Saumya
Saumya Jain
Assistant Manager- Content
Updated on Dec 21, 2023 16:01 IST

CAT 2024 results were released online. Students who appeared for the CAT exam may face concerns about the sectional cutoff. But worry not. In this article, Shiksha has listed down the top MBA colleges in India which give admission to the MBA programme without sectional cutoff. Read the article below to know more.

MBA colleges in India with no sectional cutoff: CAT is one of the most popular MBA entrance exams in India. The CAT exam is the first stepping stone for students embarking upon the MBA journey. Every year lakhs of students appear for the CAT exam, with a dream to get into the top B-school in India. But all of them do not achieve it. But it does not mean it is the end of the road of getting into a good B-school.

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CAT 2024 was conducted on November 26, 2023, by the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow. The CAT response sheet was also released on the official website of CAT. Traversing the intricate aspects of the CAT exam presents challenges other than the overall CAT percentile. Many students who appeared for the exam may face concerns about sectional cutoff. But, there are many top MBA colleges in India without sectional cutoff which offer admissions into the MBA programme. In this article, Shiksha has listed down the MBA colleges in India with no sectional cutoffs.

Q:   How much percentile is a good score in CAT exam?

A:

The CAT (Common Admission Test) is a highly competitive entrance exam for admission to various management programs offered by top business schools in India. The percentile score in CAT exam is based on the relative performance of the test taker compared to all the other test takers.

The cutoff percentile for admission to top business schools varies from year to year and also depends on factors such as the number of candidates, difficulty level of the exam, and the number of available seats. In general, a percentile score of 90 or above is considered a good score and can help you secure admission to some of the top business schools in India. However, to increase your chances of admission to the top-tier business schools, a percentile score of 95 or above is preferred.

Q:   How much percentile is a good score in the CAT exam?

A:
The Common Admission Test CAT is a national-level management entrance examination conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) for admission to various postgraduate management programs in India. The CAT score is measured in terms of percentile, which indicates the percentage of candidates who scored less than the candidate in the exam. Since CAT is a highly competitive exam, a good score percentile is dependent on various factors such as the number of candidates who appeared for the exam, the difficulty level of the exam, and the admission criteria of the participating institutes. However, in general, a percentile score of 90 or above is considered to be a good score in the CAT exam. With a percentile score of 90 or above, candidates can expect to receive calls for interviews from some of the top management institutes in the country. However, it's important to note that the admission process for management institutes is holistic and takes into account various factors such as academic performance, work experience, extracurricular activities, and the candidate's overall profile. Therefore, a good percentile score is just one of the many factors that are considered during the admission process.

Q:   How is the CAT score and percentile calculated?

A:
Just like any percentile score is calculated. A percentile represents the rank of a candidate in an examination, relative to the rest of the candidates who appeared for the same examination in the same time frame. If there is an exam where 1000 people appeared, including yourself, and you ranked 75th, then there were effectively 925 test-takers who were ranked below you (because they scored lesser marks than you did). In this case, your percentile score will be (925/1000)x100 = 92.5 %ile In CAT, the percentile is calculated up to three decimal places and rounded off. So, people scoring 100%ile have actually scored a percentile of 99.995 and above and similarly, people scoring 99.99 percentile are those who have scored a percentile greater than 99.985, but less than 99.995 percentile. I hope it helps.

Also Read: CAT result 2023 released; check live updates

What is Sectional Cutoff?

CAT is divided into three sections, i.e. Quantitative Aptitude, Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension and Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. The sectional cutoff is the minimum score decided by the institutes which is based on factors such as the difficulty level of the exam, number of applicants, available seats, etc. These cutoffs are set for each section of the CAT exam and serve as qualifying criteria for admissions to the institutes. Achieving a balanced sectional cutoff is crucial as many management colleges consider sectional cutoffs in addition to the overall percentile for admissions. Meeting the sectional cutoff will enhance the chances of the students to get into their dream B-school. Typically, a score of 70-80 percentile in VARC and DILR and 60-70 percentile in QA is good score. However, various MBA colleges in India also take other factors into consideration such as work experience, academic profile, PI performance.

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Is the Sectional Cutoff Important?

CAT is a highly competitive exam and the sectional cutoff is important in the way that many institutes determine the minimum score needed for the students to qualify for admissions. The CAT sectional cutoff may vary from one institute and programme to another. Scoring well in all the sections is generally essential for achieving a good overall CAT percentile.

However, the importance of the CAT sectional cutoff may also vary on the college that the student is targeting. Most of the tier I colleges focus on the overall cutoff as well as the sectional cutoff, but a majority of the tier II and tier III colleges focus only on the overall cutoff. IIMs and top B-Schools publish their sectional and overall cutoff once the CAT results are announced. The CAT result 2024 has been announced on December 21, 2023. So, excelling only in one section is not enough to land a top tier B-school. Scoring well in all the three sections of the CAT exam is imperative.

Q:   What is sectional cutoff in CAT exam?

A:

Sectional cut off in CAT exam refers to the section wise percentiles required by the candidate for making it to the Personal Interview round of the IIMs or other top MBA colleges. The sectional cut offs are lower than overall cut offs of any institute. To understand better, check the table below for sectional CAT cut offs for IIM Ahmedabad:

Category

VARC percentile

DILR percentile

QA percentile

Overall percentile

General

70

70

70

80

NC-OBC-Transgender

65

65

65

75

SC

60

60

60

70

ST

50

50

50

60

PwD (General, NC-OBC-cum-transgender, SC)

60

60

60

70

PwD (ST)

50

50

50

60

For sectional cut offs of all IIMs, check this article – IIM shortlist and selection criteria

Q:   How many questions should I solve to score 99 percentile in CAT exam?

A:
It is tough to give an accurate number as an answer to this questions are the number of questions have been changing in CAT in the last three years. Moreover, percentile also depends on the difficulty level of the exams and the number of test takers in a particular year. However, one can say that it is safe to solve at least 2/3rd of the total questions in each section of the CAT. So, if CAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section has 24 questions, candidate must attempt 16-18 questions correctly. If the CAT Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning has 20 questions, the candidate must solve about 12-14 questions correctly. If the CAT Quantitative Aptitude section has 22 questions then candidates must solve about 14-15 questions correctly. For further understanding you can check detailed analysis here: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/how-many-questions-to-attempt-in-cat-to-score-99-percentile-blogId-19639.

Q:   What is the CAT cut off for IIM Lucknow?

A:
The CAT cut offs for IIM Lucknow is usually around 97-99 percentile. The two courses - PGP Agri-Business Management (ABM) and PGP Sustainable Management (some) are extremely popular among MBA aspirants who wish to make a career in these areas. The institute also offers PGP programme. The qualifying CAT cut off for IIM Lucknow's Written Ability test (What) and Personal Interview PI is 90 percentile for General category students, whereas for SC candidates, it is 70 percentile. For ST and PwD candidates, it is 60 percentile. Given below are the sectional and overall qualifying CAT cut offs for IIM Lucknow PGP course. General category: 85 VARC 85 DILR 85 Quantitative Aptitude 90 (Overall) NC-OBC category: 77 VARC 77 DILR 77 Quantitative Aptitude 82 (Overall) EWS category: 77 VARC 77 DILR 77 Quantitative Aptitude 82 (Overall) SC category: 55 VARC 55 DILR 55 Quantitative Aptitude 70 (Overall) ST category: 50 VARC 50 DILR 50 Quantitative Aptitude 60 (Overall) PwD category: 50 VARC 50 DILR 50 Quantitative Aptitude 60 (Overall) Click here for detailed IIM Lucknow admission and selection criteria: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/iim-lucknow-shortlist-admission-criteria-blogId-18509.

Q:   What are the qualifying CAT cutoffs for all the IIMs?

A:
Qualifying CAT cut off percentiles of Iims for Written Ability Test (What) and Personal Interview PI for the batch of 2023-25 are listed below. Candidates who MET the qualifying CAT cut off, were eligible for What-PI round. These qualifying CAT cut offs are for General Category. The cut offs for Reserved category students are lower: 1. IIM Ahmedabad: 85 percentile 2. IIM Bangalore: 85 percentile 3. IIM Calcutta: 85 percentile 4. IIM Lucknow: 90 percentile 5. IIM Kozhikode: 85 percentile 6. IIM Indore: 90 percentile 7. IIM Udaipur: 93 percentile 8. IIM Shillong: 75 percentile 9. IIM Trichy: 93 percentile 10. IIM Visakhapatnam: 80 percentile 11. IIM Rohtak: 95 percentile 12. IIM Nagpur: 85 percentile 13. IIM Jammu: 93 percentile 14. IIM Ranchi: 90 percentile 15. IIM Sirmaur: 92 percentile 16. IIM Bodhgaya: 93 percentile 17. IIM Sambalpur: 93 percentile 18. IIM Kashipur: 94 percentile 19. IIM Raipur: 93 percentile 20. IIM Amritsar: 90 percentile For complete details of IIM selection and admission process read this article: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/iim-shortlist-selection-admission-criteria-blogId-18787.

Q:   Are CAT cut offs announced along with the CAT result?

A:
CAT cut offs are not announced along with the CAT result. The cut offs also not released publicaly. They are known after a few days of result announcement when the IIMs and other colleges start their shortlisting process. The IIMs will open shortlist window basis the CAT cut offs two to three days after the result announcement. The CAT percentile of candidates shortlisted for Written Ability Test (What), Group Discussion GD and Personal Interview, PI can be considered the cut off for that IIM. For example, if a candidate with CAT percentile of 99 belonging from General category is selected for the What/GD-PI of IIM Calcutta, then the CAT cut off for IIM Calcutta is 99 percentile. Only those candidates who will make it to the What/GD-PI round of IIMs will get to know the cut offs.

Also Read: CAT Score vs Percentile

Check CAT cut offs and predict calls from IIMs and Non-IIMs accepting CAT score for admission. Check Fees, Placement Reviews, Admission, Shortlist Criteria and Eligibility of all CAT participating colleges by clicking the link below:

Predict CAT Admission Calls

List of MBA Colleges in India with No Sectional Cutoffs

The following table depicts the list of MBA colleges in India with no sectional cutoffs with their overall expected CAT cutoff 2024:

Name of the Institute

Expected CAT Cutoff 2023

Department of Management Studies (DoMS), IIT Madras

96+

MHRM, IIT Kharagpur

80+

DMS, IIT Delhi

98+

IMI Delhi

90+

SIBM, Pune

24.6

SCMHRD

23.75

Narayana Business School

70+

IRMA, Anand

85+

FMS, Delhi

99

IMT, Ghaziabad

93+

TAPMI, Manipal

85+

Vinod Gupta School of Management (VGSOM)

94+

Great Lakes Institute of Management (GLIM)

85+

MICA

85+

University Business School (Punjab University)

88+

Also Read:

Advantages of MBA Colleges in India With No Sectional Cutoff

Choosing MBA colleges with no sectional cutoff can be advantageous in the way that these colleges look at the overall performance of the aspirants rather than focusing on a particular section. Colleges that do not impose sectional cutoffs in entrance exams, such as the CAT for MBA programmes, offer several advantages to candidates. Here are some potential benefits:

  • Flexibility in Strengths and Weaknesses: Candidates have the flexibility to emphasize on their strengths and compensate for weakness in the sections where they scored low. This gives room for a holistic assessment of a candidate’s overall abilities.
  • Comprehensive Evaluation: The MBA colleges can evaluate the aspirants comprehensively considering their performance across all the sections rather than focusing solely on one section. The absence of strict sectional CAT cutoffs may lead to a fairer evaluation, preventing candidates from being eliminated based on a single suboptimal section. It allows for a more nuanced consideration of individual performances.
  • Encourage Diverse Skill Sets: A lack of sectional cutoffs encourages candidates with diverse skill sets to apply to their dream college. It recognizes that different professionals may excel in various areas, promoting diversity in the student body. Candidates from non-traditional academic or professional backgrounds may find it easier to qualify, as their unique skills and experiences can be taken into account more holistically.
  • Adaptability to Changing Trends: The absence of rigid sectional cutoffs allows colleges to adapt to changing trends and requirements in the business and academic environments. It enables them to stay responsive to evolving industry needs.

It is important to note that while these advantages exist, candidates should still strive for a balanced performance across all sections to enhance their chances of success in the competitive admission processes.

Read More:

CAT Percentile predictor prepared by Shiksha.com helps students to get their predicted CAT 2023 percentile on the basis of their expected exam score. So, predict your CAT 2023 score by clicking the link below:

CAT Percentile Predictor
About the Author
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Saumya Jain
Assistant Manager- Content

With over 7 years of editorial experience, Saumya has been a writer at Shiksha for over four years. With a bachelor's degree in English literature from Delhi University, she loves to write. A true Delhiite and her l... Read Full Bio

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