Why is the IIM Lucknow cut off considered difficult despite being 90?

Because the sectional requirement is 85, only five points below the total. A candidate scoring 96 overall with 84 in one section is screened out. Most IIMs leave a much wider gap — IIM Jammu’s is 19 points and IIM Visakhapatnam’s 12 — so IIM Lucknow admission rewards balance across sections rather than a single strong one.