IIM Bangalore Selection Criteria 2026-28: CAT Cutoff, Weightage for GD, PI, and WAT

The IIM Bangalore admissions for the PGP 2026-28 batch will tentatively begin in January 2026. To be eligible for IIM Bangalore admissions 2026, students must have appeared for the CAT examination 2025 and achieved a minimum score of 85 percentile. Students who belong to the General category must have scored IIM Bangalore CAT cutoff of 85 percentile to get selected for the Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI) rounds. As per the IIM Bangalore selection criteria, students receive 40% of their marks for their CAT scores, 40% of their marks for the PI round, and 10% of their marks for the WAT. Shortlisting students based on the IIM Bangalore PGP 2026-28 batch selection criteria is expected to begin in January 2026. Students will be required to score marks in accordance with the CAT 2025 cutoffs to be eligible for the IIM Bangalore admission process 2026.

Also Read:

CAT Score vs Percentile 2025	IIM CAT Cutoff 2025
What is a Good Score/Percentile in CAT 2025?	List of Non-IIM MBA Colleges to Apply to Before and After CAT 2025 Exam

IIM Bangalore Selection 2026-28 Important Dates

Students can refer to the table given below to check out the IIM Bangalore admission dates for the 2026-28 batch:

Also Read: CAT Reservation Policy at IIMs

IIM Bangalore Selection Criteria for 2026-28

The most significant points regarding the IIM Bangalore selection criteria 2026 have been provided below:

• Your CAT score plays a significant role in the IIM Bangalore selection process, influencing both the Pre-PI (55%) and Post-PI (25%) calculations. The eligibility criteria include scoring at least 85% of the overall percentile in CAT 2025 and scoring a minimum of 80% in all three sections: DILR, VARC, and QA for the three different shortlisting phases.
• Your academic performance also carries significant weight, accounting for 30% of the total marks. These are divided equally across your scores in the 10th, 12th, and graduation. Being outstanding in at least two of these categories can significantly increase your chances of getting shortlisted.
• The Personal Interview (PI) constitutes 40% of the final admission criteria, while the Written Ability Test (WAT) stands at 10%. Work Experience is also to be considered along with 10% marks, which are awarded equally in both, the Pre-PI and Post-PI stages, but after PI, the quality of work experience is checked for awarding marks.
• Gender diversity points, worth 5%, form part of shortlisting at the interview stage but would not be relevant in making final admission decisions.
• Women will have a modest advantage in the admissions process, but only at the pre-PI shortlisting stage. Academic diversity is still given no weightage.

Phase-wise IIM Bangalore Selection Criteria 2026

IIMB follows a two-phase selection process for its PGP program. In the initial phase, all eligible candidates who take the CAT 2025 exam are assessed to determine those invited for a personal interview (PI). The selection criteria for IIM Bangalore 2026 intakes are:

• Phase 1: Candidates will be shortlisted for PI-WAT rounds.
• Phase 2: WAT and PI rounds
• Phase 3: Final Merit List of Selected candidates will be declared.

Also Read: IIM Ahmedabad Admission/ Selection Criteria 2026-28

IIM Bangalore Selection Phase 1 (Shortlisting for WAT/PI)

The shortlisting process for the WAT-PI rounds will be the first step in the IIM Bangalore admission process in 2026. An online form must be submitted to IIM Bangalore's shortlisting process to confirm participation in WAT/PI and participation via video conferencing.

How to Apply for IIM Bangalore PI Shortlisting 2026

Candidates may apply for PI shortlisting by following the instructions provided below if they picked IIM Bangalore as their preferred institute on their CAT 2025 application form:

1. Visit the IIM Bangalore official website.
2. Go to the 'Admissions' tab
3. Click on 'PGP 2025 Call for Interview Shortlist'
4. Enter the necessary details, including the CAT 2025 application number and email address.
5. Fill out the form and submit it.

Candidates who are selected for the WAT-PI rounds will be informed via email.

Selection Criteria 2026 for WAT and PI

Students who wish to take admission to IIM Bangalore PGP 2026-28 batch must meet the shortlisting criteria for the Written Ability Test and Personal Interview Rounds. Here are the parameters considered for IIM Bangalore 2026 admissions as listed below:

Parameter	Weightage
CAT Score*	55%
10th Board	10%
12th Board	10%
Bachelor’s Degree Marks	10%
Gender Diversity	5%
Work Experience/ Professional Course	10%

*The 55% of CAT weightage includes 19% for VARC, 21% for DILR and 15% for QA.

Note: It is important to note that IIM Bangalore places a strong emphasis on consistency and excellence in academics and across all other parameters.

IIM Bangalore Selection Phase 2 (Criteria for WAT and PI)

Candidates who are shortlisted are called for the Phase 1 round of selection which includes the Personal Interview (PI) and the Writing Ability Test (WAT) where the candidate is given about 30 minutes to write on the topic given by the institute. The following are the minimum cutoff requirements of IIM Bangalore:

Category	Minimum ​Percentile Required for 1st Shortlist
	VARC	DILR	QA	Overall
General	80	75	75	85
NC OBC	75	65	65	75
SC	65	60	60	70
ST	55	55	55	65
EWS	70	65	65	75
PWD	50	50	50	60

Note: The normalized or standardized scores of a candidate in all these components are considered for the evaluation process.
In the initial shortlist, candidates possessing certifications in Chartered Accountancy, Cost Accounting, and Company Secretary are eligible for additional weightage under the professional course category. However, no other professional courses qualify for such consideration. The professional course score is standardized for all candidates in the initial shortlist. To ensure fair evaluation, the average, standard deviation, and adjusted scores are computed by taking into account the scores (final as applicable) of all applicants with professional qualifications in the initial shortlist for normalization.

IIM Evaluation Criteria (PI, WAT, Academics & Work Experience)

Evaluation Component	Details / Criteria
Personal Interview (PI)	• Candidates are assessed on motivation, group fit, and potential benefit from the PGP. • Applicants must submit two confidential reference letters from employers or university professors.
Written Ability Test (WAT)	• Evaluation focuses on the content quality and writing style of student essays. • IIM Bangalore assesses clarity, structure, relevance, and originality of written responses.
10th & 12th Board Performance	• Marks are normalized by dividing a candidate’s score by the 90th percentile score of that board. • The 90th percentile benchmark is calculated using board data from the last two years.
Graduation Performance	• Final graduation marks are considered. • For candidates still in college, marks up to the latest completed year are taken into account.
Professional Course Criteria	• Candidates with CA, CMA (Cost Accountant), or CS qualifications receive additional advantage in the selection process. • No other professional courses qualify under this criterion.
Work Experience Evaluation (Pre-PI)	• Work Experience Score Formula: – If 0 < x < 36 months → Score = 8x/36 – If x ≥ 36 months → Score = 8 (maximum) • Upper limit capped at 36 months. • Pre-PI score (max 8) is multiplied by quality of work experience rating (0.25, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2) assigned by PI interviewers. • Final weighted work experience score is used in Phase 2 evaluation.

Also Read:

Steps to Follow for Admission to Top MBA Colleges	List of Courses in IIMs in 2026

IIM Bangalore CAT 2025 Sectional Weightage

The sectional weightage of CAT 2025 for IIM Bangalore selection is given below:

CAT 2025 Sections	Weightage
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)	19
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)	21
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)	15
Total	55

The maximum scores for work experience and professional courses are considered. A common weightage of 10 has been set for work experience or professional courses. The advantages of both work experience and professional courses are not given to one candidate. A candidate can either benefit from work experience or a professional course as per the above-mentioned weightage out of 10.

Work Experience* Score Calculation
Component	Score
Experience between 0 to 36 months (X)	10X/36
Experience greater than and equal to 36 months	10
*For work experience in months up to July 2025.

NOTE: Out of the candidates shortlisted based on the CAT scores, the top 10 students don’t have to appear for WAT, and they directly qualify for PI based on their excellent performance in the following fields:

• Total score in CAT

• Adjusted Bachelors score (Commerce/Science/Arts)

• Performance in Professional Course (CA/ICWA/CS)

However, these candidates go through the regular selection process in Phase 2.

Also Read: One-year Executive MBA vs Two-year Full-time MBA

IIM Bangalore Final Selection (Phase 3)

Check out the final selection criteria and sectional weightage for IIM Bangalore:

Parameter	Weightage
Personal Interview	40%
WAT	10%
CAT score*	25%
10th Board	5%
12th Board	5%
Bachelor’s Degree	5%
Work Experience/ Professional Course	10%

*The 25% of CAT weightage includes 8.75% for VARC, 10% for DILR, and 6.75% for QA. Candidates qualifying in both phases will be shortlisted for admission to IIM Bangalore. Candidates will have the time to complete the admission process. Candidates must appear for all the stages and qualify to be considered for the shortlisting.

Related Links:

List of Top IIMs in India 2025	Written Ability Test (WAT) for IIMs and Other Top MBA Colleges
MBA Colleges Without Sectional Cutoff	IIM Eligibility Cut Off vs IIM Call Cut Off

If you still have any doubts or queries about the IIM Bangalore selection criteria, you can ask our experts on the CollegeDekho QnA Zone . Candidates may fill out the Common Application Form (CAF) to clear doubts related to the admission process. Stay tuned to CollegeDekho for all the latest updates!