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How to Get Into an IIM: Scores, Profile and Interviews

To get into an IIM, take CAT, clear that IIM's published minimum percentiles — overall and sectional — for your category, then rank high on its composite score, which adds academics, work experience and diversity factors as its own policy sets out. Shortlisted candidates take a written test or interview, and the final offer re-weights everything.

By ProCounsel Editorial TeamReviewed by ProCounsel counselling teamLast updated 11 Nov 2026

What are the steps to an IIM seat?

How IIM admission works (from the IIMs' published admission policies)
Step	What happens
1. Take CAT	CAT 2026: Sunday, 29 Nov 2026, in three sessions. One registration fee covers every IIM programme you apply to.
2. Meet the eligibility	Bachelor's degree with at least 50% (45% for SC, ST and PwBD); some IIMs add Class X, XII or graduation minimums
3. Clear the minimum percentiles	Overall and sectional minimums for your category; many IIMs also need a positive score in every section
4. Composite-score shortlist	CAT combined with Class X, XII and graduation marks, work experience and diversity factors, as weighted by each IIM
5. Written test and interview	WAT or AWT and a personal interview; formats differ by IIM
6. Final merit list	Interview, CAT and profile re-weighted; offers and waitlists follow

What CAT percentile do the IIMs ask for?

For a General, non-PwD candidate the published overall minimums run from 82 (IIM Visakhapatnam) to 97 (IIM Rohtak). Reserved categories have lower thresholds, and sectional minimums apply on top. These are the bars to be considered, not the percentiles at which calls actually go out.

Lowest and highest published IIM overall minimum, by category (non-PwD)
Category	Lowest overall minimum	Highest overall minimum
General	82 (IIM Visakhapatnam)	97 (IIM Rohtak)
EWS	70 (IIM Sirmaur)	95 (IIM Ahmedabad)
NC-OBC	70 (IIM Sirmaur)	90 (IIM Ahmedabad)
SC	50 (IIM Kashipur, IIM Raipur and IIM Visakhapatnam)	85 (IIM Ahmedabad)
ST	30 (IIM Jammu, IIM Kashipur and IIM Raipur)	75 (IIM Ahmedabad)

How do IIMs shortlist candidates after CAT?

Clearing the minimums puts you in the pool. Each IIM then ranks the pool on its own composite score. A few examples of what the policies say:

What selected IIM admission policies add beyond the CAT minimum
IIM	What its policy says	Policy batch
IIM Ahmedabad	Applies its minimums to a normalised composite: CAT total percentile 65%, application rating 35%	2027-29
IIM Shillong	No overall minimum; shortlists on 65% CAT percentile and 35% application rating, by academic discipline, category and gender	2026-28
IIM Kozhikode	Adds Class X, XII and graduation minimums, and needs a positive scaled score in every CAT section	2026-28
IIM Amritsar	Scores Class X, XII and graduation in its shortlist; needs a positive raw score in every section	2026-28
IIM Udaipur	Uses Class X, XII and graduation marks, work experience and gender for the interview shortlist	2026-28
IIM Sambalpur	Sets a lower General minimum for women and for men with a year or more of relevant work experience	2026-28
IIM Bangalore	States that the scores of those called for interviews were higher than its published cut-offs	2026-28

What are CAP and JAP?

CAP, the Common Admission Process, is run jointly by IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Jammu and IIM Sirmaur: you register once and are considered by all three, each with its own published shortlisting cut-offs.

JAP, the Joint Admission Process, does the same for IIM Kashipur, IIM Raipur, IIM Ranchi and IIM Tiruchirappalli, under a common policy coordinated by IIM Raipur.

The other IIMs run their own processes. Watch each one's application window after CAT results — missing a registration step can cost you a call you would otherwise have had.

What can you still improve before CAT?

Sectional balance: a weak section can rule you out regardless of your overall percentile.
Timing under pressure: full-length mocks in CAT's fixed section order, reviewed carefully afterwards.
Your application story: why an MBA, why now, and what you did in college or at work that shows it.
Interview readiness: your academic subjects, your work, current affairs and your own form, which interviewers read closely.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get into an IIM with 90 percentile?

13 of the 21 IIMs we track publish a General overall minimum of 90 or below (for men, where the policy splits by gender), so 90 can make you eligible for consideration there if your sectional percentiles clear their minimums too. Interview calls usually need more, and composite scores decide who is shortlisted.

Do IIMs look at Class 10 and 12 marks?

Many do. Several policies score Class X, XII and graduation marks in the composite, and some set separate minimums for them. Check each IIM's policy.

Is work experience required to get into an IIM?

Not for the two-year MBA. Many IIMs give points for experience in their composite score, but freshers are admitted.

Does a high CAT percentile guarantee an IIM seat?

No. The final offer depends on the interview and written test as well as the CAT score, academics and profile, weighted as each IIM's policy sets out.

Sources

This guide is written and reviewed by ProCounsel. Figures in it come from these official documents; the rest is our counselling team’s explanation.

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