Your post-CAT guide for the CAT 2026 cycle: what the IIMs have announced for interviews in 2027, what is still expected, and what the last cycle looked like.
Checked against official CAT and IIM documents on September 29, 2026. Anything marked tentative or expected has not been fixed yet.
Registration closed on September 22, 2026 at 5 PM, after the IIMs extended the deadline from September 15.
Held in three sessions of 120 minutes each, with three 40-minute sections (VARC, DILR and QA).
The CAT notification gives this as a tentative date. Last cycle the CAT 2025 result came earlier, on December 24, 2025.
IIM Ahmedabad says it will publish its AWT and PI shortlist by then. Each IIM shortlists on its own, so dates differ. We found no 2027 dates for the other IIMs yet.
Expected, based on the last cycle. IIM Ahmedabad will hold its rounds in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi. We found no announced 2027 schedule for the CAP IIMs.
IIM Ahmedabad says candidates who appear in AWT and PI will see offers tentatively then, and must confirm by the first week of May 2027. Other IIMs publish their own dates.
These are the minimums the IIMs have published for the General category. Meeting them does not guarantee a call. Actual calls depend on the applicant pool, your category, sectional scores and profile.
| IIM | Policy and CAT score used | Overall percentile | Sectional percentile | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IIM Ahmedabad | 2027-29 batch (CAT 2026) | 95 (General, EWS) | 85 in each section | Minimum to enter the composite-score shortlist. The composite gives 65% to CAT percentile and 35% to an application rating. |
| IIM Calcutta | 2026-28 batch (CAT 2025) | 85 (Open) | 80 in VARC, 80 in DILR, 75 in QA | Minimum only. IIM Calcutta says actual cutoffs may be much higher. We found no 2027-29 policy from IIM Calcutta yet. |
| IIM Bodh Gaya, Jammu, Sirmaur (CAP) | CAP 2026, 2026-28 batch (CAT 2025) | 90 (General) | 65 in each section | Used to invite candidates for the common PI. The policy showed 95 as a reference before results. We found no CAP 2027 cutoffs yet. |
* IIM Bangalore lists its cutoffs in Annexure I of its admissions process document. Cutoffs for other categories and for women and transgender candidates differ. Sources: the IIM Ahmedabad admission policy for PGP 2027-29 (September 10, 2026), the IIM Calcutta admission policy for 2026-28, and the IIM Bodh Gaya cutoff notice for CAP 2026 (January 21, 2026).
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Print from official CAT website
Original + 2 photocopies
Original + 2 photocopies
Original + 2 photocopies
For final year, provisional is accepted
If applicable, from all employers
If applicable, in prescribed format
Aadhaar/PAN/Passport/Driving License
Carry 4-5 recent photographs
1-2 pages, professional format
* Mandatory documents. Always carry originals + 2 photocopies of each.
Write out your complete "Why MBA" and "Why this school" answers. Be specific, not generic.
Review fundamentals of your graduation subject. Be ready to explain core concepts simply.
Start reading one newspaper daily. Form opinions on 10-15 major topics.
Document achievements, failures, and learnings from every job. Quantify impact.
Start practicing now. Don't wait for the shortlist.
Gather all certificates and marksheets now. Get photocopies ready. Don't wait till last week.
CAT 2026 results are tentatively due in the first week of January 2027. IIM Ahmedabad says it will publish its shortlist tentatively in the second week of January 2027. Each IIM shortlists independently, so dates differ, and we found no 2027 dates for the other IIMs yet. For reference, in the CAT 2025 cycle the result came on December 24, 2025, and IIM Kozhikode planned its PI shortlist for around the second week of January 2026.
CAP is a common shortlisting and interview process for a group of newer IIMs. In the CAT 2025 cycle (CAP 2026, for the 2026-28 batch) the members were IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Jammu and IIM Sirmaur, with an offline PI coordinated by IIM Bodh Gaya. We could not find an official CAP 2027 notice on September 29, 2026, so the members and dates for the CAT 2026 cycle are not confirmed.
It differs by IIM. In the published policies, IIM Ahmedabad gives 50% of the final composite score to the PI and 10% to the AWT (2027-29 batch). IIM Bangalore gives 40 points to the PI and 10 to the WAT out of 100 (2027-29). IIM Calcutta gives 48 points to the PI and 8 to the WAT (2026-28 batch; we found no 2027-29 policy yet). Each IIM can change its policy.
There is no official number. A useful test is whether you can answer your core questions (why MBA, your work, your academics) without notes. Practise with people who do not know you well, since friends and family tend to go easy.
Yes. IIM Ahmedabad states that it shortlists independently of the other IIMs, so you can be called by several and attend each one. The CAP IIMs share one common interview.
The profile counts, up to a point. IIM Bangalore's pre-PI score gives 55 of 100 points to CAT and the rest to class 10, class 12, graduation, work experience and gender diversity. IIM Ahmedabad's composite gives 65% to CAT percentile and 35% to an application rating built from academics and work experience. You must still clear each IIM's minimum CAT percentiles first.
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