A good CAT percentile is the gateway to taking admission to the best B-schools of the country. However, while many top B schools tend to have high overall and sectional cutoff marks, some of the brightest minds fail to make their way into it due to lesser marks in one of the sections. But that should not be the end of one’s B-school career.
There are some top B schools in the country that offer admissions based only on the overall CAT percentile. These colleges do not have sectional cutoff marks and emphasise only the overall CAT percentile, academic profile, work experience (if any) and interview performance.
Here, in this blog we have listed some of the best B schools in the country that take admission based on overall CAT percentile.
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B-Schools With No Sectional Cutoff
Many of the top MBA colleges use sectional cutoff marks for admission purposes, there are many reputed MBA colleges that focus only on the candidate’s overall CAT score. Premier institutions such as FMS Delhi, IIT Delhi, BITSoM, IMI Delhi, IMT Ghaziabad, and TAPMI not only offer great immersive training through rigorous academics but also great placement opportunities. The table below highlights the top MBA colleges without sectional cutoff along with expected CAT cutoff percentile. This will ease you in selecting premier colleges.
| College Name | Average Package | Expected CAT Cut-Off |
| FMS Delhi | 34.1 LPA | 99.5+ Percentile |
| IIT Delhi (DMS) | 23.4 LPA | 98+ Percentile |
| IIT Kharagpur (VGSoM) | 22.75 LPA | 95+ Percentile |
| BITSoM Mumbai | 21 LPA | 90+ Percentile |
| MICA Ahmedabad | 19.22 LPA | 85+ Percentile |
| IIM Rohtak | 18.73 LPA | 97+ Percentile |
| IIT Roorkee (DoMS) | 17.91 LPA | 95+ Percentile |
| IIT Madras (DoMS) | 17.9 LPA | 95+ Percentile |
| IIT Kanpur (DoMS) | 17.2 LPA | 90+ Percentile |
| IMI Delhi | 16.71 LPA | 85+ Percentile |
| FORE School of Management | 16.4 LPA | 80+ Percentile |
| IMT Ghaziabad | 16.25 LPA | 90+ Percentile |
| IRMA Anand | 15.47 LPA | 85+ Percentile |
| Goa Institute of Management (GIM) | 15.13 LPA | 90+ Percentile |
| Great Lakes Institute of Management (GLIM Chennai) | 15 LPA | 85+ Percentile |
| TAPMI Manipal | 14.7 LPA | 85+ Percentile |
| NIBM Pune | 14.1 LPA | 94+ Percentile |
| Delhi School of Economics (DSE) | 13.39 LPA | 95+ Percentile |
| IMT Hyderabad | 12.3 LPA | 80+ Percentile |
| LBSIM Delhi | 12.25 LPA | 80+ Percentile |
| KJ Somaiya Institute of Management | 12 LPA (Median) | 80+ Percentile |
| Welingkar Mumbai | 12 LPA | 80+ Percentile |
| BIMTECH Greater Noida | 11.1 LPA | 80+ Percentile |
| IMT Nagpur | 11 LPA | 80+ Percentile |
| IMS (FMS) BHU | 10 LPA | 80+ Percentile |
Best MBA Colleges for 95+ Percentile
Candidates who score more than 95 percentile can take admissions in FMS Delhi, IIT Delhi, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Roorkee, DSE Delhi, IIT Madras, and IIM Rohtak. These are highly renowned colleges offering great placement opportunities with great academics and exposure.
Why Choose B-Schools Without Sectional Cut-Offs?
A number of top B schools in India such as IIMA, IIMC, etc. filter out candidates based on sectional cut offs. There are many other B schools that only look for the overall CAT percentile. These colleges focus only on the overall CAT percentile, GD/PI/WAT performance, work experience, academic performance, achievements, profile diversity, etc
The benefits include:
- Higher chances of receiving interview calls.
- Greater emphasis on overall profile.
- Opportunity for non-engineers and diverse academic backgrounds.
- Reduced pressure of balancing all CAT sections equally.
What Factors to Consider Beyond Cut-Off Marks in B-School Admission?
Other than just focussing only on taking admission in top B schools offering admission based on overall cutoff marks, candidates must also evaluate a college based on several parameters before taking admission. One will begin his/her professional career journey, hence, one should focus on the following as well.
- Placement records
- Alumni network
- Industry exposure
- Faculty quality
- Return on Investment (ROI)
- Specialization strengths
- Internship opportunities
Final Words
A low sectional cutoff marks in CAT exam does not eliminate one’s chances of getting selected in the top B schools of the country. Management colleges such as FMS Delhi, IIT Delhi, MICA, IMI Delhi, etc. give emphasis on the overall profile profile evaluation of a candidate. Candidate should focus on maximising their chances of selection into these colleges. They should build their overall academic and extracurricular profile strong enough to not miss admission chances in these top B schools of the country,





