Generic

No. IIM Raipur states that it does not allow deferment of an admission offer to subsequent years, and IIM Calcutta states that candidates offered admission for a particular batch cannot be deferred to any subsequent year for any reason whatsoever.

The Written Ability Test asks candidates to write a note or essay on a topic given at the venue. At IIM Bangalore it runs approximately 30 minutes and is assessed on content and style, carrying 10 marks out of 100. At IIM Kozhikode it carries 20% of the final score, the highest WAT weight among the IIMs.

Yes. CAT typically carries only 25 to 35% of the final composite score at the older IIMs. At IIM Calcutta, the interview and WAT together carry 56 of 100. A candidate who clears the shortlist on CAT but performs poorly in the interview can fall below candidates with lower CAT scores.

IIM Lucknow requires 12 out of 40, and states that candidates who do not pass will not appear in the final merit list. IIM Shillong sets category-wise minimums of 20% for DA and ST, 25% for SC and 30% for EWS and OTHERS, in both PI and communication proficiency. Most IIMs do not publish a threshold.

It ranges from 48 marks out of 100 at IIM Calcutta — the highest in the system — through 40 at IIM Lucknow and IIM Bangalore and 40% at IIM Shillong, down to 20% at IIM Mumbai, IIM Rohtak and IIM Tiruchirappalli, and 15% at IIM Ranchi. IIM Guwahati has no interview stage for Batch 2026-28.

No. Across the Batch 2026-28 admission policies, the dominant format is WAT followed by PI, with Group Discussion barely featuring. IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, IIM Kozhikode and IIM Mumbai all describe a written component plus an interview, without a GD round.

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.