CAT Percentile Required for Best Colleges in India

First of all we should know what CAT is? and why is it so very important? CAT(Common Admission Test)  is one of the most competitive entrance exams in India. It is a path through which an individual can apply for the Best Management Colleges in India. It is conducted annually by IIM (Indian Institute of Management),CAT is very important for an aspiring individual who wants to pursue a career in Management through the best Colleges.

The reason why CAT is taken is because it helps the colleges to understand the candidates aptitude and problem solving abilities. It not only helps in finding these abilities but also helps in understanding that the individual is capable of the challenges which will come in this business world. It's not only an entrance test but also creates a candidate for competitiveness.

Let's discuss the cutoffs which are required in the admission process.

Having a score of 80 percentile or higher in the CAT is significant success that can help or set the path for admission in the Prestigious MBA Colleges in India.

Not only IIM but there are many other colleges also, these colleges are known for their academic excellence and for their great placement opportunities, because of that the admission cutoffs are at 80 or above that. There are many colleges that accept CAT Scores.

CAT Exam is for What Purpose: Benefits of CAT Exam 2023

• Gateway to Prestigious Institutes: CAT Exam opens the door to prestigious Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and other top-tier management institutes in India. 
• Career Advancement: Clearing CAT can significantly enhance career prospects, providing access to high-paying job opportunities in various industries.
• Versatile Skills Development: Preparing for CAT helps develop essential skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, time management, and decision-making abilities.
• Networking Opportunities: Joining top management institutes through CAT provides an excellent platform to network with like-minded individuals and industry professionals.
• Business and Leadership Acumen: The rigorous curriculum and exposure in top management programs foster business acumen, leadership skills, and strategic thinking abilities.

Latest News Related to CAT

The Common Admission Test (CAT) 2023 exam is scheduled to be conducted on November 26, 2023. The registration process for the examination was ended on September 21, 2023. The CAT Exam is a computer-based test conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) for admission to their post-graduate management programs.

Process of Applying for CAT

• Registration: GO on the official website of CAT (www.iimcat.ac.in) and create a user profile by using Email and mobile number, after that you will receive otp on the mobile number.
• Fill Application Form: Log in to your CAT account and fill the form by giving all the required information.
• Select Programs: Choose the management programs that you want to opt for the courses you want. Maximum an individual can select is 6 courses.
• Upload Documents: Upload scanned documents that are passport sized photos, signature, and other documents required.
• Pay Application Fees: after filling the form one needs to pay the application fee. The amount of application fee varies from year to year, so check the CAT Website before filling the form.
• Submit the form: Check all the details and submit the form after paying the application fees.
• Download Admit Card: After submitting the form, after a few days the candidate can download the admit card from the official website of CAT. And it's always better to print the admit card after downloading it.
• Give the Exam : On the given date an individual needs to go to the examination center with an admit card and give the exam.
• Check Result : After a few days the result of the CAT will be released usually in the month of January, candidates can check his/her result by visiting the official website of CAT.

CAT 2023 Eligibility Requirements

CAT 2023 eligibility requirements were unveiled with the exam notice on July 30,2023. Registration for CAT gets started on August 2 and extends until September 13,2023.

CAT Reservation Criteria 2023

Categories Reserved Seats (%)

Category	Categories Reserved Seats (%)
SC	15%
ST	7.50%
NC-OBC	27%
PwD	5%

CAT is a computer based exam in India for admission to various management courses offered by IIM and BY other business schools.

The age limit for appearing in the CAT Exam is not specified by the conducting authority. As per the eligibility criteria, the candidate must have a Bachelor’s degree with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA (45% for SC/ST/PwD categories) from a recognized university or educational institution.

There is no upper age limit for appearing in the CAT Exam. Candidates of any age can appear in the exam provided they fulfill the eligibility criteria mentioned above.

Eligibility Criteria for CAT 2023

The candidate must have a Bachelor’s Degree with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA [45% in case of candidates from the Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Persons with Disabilities (PwD) categories], awarded by any University or educational institution formed by an Act of Parliament or State legislature in India or proclaimed as a University under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, or hold an equivalent qualification recognized by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India.

Candidates in their final year of Bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification examination, as well as those who have completed the requirements of their degree and are awaiting results, are eligible to apply. However, if selected, such candidates will be allowed to join the program on a provisional basis only if they submit a certificate from the principal/registrar of their Institution/University (issued on or before the date specified by the respective IIM) declaring that they have completed all requirements for obtaining a Bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification on the date of issue of the certificate.

Additional Information for SC, ST, NC-OBC, EWS and PwD

The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act of 2016 (RPwD Act 2016) specifies that 5% of seats are reserved for people with benchmark disabilities (PwD). “Person with Benchmark Disability” is somebody who has not less than forty percent (40%) of a specified disability that has not been defined in quantifiable terms, and includes a person who has a disability that has been described in measurable terms–both, as certified by the certifying authority. The disabilities listed in the Schedule of the RPwD Act 2016 are referred to as “specified disabilities.”

The various categories of disabilities are as:

• Blindness and low vision, Autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability, and mental illness, Loco-motor disabilities including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy, Deaf and hard of hearing and  Multiple disabilities from amongst persons under the above-mentioned clauses
• Other ‘specified disabilities’ mentioned in ‘The Schedule’ of the RPwD Act 2016.
• Before applying, candidates from the reserved categories should carefully review the eligibility conditions. While IIMs make every effort to ensure that applicants from the SC/ST/NC-OBC/EWS/PwD categories enroll in the programs in proportions required by law, they must meet the basic eligibility criteria and achieve a particular level of performance to be considered for admission.
• Candidates must carefully go through the updated description of the selection process decided by each IIM, mentioned on their respective website. No change in category will be considered after CAT Registration. Applicants are advised to pay close attention at the time of registration.

If a candidate falls under the SC or ST categories, his or her caste or tribe must be mentioned in the Government of India schedule. The caste certificate the applicant provides to the IIM should be in the Government of India-approved template and clearly mention the following:

Name of the caste/tribe

• Whether the applicant belongs to Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe
• District and State or Union Territory of the candidate’s residence
• the appropriate Government of India schedule under which the candidate’s caste/tribe is recognized and approved by it.

A copy of the SC/ST/NC-OBC/EWS/PwD certificate(s) must be uploaded at the time of CAT Application Registration. Failure to upload a copy of the caste/class certificate will result in rejection of a candidate’s CAT Registration.

The SC/ST/NC-OBC/EWS/PwD certificate(s) must be shown and a photocopy submitted at the time of interviews as well. The certificate(s) must also be furnished at the time of joining any of the programs at the IIMs. Failure to do so in the post-CAT selection process may result in disregarding the person’s candidature under the reserved category.

Top Colleges who Accepts CAT Scores

Name of the College	NIRF 2023 Ranking
IIM Ahmedabad	1
IIM Bangalore	2
IIM Kozhikode	3
IIM Calcutta	4
FMS, New Delhi	-
DMS IIT, Delhi	5
IIM Lucknow	6
IIM Indore	8
SJMSOM IIT, Bombay	10
IIM Raipur	11
IIM Rohtak	12
MDI, Gurgaon	13
IIM Udaipur	16
IIM Kashipur	19
SPJIMR, Mumbai	20
IIM Ranchi	24
IIM Shillong	26
IIM Visakhapatnam	29
IMI, New Delhi	34
IMT, Ghaziabad	38
IIM Jammu	41
IIM Nagpur	43
IIM Amritsar	51
IIM Bodh Gaya	53
IIM Sambalpur	58

List of MBA Colleges Accepting 90-95 Percentile in CAT 2023

MBA colleges accepting 90-95 Percentile in CAT. The CAT Exam is an exam which is given by lakhs of students from all over India because of this tough competition the percentile gets increased. 90-95 percentile is the score which is accepted by top IIMs that is IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta. These IIM are considered as top IIMs in India. Not only IIMs but CAT also helps to get admission in Top Non-IIM Colleges. BITS School of Management - MITSOM, Xavier University Bhubaneswar, MICA Ahmedabad, K J Somaiya Institute of Management Mumbai are few of the Top Non-IIM colleges in India.

Name of the IIM	Expected Cutoff	Admission Fees (in INR)	Accepted Entrance Exam
IIM Calcutta	99	31,00,000	CAT/ Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)
IIM Ahmedabad	99 - 100	31,50,000 - 33,50,000	CAT/ GMAT
S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai	95+	17,05,000	CAT/ GMAT
Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon	94+	23,58,000	CAT/ GMAT
Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management (SJMSoM), IIT Bombay	94+	8,21,000	CAT
IIM Bangalore	99 - 100	28,50,000 - 31,46,000	CAT/ GMAT
IIM Lucknow	97 - 98	19,25,000	CAT/ GMAT/ Graduate Record Examinations (GRE)
IIM Indore	97 - 98	21,10,000	CAT
Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Ghaziabad	90+	19,53,000	CAT/ XAT/ GMAT
VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur	95+	10,31,000	CAT
DIME, IIT Kanpur	92+	3,60,000	CAT
IIM Kozhikode	97-98	22,50,000	CAT/ Executive Management Aptitude Test (EMAT)
IIM Udaipur	92-94	20,05,000	CAT
IIM Rohtak	95-96	17,90,000	CAT
IIM Sirmaur	91	11,75,000	CAT/ GMAT
IIM Nagpur	95-96	18,00,000	CAT
IIM Visakhapatnam	91	15,04,920	CAT/ GMAT
BIM Trichy	90+	15,69,500	CAT
IMI Delhi: International Management Institute	90+	19,25,100	CAT
Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai	90+	20,75,000	CAT
IIM Raipur	94 - 95	15,49,000	CAT
IIM Bodh Gaya	92 - 94	15,50,000	CAT/ Joint Integrated Programme in Management Admission Test (JIPMAT)
IIM Ranchi	94 - 95	17,50,000	CAT/ SAT India/ Integrated Programme in Management Aptitude Test (IPMAT)
IIM Kashipur	94 - 95	17,30,000	CAT/ GMAT
IIM Shillong	91	17,50,000	CAT/ GMAT
IIM Jammu	92 - 94	17,15,000	CAT/ JIPMAT
IIM Sambalpur	95 - 96	10,00,000	CAT
IIM Amritsar	95 - 96	12,00,000	CAT/ GMAT
IIM Tiruchirappalli	94 - 95	11,80,000 - 16,50,000	CAT/ GMAT

MBA Colleges Accepting 80-90 Percentile in CAT

There are many colleges who are accepting 80-90 Percentile in CAT so let's discuss about these colleges. 

College Name	Location	Courses Offered
T. A. Pai Management Institute (TAPMI)	Manipal	PGDM, PGDM Healthcare, PGDM HR, PGDM Banking, and Finance
Bharathidasan Institute of Management (BIM)	Trichy	Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Vinod Gupta School of Management, IIT Kgp	Kharagpur	MBA
University Business School (UBS)	Chandigarh	MBA, MBA HR, MBA International Business, Executive MBA
MICA	Ahmedabad	PGDM (Communications)
Delhi School of Management (DSM)	Delhi	MBA, Executive MBA
Institute of Rural Management (IRMA)	Anand, Gujarat	PGDM Rural Management, Executive PGDM in Rural Management
Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research	Mumbai	PGDM
Institute for Financial Management and Research	Chennai	MBA
Nirma University	Ahmedabad	MBA
Alliance School of Business	Bangalore	MBA, PGDM, Executive PGDM
Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship	Bangalore	PGDM
Amity Business School	Noida	MBA
SP Jain Institute of Management and Research	Mumbai	PGDM, PGDM for Women
FORE School of Management	Delhi	PGDM
Institute of Management Studies, Banaras Hindu University	Varanasi	MBA
Institute of Finance and International Management	Bangalore	PGDM
Sydenham Institute of Management Studies, Research and Entrepreneurship Education	Mumbai	PGDM, Masters in Financial Management (MFM), Masters in Marketing Management (MMM)
Loyola Institute of Business Administration	Chennai	PGDM
Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra	Ranchi	MBA
Balaji Institute of Modern Management	Pune	PGDM
National Institute of Technology	Rourkela	MBA

MBA Colleges Accepting CAT Score 70-80 Percentile

There are many colleges who are accepting 70-80 Percentile in CAT so let's discuss about these colleges.

• Indus Business Academy (IBA), Bengaluru
• Jagan Institute of Management Studies (JIMS), Delhi
• International School of Business and Media (ISBM), Pune
• Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore
• Pondicherry University
• Birla Institute of Management and Technology (BIMTECH), Noida
• Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal
• Loyola Institute of Business Administration (LIBA), Chennai
• Institute of Financial Management and Research (IFMR), Chennai
• Institute of Management, Nirma University, Ahmedabad
• Welingkar Institute of Management Development & Research, Mumbai
• Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship (XIME), Bengaluru
• Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Hyderabad
• Alliance School of Business, Bengalurul
• International Management Institute (IMI), Bhubaneswar
• Institute of Management Studies (IMS), Ghaziabad.

What after CAT Results? 

IIM will announce the CAT 2023 result usually in the Second week of January 2024. After the result of CAT 2023 IIM will start releasing their Individual list of Cutoffs.

After the list of the colleges accepting the CAT Percentile candidate is free to apply to any IIM and Non-IIM colleges in India. But the candidate has to apply in a limited period of time.

Before getting selected for any IIM the candidate has to go through Group Discussion (GD), Written Ability Test (WAT), and a Personal Interview (PI). After clearing all these tests the list of selected candidates will be announced by the colleges and after that candidate has to respond for the reservation of his/her seat in a period of 1 month. And all the admission process like fees and other administrative activities can be done after this.

Frequently Asked Questions about CAT Percentile Required for Best Colleges in India

Q. Is 70 percentile in CAT good?

Ans. 70 percentile indicates a moderate level of performance in CAT. While there are several decent B-schools that accept candidates with 70 percentile in CAT, you may also think upon giving another attempt at CAT in case you only want to get into a premier management institute. However, ultimately, your placements and career growth depend upon your efforts and skills gained during the course. So, either way, you can have a promising future ahead.

Q. Can I get a good college with 80 percentile in CAT?

Ans. Yes, there are a sufficient number of reputed colleges that have a CAT Cut-Off of 75-80 percentile. For instance, Loyola Institute of Business Administration (LIBA), Chennai; Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA); National Institute of Technology (NIT), Rourkela; National Institute of Technology (NIT), Trichy; etc. So, you will be able to get into a good college with 80 percentile in CAT, provided you also perform well in subsequent selection rounds like GD, WAT, and PI.

Q. How much percentile is good enough for CAT?

Ans. If a candidate is able to score that much then their CAT percentile range is 99+. 2. What is the minimum CAT Score required for good colleges? Usually, a CAT Percentile Score of 90 or above is considered as a good score and it can help candidates to bag a MBA seat at some of the Top Business Schools in India.

Q. Can I get an IIM with 85 percentile?

Ans. Yes, definitely! While it is really tough to get into IIMs with 85 percentile, there are many other good colleges offering MBA/PGDM at such a high score. These B-schools also have an excellent pedagogy and maintain great placement records.

Q. Which IIM has the lowest cutoff?

Ans. The overall lowest cut-off for top IIMs:

Sr. No.	IIMs	Minimum overall cut-off
1	IIM Ahmedabad	80 percentile
2	IIM Bangalore	90.6 percentile
3	IIM Calcutta	90 percentile
4	IIM Lucknow	90 percentile

Q. Which IIM is toughest to get into?

Ans. IIM Ahmedabad is toughest followed by Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Indore. IIM-B focuses more on academics as compared to the rest of IIMs. I scored 67 percent in my 12th and 95 in my 10th standard.

Q. What is the salary of an IIM topper?

Ans. While the average CTC of the new IIMs lie between INR 10 and 20 LPA, the average CTC for the top IIMs is from INR 20 to 25 LPA. At the top IIMs, A, B, and C, the highest salary offers ranged from INR 70 lakh to INR 1 crore as CTC. Typical international compensation packages start at INR 60 lakh.

Q. Is CAT compulsory for MBA?

Ans. To sum up, while CAT is an essential exam for MBA aspirants aiming for Top Tier B-Schools in India, it is not a compulsory requirement for all MBA Programs.

Q. How much CAT score is required for IIM Ahmedabad?

Ans. The qualifying CAT cut off percentile for IIM Ahmedabad admission is 80 for General, 75 for NC-OBC/EWS, 70 for SC/PwD and 60 for ST candidates. The final CAT cut off percentile is usually around 99-100 for General category and 95 for reserved category.

Q. Is CAT tougher than IIT?

Ans. The questions are asked from classes 11 and 12 Math, Physics and Chemistry. But in the case of CAT, it is an aptitude test, by which the authority mainly judges the logical skills of the candidates to become future managers. In this viewpoint, the CAT Exam is a little tougher than the IIT.

Q. Which subject is toughest in CAT?

Ans. The exam is divided into three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA). Among these, the VARC section is widely regarded as the toughest section due to its unique challenges.

 Q. Why is IIM Bangalore famous?

Ans. Indian Institute of Management Bangalore - Wikipedia

IIM Bangalore provides a wide network of corporate placement opportunities for its students. In December 2021, it collaborated internationally to explore students' dynamics for an international experience.

 Q. What are the CAT participating colleges other than IIMs?

Ans. Some of the CAT participating colleges other than IIMs are National Institute of Industrial Engineering, Mumbai, Loyola Institute of Business Administration, Chennai, Department of Management Studies, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, IBS Hyderabad, etc.