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Preparing for a competitive entrance exam like CAT (Common Admission Test) can be difficult, especially for students who are weak in one section from VARC, DILR or QA. While many top IIMs require a sectional cut-off in each section, some top-ranked B-schools do not set a minimum cutoff for each section. Those MBA colleges focus on the overall percentile of the applicants.
This article is a complete guide on top MBA colleges with no sectional cutoffs in CAT, and overall CAT percentile cut-offs to secure admission.

Why do sectional cut-offs matter?
MBA aspirants must know that the CAT exam has three sections with a time limit of 40 minutes for each section.
VARC
DILR
QA
Many students secure a good CAT score but are unable to qualify the sectional cut offs due to low sectional score in any one section and a higher one in the other two. This is an obstacle for students aiming for the BLACKI IIMs; however, some IITs, IIMs and top-ranked private B -schools do not impose a rigid sectional cut-off.
Why MBA colleges have 'No sectional cut-off'
Some top-ranked MBA colleges such as FMS Delhi, IMT Ghaziabad, IIM Rohtak and IIT Delhi do not have a sectional cut-off. For MBA admissions, these colleges focus on
Overall Percentile in CAT
GD-PI/WAT Performance
Work experience
Academic Performance
Positions of Responsibility
Profile Diversity
Achievements
This is because some top B-schools such as IMT Ghaziabad (known for Marketing) or FMS Delhi (known for Finance), do not need sectional scores. Students pursuing marketing may not be 'that good' at QA or those pursuing finance may not be good enough at VARC to meet the strict sectional cut-offs. This way, some colleges relax the sectional cut-offs in CAT, giving students with lower sectional scores an opportunity.
Tier 1 MBA Colleges accepting CAT without sectional cutoff
Top colleges accepting CAT without sectional cut-offs, are mentioned in the table with the CAT overall cutoff.
Tier 1.5/2 MBA Colleges with No Sectional Cutoff
This list of B-schools, such as KJ Somaiya Mumbai, GIM Goa, TAPMI, IMT Ghaziabad, popular for MBA in Marketing and other top MBA colleges in India, mentioned in the table, are the ones with no sectional CAT cutoffs. These top b-schools consistently rank among the top B-schools, as they have experienced faculty and focus on the good overall percentile. Many MBA colleges offer excellent placement records. The table mentions the cut-off for IIMs and other best b-schools in India. For CAT aspirants targeting top b-school, these colleges offer the right balance of accessibility and excellence.
The tier 1.5/2 category colleges with no sectional cut off are the right choices as they evaluate students based on overall CAT scores. This way CAT sectional scores are not very important and students with low sectional percentile in DILR or any other section are still eligible for many colleges.
FAQs
The top IITs are IIT Delhi, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur. The are the MBA schools with no sectional cut offs.
XIM Bhubaneswar offers an interview call to students who have a CAT score of 91 percentile or more in the CAT exam.
The top MBA colleges with no sectional cut-offs are FMS Delhi and IMT Ghaziabad.
