level of competition, an increase in the number of test-takers, and an extra push by academic B-schools towards the higher percentiles. Although the changes are explained by the difficulty of the exams and normalisation, the overall trend is that cutoffs are getting smaller every year, particularly in the top institutes.

CAT 2020 Cut-off Analysis

The pandemic year was characterized by a slightly reduced cutoff range of most institutes. These factors took the form of movement restrictions, uncertainty and decreased participation, which led to a significant dip.

The majority of the best non-IIM colleges accepted percentiles of as low as the 90th percentile and above. In cases of some IIMs, the cutoff was at a high point, yet the difference of 95-97 percentiles was more relaxed. The table below shows the 2020 CAT cut off trends for the major IIMs and top B-schools.

Institute	General Category Cut-off (Percentile)	OBC-NCL Cut-off	SC Cut-off	ST Cut-off	PwD Cut-off
IIM Ahmedabad	99	95	80	70	70
IIM Bangalore	99	95	80	75	75
IIM Calcutta	99	95	80	75	75
IIM Lucknow	98	90	70	65	65
IIM Kozhikode	97-98	90	65	55	55
IIM Indore	97-98	90	70	55	55
IIM Shillong	90	80	75	70	70
IIM Rohtak	95	78	60	40	40
IIM Trichy	94	75	55	40	40
IIM Udaipur	94	75	55	40	40
IIM Raipur	94	75	55	40	40
IIM Ranchi	94	75	55	40	40
IIM Kashipur	93	75	55	40	40
IIM Nagpur	95	76	54	40	40
FMS Delhi	98.5	90	70	65	65
SPJIMR Mumbai	98	90	75	70	70
MDI Gurgaon	97	85	65	60	60
IMT Ghaziabad	95	85	70	60	60
IIFT Delhi/Kolkata	95	85	70	60	60

CAT 2021 Cut-off Analysis

There was an increase in the number of candidates when the situation normalised. This caused an increased cut off range upward thrust. The competition intensified, and colleges started going back to pre-pandemic cutoffs. Several of the institutes restored the regular minimum cut-offs, particularly in the general category. The table below shows the 2021 CAT cut off analysis for the different categories at IIMs and other top B-schools.

Institute	General Category Cut-off (Percentile)	OBC-NCL Cut-off	SC Cut-off	ST Cut-off	PwD Cut-off
IIM Ahmedabad	99	95	80	70	70
IIM Bangalore	99	95	80	75	75
IIM Calcutta	99	95	80	75	75
IIM Lucknow	98	90	70	65	65
IIM Kozhikode	97	90	65	55	55
IIM Indore	97	90	70	55	55
IIM Shillong	90	80	75	70	70
IIM Rohtak	95	78	60	40	40
IIM Trichy	94	75	55	40	40
IIM Udaipur	94	75	55	40	40
IIM Raipur	94	75	55	40	40
IIM Ranchi	94	75	55	40	40
IIM Kashipur	93	75	55	40	40
IIM Nagpur	95	76	54	40	40
FMS Delhi	98	90	70	65	65
SPJIMR Mumbai	98	90	75	70	70
MDI Gurgaon	97	85	65	60	60
IMT Ghaziabad	95	85	70	60	60
IIFT Delhi/Kolkata	95	85	70	60	60

CAT 2022 Cut-off Analysis

The DILR section of CAT 2022 was somewhat more difficult, but the overall performance was slightly higher in the high percentile brackets. This led to better score-to-percentile mapping. Cutoffs increased with an increase in students scoring higher.

Most leading colleges were reported to receive calls from students who achieved above 95 percentile, including near 98+ with flagship programmes. The table given below shows the 2022 CAT cut off trends for the major IIMs and top B-schools.

Institute	General Category Cut-off (Percentile)	OBC-NCL Cut-off	SC Cut-off	ST Cut-off	PwD Cut-off
IIM Ahmedabad	99	95	80	70	70
IIM Bangalore	99	95	80	75	75
IIM Calcutta	99	95	80	75	75
IIM Lucknow	97-98	90	70	65	65
IIM Kozhikode	97	90	65	55	55
IIM Indore	97	90	70	55	55
IIM Shillong	90	80	75	70	70
IIM Rohtak	95	78	60	40	40
IIM Trichy	94	75	55	40	40
IIM Udaipur	94	75	55	40	40
IIM Raipur	94	75	55	40	40
IIM Ranchi	94	75	55	40	40
IIM Kashipur	93	75	55	40	40
IIM Nagpur	95	76	54	40	40
FMS Delhi	98	90	70	65	65
SPJIMR Mumbai	98	90	75	70	70
MDI Gurgaon	97	85	65	60	60
IMT Ghaziabad	95	85	70	60	60
IIFT Delhi/Kolkata	95	85	70	60	60

CAT 2023 Cut-off Analysis

The number of high scorers on the test also increased, particularly on QA and VARC. Even minor differences in scores were occasionally huge percentiles. Numerous colleges, such as non-IIM B-schools of a high calibre, increased their shortlisting threshold. Competition further increased, and a 97 + percentile was necessary to take admission at a top institute.

The table below provides a category-wise 2023 CAT cut off trend.

IIM	General	ST	SC	EWS	OBC
IIM Ahmedabad	80	60	70	80	75
IIM Lucknow	90	60	65	82	82
IIM Kozhikode	85	55	65	75	75
IIM Bangalore	85	65	70	75	75
IIM Indore	90	50	60	90	80
IIM Calcutta	85	65	70	75	75
IIM Rohtak	95	30	55	90	78
IIM Mumbai	85	65	70	75	75
IIM Udaipur	92	40	54	70	74
IIM Amritsar	85	40	55	85	75
IIM Raipur	92	40	54	70	74
IIM Trichy	92	40	54	70	74
IIM Visakhapatnam	80	35	45	72	70
IIM Kashipur	92	40	54	70	74
IIM Shillong	75	50	60	75	75
IIM Ranchi	92	40	54	70	74
IIM Nagpur	90	40	60	80	76.5
IIM Sirmaur	92	40	54	70	74
IIM Jammu	Male- 90, Female- 87	Male- 37, Female- 34	Male- 52, Female- 50	Male- 68, Female- 65	Male- 72, Female- 70
IIM Sambalpur	74	40	54	70	74
IIM Bodh Gaya	92	40	54	70	74

CAT 2024 Cut-off Analysis

The number of people registered for CAT 2024 was quite high compared to the past few years. As the number of candidates and performance increased and became competitive, the cutoff range also became higher. The B-schools that are the most preferred have also set the requirements for applicants according to their outstanding percentiles, particularly for general category applicants. A number of institutes were observed to call students only in the 98-99 + percentile range of the popular management programmes. The table shows the 2024 CAT cut off trends for the major institutes.

Institute	General Category Cut-off (Percentile)	OBC-NCL Cut-off	EWS Cut-off	SC Cut-off	ST Cut-off	PwD Cut-off
IIM Ahmedabad	99	95	95	80	70	70
IIM Bangalore	99	95	95	80	75	75
IIM Calcutta	99	95	95	80	75	75
IIM Lucknow	97–98	90	90	70	65	65
IIM Kozhikode	97	90	90	65	55	55
IIM Indore	97	90	90	70	55	55
IIM Shillong	90	80	80	75	70	70
IIM Rohtak	95	78	78	60	40	40
IIM Trichy	94	75	75	55	40	40
IIM Udaipur	94	75	75	55	40	40
IIM Raipur	94	75	75	55	40	40
IIM Ranchi	94	75	75	55	40	40
IIM Kashipur	93	75	75	55	40	40
IIM Nagpur	95	76	76	54	40	40
FMS Delhi	98	90	90	70	65	65
SPJIMR Mumbai	98	90	90	75	70	70
MDI Gurgaon	97	85	85	65	60	60
IMT Ghaziabad	95	85	85	70	60	60
IIFT Delhi/Kolkata	95	85	85	70	60	60

CAT 2025 Cut-off Analysis

The cutoffs for 2025 are based on the trend of 2020-2024. The top IIMs require 99+ percentile, and the tier 2 IIMs require 95-97 percentile. The best non-IIMs can be shortlisted within a 90-95 + percentile range. The table below shows the category-wise CAT cut off trend for 2025.

IIM	General	NC-OBC	EWS	SC	ST
IIM Ahmedabad	80	75	80	70	60
IIM Bangalore	85	70	70	60	55
IIM Calcutta	85	65	65	55	45
IIM Lucknow	90	77	77	55	50
IIM Indore	90	80	90	60	50
IIM Kozhikode	85	75	75	65	55
IIM Rohtak	95	78	90	55	30
IIM Amritsar	80	65	80	55	35
IIM Nagpur	90	76.5	80	60	40
IIM Raipur	92	74	70	54	25
IIM Udaipur	92	74	70	54	25
IIM Kashipur	92	74	70	54	32.5
IIM Trichy	92	74	70	54	25
IIM Ranchi	92	74	70	54	30
IIM Vizag	80	63	63	40	30
IIM Shillong	75	75	75	60	50
IIM Sambalpur	74	45	40	35	25
IIM Bodh Gaya	92	74	70	54	25
IIM Sirmaur	92	74	70	35	25
IIM Jammu (M/F)	90/87	72/70	68/65	52/50	37/34

2025 CAT Cut-off for Non-IIM Institutes

The cutoff score for the Non-IIMs was as follows.

College	CAT
MDI Gurgaon	95+
JBIMS Mumbai	98+
SPJIMR Mumbai	88+
Amity Business School	85+
IMI Delhi	88+
Great Lakes Institute of Management	87+
MICA Ahmedabad	88+
IBS, Hyderabad	82+
LPU	50+
IMT Ghaziabad	90+
GIM Goa	90+
TAPMI Manipal	90+
FORE Delhi	80+
BIMTECH	70+

Related Links:

Category-Wise CAT Cut Off Patterns Over the Years

Patterns of variation of CAT cutoffs with categories have been similar over the years. Cutoffs in general categories are the most high and usually reach as high as the 98-99th percentile in top IIMs. In case of reserved categories, which are OBC, SC, and ST, the cutoffs are relatively lower, and the competition is fairly high, given the scarce number of seats.

The difference between categories has been decreasing slightly each year among all the groups. This further supports the significance of high academic achievements and sectional performances, as most institutes have sectional cutoffs on top of total percentiles.

Category	Average Cut Off Range (2020)	Average Cut Off Range (2021)	Average Cut Off Range (2022)	Average Cut Off Range (2023)	Average Cut Off Range (2024)	Average Cut Off (2025)
General (UR)	95–99	96–99	97–99	97–99.5	98–99.5	98–99.5
OBC	78–88	80–90	82–92	84–93	85–94	85–95
EWS	85–95	86–95	87–96	88–97	89–98	90–98
SC	60–70	65–72	65–75	70–78	70–80	72–82
ST	45–55	50–60	50–62	55–65	58–68	60–70
PwD	45–55	50–60	50–65	55–68	58–70	60–72

Factors Behind Changing CAT Cut Off Trends

The CAT cut-off patterns change yearly depending on various academic, competition, as well as institutional aspects. These alterations correspond to the variation in student performance, exam challenge, demand of the best B-schools and differences in policies that schools choose. The key factors affecting annual CAT cut-off trends include the following:

Variation in Exam Difficulty Level- When the CAT test is more challenging in a given year, there is a reduced cutoff, which is explained by the fact that fewer individuals in the test are achieving a high score. On the other hand, the easier the paper, the higher the percentile of most applicants, increasing cutoffs.
Number of Applicants Appearing for CAT- The cut-offs are found to depend greatly on the number of persons taking the test. An increase in the number of applicants translates to an increase in better competition as the cutoffs increase. When the number of test-takers reduces, the cutoffs often tend to be low in relation.
Performance Trends of Candidates- Cutoffs are high when there are a lot of applicants that achieve very high results, in the 95+ percentile ranges. Equally, when the total performance takes a downward trend, cutoffs get reduced.
Changes in IIM/Institute Admission Policies- The selection criteria are frequently changed every year in the institutes. Changes in the required cutoff range may include certain factors like giving more emphasis to academics, sectional performance, job experience, diversity, etc. This can cause a reduction or increase in cutoffs based on the new policies.
Seat Availability Across Programs- The increase in the number of seats tends to decrease pressure, resulting in slightly lower cut-off requirements. Higher cutoffs are seen when there is a scarcity of seats or a gradual increase in programmes.

Conclusion

The CAT cut-off trends for 2020-25 illustrate that MBA admissions are dynamic and competitive nowadays. Every year has its differences depending on the difficulty of the exam, how many applicants there will be and how the selection criteria may change in IIMs and other popular management institutes. By studying these trends, the aspirants can establish realistic scores, know what is expected within each category, and prepare based on that particular category. Having a clear understanding of the past trends and the new changes, the candidates are in a better position to tackle the CAT examinations with a lot of confidence and a more strategic approach.