IIM Bangalore admission policy for CAT 25 released

The Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), established in 1973, is one of India’s premier management institutions and an Institute of National Importance. Consistently ranked among the top business schools in India and globally, IIMB is known for its strong academic rigor, excellent faculty, vibrant campus life, and outstanding placements, making it a leading destination for aspiring managers and leaders.

IM Bangalore adopts a two-stage selection process

Application process: Stage I

The PGP admission process at IIMB starts with the submission of the online application form.

A first shortlist is prepared comprising candidates who have secured a predetermined minimum score on all sections of CAT. Only candidates obtaining a minimum raw score that is positive in all sections of CAT will be considered. The percentile cut-off scores for admission, applied to CAT, are shown in Table below (check at the end). All the subsequent processing, standardisation and selection are limited to candidates in the first shortlist alone.

For candidates in the first shortlist, a pre-PI (Personal Interview) score is created. The weights for different components at the pre-PI stage are as follows :

Parameter	Weightage
CAT	55
10th score	10
12th score	10
Graduation	10
Work Experience/Professional Course (whichever weight is higher)	10
Gender Diversity	5
Total	100

Note: The 55 points for CAT are derived from performance in each of the three sections as follows: Verbal and Reading Comprehension (VARC) - 19 points, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) - 21 points, and Quantitative Aptitude (QA) - 15 points. The gender diversity component is applicable only for computing the pre-PI score and is not used in the next stage.

• The scores for 10th and 12th board exams are normalised. For candidates without a 10th board and/or 12th board exam score (due to COVID), no weightage shall be given to these component(s), and the weights assigned to other components shall be re-adjusted.
• The bachelors’ degree scores are normalised. Incomplete or intermediate graduate scores are considered only if the candidate's final score is pending. For candidates without a bachelor’s degree score (due to COVID), no weightage shall be given to this component, and the weights assigned to other components shall be re-adjusted.
• Candidates with Chartered Accountancy (CA), Cost Accounting (ICWA), or Company Secretary (CS) certifications are eligible for weightage under the category of professional course. The scores obtained in these professional courses (Final year completed only) are normalised and weightage is calculated.
• The pre-PI score for work experience = 10x/36 if 0 < x < 36 = 10 if x >= 36, where x is the months of work experience up to July 2024. No consideration is given to any time spent as an intern, apprenticeship, or unpaid work.
• For candidates who have undergone a professional course of study mentioned above and have work experience as well, the maximum of the work experience score and the professional course score is considered.
• For all components mentioned above, the standardized score, truncated between 0 and weight (wt) is computed from the raw score (val) as: Max [0, min {wt, wt/2 + ((val-mean) / sd) * wt / 6}].
• For candidates in the first shortlist, the top-ten candidates in each of the following category automatically qualify for the PI stage: total score in CAT, adjusted bachelor’s degree score (commerce, arts, and science disciplines) and professional (CA / ICWA / CS) score. Post PI, all such candidates are evaluated in the same way as any other candidate.
• Presentation of employment claims that are false will be dealt with severely. A candidate who is found to have provided incorrect information about work experience will not be considered further for admission. Furthermore, the candidate will be barred from applying to any programme at IIMB for the next 3 years.

Based on the pre-PI score, a certain number of candidates from each category are selected for the next stage in the admission process.

Application process: Stage II

The second stage of the admissions process at IIMB consists of a personal interview (PI) and a Written Ability Test (WAT) where candidates will be required to write a note.

The PI and the WAT will happen on the same day and in the same location. The duration of the WAT is approximately 30 minutes. The WAT will be evaluated based on the content and style of the note.

The work experience weight assigned while computing the Pre-PI score is scaled down from 10 to 5 during the post PI process to arrive at the composite score. This work experience score will be multiplied by the quality of experience score where the latter will be evaluated on a 5 point scale (0.25, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2) by each member of the interview panel. The average quality of work experience score will be multiplied by the pre-PI work experience score to arrive at a revised weighted work experience score.

For all candidates called for interviews, the weights for the parameters at the post-PI stage are as follows :

Parameter	Weightage
CAT	25
10th score	5
12th score	5
Graduation	5
Work Experience/Professional Course (whichever weight is higher)	10
WAT	10
PI	40
Total	100

Note: The 25 points for CAT are derived from the performance in each of the three sections as follows: Verbal and Reading Comprehension (VARC) - 8.75 points, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) - 10 points, and Quantitative Aptitude (QA) – 6.25 points.

Final offers of admission to candidates from each category will be made strictly on the basis of the post-PI scores.

Cut-offs for the batch of 2025-27, based on CAT 2024

Minimum Percentile requirements for the 1st shortlist*

Category	Section 1 (VARC)	Section 2 (DILR)	Section 3 (QA)	Aggregate
General	80	75	75	85
NC-OBC	70	65	65	75
EWS	70	70	70	75
SC	60	60	60	70
ST	55	55	55	65
PWD	50	50	50	60

* These were cut-offs used for preparing the first shortlist last year.