CAT Cut Off 2023 for IIM & Top MBA Colleges

With the CAT 2023 exam right around the corner, tensions are running high amongst all MBA aspirants. Lakhs of students with high ambitions are vying for a few thousand seats in IIMs and other top colleges. The animosity has become amplified, with speculations running rife about the expected cutoffs for admissions to the best colleges. While the exact CAT cutoff 2023 will only be released after the admissions are done, we can formulate the expected cutoffs for 2023 based on past years’ cutoff percentiles and scores.

CAT is slated to be held on 26th November, 2023. Once the exam is up, students will have a faint idea of how well they’ve done. While CAT scores will officially be released only in January, the answer key will be out much sooner – 2nd December. Based on the key, you can accurately gauge your score and compare it to previous years’ scores to get a fair idea of your percentile. And then, based on those percentiles, you can figure out the cutoffs you will most likely clear and the colleges to expect a call from.

In general, there are two types of cutoffs to track. The first is the minimum cutoff, both overall and sectional, that you need to clear for admission consideration, and the other is the final admission cutoff, which represents the actual score of students who got a call. Usually, the minimum cutoffs are far lower than the final cutoffs. For instance, IIM Ahmedabad has a minimum qualifying CAT cutoff of 85%, while the final cutoffs were as high as 99% for general candidates.

Start your CAT prep for free
Sign up for a 14-day free trial and get access to:

• 4+ hours recorded live sessions
• 5+ hours of concept videos
• 3 sectional tests
• 3 benchmarking tests
• 1 SimCAT

Sign up

CAT cutoff 2023

The actual cutoffs won’t be revealed until after the scores are declared officially in January 2024. However, a general idea of the cutoffs can be estimated by following the trends of scores from the previous years. The CAT cutoff 2023 will be based on an amalgamation of a number of factors:

1. The difficulty level of the paper – A higher difficulty level will consequently lower the cutoff scores.
2. Total number of applicants – This year saw a record 3.3 lakh applications for CAT. This will likely result in higher cutoffs due to increased competition.
3. Total number of seats available – IIMs and other colleges often change the available seats to candidates. Further, changes in the reservation policy can also affect the seats available for general candidates. Fewer seats will push the cutoffs higher.
4. College rankings – Colleges perceived to be better will generally have higher cutoffs.
5. Number of candidates that clear the minimum qualifying cutoffs – Often, due to the varying difficulty level of the CAT exam, the number of candidates going past the qualifying overall and sectional cutoffs also changes. This can again affect the final admission cutoffs.

What is the minimum qualifying overall CAT cutoff 2023 (expected) for all IIMs?

The minimum qualifying cutoff is only used to determine eligibility for the GDPI process. But clearing these cutoffs won’t guarantee a place on the shortlist. This is merely the minimum score you need to clear even to be considered for the GDPI process.

What is the minimum qualifying sectional cutoff (expected) for top IIMs?

Besides the overall cutoff, candidates must also clear the sectional cutoffs to maintain their eligibility. Missing the cutoff by even one percentile or mark in just one section will render you ineligible.

What is the final admission CAT cutoff 2023 (expected) for top IIMs?

The CAT cutoff 2023 to actually stand a chance to get a GDPI call from top IIMs is much higher than the minimum qualifying one. Moreover, it can also vary greatly based on how high the IIM is ranked and how many students fill up their forms. For the older IIMs, general candidates will require above 97% to land a call. For other IIMs, the percentile can range from 93% to 97%. CAP calls require a minimum of 92%, although some even get calls at scores as low as 89%-90%, depending on how many seats go empty in the initial rounds. 

What is the final admission CAT cutoff 2023 (expected) for top non-IIM colleges?

Like the best IIMs, other colleges, such as FMS and MDI, post extremely high cutoffs. These colleges are as reputed as IIM ABC and provide students with excellent career opportunities. 

Apart from these colleges, many others accept scores above 80%. There’s IIT Bombay, IIT Kharagpur, MICA, IIT Roorkee, JBIMS, Great Lakes, TAPMI, XIMB, and GIM.

CAT cutoff marks vs percentile

Now we come to the most critical section of this blog. You’ve already read about the percentiles required to clear CAT as well as get a call. But without the corresponding raw scores, you’ll find it very difficult to correctly estimate your position. Below we’ve compiled past data to give you a sense of what percentile your raw score will translate into.

CAT cutoff 2023 vs percentile – section-wise

Initial Estimates: Percentiles Overall

Revised Estimates will be released 2-3 days after the CAT Response Sheet is released.

Please do not make any B-School application decision based on the initial estimate. They serve only as a first indicator of likely performance.

Initial Estimates: Percentiles Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension

Initial Estimates: Percentiles Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

Initial Estimates: Percentiles Quantitative Aptitude

Once the official answer key is out on December 2nd, 2024, all you need to do is tally your answers to get your raw score. Then, compare it to the tables to estimate your percentile and possible calls. You can also check out our CAT 2023 score calculator to get a better idea of your standing. All you need to do is download your response sheet from the official website in HTML format, input it into the calculator, and it’ll return your probable overall and sectional scores as well as percentiles.

While the CAT cutoff 2023 will only officially be released after the scores are out, it is vital to be prepared beforehand for the GDPI opportunities you might get.