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CAT Qualifying Marks 2024 are expected to be released in the first week of January 2025. The qualifying marks consist of the minimum scores for IIMs and other B-schools. Top IIMs have a varying range of 85 and above (except IIM Shillong). Non-IIM institutes such as FMS Delhi, and IIFT put their qualifying percentile at 95-99. Candidates must get these percentiles in the CAT exam to apply for admission to MBA colleges.
Earlier, CAT 2024 result was released on Dec 19, 2024. Students can review the CAT exam pass percentage to estimate their status in the admission process. Candidates must note that meeting the minimum CAT pass percentage 2024 requirement alone does not guarantee access to top MBA colleges.
What is CAT Pass Percentage 2024
The minimum marks to qualify for the CAT exam vary with different colleges and admissions criteria. Students must score above the CAT exam passing marks to be a part of the final merit list.
The official IIMCAT website will release the CAT qualifying marks after the exam. The expected CAT passing marks 2024 are available in the sections below. These provide a rough estimate of a student’s qualifying status. Candidates are advised to check the CAT Score vs Percentile 2024 to calculate their marks.
CAT Expected Qualifying Marks 2024
Every IIM college provides a list of the pass percentage of the CAT exam. Applicants who proceed to the Interview round of the CAT admission process must meet the minimum CAT Qualifying Marks 2024 as mandated by IIM.
CAT pass percentage 2024 is either released before or after the result declaration. The marks released are specific to different colleges. Candidates can review the CAT exam passing marks to qualify for the GD/PI/WAT round.
These expected CAT exam passing marks value will give students an approximate idea of their chances of getting into IIM.
| IIM | CAT Qualifying Mark 2024 |
| IIM Ahmedabad | 85 |
| IIM Bangalore | 85 |
| IIM Calcutta | 85 |
| IIM Lucknow | 90 |
| IIM Indore | 90 |
| IIM Kozhikode | 85 |
| IIM Amritsar | 90 |
| IIM Nagpur | 85 |
| IIM Sambalpur | 93 |
| IIM Trichy | 93 |
| IIM Raipur | 93 |
| IIM Ranchi | 90 |
| IIM Kashipur | 94 |
| IIM Vizag | 80 |
| IIM Udaipur | 93 |
| IIM Bodhgaya | 93 |
| IIM Shillong | 75 |
| IIM Sirmaur | 92 |
| IIM Rohtak | 95 |
| IIM Jammu | 93 |
CAT Exam Pass Percentage for Top MBA Non-IIM Colleges
Candidates can expect the CAT exam pass percentage for non-IIM colleges to be lower than that of top IIM colleges. The expected percentile for CAT Qualifying Marks 2024 usually starts from the 95+ percentile. Some top MBA colleges, such as IIFT, shall also accept the CAT qualifying marks.
The following table provides the expected CAT pass percentage 2024 for non-IIM top management colleges. These are for the General category for the admission year of 2024.
| Top MBA College | CAT Exam Pass Percentage (Percentile) |
| FMS, Delhi | 98-99 |
| IIFT Delhi | 95-99 |
| SPJIMR, Mumbai | 95-99 |
| IMT, Ghaziabad | 95-97 |
| JBIMS, Mumbai | 96 |
| MDI, Gurgaon | 97-99 |
| IMI, New Delhi | 90 |
| XIM, Bhubaneshwar | 91 |
| GIM Goa | 85 |
| K J Somaiya, Mumbai | 86 |
| TAPMI, Manipal | 80 |
| FORE, New Delhi | 85 |
| IFMR, Chennai | 80 |
| IRMA, Anand | 80 |
| MICA, Ahmedabad | 80 |
| LIBA, Chennai | 70 |
| XIME, Bangalore | 70 |
Difference Between CAT Qualifying Marks and Final Marks
Based on 2 rounds of CAT cut-off, students are selected. The first round consists of qualifying marks, and the second round consists of final CAT cut-off marks. The table below shows the difference between both.
| CAT Qualifying Marks | CAT Final Marks/Cut Offs |
| The CAT qualifying marks are the minimum to shortlist candidates for the interview call. | These final cut-offs are instrumental in selecting candidates for the final WAT/GD/PI admissions round. |
| Students who meet the minimum CAT qualifying marks may not necessarily proceed to the WAT/GD/PI round. | Students who meet the final CAT cut-offs may not go for further college admissions. |
| IIMs fix the minimum marks to qualify for the CAT exam before the CAT result announcement. | Once IIM releases the CAT result, the final CAT cut-off marks and percentiles are released. |
| The minimum marks for CAT exam pass percentages usually go for the 90+ percentile. Newer IIMs go for the 85+ percentile, as suggested by past trends. | Students can expect the final CAT cut-off scores/percentiles to go for 99+ for top IIM colleges and 95+ for the newer IIM colleges. |
| Category-wise, CAT qualifying marks usually have fixed ranges. The general category usually has higher CAT qualifying marks, while the reserved category has lower marks. | Category-wise, CAT final marks also have fixed cut-off ranges. General category male students have higher final cut-off requirements than female, reserved category and non-engineering background students. |
CAT Score vs Percentile
The CAT percentile is instrumental for students to calculate their CAT qualifying scores. For example, if a student fares at the 99th percentile, 99% of students scored less than them.
The expected CAT passing marks 2024 are in the table below.
These provide a vague idea of what percentile a student will fall in depending on their sectional CAT scores. Students can judge their eligibility for admission into an MBA course.
| CAT Percentile | VARC Score | DILR Score | QA Score | Overall CAT Score |
| 99.5 Percentile | 44 | 36 | 39 | 101 |
| 99 Percentile | 41 | 31 | 36 | 91 |
| 98 Percentile | 35 | 28 | 31 | 80 |
| 95 Percentile | 29 | 22 | 24 | 66 |
| 90 Percentile | 24 | 18 | 17 | 53 |
| 85 Percentile | 20 | 15 | 14 | 45 |
| 80 Percentile | 17 | 13 | 11 | 40 |
Factors Affecting CAT Qualifying Marks
Once the CAT result is declared, IIM will share the final cut-offs. The pass percentage of the CAT exam depends on several factors, as discussed below:
- How difficult is the exam: The difficulty of the exam paper affects the cut-off the most. For a more difficult exam, the cut-offs will be lower.
- How many applicants attempted the CAT exam: The cut-off will be higher for more applicants who attempt the CAT exam. If the exam takers are less, the pass percentage of CAT exam will be lower.
- How many candidates cleared the exam: If more candidates clear the CAT exam, the higher the CAT passing marks 2024 will be.
- How many seats are available: If a college has a limited intake of seats, the CAT exam passing marks will also be higher.
- National ranking of the IIM/Non-IIM college: The higher the collegiate ranking, the more selective and higher the CAT exam pass percentage will be.
