Generic

Two stages. Stage 1 produces a shortlist based on CAT performance and your profile. Stage 2 adds a Written Ability Test and a Personal Interview, then recalculates a final composite score. At most IIMs, CAT’s weight halves between the two stages — from 55 to 25 at IIM Bangalore and from 60 to 30 at IIM Lucknow.

On published overall percentile, IIM Visakhapatnam at 82 for the General category, with 70 required in each section. IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Mumbai, IIM Kozhikode and IIM Guwahati all sit at 85. Note that a lower published cut-off does not mean easier admission, since actual shortlisting scores run well above these floors.

Relaxations are substantial. At IIM Ahmedabad, General is 95 overall and ST is 75. At IIM Indore, General is 90 and ST is 45. At IIM Tiruchirappalli, General is 95.25 and ST is 44. At IIM Nagpur, General is 95 and ST is 40. SC cut-offs typically sit between the two.

At several IIMs, yes. IIM Calcutta awards up to 6 points for academic diversity, with engineering degrees scoring zero. IIM Lucknow awards 5 points for a non-engineering bachelor’s on the MBA, rising to 20 points on the MBA-ABM. IIM Tiruchirappalli awards 2%, though only to non-engineers with First Class or above.

Yes, but it peaks and then declines at most IIMs. IIM Tiruchirappalli, IIM Ranchi and IIM Jammu award maximum points at 24 to 36 months and zero at 48 months or more. IIM Sambalpur and IIM Sirmaur give work experience 20 marks out of 100, the highest in the system. IIM Bangalore is an exception, holding the maximum flat beyond 36 months.

It varies widely. IIM Calcutta gives them 25 points out of 85 at shortlisting, nearly 30% of the score. IIM Indore gives Class 12 alone 25 points out of 100. IIM Bangalore gives 10 each out of 100. IIM Ahmedabad uses them as a screening threshold rather than a score, requiring an average of 80% for Science students in the General category.

Most do. IIM Lucknow requires 85 in each of VARC, DILR and QA; IIM Ahmedabad requires 85 in each; IIM Visakhapatnam requires 70. Three IIMs namely Rohtak, Sambalpur and Sirmaur publish no sectional cut-off. Nearly all IIMs additionally require a positive raw score in every section, so a blank or negative section disqualifies you regardless of overall percentile.

Published General-category minimums for Batch 2026-28 range from 82 at IIM Visakhapatnam to 97 at IIM Rohtak. IIM Ahmedabad requires 95 overall with 85 in each section, IIM Bangalore 85 overall with 80 in VARC, and IIM Calcutta 85 overall. Every institute states that actual shortlisting scores were higher than the published minimum.

Only some IIM placements reports are. IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Udaipur and IIM Ranchi publish audited figures. Most IIMs publish unaudited summary reports with no external verification and no standard CTC definition. IIM Tiruchirappalli’s current report is explicitly interim and subject to revision.

Maximum Earning Potential, used in audited reports under the Indian Placement Reporting Standards, includes guaranteed cash plus maximum variable pay and first-year stock vesting. It is broader than the CTC most summary reports quote. IIM Ahmedabad’s audited 2025 figures show a Total Guaranteed Cash mean of ₹29,83,955 against an MEP mean of ₹35,22,591 for the same cohort.