CAT Cutoff 2021 will be released by IIM. The minimum marks required for the examinees to get a call for the MBA selection process are called CAT Cutoff (is typically up to 99 to 100 percentile for general category students). For the reserved category candidates, the cutoff is slightly lower at 97 to 98 percentile. Over the past few years, IIMs especially has liberalised its admission policy and has reduced the minimum CAT score requirement Section Wise and Overall. This is currently being adapted to bring students from diverse backgrounds even at low CAT score.
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CAT 2021 Latest Update as on 03 Sep 2026
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Checked on 03 Sep 2026
CAT 2021 cutoff is part of a concluded exam cycle. The exam was conducted on 28 November 2021 by IIM Ahmedabad, and results were declared in January 2022 on iimcat.ac.in. The CAT 2021 cutoff varied by IIM: IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Calcutta typically required an overall percentile of 99+ for general category candidates, while IIM Lucknow, Kozhikode, and Indore required 97–98 percentile. Sectional cutoffs were also enforced across VARC, DILR, and QA. No fresh official source material was fetched today (03 Sep 2026), so no new update can be confirmed. Students currently targeting IIM admissions should focus on the CAT 2025 cutoff cycle, with CAT 2026 registration expected to open soon based on previous-year patterns. Verify all current admission criteria directly on iimcat.ac.in. Official website: iimcat.ac.in.
- CAT 2021 was conducted on 28 November 2021 by IIM Ahmedabad — this is a concluded exam cycle
- CAT 2021 result was declared in January 2022 on the official portal iimcat.ac.in
- IIM shortlists based on CAT 2021 cutoffs were released by individual IIMs between January–February 2022 (pattern from that cycle)
- Final seat allotment and admission offers from top IIMs for CAT 2021 were completed by June–July 2022 (based on 2021–22 cycle pattern)
- Students seeking admissions now should refer to CAT 2025 cutoffs (released late 2025 per discovery signals) for the current cycle
- CAT 2026 registration and notification are expected around August–September 2026, based on previous-year patterns — check iimcat.ac.in for official dates
Sources: IIM CAT Official Website
CAT Cutoff 2021 Dates
To know the official CAT exam date, keep touch in with us. Once the conducting body releases the CAT exam date 2021 for MBA, we will intimate that on our website. The important dates of the CAT 2021 cut-off date can be checked below in the table:
|
Event |
Date (Tentative) |
|
CAT Exam 2021 Date |
28 November 2021 |
|
Final Answer key of CAT 2021 |
Second Week of December 2021 |
|
CAT Result 2021 declaration date |
Third Week of December 2021 |
|
CAT Cutoff 2021 |
Third Week of December 2021 |
CAT Cutoff 2021 Key Trends
| Academic session | Sectional CAT percentile requirement | Overall CAT percentile requirement | Actual cut off |
| 2019-19 | 70 | 80 | 90 |
| 2017-18 | 70 | 80 | 89.7 |
| 2016-17 | 80 | 90 | 97+ |
| 2015-16 | 80 | 90 | 98 |
Factors Determining CAT Cut off 2021
Major Changes This Year
No major change has been officially announced yet for the CAT 2021 cycle, as it is a fully concluded admission cycle (exam held November 2021, admissions completed by mid-2022). For the current cycle (CAT 2025/2026), discovery signals indicate that CAT 2025 cutoffs have been released by various IIMs as of late 2025, but no official source material was available to confirm specific figures today. Students are advised to check iimcat.ac.in and individual IIM websites for the latest confirmed cutoff data for ongoing admissions.
IIMs (Amritsar, Sirmaur, Rohtak, Raipur, Jammu, Ranchi, and etc) will issue separate CAT cutoff after the results will be announced. Before releasing the IIM CAT 2021 cutoff, institutes will take into account certain factors. Listed below are some of the key factors considered by IIMs to have been revealed in the previous year’s CAT cutoff.
- The difficulty level of the question paper
- Number of Test Takers
- Seat availability
- The reputation of the Institute
- Last year’s CAT cutoff trends
-
The cutoff for CAT 2021 is based on the previous year’s cutoffs released by IIMs. The CAT 2021 cutoff may be somewhere around past cutoff trends.
IIM Admission Criteria
IIMs usually follow a two-step selection process. First, a short-listing based on CAT score and then WAT and PI rounds for all those short-listed students.
Common Admission Test (CAT)
- Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI)
- Candidatfulfilfulfill the first stage of the admission criteria (CAT) is called in for WAT and PI rounds. Different IIMs as per their admission criteria offer admissions to the selected students.
- Most of the IIMs give maximum weightage to Personal Interview [PI] and CAT score for admissions. However, pointers like academic cut-offs, past academic performance, relevant work experience, diversity of study background etc. also play a major role in the admission process.
- IIMs do not conduct any common counselling process.
- The six new IIMs conduct Common Admission Process (CAP) which includes common WAT and PI rounds. However, the participating institutes declare separate merit lists. The recent IIMs, IIM Sirmaur and IIM Jammu, both mentored by IIM Lucknow do not conduct WAT-PI rounds and declare merit list based on CAT score, past academic records, work experience and diversity factors.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the overall CAT 2021 cutoff percentile for IIM Ahmedabad?
Based on widely reported figures from the 2021–22 admission cycle, IIM Ahmedabad required an overall percentile of approximately 99+ for general category candidates, along with sectional cutoffs. However, no official source was fetched today to confirm this figure afresh — verify on iimcat.ac.in or the IIM Ahmedabad admissions page.
What was the CAT 2021 cutoff for IIM Bangalore and IIM Calcutta?
IIM Bangalore and IIM Calcutta are generally reported to require 99+ overall percentile for general category shortlisting in the CAT 2021 cycle. Sectional cutoffs also applied. These are based on the 2021–22 cycle patterns; no fresh official confirmation is available today.
What were the sectional cutoffs in CAT 2021?
Top IIMs typically set sectional cutoffs of around 70–85 percentile in VARC, DILR, and QA for general category candidates in CAT 2021. Exact cutoffs varied by IIM and category. Check individual IIM admission policy documents for authoritative figures.
Is CAT 2021 still relevant for admissions in 2026?
No. CAT 2021 was relevant for the 2022–24 batch admissions, which are now complete. For current IIM admissions, candidates must appear in CAT 2025 or the upcoming CAT 2026. The CAT 2021 cycle is fully concluded.
Where can I check CAT 2021 cutoff details officially?
The official source for CAT is iimcat.ac.in. For institution-specific cutoffs and shortlist criteria, each IIM publishes its own admission criteria on its official website. Discovery signals suggest CAT 2025 cutoffs are now available for the current cycle.
What is the CAT cutoff for reserved categories (SC/ST/OBC/PwD) in 2021?
Reserved category cutoffs for CAT 2021 were lower than general category. SC/ST candidates at top IIMs typically needed around 50–85 percentile overall depending on the institution. OBC-NC candidates typically needed 85–90+ percentile. These are based on reported patterns; verify with respective IIM admission offices for exact figures.
When will CAT 2026 cutoffs be available?
CAT 2026 has not been officially notified yet as of 03 Sep 2026. Based on previous-year patterns, CAT 2026 notification is expected around August–September 2026, the exam around November–December 2026, and cutoffs would be released by IIMs around January–February 2027. These are tentative estimates; watch iimcat.ac.in for official announcements.
What factors do IIMs consider beyond CAT 2021 cutoff for shortlisting?
Beyond meeting CAT cutoffs, IIMs typically consider academic performance (10th, 12th, graduation marks), work experience, gender diversity, and performance in WAT/PI rounds. The relative weightage varies by IIM. Confirm current criteria on respective IIM admission portals, as these can change each year.
