IIM Ahmedabad Tightens Admission Criteria for 2026-28 MBA Batch

The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) has announced its revised admission criteria for the Post Graduate Programme (PGP) for the 2026-28 batch, significantly increasing the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2025 cut-off scores across all categories. This move is expected to intensify the competition among management aspirants.

Higher Cut-off Percentiles

IIMA has raised the minimum qualifying CAT percentile for the General and EWS categories to 95 overall, a sharp increase from the previous 80. The sectional cut-off has also been hiked to 85 percentile for each of the three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA).

For reserved categories, the cut-offs have also seen a substantial rise:

• NC-OBC: Overall cut-off is now 90 (up from 75) and sectional is 80 (up from 65).
• SC: Overall cut-off is 85 (up from 70) and sectional is 75 (up from 60).
• ST: Overall cut-off is 75 (up from 60) and sectional is 65 (up from 50).

Two-Stage Selection Process

The institute will continue its two-stage selection process, with the higher cut-offs serving as a more stringent first-stage filter.

Stage 1: Shortlisting for WAT & PI

• Shortlisting is based on a composite score (CS) that gives a 65% weightage to the normalized CAT score and 35% to the Application Rating (AR).
• The Application Rating considers your academic record (Class 10 and 12), graduation scores, work experience, and gender diversity.

Stage 2: Final Admission Decision

• For the final merit list, the weightage is as follows:
  • Personal Interview (PI): 50%
  • CAT Score: 25%
  • Written Ability Test (WAT): 10%
  • Application Rating (AR): 15%

What This Means for Aspirants

The new criteria place a greater emphasis on a high CAT percentile. While a strong academic profile and work experience (Application Rating) still hold value, they may not be enough to compensate for a lower CAT score. This change challenges the traditional belief that IIMA gives less weight to the CAT score and more to the overall profile. The increased thresholds mean a smaller, more elite pool of candidates will make it to the interview rounds, intensifying competition at every stage.

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