Most CAT aspirants believe that getting into top IIMs, especially IIM Calcutta, demands nothing less than a 99+ percentile. However, when one looks at actual RTI (Right to Information) responses from IIMs, a far more nuanced picture emerges. RTI replies from institutes like IIM Calcutta, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Indore and others reveal the real floors at which candidates actually received final admission offers, category-wise and year-wise, often contradicting generic âcutoffâ rumors.
RTI is a legal mechanism that allows any citizen to request
official, institute-certified data from public institutions. For IIM
admissions, RTI responses typically include:
Because these figures are part of official records, they are
inherently more reliable than coaching projections or social media speculation.
For aspirants, understanding the minimum CAT percentile is
critical for three reasons:
A major source of confusion is the word âcutoffâ, which can
mean:
This article focuses on the third layerâwhat RTI data and
RTI-derived analyses tell us about final conversion floors, with IIM Calcutta
as the anchor, compared with other major IIMs over the last 5â6 admission
cycles. Wherever possible, the analysis is:
Where precise RTI numbers are unavailable, the article
clearly labels estimates or ranges rather than presenting them as exact
figures.
1. Selection Criteria Overview â Common Framework Across
IIMs
Though each IIM has its own nuances, most follow a similar
two-stage process:
1.1 CAT Percentile: Overall & Sectional
All IIMs define minimum sectional and overall percentiles
for CAT:
These qualifying cutoffs are entry tickets for further
evaluation, not the actual conversion levels.
1.2 Academic Profile (10th, 12th, Graduation)
Academics are a key differentiator:
1.3 Work Experience
Work experience usually contributes 5â10% in the final
composite:
1.4 Gender & Academic Diversity
Diversity helps candidates convert at lower CAT percentiles,
especially at:
1.5 PI & WAT, Final Composite Score
The final merit list at top IIMs is driven by a composite
score that blends CAT, profile and interview performance.
Typical final weightages in recent policies:
|
IIM |
CAT |
PI |
WAT/AWT |
Academics |
Work Ex |
Diversity |
|
IIM Calcutta |
30% |
48% |
8% |
Shortlist stage uses 10+12 |
8% |
6% academic diversity |
|
IIM Ahmedabad |
25% |
50% |
10% |
15% via AR |
In AR |
In AR |
|
IIM Bangalore |
25% |
40% |
10% |
15% |
10% |
Gender in pre-PI |
|
IIM Lucknow |
30â35% |
40% |
10% |
10% |
0â5% |
5% diversity |
|
IIM Indore |
~40% |
~35â40% |
10â15% |
~10â15% |
5â10% |
Minor diversity tilt |
Key takeaway:
IIM Calcutta has one of the highest CAT weights among top IIMs (30%), but its
PI + WAT together form 56% of the final score. This makes it a highâCAT but
still interview-sensitive environment, especially for nonâengineers and strong
communicators.
2. IIM Calcutta RTI Data â Minimum Composite Scores &
Implied CAT Percentiles
Direct RTI disclosures for IIM Calcutta have primarily
focused on composite scores, not raw CAT percentiles. However, by combining RTI
composite cutoffs with known weightages, one can estimate the approximate
percentile bands corresponding to final admits.
2.1 RTI: Final Composite Scores for MBA 2024â26
RTI-based composite-score summaries for IIM Calcutta MBA
2024â26 list the category-wise composite score of the last candidate who
received an admission offer (out of 100 points):
|
Category |
Final Composite Score Cutoff (2024â26) |
|
General (OPEN) |
52.794 |
|
EWS |
50.868 |
|
NCâOBC |
42.330 |
|
SC |
44.802 |
|
ST |
36.091 |
Given the final formula (CAT 30%, PI 48%, WAT 8%, academic
diversity 6%, work ex 8%), a General-category candidate scoring just above 52.8
is generally sitting at:
The key insight is that IIM Calcuttaâs General admits are
concentrated in the 98â99+ percentile band, but RTI proves that it is the
composite, not CAT alone, which decides the final cutoff.
2.2 RTI: Composite Scores for MBA 2025â27
For the 2025â27 batch, RTI-based data reports final
composite score cutoffs (out of 85 points) around the midâ50s:
|
Category |
Final Composite Score Cutoff (2025â27, out of 85) |
|
General (Open) |
56.105â56.78 (shortlist vs final) |
|
EWS |
~51 |
|
NCâOBC |
~48.8 |
|
SC |
~42.3 |
|
ST |
~36.5 |
Shortlist composite score cutoff for PI calls and final
composite cutoff for admission are very close for General, with a slight uptick
in the final merit list.
2.3 Implied CAT Percentile Ranges for IIM Calcutta
(Latest Years)
Since composite scores mix CAT with PI/WAT, diversity and
work-ex, RTI cannot directly disclose a single minimum CAT percentile. However,
combining RTI with official criteria and multiple expert analyses shows:
Because IIM Calcuttaâs RTI data focuses on composite scores
instead of raw CAT percentiles, any single CAT number would be an
approximation. A safe summary is:
For serious General-category IIM Calcutta aspirants,
targeting 99.5+ percentile is prudent, while 98+ with a strong profile and
interview can still convert, as evidenced by composite-score RTI cutoffs.
3. Other Top IIMs â RTI-Based Minimum Percentiles (Last
5â6 Years)
To put IIM Calcutta in context, this section summarises
RTI-backed data for other top IIMs.
3.1 IIM Ahmedabad â Minimum CAT Percentile to Convert
(RTI)
RTI-backed analyses provide the minimum CAT percentile
required to convert IIM Ahmedabad PGP for three recent batches:
|
Batch |
GEN |
EWS |
NCâOBC |
SC |
ST |
PwD |
|
2020â22 |
85.93 |
98.90 |
89.56 |
80.21 |
72.41 |
77.49 |
|
2021â23 |
88.32 |
95.79 |
86.86 |
80.25 |
67.85 |
74.60 |
|
2022â24 |
93.90 |
98.94 |
87.87 |
76.90 |
60.01 |
81.81 |
Later RTI-based summaries add that the lowest General
convert at IIM Ahmedabad across recent cycles sits around 90 percentile, with
some batches higher or lower depending on category and year.
Takeaways (IIM A):
Compared to IIM Calcutta, IIM Ahmedabad is more flexible in
allowing subâ99 General converts, especially for candidates with strong
academics, diversity and PI.
3.2 IIM Bangalore â RTI Minimum Percentiles
RTI compilations for IIM Bangalore PGP show:
|
Batch |
GEN |
EWS |
NCâOBC |
SC |
ST |
PwD |
|
2020â22 |
80.44 |
87.64 |
80.55 |
72.31 |
65.85 |
â |
|
2021â23 |
88.78 |
89.82 |
80.39 |
74.41 |
69.59 |
â |
|
2022â24 |
93.26 |
79.50 |
83.53 |
71.83 |
67.04 |
93.14 |
|
2025â27 |
95.45 |
91.03 |
81.70 |
73.04 |
76.33 |
â |
Takeaways (IIM B):
IIM Bangalore is slightly more CAT-flexible than Calcutta,
but still clearly in the âvery high percentileâ band for General candidates.
3.3 IIM Indore â RTI Minimum Percentiles
For IIM Indore, RTI-backed tables for the 2025â27 batch
show:
|
Category |
Lowest CAT Percentile (2025â27) |
|
General |
92.43 |
|
EWS |
92.14 |
|
NCâOBC |
81.26 |
|
SC |
64.71 |
|
ST |
49.25 |
|
PwD |
63.68 |
Earlier RTI data for 2020â22 and 2021â23 show similar
General minima around 90â91 percentile.
Positioning:
IIM Indoreâs General floor is around 90â93, making it more accessible than IIM
Calcutta, but still competitive.
3.4 IIM Kozhikode â RTI Minimum Percentiles
RTI responses for IIM Kozhikode PGP indicate:
Indicative pattern:
IIM Kozhikode clearly places heavy weight on diversity,
profile and PI, allowing much lower CAT percentiles than IIM Calcutta,
especially for reserved categories.
3.5 IIM Shillong â RTI Minimum Percentiles
MultiâIIM RTI-based analyses note that IIM Shillongâs lowest
General-category percentile is around 98, which is higher than IIM Ahmedabadâs
lowest General convert (in the lowâ90s). This positions Shillong as:
3.6 New & Baby IIMs â RTI Floors
RTI collations for new/baby IIMs show:
The most important pattern is that new/Baby IIMs show much
more variance and significantly lower floors for reserved categories, while
older IIMs like Calcutta and Shillong have consistently high General floors and
relatively higher reserved-category minima.
4. Category-wise Cutoff Patterns: IIM Calcutta vs Others
Because IIM Calcutta publishes composite-score minima rather
than raw percentiles, this subsection compares structure and difficulty rather
than exact numbers.
4.1 Structural Differences
4.2 Typical Category Gaps (Qualitative)
Across IIMs, RTI shows:
For IIM Calcutta, the composite-score gaps between General,
EWS and OBC categories are narrower than the assumed percentile differences,
suggesting that PI, academics and diversity reduce the raw CAT gap in the final
list.
5. Year-wise Minimum Percentile/Core RTI Tables
(Consolidated View)
Given RTI coverage limitations for IIM Calcuttaâs exact
percentiles, this section combines hard numbers where available and banded
estimates where RTI gives only composites.
5.1 IIM Calcutta â Composite Score Floors (Recent Years)
|
Admission Batch |
Measure |
General |
EWS |
NCâOBC |
SC |
ST |
|
2024â26 |
Final composite score cutoff (out of 100) |
52.79 |
50.87 |
42.33 |
44.80 |
36.09 |
|
2025â27 |
Approx. final composite score cutoff (out of 85) |
56.78 |
~51 |
~48.8 |
~42.3 |
~36.5 |
|
2025â27 |
PI shortlist composite score cutoff (out of 85) |
56.105 |
51.010 |
48.753 |
42.305 |
36.508 |
Implied CAT bands (General):
5.2 Sample RTI Floors for Comparator IIMs (Latest Known
Batches)
IIM Ahmedabad â Lowest CAT percentile (final converts):
|
Batch |
GEN |
EWS |
NCâOBC |
SC |
ST |
PwD |
|
2020â22 |
85.93 |
98.90 |
89.56 |
80.21 |
72.41 |
77.49 |
|
2021â23 |
88.32 |
95.79 |
86.86 |
80.25 |
67.85 |
74.60 |
|
2022â24 |
93.90 |
98.94 |
87.87 |
76.90 |
60.01 |
81.81 |
IIM Bangalore â Lowest CAT percentile (recent years):
|
Batch |
GEN |
EWS |
NCâOBC |
SC |
ST |
PwD |
|
2020â22 |
80.44 |
87.64 |
80.55 |
72.31 |
65.85 |
â |
|
2021â23 |
88.78 |
89.82 |
80.39 |
74.41 |
69.59 |
â |
|
2022â24 |
93.26 |
79.50 |
83.53 |
71.83 |
67.04 |
93.14 |
|
2025â27 |
95.45 |
91.03 |
81.70 |
73.04 |
76.33 |
â |
IIM Indore â Lowest CAT percentile (2025â27):
|
Category |
Lowest CAT Percentile |
|
General |
92.43 |
|
EWS |
92.14 |
|
NCâOBC |
81.26 |
|
SC |
64.71 |
|
ST |
49.25 |
|
PwD |
63.68 |
IIM Kozhikode â Selected RTI minima (recent years):
|
Category |
Lowest CAT Percentile (Recent batch) |
|
General |
â90â91 |
|
EWS |
Low/midâ80s |
|
NCâOBC |
Highâ70s to lowâ80s |
|
SC |
Highâ60s |
|
ST |
55.17 |
|
PwD |
56.52 |
6. Weightage Breakup (IIM-Wise) & Its Impact on
Minimum Percentiles
6.1 IIM-Wise Final Composite Structure
|
IIM |
CAT |
Academics |
Work Ex |
Diversity |
PI |
WAT/AWT |
|
IIM Calcutta |
30% |
Used at shortlist; 0% standalone in final |
8% |
6% (academic) |
48% |
8% |
|
IIM Ahmedabad |
25% |
15% via AR |
In AR |
In AR |
50% |
10% |
|
IIM Bangalore |
25% |
15% |
10% |
Gender in pre-PI |
40% |
10% |
|
IIM Indore |
~40% |
~10â15% |
5â10% |
Small |
~35â40% |
10â15% |
|
New/Baby IIMs (typical) |
30â40% |
10â20% |
5â10% |
5â10% |
30â40% |
5â10% |
6.2 How Weightage Patterns Drive Trends
7. Trend Analysis & Insights (2019â2025)
7.1 Rising vs Falling Percentiles
7.2 Impact of CAT Difficulty
In years when CAT is perceived to be tougher:
7.3 Older vs Newer IIMs
7.4 Category-wise Gaps & Diversity Effect
RTI makes it clear that:
7.5 Ahmedabad vs Bangalore vs Calcutta â Summary
For a General-category aspirant chasing âABCâ:
8. Comparative Master Table â Approximate RTI-Based
Averages
Using RTI-backed minima and RTI-derived bands, the following
approximate General-category floors emerge (2019â2025):
|
IIM |
Approx. Avg Min %ile (Gen) |
SC (floor band) |
ST (floor band) |
OBC (floor band) |
EWS (floor band) |
Selection Strictness (Gen) |
|
IIM Calcutta |
â98â99+ |
~80s |
~70s |
~90+ |
~95â98 |
Extremely High for CAT |
|
IIM Shillong |
â98 |
~80s |
~70s |
~90 |
~95 |
Very High (small intake) |
|
IIM Bangalore |
â92â95 |
~70s |
~70s |
~80â84 |
~89â92 |
Very High |
|
IIM Ahmedabad |
â90â93 |
~77â80 |
~60â72 |
~86â89 |
~96â99 |
Very High but profileâflexible |
|
IIM Lucknow |
â91â93 (banded) |
~65â70 |
~60â65 |
~80â85 |
~88â92 |
High |
|
IIM Kozhikode |
â88â91 |
~65â70 |
midâ50s |
midâ70s |
lowâ80s |
High but diversityâfriendly |
|
IIM Indore |
â90â92 |
midâ60s |
~50 |
lowâ80s |
~92 |
High |
|
Top New IIMs |
â88â95 (campus/year) |
~60â70 |
~40â55 |
~75â85 |
~85â90 |
ModerateâHigh variance |
These are ranges, not precise point estimates, and should be
treated as directional guidance, especially for planning rather than
prediction.
9. RTI Process & Data Credibility
9.1 How RTI Data Is Collected
9.2 Why RTI Is Legally Binding
9.3 Limitations of RTI Data
9.4 Why Aspirants Should Rely on RTI over Guesswork
10. FAQs (Search-Intent Driven)
1. What is the minimum CAT percentile for IIM Calcutta
(General category)?
RTI data for IIM Calcutta is reported in composite scores, not raw CAT
percentiles. However, RTI-based analyses indicate that General-category
converts are typically in the 98â99+ percentile range, with 99.5+ being a
prudent target.
2. Can I get an IIM Calcutta call at 95 percentile?
For General candidates, 95 percentile is usually not enough for IIM
Calcutta, especially for male engineers. Nonâengineers or candidates with
exceptional profiles might occasionally be considered in the highâ90s, but
evidence strongly suggests targeting 99+ for comfort.
3. Can I get an IIM call at 90 percentile?
Yes, at several IIMs. RTI data shows that IIM Ahmedabad, Indore, Kozhikode and
some New/Baby IIMs have admitted General-category candidates with 90â92
percentile, and in rare cases slightly below, depending on profile and year.
4. Which IIM has the lowest cutoff (final converts) for
General candidates?
Among IIMs with RTI data, some New/Baby IIMs (e.g., IIM Trichy, IIM Vizag) show
General converts in the lowâ80s in certain years. Among older IIMs, Indore and
Kozhikode tend to be relatively more accessible than ABC.
5. Is RTI data accurate for admissions?
RTI data is official and legally binding, making it more reliable than informal
sources. However, it may be incomplete (only composite scores, missing
programmes or years), so it should be read with context.
6. Do sectional cutoffs matter more than overall
percentile?
You must meet both. Sectional cutoffs are hard filters: failing even one
section disqualifies you, regardless of how high the overall percentile is.
7. How does IIM Calcuttaâs selection differ from IIM
Ahmedabadâs?
IIM Calcutta leans more on CAT (30%) and very high shortlist bands, whereas IIM
Ahmedabad uses lower CAT weight (25%) and stronger emphasis on academics and
PI, enabling more subâ99 General converts through profile.
8. Does work experience significantly reduce the required
percentile at IIM Calcutta?
Work experience carries 8% weight in IIM Calcuttaâs final composite, which
helps differentiate candidates around the margin but does not substantially
lower the CAT requirement for General candidates. It can matter more for
EWS/OBC/SC/ST candidates near the cutoffs.
9. How should reserved-category aspirants interpret RTI
floors?
SC/ST/PwD floors at many IIMs, including top ones, can be 20â35 percentile
points lower than General floors. However, these candidates often have strong
academics, diversity and PI performance. Use RTI minima as absolute floors, not
as comfort zonesâaim 10â15 percentile higher.
10. Are RTI-based âlowest percentileâ stories good
targets?
No. They are extreme outliers. Aspirants should treat them as proof of
possibility, not planning benchmarks. For safety, add 3â6 percentile points
above RTI floors when setting personal targets.
11. How often is RTI-based data updated for IIM Calcutta?
Typically once per batch. Composite-score RTI summaries for IIM Calcuttaâs MBA
2024â26 and 2025â27 are already available; the next update will usually follow
the subsequent admission cycle.
Primary Keywords (High Intent â IIM Calcutta Focus)
13.2 Secondary Keywords (Other IIMs + Comparison)