The CAT exam is India’s toughest management entrance test. It opens doors to most business schools in the country, with about 70-80% of MBA colleges accepting its scores. Beyond the famous IIMs, other top MBA colleges that accept CAT scores include FMS Delhi, MDI Gurgaon, Taxila, JBIMS, and TISS.
Tier groups for these top management colleges use their education quality, fees, reputation, and placements as criteria. For example, IIT Madras and IIT Kharagpur fall into Tier 2 MBA colleges. The IIMs themselves are also grouped. They are called Old IIMs, Baby IIMs, or New IIMs, depending on when they were started.
What is CAT?
The Common Admission Test (CAT) is a major national-level entrance exam in India. It is a computer-based test for admission to postgraduate management programs, primarily MBA, offered by the prestigious Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and over 1,300 other business schools across the country.
The CAT exam assesses candidates’ abilities in three main sections:
- Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
- Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)
- Quantitative Ability (QA)
Top Non-IIMs – Tier 1, 2, and 3 Colleges
| Tier-1 College | Tier-2 College | Tier-3 College |
| FMS Delhi | IIT Madras | IRMA |
| SPJIMR | IIT Roorkee | FORE School of Management, Delhi |
| IIFT Delhi | IIT Kharagpur | GIM Goa |
| MDI Gurgaon | XIMB | TAPMI Manipal |
| IIT Bombay | Taxila Business School | NIBM |
| IIT Delhi | GLIM Chennai | UBS Chandigarh |
| JBIMS | DSE, DFS | KJ Somaya |
| TISS Mumbai | IMT Ghaziabad | |
| IIT Kanpur | IMI Delhi |
Also Read: Top MBA Colleges in India Accepting CAT Score
Top MBA Colleges Through CAT – IIM List
| Old IIMs | New IIMs | Baby IIMs |
| IIM Ahmedabad | IIM Shillong | IIM Nagpur |
| IIM Bangalore | IIM Udaipur | IIM Jammu |
| IIM Calcutta | IIM Kashipur | IIM Bodhgaya |
| IIM Lucknow | IIM Trichy | IIM Sambalpur |
| IIM Kozhikode | IIM Rohtak | IIM Sirmaur |
| IIM Indore | IIM Raipur | IIM Amritsar |
| IIM Mumbai | IIM Ranchi | IIM Vizag |
Old vs. New vs. Baby IIMs
| Category | IIMs | Established | Features |
| Old IIMs | Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Indore, Kozhikode | 1961–1996 | Top-tier, Global reputation |
| New IIMs | Trichy, Udaipur, Ranchi, Rohtak, Raipur, Kashipur | 2009–2011 | Good infrastructure, improving placements |
| Baby IIMs | Amritsar, Bodh Gaya, Sambalpur, Sirmaur, Jammu, Nagpur | 2015 onwards | Fast-growing, mentored by older IIMs |
Also Read: Top MBA Colleges Accepting Low CAT Scores
Tips for Selecting a College through CAT
- Check placement reports (official IPRS audited preferred)
- Consider specializations offered
- Look into the alumni network and peer group
- Balance ROI vs. brand value
- Consider location advantage for industry exposure
