Top MBA Colleges Accepting CAT Score
What is CAT?
CAT is a common admission test conducted by IIMs for the admission to MBA/PGDM/PGP program. Few other top business schools are now accepting CAT scores for admission to their management programs. Now the All India Council of Technical Education has authorised six examinations for applying to admissions in MBA/ PGDM programs in Indian B Schools approved by AICTE. These are CAT, CMAT XAT, MAT, ATMA and GMAT. Of above six tests, CAT is considered as the most popular MBA entrance exam.
This is the national-level management entrance test conducted by Indian Institute of Management for admission into 20 IIMs and 125+ Business schools pan India. Based on CAT scores, IIMs provide admission to almost 4400 candidates in various management programs. Around 2.25 lakh students write CAT exam every year.
Here is the list of Top MBA colleges that accept CAT Score above 80 percentile along with their Cut-offs.
CAT general Cut-off: Top MBA colleges that accept 80 to 100 percentile.
CAT general Cut-off: Top MBA colleges that accept 80 to 100 percentile.
| Approx. CAT cut-off Percentile | Institutes | |||||||||
| CAT Percentile 99.0+ | IIM-A, IIM-B, IIM-C, IIM-L, IIM-I, IIM-K, IIM-S, FMS, MDI-PGPM, IIT- B, JBIMS | |||||||||
| CAT Percentile 96.0+ | SPJIMR, IIT-D, NITIE-PGDIM, MDI-PGP HR/IM, IIM-RH, IIM-RN, IIM-RP, IIM-KS, IIM-UP, IIM-T | |||||||||
| CAT Percentile 94.0+ | IIT-KH, IIT-KN, IIT-M, IIT-R, IISc-B, IIM-BG, IIM-N, IIM-V, IIM-Asr, IIM-Sam, IIM-Srm, MDI-M, IIM-A (ABM), IIM-L (ABM) | |||||||||
| CAT Percentile 91.0+ | MICA, IMT-G/N, IMI-D, FSM, IRMA, TAPMI, KJSIMSR, UBS-CHD, BIM, NIRMA, PUMBA | |||||||||
| CAT Percentile 86.0+ | WIMDR-M, LBSIM, LIBA, IMI-K/B, GLIM, BIMTECH-PGDM/IB, IBS-ICFAI, MFC-DU, IFMR, MIB-DU, MHROD-DU, IMT-H | |||||||||
| CAT Percentile 80.0+ | Taxila, MISB, ISBM-P, AJKMCRC, WIMDR-B, BIMTECH-Retail/Insurance, IIFM, MBE-DU |
Here in the above list you will find that almost all the top 30 MBA colleges accepting CAT score apart from IIMs.
What is the structure of the CAT exam?
CAT is a CBT means only computer-based test of three hours. The exam is divided into three sections:
- Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
- Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)
- Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
There are a total number of 100 questions with minimum qualifying marks for each section. Beside the sectional cut-offs, one is required to pass the overall cut off of the exam.
There is no specific syllabus for CAT. The syllabus is predicted on the basis of previous years’ test analysis and the topics covered. From 2015, the outline of the exam has remained almost the same with 25 non-MCQs & 75 MCQs. Multiple choice questions, MCQs have a one-third negative marking per question and there is no negative marking for non MCQs. There has been a little change in the test pattern with the addition of TITA (type in the answer) questions. The number of TITA questions differs from exam to exam.
Normally, the CAT score is in force for one year except for the institutes offering delayed admission, taking into account the work experience of the candidate. The detailed scores are a result of scaling and normalisation based on the performance of candidates appearing in multiple sessions. A Couple of business schools base their cut offs on the basis of CAT percentiles.
Who can appear for the CAT exam?
Almost all the colleges accept cat score. There is no age limit for writing CAT. Applicants are required to hold a Bachelor’s/ equivalent degree with at least 50% marks (for general category) and 45% (for reserved category). The final year students can also appear for the exam. It’s good if you score good in CAT but What if your CAT score is low?
Which colleges/institutes accept CAT scores?
During 2019, 115 B-schools accepting CAT scores, out of which 114 are in India and one is in Singapore. Besides from 20 IIMs, CAT participating Institutes include other public and private Institutes.
Few more from the top colleges to apply after cat exams are:
- Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad
- Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore
- Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta
- Indian Institute Of Management, Lucknow
- S. P. Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR) Mumbai
- Management Development Institute (MDI) Gurgaon
- Indian Institute Of Management (IIM) Kozhikode
- Indian Institute of management (IIM) Indore
- Taxila Business School Jaipur
- International management Institute (IMI) New Delhi
- Faculty of management studies (FMS) New Delhi
- Institute Of Management Technology (IMT) Ghaziabad
- National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE) Mumbai
- Indian Institute of management (IIM) Trichy
- Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of management (IIM) Shillong
- Xavier Institute of management (XIM) Bhubaneswar
- Indian Institute of management (IIM) Kashipur
- Department of management studies (IIT Delhi) New Delhi
- SIMSREE Mumbai
- Jamnalal Bajaj (JBIMS) Mumbai
- Shailesh Mehta school of management, IIT Bombay
- Vinod Gupta school of management (VGSOM) IIT Kharagpur
Subsequently after the declaration of CAT result, IIMs and other Business Schools shortlist the candidates for the second round – WAT (Written ability test), GD/CD (Group/case discussion) /Group Exercise and Personal Interview.
The final selection list at the Business school is based on candidates’ performance in CAT examination selection rounds and profile.