The CAT 2026 qualifying marks will be revealed once the CAT 2026 cutoff for the academic session 2027-2029 is released. Candidates appearing for the CAT 2026 exam slot 2 and CAT exam slot 3 must check the CAT 2026 qualifying marks The CAT qualifying marks 2026 will be released for the Indian Institute of Management (IIMs) and other top B-schools accepting the CAT scores for their MBA/PGDM courses under different MBA specializations. This article provides the expected CAT qualifying marks and previous years CAT cutoff to give a fair idea to the candidates who are applying to different colleges to pursue an MBA. The result for the CAT exam 2026 is expected to be declared in the third week of December.
This Story also Contains
The qualifying marks of CAT 2026 will depend on several contributing factors, such as the CAT exam difficulty level, the number of appearing candidates, seats offered, and the reservation criteria. The expected CAT 2026 qualifying marks for candidates across different categories are given in the table below.
| Category | CAT Qualifying Marks 2026 (Expected) |
|---|---|
General | 99.9% |
OBC | 99% |
SC | 90% |
ST | 80% |
PWD | 70% |
The CAT 2026 exam has sectional cutoffs for each of its sections. All the candidates must clear the sectional cutoffs as well as the overall CAT 2026 cutoff to be eligible for admission to the IIMs and other B schools. The CAT qualifying marks for different CAT sections are mentioned in the table below.
| CAT Percentile | VARC Score | DILR Score | QA Score | Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
99.9% | 52.94 | 43.32 | 36.68 | 132.94 |
99.5% | 44 | 41.4 | 36.5 | 103.98 |
99% | 12.08 | 61.56 | 43.16 | 96.79 |
98% | 36 | 34 | 29 | 86 |
95% | 30 | 27 | 22 | 70 |
CAT qualifying marks for the previous years in which CAT was conducted give an important metric as to what marks are required by the candidates to qualify for the IIMs and other top colleges. The CAT 2024 qualifying marks for different category candidates are given in the table below.
| Category | CAT Qualifying Marks 2024 |
|---|---|
General | 99.68% |
OBC | 97.71% |
SC | 78.95% |
ST | 72.79% |
EWS | 97% |
The IIMs have different CAT qualifying marks criteria for admission. The expected CAT qualifying marks 2026 for IIM colleges are given in the table below.
| List of IIMs | CAT Qualifying Marks 2026 | CAT Qualifying Marks 2026 |
|---|---|---|
95 | 90.98 | |
85 | 95.45 | |
99 | - | |
90 | 91.02 | |
90 | 92.43 | |
85 | - | |
90 | 96 | |
95 | 96 | |
90 | 96 | |
95 | 95 | |
80 | 95 | |
95 | 95 | |
82 | 95 | |
95 | 93 | |
94 | 93 | |
- | 93 | |
95 | 92 | |
95 | 96 | |
85 | - |
Apart from the IIMs, various top-rated B schools across the country also accept CAT scores for their MBA/PGDM admissions. The expected CAT 2026 qualifying marks for non-IIMs are given in the table below.
| Non-IIMs Accepting CAT | CAT Qualifying Marks 2026 |
|---|---|
99+ | |
94 | |
98+ | |
90+ | |
99+ | |
90+ | |
95+ | |
95+ | |
85+ | |
90+ | |
95+ | |
85+ |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are the CAT 2026 Exam slot timings:
| CAT 2026 Exam Slots | CAT Slot Timings 2026 |
| CAT Exam Slot 1 2026 | 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM |
| CAT 2026 Slot 2 | 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM |
| CAT 2026 exam slot 3 | 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM |
According to the eligibility criteria a candidate must have at least 50% marks or an equivalent CGPA (45% for reserved category candidates) in Bachelor’s for the CAT exam. The marks of 10th and 12th standard will also play an important role in the selection process.
The passing score in the CAT exam will be different for all the colleges. However, candidates should at least aim for more than 90 percentile to get a good college. For IIMs, a good score will be at least 99 percentile as per cutoff trends.
There are no specific number of attempts prescribed by the authorities for the CAT exam. CAT is held once every year by an IIM. There is also no upper age limit specified for a candidate wishing to appear for the CAT exam.
The total seats in all the 21 IIMs (Indian Institute of Management) come to be around 5500. These seats are collectively for the MBA and the PGDM courses offered by all the IIMs throughout the country.
On Question asked by student community
Hello, for AP NEET PG Category C seats, NRI documents are generally required if you are applying under the NRI quota, and eligibility depends on the applicable counselling rules. The fee payment currency and procedure should be confirmed from the current Dr. NTRUHS notification at its official website drntr.uhsap.in.
Hello, CAT aur B-school entrance exams ke baare mein aap exam dates, eligibility, registration, exam pattern, syllabus, colleges ya admission process ki information dekh sakte hain. Aapki requirement ke according relevant details yahan mil sakti hain: https://bschool.careers360.com/exams
You can download the latest CAT syllabus from here:
Hey there,
For a B.Sc. with Chemistry, Botany and Zoology (CBZ), if the CAT application asks separately for:
If the Discipline dropdown has a more specific option such as “Biological Sciences,” “Life Sciences,” or “Zoology/Botany,”
Hey there,
Yes. With 2 years of work experience, you are eligible to target the regular 2-year MBA at IIM Calcutta as long as you have a bachelor's degree with at least 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD). Work experience is not required for eligibility.
For
Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 18 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2026
75+ years of legacy | #1 Entrance Exam | Score accepted by 250+ BSchools
Gateway to IBS Hyderabad & 8 other IBS campuses | Scholarships worth 10 CR
Highest Package 29.30 LPA | 12 LPA Median CTC | 230+ Recruiters | AACSB Accredited | Ranked 51 in Asia by QS International
Early Application Round Deadline: 27th Oct’26 | 400+ Recruiters | Highest CTC 17.2 LPA | Average CTC 8 LPA | 92% Avg. Placements | Awarded Best Business School of the Year
Last Date to Apply - 19th December 2026 | Highest CTC 68.66 LPA | Average CTC 18.08 LPA | Top 25% Average CTC 24.66 LPA