IIM Ahmedabad RTI Data Analysis: Minimum CAT Percentile, Category Cutoffs & Admission Trends

The Right to Information (RTI) Act allows any citizen to ask publicly funded institutions for hard data—numbers that are legally certified and must be correct. For IIM aspirants, RTI responses are the only way to know the actual minimum CAT percentiles and composite scores at which candidates finally got admission, category-wise and year-wise, instead of relying on rumours or marketing claims.

Most public sources talk about “cutoffs” in three very different senses:

• Qualifying cutoffs: the minimum overall and sectional CAT percentiles to be eligible for consideration (Stage 1).
• Shortlist cutoffs: the lowest percentiles among those called for WAT–PI.
• Final convert minima: the lowest CAT percentile among candidates who actually received and accepted an admission offer.

RTI-based data focuses on this third layer. It answers questions like:

• What was the lowest CAT percentile with which someone actually entered IIM Ahmedabad in the General category for a given batch?
• How low did the percentile go for SC/ST/PwD converts at IIM Indore or IIM Kozhikode over the last few years?

Because these figures come directly from IIMs under a legal obligation to respond accurately, RTI data is far more reliable than speculation, “safe score” calculators or expected cutoffs. However, RTI disclosures are fragmented across institutes and years, and sometimes only composite scores (not exact CAT percentiles) are released for some IIMs such as IIM Calcutta.

This article:

• Uses RTI-backed or RTI-derived analyses from credible platforms and official policies.
• Focuses on the minimum CAT percentile actually needed to convert offers at:
• IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Kozhikode, Indore, Shillong
• Representative New/Baby IIMs where RTI data is available
• Covers the last 5–6 admission cycles wherever RTI is available (roughly CAT 2019 to CAT 2024).
• Distinguishes clearly between qualifying cutoffs, shortlist minima and final convert minima.

Where RTI data is missing, that gap is explicitly highlighted instead of being filled in with assumptions.

How IIMs Select: Common Selection Framework

Though each IIM has its own nuances, most follow a two-stage process:

1. Shortlisting for WAT–PI (Interview Stage)
2. Final selection (Admission offers) based on a composite score

1. CAT Percentile – Overall & Sectional

All IIMs define minimum sectional and overall CAT percentiles by category for eligibility. Typical examples:

• IIM Ahmedabad (PGP 2024–26) requires at least:
• General/EWS: 70 in VARC, DILR, QA; 80 overall
• NC-OBC: 65 sectional; 75 overall
• SC: 60 sectional; 70 overall
• ST: 50 sectional; 60 overall
• IIM Bangalore’s recent policies use minimum overall 85 percentile for General, with sectional thresholds of around 80 (VARC) and 75 (DILR, QA) for General in Stage 1.
• IIM Calcutta’s qualifying cutoffs for domestic candidates are typically around:
• General: 85 overall with 80/80/75 sectional (VARC/DILR/QA)
• EWS/OBC: 75 overall with slightly reduced sectional
• Lower bands for SC/ST/PwD

These are not the actual conversion levels; they only ensure you are considered.

2. Academic Profile (10th, 12th, Graduation)

IIMs heavily reward strong academics:

• IIM Ahmedabad uses an Application Rating (AR) combining 10th, 12th and graduation marks across academic categories.
• IIM Bangalore gives a substantial percentage weight to academics (both in pre-PI shortlist and final composite).
• IIM Lucknow assigns weight to Class 12 and graduation marks in the final score.

3. Work Experience

Most top IIMs reward quality full-time experience:

• IIM Ahmedabad integrates work experience into the AR.
• IIM Bangalore assigns dedicated weight in final selection for work experience/professional qualifications.
• IIM Lucknow offers 5% work-ex weight in the final composite for some programmes (e.g., MBA/MBA‑SM), none for others (e.g., MBA‑ABM).

4. Diversity (Gender & Academic)

To counter over‑representation of male engineers:

• IIM Bangalore awards gender diversity marks in pre-PI shortlisting.
• IIM Calcutta has explicit academic diversity weight for non-engineers in the final composite.
• IIM Ahmedabad builds diversity into its academic categories and AR framework.

5. WAT & PI, Final Composite Score

Most IIMs now give more weight to PI/WAT than to CAT in final offers.

Typical recent weightage ranges:

Implication:
Even at very top IIMs, a relatively lower CAT percentile can convert if:

• Academics are strong
• Diversity works in your favour
• PI/AWT performance is exceptional

RTI data shows this repeatedly, especially for non‑General and non‑engineer candidates.

IIM Ahmedabad: RTI-Based Minimum CAT Percentiles (2019–2024)

IIM Ahmedabad has one of the richest RTI trails, with multiple independent compilations for the flagship PGP.

IIMA PGP – Batch-wise Minimum CAT Percentile (Final Admission)

Indicative RTI-based minima (overall CAT percentile) by batch and category:

Key observations (IIM Ahmedabad):

• For General candidates, final converts have come in between roughly 86 and 94 percentile over the last six cycles, with 2022–24 and 2024–26 being relatively “peak‑strict” at around 94 percentile.
• EWS candidates consistently see very high minima (around 97–99), often higher than General, reflecting intense competition in that small category.
• NC‑OBC minima are usually in the high‑70s to high‑80s, substantially below General but still competitive.
• SC/ST/PwD minima have gone as low as 60–75 percentile, especially in some earlier cycles, proving how heavily IIM A leans on profile plus PI performance for these categories.

Shortlist vs Final Convert – IIM Ahmedabad 2025–27 Example

RTI for IIM Ahmedabad PGP 2025–27 typically shows a pattern such as:

• Minimum CAT percentile for PI shortlist (General): around mid‑80s
• Minimum CAT percentile among those who joined (General): around 91

This means roughly 6–7 percentile points separate the last shortlisted General candidate and the last General admit. For reserved categories, gaps can be even wider, reinforcing that:

• A shortlist does not guarantee final conversion.
• Strong PI/AWT and profile are essential even after meeting a relatively high CAT threshold.

IIM Bangalore: RTI-Based Minimum Percentiles

Final Conversion Minima (RTI + RTI-Derived)

For IIM Bangalore PGP, RTI compilations across 2020–2025 indicate:

Some RTI‑derived tables quote a slightly lower “rare case” General convert around 92 percentile, with ST down to mid‑70s and SC around mid‑70s as well. Variations arise because:

• Some compilations include special categories or multiple programmes.
• Some track “lowest across all recent batches” rather than a single specific year.

Category-wise indicative band (2020–24):

• EWS: roughly high‑70s to low‑90s
• NC‑OBC: roughly 80–84
• SC: roughly low‑70s
• ST: roughly mid‑60s to mid‑70s

Takeaway:
For a realistic convert in General at IIM Bangalore, RTI suggests planning for 95+ even though a handful of outliers have converted below that due to exceptional profiles and PI performance.

IIM Calcutta: Composite Scores & Implied Percentiles

IIM Calcutta releases very detailed selection policies and composite score weights, but RTI disclosures have focused more on composite cutoffs than exact CAT percentiles for final admits.

Final Composite Score Cutoffs – 2024–26 (RTI-Based)

For the 2024–26 batch, RTI-informed analyses report minimum final composite scores (out of 100) broadly as:

Given that IIM Calcutta’s final weights are roughly:

• CAT: 30%
• PI: 48%
• WAT: 8%
• Academic diversity: 6%
• Work experience: 8%

…a General‑category admit with a composite just above 52–53 is likely sitting very close to 99 percentile in CAT with moderate PI scores, or slightly below 99 with excellent PI/WAT. Multiple RTI-inspired analyses therefore converge on:

• Shortlist stage (General): around 99+ percentile as a realistic band.
• Final convert floor (General): typically very close to 99, rarely below high‑98s.

Because exact percentile distributions are not always disclosed via RTI, it is safer to treat IIM Calcutta as stricter than Ahmedabad and Bangalore in pure CAT terms for General candidates, but more forgiving via composite score for non‑engineers and reserved categories.

IIM Lucknow: RTI-Based Minimum Percentiles

RTI‑derived tables for IIM Lucknow highlight “rare minimum” percentiles for final converts around 2024:

Subsequent RTI and admission‑criteria summaries for 2025–27 align with this band, indicating:

• General final selection tends to close around 91–93 percentile in typical years.
• Sectional cutoffs hover in the high‑70s to mid‑80s for General, and lower for reserved categories.

Shortlisting vs final:

• PI shortlist minima for recent years generally lie in the high‑80s to mid‑90s across categories.
• Final converts slightly dip below shortlist minima where PI, WAT and academics help certain candidates overtake higher‑CAT peers.

Overall, IIM Lucknow is slightly more forgiving than IIM Bangalore in General but significantly stricter than many New/Baby IIMs.

IIM Kozhikode: Category-wise RTI Minima

IIM Kozhikode has relatively transparent RTI data for its core PGP.

PGP Core – Minimum CAT Percentile To Receive Final Offer

Sample RTI‑based minima:

For the 2025–27 batch, compiled RTI data suggests:

Other RTI‑derived analyses also report rare General converts in the high‑80s and ST converts in the high‑50s.

Trend summary (Kozhikode PGP):

• General minima have hovered around 87–91 percentile over recent cycles.
• NC‑OBC minima sit in the mid‑70s, SC in the mid/upper‑60s, and ST down to the mid‑50s.
• There is strong emphasis on diversity; non‑engineers and female candidates routinely convert at lower percentiles than male engineers in the same category.

IIM Indore: RTI Minima Across Batches

RTI Data – PGP 2020–24

Compiled RTI data for IIM Indore PGP shows:

RTI Data – PGP 2024–26 & 2025–27

For PGP 2024–26, RTI summaries report:

Later analyses for 2025–27 show similar patterns, with:

• General minima in the 92–93 range.
• ST dipping to around 49–50 percentile.
• NC‑OBC around 81 percentile.

Implication:
For General candidates, IIM Indore’s effective floor is around 90–93 percentile, marginally more forgiving than IIM Kozhikode and far more forgiving than IIM Calcutta, but still highly competitive. For SC/ST/PwD, RTI shows very low floors (around 50–70), making non‑CAT parameters decisive.

IIM Shillong: RTI & Policy-Based Minima

RTI-based class‑profile posts and official policies for IIM Shillong confirm its reputation as a high‑CAT, small‑batch older IIM.

Key points:

• Qualifying overall cutoff (General) is typically around 75 percentile (with sectional 75 each) for PI eligibility.
• Final convert floors (General) are often reported in the 98+ percentile range, higher than IIM Ahmedabad in some cycles.
• Reserved category minima are lower but still relatively high compared to new IIMs.

Key takeaway:
IIM Shillong behaves more like a “small, elite” IIM, demanding very high CAT percentiles for General converts, especially given its smaller intake and strong recruiter list.

New & Baby IIMs: RTI-Based Floors

RTI compilations for newer IIMs (Raipur, Udaipur, Trichy, etc.) show much wider bands of final convert percentiles, especially in reserved categories.

Examples from RTI‑derived summaries for 2024:

IIM Udaipur (2024):

• General: 95.85
• EWS: 88.36
• OBC‑NC: 80.43
• SC: 60.76
• ST: 43.55
• PwD: 47.62

IIM Trichy (2024):

• General: 82.65
• EWS: 78.02
• OBC‑NC: 77.96
• SC: 64.42
• ST: 55.65

IIM Raipur’s RTI analysis (2020–2026) similarly shows General‑category minima often in the mid‑90s, while SC/ST minima can go into the 40s–60s depending on batch and programme.

Pattern across New/Baby IIMs:

• General minima range roughly 82–96 percentile across institutes and years.
• For SC/ST/PwD, the lowest RTI‑reported converts can be in the 40s, especially where supplementary rounds or specialised programmes exist.

Weightage Breakup – IIM-wise Summary & Its Impact

IIM-Wise Final Composite Score Weights (Recent Policies)

How weightage affects minimum percentile trends:

1. High CAT weight (Calcutta, Shillong)
   Leads to very high General minima (around 99 for IIM Calcutta, around 98+ for IIM Shillong) and limited scope for low‑CAT converts.
2. Balanced CAT + PI/AWT (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Lucknow)
   Allows non‑99 percentile converts with strong profiles, especially in reserved categories. RTI shows General minima in the 90–94 range, not 99+.
3. Strong diversity and work‑ex weights (Kozhikode, Indore, some new IIMs)
   Creates wider spread in minima, especially for SC/ST/PwD and non‑engineers. Candidates with excellent profiles but mid‑90s CAT can beat 99+ CAT “pure quant” profiles with weaker academics or interviews.

Trend Analysis & Insights (2019–2025)

1. Rising vs Falling Percentiles

• At IIM Ahmedabad, General minima rose from about 85.9 (CAT 2019) to around 93–94 in peak years, then fluctuated between about 91 and 94.
• IIM Bangalore moved from roughly 80 (2020–22) to a much stricter 93+ band in recent batches.
• IIM Kozhikode shows a steady tightening, with General floors in the high‑80s to low‑90s.

Overall, RTI data supports the narrative that competition has intensified sharply post‑COVID, partly due to higher CAT registrations and stronger applicant pools.

2. Impact of CAT Difficulty

• In years where CAT is widely considered tougher, final percentiles may not rise dramatically, but the profile bar goes up.
• Some batches (for example, an IIM A batch with a General minimum around 87) show that when composite score dominates, CAT alone does not determine the final floor.

3. Older vs Newer IIMs

• Older IIMs (A/B/C/L/K/I/Shillong):
• General final convert floors rarely drop below about 90 (IIM C closer to 99, Shillong around 98, A/B around 92–94; L/K/I around 90–93).
• New/Baby IIMs:
• General minima can be as low as 82–86 at institutes like IIM Trichy.
• Reserved‑category minima can dip into the 40s–60s range, especially for SC/ST/PwD.

4. Category-Wise Gaps

From RTI across top IIMs:

• General vs NC‑OBC: typically an 8–15 percentile point gap in the same batch.
• General vs SC/ST: gaps can be 20–35 percentile points, especially at IIM A, B, I and K.
• EWS sometimes has equal or higher minima than General (notably at IIM A & B in some years), showing the EWS pool is surprisingly competitive.

5. Diversity Advantage

RTI repeatedly highlights cases where:

• Non‑engineer or female candidates convert at lower CAT percentiles due to diversity and profile scores, especially at IIM Kozhikode, some New IIMs and in specific batches at older IIMs.
• Very low SC/ST/PwD percentiles at top IIMs (often in the 50–70 bracket) correspond to strong academic and personal profiles with solid PI performance rather than weak overall profiles.

6. Ahmedabad vs Bangalore vs Calcutta

• IIM Calcutta
  Highest CAT dependence and most “99+ driven” overall; shortlist and convert bands for General are typically in the high‑99 region.
• IIM Bangalore
  Very high but slightly more flexible; General minima around 92–95, with strong emphasis on academics and consistent scores.
• IIM Ahmedabad
  Most profile‑heavy of the three; realistic General convert band roughly 90–94, with multiple RTI examples under 90 in earlier cycles.

Practical implication for aspirants:

• If you are General‑category, male engineer, and want an “ABC” admit:
• Plan for 99+ to target IIM Calcutta seriously,
• 98–99 for IIM Bangalore,
• 97–99 with an exceptionally strong profile for IIM Ahmedabad.
• For reserved categories, RTI proves that:
• Low‑90s CAT plus a strong profile can be enough even at A/B/C,
• Mid‑70s to mid‑80s can convert solid calls at Lucknow, Kozhikode, Indore and New IIMs,
• Percentiles in the 50s–60s are not hopeless if backed by outstanding academics/PI in SC/ST/PwD categories.

Comparative Master Table – Average RTI Floors (Approximate)

Using RTI-backed minima from 2019–2024, the approximate average minimum General-category percentile for final admission at major IIMs is:

These are conservative ranges, not precise statistics, because some campuses have incomplete RTI coverage for all years and categories.

RTI Process & Data Credibility

How RTI Data Is Collected

1. An applicant files an RTI request to a specific IIM’s Public Information Officer (PIO) asking for:
• Minimum CAT percentile (overall & sectional) of shortlisted and finally admitted candidates by category for specific batches.
• Composite score cutoffs, number of offers, waitlist movements, etc.
2. The IIM responds with official tables or PDFs listing:
• Category‑wise applicant counts
• Shortlisted numbers
• Composite score thresholds
• Minimum CAT percentile among those who received offers and/or joined
3. Independent platforms and researchers then clean and publish these tables for public reference, often linking to original PDFs.

Why RTI Is Legally Binding

• IIMs are publicly funded institutes; they are bound by the Right to Information Act, 2005.
• Providing false data can invite appeals, legal scrutiny and reputational damage.
• RTI responses are signed by responsible authorities and treated as official records.

Limitations of RTI Data

• Time lag: RTI responses for a batch may come months after admissions; some years or programmes may not have publicly shared responses.
• Composite vs percentile: Some IIMs disclose composite scores but not explicit CAT percentiles of each admit.
• Programme-specific: Many RTI tables are for flagship PGP only; specialised programmes (PGPBA, FABM, etc.) may have separate stats.
• Interpretation issues: Third‑party blogs may mix different programmes or years if not careful.

Why RTI Beats Coaching “Cutoff Predictions”

• Coaching predictions are often forward‑looking marketing tools, based on limited data, assumptions about CAT difficulty and speculation.
• RTI is backward‑looking and factual: it tells you exactly who got in and with what numbers.
• For serious aspirants, “What actually converted last year?” is far more valuable than “what might be safe this year”.

RTI‑based analyses set a far more rigorous benchmark for admission guidance than generic expected cutoff lists.

FAQs (RTI & Minimum Percentile Focused)

1. What is the minimum CAT percentile to get into IIM Ahmedabad (General category)?
Based on RTI data from CAT 2019–2024, General‑category final converts at IIM Ahmedabad have ranged roughly from about 86 to 94 percentile, with recent batches clustering closer to the 93–94 range.

2. Can I get an IIM Ahmedabad call below 90 percentile?
Yes, RTI shows at least one batch where General admits existed below 90 percentile, but these were rare cases with exceptional profiles, diversity and PI performance. For planning, treat 95+ overall as a realistic target if you want to de‑risk.

3. Can I get any top‑15 IIM call around 90 percentile (General)?
RTI suggests that around 90–92 percentile can convert older IIMs like Indore, Lucknow or Kozhikode for strong profiles, and may even be enough for rare converts at Ahmedabad/Bangalore in exceptional cases. New and Baby IIMs are much more accessible in the 82–90 range.

4. Which IIM has the lowest cutoff (final converts) for General candidates?
Among IIMs with strong RTI data, IIM Trichy shows General converts as low as roughly 82.65 percentile, while some Baby IIMs and SC/ST/PwD seats elsewhere go lower. For older IIMs, Indore and Kozhikode often show the lowest General floors.

5. For reserved categories, how low can CAT percentiles go and still convert IIM calls?
RTI indicates that for SC/ST/PwD, final converts at top IIMs have occurred in the 50–75 percentile range, and even lower 40s–50s at some New/Baby IIMs, especially under ST/PwD. These profiles usually have strong academics and PI performance.

6. Is RTI data fully accurate for admissions?
RTI responses are official and legally binding, so they are far more accurate than rumours. However, they may not list all nuances (programme splits, special categories), and in some cases only composite scores are shared, not raw percentiles.

7. Do sectional cutoffs matter more than overall percentile?
You must satisfy both. Failing any sectional cutoff disqualifies you at Stage 1, irrespective of how high your overall percentile is. Many good overall scores miss out due to sectional imbalance.

8. How should I set my CAT target using RTI data?
A rational strategy is:

• Pick your target IIM cluster (ABC vs BLACKI vs New/Baby).
• Use RTI floors plus a safety margin of 3–5 percentile points.
• Factor in your academic consistency; weak 10th/12th scores mean you should target higher CAT than the RTI floor.
• For reserved categories, use RTI minima as absolute floors but aim 10–15 percentile higher for comfort.

9. Is it possible to convert IIM A/B/C with a gap year or average academics?
RTI clearly shows candidates with non‑ideal academic histories converting at high CAT scores due to strong PIs, work experience or unique backgrounds. However, average academics plus modest CAT (for example, below about 96–97 for General) is rarely enough for ABC.

10. How frequently should I check RTI updates?
Most RTI compilations for a given batch appear within 6–12 months after admission. For aspirants, updating your understanding once a year (around September–November) based on the latest RTI runs is sufficient.

11. Are RTI-based “rare minima” reliable to use as target scores?
No. Those are extreme outliers, often combining diversity, unusual academics or exceptional PIs. Treat them as proof of possibility, not planning benchmarks. Your working targets should be 3–6 percentile higher than RTI floors.

12. Does work experience significantly change the required CAT percentile?
At IIMs where work experience carries 5–10% weight, strong experience can help slightly below‑cutoff candidates convert. But work experience cannot compensate for a very low CAT (for example, sub‑80 for General at top IIMs).

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