IIM CAT cutoffs: the official minimum percentiles for IIM A, B, C, L and I
The minimum overall and sectional CAT percentiles each IIM published for its first interview shortlist, by category, with links to the source documents.
By Team GRADSKOOL · 15 Nov 2026 · 2 min read
Every IIM publishes a minimum CAT percentile for its first interview shortlist. These are floors, not targets: each institute states that the candidates it actually shortlisted scored higher. This page collects those published floors in one place, straight from the admission policy documents.
General category
| Institute | Cycle | Overall | VARC | DILR | QA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IIM Ahmedabad | CAT 2025 (2026-28) | 95 | 85 | 85 | 75 |
| IIM Lucknow | CAT 2025 (2026-28) | 90 | 85 | 85 | 85 |
| IIM Indore | CAT 2025 (2026-28) | 90 | 80 | 80 | 80 |
| IIM Bangalore | CAT 2025 (2026-28) | 85 | 80 | 75 | 75 |
| IIM Calcutta | CAT 2026 (2027-29) | 85 | 80 | 80 | 75 |
Reserved categories (overall percentile)
| Institute | EWS | NC-OBC | SC | ST | PwD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IIM Ahmedabad | 95 | 90 | 85 | 75 | not stated |
| IIM Lucknow | 82 | 82 | 65 | 60 | 60 |
| IIM Indore | 90 | 80 | 60 | 45 | 45 |
| IIM Bangalore | 75 | 75 | 70 | 65 | 60 |
| IIM Calcutta | 75 | 75 | 70 | 65 | 55 |
Sectional minimums for every category are on each college's page in the B-school database.
Things to know before reading these numbers
They are eligibility floors. Clearing them makes a candidate eligible to be considered for the first shortlist. Each IIM then applies its own selection process, which is set out in the documents linked below.
The cycles are not all the same. IIM Calcutta has already published its policy for the 2027-29 batch (CAT 2026). The others above are for the 2026-28 batch (CAT 2025).
Programme matters. IIM Lucknow's figures are for its two-year MBA. It publishes separate, lower minimums for MBA-ABM and MBA-SM. IIM Bangalore's figures are for its PGP.