CAT 2025: IIM Ahmedabad demands above 99 percentile for MBA admission; check NIRF top B-school cut-offs

The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) is the top management college in India, followed by IIM Bangalore and IIM Kozhikode at 2nd and 3rd spots, as per the National Institutional Rankings Framework 2025 (NIRF). Students aiming to secure an MBA seat at such top colleges can expect competitive percentile requirements for the academic session 2026-27. IIM CAT Admit Card LIVE.

MBA aspirants can expect a CAT percentile above 99 for admission to IIM Ahmedabad, while cut-offs for IIM Bangalore and IIM Kozhikode are likely to remain between 97 and 99, as per previous years trends.

The top B-schools in India, IIMs, admit students on the basis of their performance in CAT, personal interview, written ability test (WAT), group discussion, and work experience.

However, each IIM has its own eligibility criteria (including academic cut-offs and relative weights) and follows different selection processes.

Last year, IIM Bangalore gave only 25% weightage for the MBA entrance exam marks, while IIM Kozhikode reduced the weightage for Class 10 marks by 10% from 25% to 15% in CAT 2024.

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14 students scored perfect 100 in CAT 2024

“Performance in the CAT 2025 examination is an important component for consideration in the selection process. IIMs may also use the previous academic performance of the candidates, relevant work experience and other similar inputs in short-listing of candidates at various stages of the selection process,” according to the official notification from CAT 2025.

Only 14 candidates scored a perfect 100 percentile in CAT 2024 among 3 lakh students.

This year, IIM Kozhikode will be conducting CAT, and the management institute will close the CAT 2025 registrations on November 20. Eligible candidates can apply for the MBA entrance test through the official website at iimcat.ac.in.

The admit card for CAT 2025, scheduled to be conducted on November 30, will be issued on November 12.

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CAT 2025: Expected cut-offs for top MBA colleges

Besides IIMs, other top colleges offering MBA admissions in the NIRF 2025 ranking includes IIT Delhi, Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon, and Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur (XLRI).