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.

 

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.

 

IIMs	Expected CAT cutoff 2023 percentile (Minimum criteria)
IIM Ahmedabad	85
IIM Bangalore	85
IIM Calcutta	85
IIM Lucknow	90
IIM Indore	90
IIM Kozhikode	85
IIM Mumbai	90
IIM Tiruchirappalli	92
IIM Shillong	90

 

IIM Raipur	92
IIM Ranchi	92
IIM Kashipur	92
IIM Rohtak	92
IIM Tiruchirappalli	92
IIM Udaipur	92
IIM Nagpur	85
IIM Visakhapatnam	85
IIM Amritsar	85
IIM Bodhgaya	85 (For CAP round 92%ile)
IIM Jammu	80-85 (For CAP round 92 %ile)
IIM Sirmaur	80-85 (For CAP round 92%ile)
IIM Sambalpur	80-85 (For CAP Round 92%ile)

 

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.

 

Name of the Institutes	Sectional CAT Cutoff 2023
	VARC	DILR	QA
IIM Ahmedabad	70	70	70
IIM Amritsar	75	75	80
IIM Bangalore	80	75	75
IIM Bodh Gaya	70	70	70
IIM Calcutta	≥80	≥80	≥75
IIM Indore	80	80	80
IIM Jammu	70	70	70
IIM Kashipur	70	70	70
IIM Kozhikode	75	75	75
IIM Lucknow (PGP)	85	85	85
IIM Nagpur	72	72	72
IIM Raipur	>=70	>=70	>=70
IIM Ranchi	80	80	80

 

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. 

 

Name of the IIMs	CAT Cutoff 2023 Percentile
IIM Ahmedabad	99-100
IIM Bangalore	99-100
IIM Calcutta	99-100
IIM Lucknow	97-99.5
IIM Indore	97-99.5
IIM Kozhikode	97-99.5
IIM Amritsar	95-96
IIM Nagpur	95-96
IIM Sambalpur	95-96
IIM Trichy	94-95
IIM Raipur	94-95
IIM Ranchi	94-95
IIM Kashipur	94-95
IIM Vizag	92-94
IIM Rohtak	92-94
IIM Udaipur	92-94

 

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. 

 

Institute	CAT cutoff 2023 (Percentile)
FMS	99
IIT Delhi	98
IIM Mumbai	97
MDI Gurgaon	95
IIT Madras	95
IMT Ghaziabad	93
SPJIMR	85 (profile-based calls)

 

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.

 

Percentile	Marks in CAT 2022	Marks in CAT 2021	Marks in CAT 2020	Marks in CAT 2019	Marks in CAT 2018	Marks in CAT 2017	Marks in CAT 2016
99.9	111	120	131	196	192	208	191
99.5	93	107	115	170	170	183	168
99	82.5	97	102	157	155	173	153
95	60	71	77	120	125	139	123
90	48.5	59	63	90	110	121	108
85	41	45.5	55	87	90	103	93
80	35.5	40	49	75	80	98	84
70	29	35	36	57	62	83	68

 

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.