IIML - Indian Institute of Management Cutoff

IIM Lucknow’s policy for the 2026-28 MBA, MBA-ABM and MBA-SM batch uses CAT 2025. Its table is titled “Minimum Sectional and Total Cut-off Percentile for Shortlisting for WAT-PI Stage.” These numbers are the Stage 1a minimums to be considered for the next shortlisting step; they are not final admission cutoffs, closing percentiles or a promise of a Writing Ability Test and Personal Interview call. The policy says candidates meeting these minima proceed to a Stage 1b composite score. (IIML Admission Policy, 2026-28 (CAT-2025), p. 1)

The latest full-time policy captured from IIML’s PGP page in this research is for CAT 2025 and batch 2026-28. I did not find a published IIML policy for the next full-time admission cycle in the official material reviewed on 4 November 2026. CAT 2026’s national examination announcement does not establish IIM Lucknow’s later shortlisting thresholds. Use the historic table below only for its named batch and wait for IIML’s next policy before planning around a new cutoff.

CAT 2025 minimum percentiles by programme and category

Each entry under “sectional” means the minimum percentile required in each of VARC, DILR and QA. “Total” is the separate overall CAT percentile minimum. Values below reproduce IIML’s Stage 1a table for batch 2026-28.

TableCards

Candidate category	MBA sectional	MBA total	MBA-ABM sectional	MBA-ABM total	MBA-SM sectional	MBA-SM total
General	85 each	90	80 each	85	80 each	85
EWS	77 each	82	72 each	77	72 each	77
NC-OBC	77 each	82	72 each	77	72 each	77
SC	55 each	65	55 each	65	55 each	60
ST	50 each	60	50 each	55	50 each	55
PwD	50 each	60	50 each	55	50 each	55

For example, a General-category CAT-2025 applicant to the MBA needed at least 85 percentile in each of VARC, DILR and QA and 90 overall to meet Stage 1a. An MBA-ABM or MBA-SM candidate needed 80 in each section and 85 overall. These are not predicted scores for CAT 2026 or CAT 2027. (IIML Admission Policy, 2026-28 (CAT-2025), Table 1, p. 1)

Clearing the table did not guarantee a WAT-PI shortlist

IIML’s Stage 1b calculates a composite score only for candidates who first meet the relevant category’s minimum sectional and total percentiles. The 2026-28 policy assigns 60 shortlist points to scaled CAT score, 10 to Class 12 marks and 10 to graduation marks across the three programmes. Other components vary: work experience receives weight for MBA and MBA-SM but not MBA-ABM, while academic-discipline diversity differs by programme. Gender diversity is a separate factor. The thresholds therefore act as an eligibility floor for composite-score consideration, not as the score that determines an interview call by itself. (IIML Admission Policy, 2026-28 (CAT-2025), Tables 2-3, pp. 1-2)

The policy then defines a separate Stage 2 final score after WAT and interview. For MBA and MBA-SM it assigns 30 points to CAT, 10 combined to Class 12 and graduation, 5 to diversity, 5 to work experience, 10 to WAT and 40 to the Personal Interview. MBA-ABM assigns 35 points to CAT, 10 to the two academic components, 5 to diversity, no work-experience component, 10 to WAT and 40 to interview. IIML requires at least 12 out of 40 in the interview to pass that stage. These later weights explain why an initial percentile minimum cannot be read as an offer threshold. (IIML Admission Policy, 2026-28 (CAT-2025), Tables 2-4 and notes, pp. 1-3)

Work-experience scoring also differs. IIML counts completed full-time work after graduation as of 31 July 2025. The shortlist table assigns work-experience weight to MBA and MBA-SM, but none to MBA-ABM; its formula caps the award at 10 points and uses different start thresholds for MBA and MBA-SM. This affects the composite after the CAT minimums, not the Stage 1a percentile rows.

Programme-specific conditions still applied

For MBA-SM, IIML added a minimum 24 months of work experience as an eligibility criterion, counted as of 31 July 2025. Meeting the CAT percentile row alone was therefore not enough to satisfy every stated condition for that programme. The policy also says candidates seeking MBA-ABM or MBA-SM had to submit the programme’s special form by its deadline; otherwise they would not be considered for WAT-PI for those programmes. The 24-month and form rules belong to the CAT-2025/2026-28 policy and must not be silently carried forward to another batch. (IIML Admission Policy, 2026-28 (CAT-2025), pp. 1-2)

The report does not provide the eventual CAT score or percentile of the last person shortlisted, a final closing score by category, or an offer-conversion threshold. Those values should not be reverse-engineered from minimums. Applicants should first identify the correct programme and category, then compare all three section percentiles and the overall percentile with the historical row. For a live application, confirm the current policy, special-form requirements and programme-specific eligibility directly with IIML.