IIM-Ahmedabad tightens CAT entry bar for PGP 2026-28 admissions, check new criteria
According to the updated admission criteria, General and EWS category candidates must now achieve an overall CAT percentile of 95, along with at least 85 percentile in each sectional paper — Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA).
Compared to the previous cut-off of 80 overall and 70 sectional for the General category, this increase marks a substantial jump. Here's a quick look at the revised minimum percentile requirements across categories.
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The revised cut-offs mean only top-tier performers will make the shortlist for IIMA's Analytical Writing Test (AWT) and Personal Interview (PI) rounds. This screening carries a 65% weightage in the selection process, with the remaining 35% coming from the candidate's academic and profile-based Application Rating (AR).
Ultimately, admission offers are determined by a composite score:
For candidates from the General and EWS categories, the minimum requirement is an overall percentile of 95 or above, with at least 85 percentile in each section. For PwD applicants in these categories, the overall cut-off is relaxed to 85 percentile, with 75 percentile in each section.
For NC-OBC candidates, the minimum cut-off is 90 percentile overall and 80 percentile in each section, while for PwD applicants under NC-OBC, the requirement is 80 percentile overall and 70 percentile section-wise.
SC category candidates must secure at least 85 percentile overall and 75 percentile in each section, with the PwD cut-off reduced to 75 percentile overall and 65 percentile in each section.
For ST candidates, the minimum cut-off is 75 percentile overall and 65 percentile per section, while PwD applicants under ST need 65 percentile overall and 55 percentile in each section.
It is also specified that transgender candidates in the general category will be considered under the NC-OBC cut-off criteria.
According to Prof Karthik Sriram, Chairperson, Admissions (PGP & PGP-FABM), 'IIMA has revised the minimum CAT percentile cut-offs for the PGP and PGP-FABM programmes for the 2026-28 batch admissions, to strengthen the pool of candidates to be interviewed during the selection process.'
CAT 2025 is scheduled to be conducted on November 30, 2025, in computer-based mode across nearly 170 cities in India. The registration process is currently open and will continue until September 13, 2025.
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