IIM Eligibility Cut Off vs IIM Call Cut Off - What's the Difference

Understanding the IIM Eligibility Cut Off vs IIM Call Cut Off is crucial for every candidate appearing for the CAT exam and dreaming of getting into the IIMs. IIM eligibility cutoff is the minimum score required for a candidate to be eligible to apply for the IIM admission process. On the other hand, the IIM call cutoff is the minimum score required for candidates to receive a call for an interview. The qualifying cutoff for IIMs is lower than the final cutoff, so it allows candidates to at least participate in the admission process.

As per the past year's trends, the qualifying cutoff for IIM Ahmedabad is expected to be in the 80 percentile, while the final call cutoff will be around the 99-100 percentile. For IIM Bangalore and IIM Calcutta, the qualifying cutoff may be around the 90 percentile, and the final call cutoff is expected to be in the 99-100 percentile. The CAT 2024 exam will be conducted on November 24, 2024, by IIM Calcutta. The result is expected in the second week of February 2025, after which the IIM selection process will begin. If you are appearing for the exam, check the IIM eligibility cutoff vs IIM call cutoff discussed below.

Also Read: IIM Shortlist 2024

IIM Eligibility Cut Off vs Call Cut Off

In all the IIMs, there is a difference between the eligibility cut off and call cut off. This is because while the eligibility cut off is released by the institute as per their discretion, the call cut off is influenced by the number of applications released by a particular IIM.

Therefore, while IIMs are free to keep the eligibility cut-offs the same every year or change them as they desire, the IIM Call Cut Off is different every year as it depends on the performance of the applicants and how many people have actually applied for admission.To understand this better, take a look at the table below:

Also Read: Compare IIM Lucknow vs IIM Indore: Which is Better?

IIM Eligibility Cut Off 2024

The IIM Eligibility cut-off is the minimum CAT score a candidate must have to be eligible to apply for the IIM selection criteria 2025-27 . The IIM eligibility cutoff is released in the official admission policy of individual IIMs and can be different for each institute. This cutoff is released before the declaration of CAT results and clearing this cutoff does not guarantee that a candidate will be called for further rounds of admissions at IIMs.

IIMs release the cutoffs as percentile scores required by a candidate in each section and the overall percentile required to be eligible for admission. Further, the eligibility cutoff is different for each category of candidates. As an example, here is a table providing the detailed eligibility cutoff of IIM Lucknow for PGP 2024-26 admissions.

IIM Call Cut Off 2024

IIM Call cut off, on the other hand, is the actual minimum CAT percentile that a candidate must have to be shortlisted for the admission rounds at IIMs. IIM Call Cut Off is actually the percentile rank of the lowest position holder in the list of candidates selected for the admission process of an IIM.

There is no official call cut off of the IIMs. Each institute releases their individual merit list and cut off of candidates who are called for the final rounds of admission the institute. The call cut off is also released as section-wise and overall CAT percentile and is different for each category of the candidate.

IIM Eligibility Cut Off vs Call Cut Off: Reason Behind the Difference

As can be seen from the table above, it is clear that there is a vast difference between the eligibility cut off and call cut off of various IIMs. This difference exists because there is a difference between calculating each of the two cutoffs released by IIMs. IIM eligibility cut off specifies the minimum score that the institute will accept for calling a candidate to the WAT / PI round. However, the IIM Call Cut Off is only released when the institutes start shortlisting the candidates from the top of the merit list.

IIMs receive applications from thousands of candidates but they do not call everybody for the interview. IIMs only shortlist around 3 times the number of seats available in their course. Hence, if an IIM has a sanctioned intake of 500, it will shortlist 1500 students for the WAT / PI stage. To shortlist the candidates, IIMs create a merit list. Only the candidates who have applied for the IIM through the CAT application form and cleared the IIM eligibility cut off are considered in the merit list. Out of these candidates, IIMs will select the top 1500 as per their CAT scores. Candidates with higher scores will be given preference in admissions.

Top IIMs such as IIM A, IIM B and IIM C can shortlist candidates ranking in the top 1 or 2 percentile of CAT i.e. candidates with a  98+ percentile score. Hence, their call cut off lies in that bracket only even though their eligibility cut off is much lower. New IIMs such as IIM Bodh Gaya, Kashipur etc. are not preferred by the top-rankers and hence their last selected candidate holds a much lower rank, which is usually around 92 to 94 percentile. It is important to note that if IIMs never shortlist a candidate with a lower rank than their eligibility cut off. At the same time, having a higher rank than the eligibility cutoff does not guarantee admission to any IIM.

Also Read : IIM Placements 2024

Factors Affecting IIM Call Cut Off

While the IIM Eligibility Cut Off is pre-determined and does not change throughout the academic year, the IIM Call Cut Off does not exist until the CAT 2024 results are announced and IIMs release the list of candidates shortlisted for the WAT / PI process. Given below are some of the major factors that can influence the call cut off of an IIM.

• The number of candidates that have applied for the IIM.

• The number of candidates that appeared for CAT.

• The number of sanctioned intakes in the PGP course of an IIM.

Taking admission in an IIM is not simply about clearing a particular CAT cut off. The admission process is holistic and IIMs consider many factors including the academic background, work experience, CV, soft skills etc. of a candidate before granting admission to their course.

Also Read: List of Courses Offered at IIMs

IIM Admissions 2025 on CAT 2024 Percentile

Every IIM aspirant must be aware of the fact that each IIM announces their CAT cutoff 2024 percentile score. In the IIM Ahmedabad selection criteria 2024 , the institute declared that it did not increase the CAT cutoff from the 80 percentile. This is expected to be the case in 2024 as well. However, every CAT aspirant knows that it is just not possible to receive a call from IIM Ahmedabad with an 80 percentile score in CAT, even though a candidate has cleared the eligibility criteria.

This is because the actual cutoff for MBA admissions at IIM Ahmedabad is much higher than that. In fact, a 99+ percentile score is recommended for anybody aspiring for admission at the institute. There is a huge difference between the CAT eligibility cutoff released by IIMs and the actual cutoffs based on which candidates are invited for admission.

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