Great Lakes - PGDM & PGPM Admissions 2027
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The IIM CAT 2026 cutoff for OBC admission is expected to be between 70 and 90, based on previous year's trends. The IIMs and non-IIMs CAT exam cutoffs for the OBC category can be viewed on the official websites of the respective colleges. The CAT cutoff for OBC does not differ much from the CAT cutoff for the general category. The reserved IIM OBC quota is close to 27%. Read this article to know further about the CAT cutoff 2026 for the OBC category.
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The expected CAT 2026 cutoff for OBC for different IIMs will depend on factors like CAT exam difficulty, the number of appearing candidates, seat availability, and the normalization process. The CAT cutoff for IIM for OBC and the CAT cutoff for non-IIMs for OBC candidates are listed in the table below.
| CAT Score Accepting College | CAT Cut-off for OBC 2026 (expected) |
|---|---|
90 | |
75 | |
75+ | |
82 | |
80 | |
75 | |
80 | |
75 | |
81 | |
80 | |
81 | |
72 | |
81 | |
77 | |
- | |
- | |
83 | |
75+ | |
90 | |
85 | |
75 | |
70-75 | |
81 | |
85-90 | |
80+ | |
90-95 | |
85-90 | |
85 | |
80-85 |
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Here is the minimum CAT Cutoff for the OBC Category to be eligible for the IIM Admission
| B-Schools Accepting CAT Score | CAT 2026 Cutoff (Expected) | CAT 2025 Cutoff for OBC | CAT 2024 Cutoff for OBC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75 | 75 | 75 | |
| 75 | 75 | 75 | |
| 75 | 75 | 75 | |
| 82 | 82 | 82 | |
| 80 | 80 | 80 | |
| 75 | 75 | 75 | |
| 75 | 75 | 75 | |
| - | - | - | |
| 74 | 74 | 74 | |
| 74 | 74 | 74 | |
| 74 | 74 | 74 | |
| 74 | 74 | 74 | |
| 70 | 70 | 70 | |
| 74 | 74 | 74 | |
| 74 | 74 | 74 | |
| 75 | 75 | 75 | |
| 74 | 74 | 74 | |
| 78 | 78 | 78 | |
| 75 | 75 | 75 |
Here is the previous year's CAT cutoff for OBC category to give management aspirants an idea about the what could be the actuall cutoff for the IIMs. It would be important to remeber that this cutoff is the minimum CAT percentile which studnets got admission to the repective admission cycle.
| B-Schools Accepting CAT Score | CAT 2024 Cutoff for OBC | CAT 2023 Cutoff for OBC |
|---|---|---|
77.53 | 79.02 | |
81.07 | 82.65 | |
- | - | |
86.2 | 83.74 | |
81.62 | 80.44 | |
75.2 | 75.42 | |
- | 79.63 | |
77.0 | ||
75.01 | - | |
81.04 | 77.96 | |
- | - | |
- | - | |
72.09 | 72.11 | |
81.2 | 80.43 | |
- | - | |
- | 75 | |
- | 81.02 | |
83.19 | 84.76 | |
92.07 | - |
| Top Non IIMs accepting CAT | CAT 2026 Cutoff (Expected) |
|---|---|
| FMS | 90 |
| BITSOM | 85 |
| DMS, IIT Delhi | 75 |
| Loyola Institute of Business Administration (LIBA) Chennai | 70–75 |
| SJMSOM, IIT Bombay | 81 |
| Institute of Management Technology (IMT) Ghaziabad | 85–90 |
| MDI Gurgaon | 80+ |
| National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE) Mumbai | 75–80 |
| SPJIMR | 90–95 |
| XIMB | 85–90 |
| Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras | 85 |
| T A Pai Management Institute (TAPMI) Manipal | 80–85 |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
For the Common Admission Test (CAT), there is a 27% quota for Other Backward Classes (OBC), especially for candidates in the non-creamy layer (NC-OBC).
For IIM admission, all OBC candidates will need to score within the 80-90 percentile to be considered for shortlisting. However, the final selection, especially for older and more prestigious IIMs, will require a higher percentile.
The CAT cutoff for OBC candidates varies among different IIMs. To be eligible for the MBA program, OBC candidates will need to achieve a minimum overall and sectional CAT percentile.
The CAT 2026 OBC cutoff for IIM is expected to be between 70 to 80 with the higher end being 75 to 80. The actual OBC CAT cutoff 2026 will be released once the results are out. The cutoff will be released individually by the colleges.
Yes, around 809 IIM MBA seats are allotted for the candidates from the OBC category based on the reservation policy of the government of India.
IIM Shillong is said to have the lowest CAT percentile cutoffs for the OBC category. While the exact percentile varies each year, it's often around 75, which is the same as the General/Open category.
The OBC category cutoff for IIM Kozhikode is expected to be around 75 to 80. The sectional cutoff is expected to be around 70 for each CAT exam section. This is the qualifying cutoff for the shortlisting of candidates for the WAT and PI rounds.
Top IIMs such as IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, and IIM Calcutta will be difficult to bag with a 90 percentile for OBC candidates. With a 90 percentile, the OBC candidates can target IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Sirmaur, etc. Some non-IIMs can also prove to be a good option.
On Question asked by student community
Hey there,
For NIT Hamirpur MBA, the General-category CAT cutoff is not a fixed official percentile. NIT Hamirpur's 2026–27 admission process gives CAT a 10/10 weightage in the test component, followed by an interview; it accepts CAT, CMAT and MAT.
As a practical target, 80+ percentile is worth considering, while
If by B-category you mean management/private quota MBBS seats, the cutoff is very different from government-quota MBBS.
In Tamil Nadu, management-quota MBBS seats are available in self-financing/private medical colleges through the state counselling process. The closing rank varies significantly between colleges and counselling rounds. The 2025 counselling data shows that
Hello Student,
With a CAT 2025 percentile of 98.25, you have a good chance of receiving calls from several IIMs, particularly newer IIMs. However, IIM Ahmedabad , Bangalore , Calcutta , and Lucknow generally require higher percentiles for General-category candidates. Calls also depend on sectional percentiles, academics, work experience, and
Hello Aspirant,
Yes, you can access CAT preparation resources, including mock tests, practice questions, previous-year papers, and study material. Explore the CAT preparation resources and test series using the link below:
https://www.careers360.com/mba/download/ebooks-and-sample-papers?exam=45
Hope this Helps!
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