What is the difference between qualifying cut-off and final cut-off in CAT?
Understanding shortlisting vs final admission benchmarks.
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The qualifying cut-off is the minimum percentile (overall and sectional) required to be eligible for shortlisting to the next stage (WAT/PI) by an institute. Meeting the qualifying cut-off does not guarantee an interview call, as institutes use additional criteria such as academic performance, work experience, and diversity factors to prepare a shortlist. The final cut-off refers to the percentile of candidates who actually receive admission offers after the entire selection process. The final cut-off is usually much higher than the qualifying cut-off, especially for top IIMs where competition is intense.