Conducting Body: Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs on rotation) National Level Entrance Exam 2026
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CAT: Common Admission Test

Comprehensive student gateway for MBA, PGDM, Executive MBA across 21 IIMs, FMS, SPJIMR, MDI, IIT DoMS, JBIMS admissions. Access official registration schedule, question papers with solutions, cutoff ranks, college predictors, and counselling guides.
MBA, PGDM, Executive MBA across 21 IIMs, FMS, SPJIMR, MDI, IIT DoMS, JBIMS Duration: 2 Hours (120 Minutes, 40 Min per section) Mode: Computer Based Test (CBT) Total Marks: 198 Frequency: Once a Year (Last Sunday of November) Fee: ?2,400 (General/OBC) / ?1,200 (SC/ST/PwD)
198
Total Score
10
PYQ Papers (PDF)
10
Cutoff Records
2 Hours (120 Minutes, 40 Min per section)
Time Allotted
National
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Category-wise Cutoff Multi-Year Cutoff Trends Opening & Closing Ranks Home State vs Other State Factors Affecting Cutoff Cutoff FAQs

CAT Historical Cutoff Trends

Official Closing Ranks

Official qualifying marks, cutoff percentiles, and opening/closing ranks for admission into participating institutes for CAT across General (CRL), OBC-NCL, EWS, SC, ST, and PwD categories.

Year Category / Quota Cutoff Score / Percentile Opening Rank Closing Rank Counseling Notes
2025 General 93.5% / Rank 1-2500 - - Official Round 1 Qualifying Cutoff
2025 OBC-NCL 82.0% / Rank 2501-7000 - - Official Round 1 Qualifying Cutoff
2025 EWS 84.2% / Rank 2000-6500 - - Official Round 1 Qualifying Cutoff
2025 SC 68.5% / Rank 7001-15000 - - Official Round 1 Qualifying Cutoff
2025 ST 55.0% / Rank 15001-28000 - - Official Round 1 Qualifying Cutoff
2024 General 93.5% / Rank 1-2500 - - Official Final Qualifying Cutoff
2024 OBC-NCL 82.0% / Rank 2501-7000 - - Official Final Qualifying Cutoff
2024 EWS 84.2% / Rank 2000-6500 - - Official Final Qualifying Cutoff
2024 SC 68.5% / Rank 7001-15000 - - Official Final Qualifying Cutoff
2024 ST 55.0% / Rank 15001-28000 - - Official Final Qualifying Cutoff

5 Core Factors Deciding the Cutoff

  • Number of Registered Candidates: A larger applicant pool directly intensifies competition, raising closing percentile thresholds.
  • Question Paper Difficulty Across Shifts: Tougher numerical or analytical papers lower raw marks cutoffs, which are subsequently normalized.
  • Total Sanctioned Seat Intake: Sanctioning of new seats or new institutes (e.g. new IITs/NITs/AIIMS) eases closing rank cutoffs.
  • Candidate Performance Distribution: Concentration of high scores in specific subject domains alters standard deviation in percentile calculations.
  • Horizontal & Vertical Reservation Quotas: Seat reservation rules for EWS (10%), OBC (27%), SC (15%), ST (7.5%), and Female Supernumerary (20%).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – Cutoff

What is the qualifying cutoff vs admission cutoff for CAT?
The qualifying cutoff is the minimum score or percentile required to pass the exam and become eligible for counselling. The admission cutoff (closing rank) is the actual rank at which the last seat was filled in a specific college and branch.
Does the CAT cutoff change across exam shifts or years?
Yes. The cutoff fluctuates each year depending on the number of registered aspirants, paper difficulty across shifts, seat matrix expansion, and community reservation policies.
How are category reservations applied in CAT cutoffs?
Cutoffs are released separately for each quota: General/Open, Other Backward Classes (OBC-NCL), Economically Weaker Sections (GEN-EWS), Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Persons with Disabilities (PwD).

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