IIM Indore selection criteria

Two paths: PGP and IPM

If you’re deciding whether to prioritise IIM Indore after CAT, here’s what matters. IIM Indore runs two separate admissions paths. Keep them apart.

1. Two-year PGP (and related CAT-linked PG programmes) entered through CAT.
2. Five-year IPM entered through Indore’s own IPM Aptitude Test (IPMAT) plus PI for domestic applicants.

Neither path is CAP. Never apply PGP percentile hearsay to IPM seats, and never treat IPMAT sectional cutoffs as CAT advice. Our view: match the path to your life stage first, then read only that path’s PDF.

Primary sources: PGP admissions details, PGP 2026-28 admission procedure PDF, IPM admissions details, and IPM 2026-31 domestic admission procedure PDF. Context: IIM Indore review and selection criteria explained. Data stamped September 2026.

PGP (CAT) path: how selection works

For CAT 2025 applicants to PGP 2026-28, Indore publishes a three-stage process.

1. Eligibility. Bachelor’s degree with at least 50% (45% for SC/ST/PwD), or listed professional qualifications, plus CAT registration with Indore selected. Category changes after CAT registration close are not accepted.
2. Stage I: CAT floors. Applicants must meet category-wise sectional and overall percentile minima in Table 1 of the PGP procedure PDF. For General and EWS, published minima are QA 80, DILR 80, VARC 80, overall 90. NC-OBC, SC, ST, and PwD rows are lower. Meeting floors only unlocks Stage II scoring.
3. Stage II: Composite shortlist for PI. Composite Score components (weights as published): Class 10 10, Class 12 25, CAT sectional blocks VARC 16 + DILR 16 + QA 23 (55 total), diversity factor 7, work experience 0 to 3. Class 12 is the heaviest academic lever. Shortlisted candidates must attend PI (offline cities and/or online as notified). Minimum PI parameter performance is required to reach Stage III.
4. Stage III: Final Composite Score. Published FCS components: Class 10 5, Class 12 5, CAT sectional blocks VARC 20 + DILR 10 + QA 10 (40 total), PI 45, diversity 5. Offers follow category-wise merit and reservation rules.

Candidates who mark interest in Indore PGP during CAT are also considered for PGP-HRM under that programme’s own procedure, per the PGP PDF note. Still, do not assume identical composites.

IPM (IPMAT) path: how selection works

Domestic IPM 2026-31 selection is a different machine.

1. Eligibility. Age rule (born on or after 1 August 2006, with SC/ST/PwD relaxation stated in the PDF), Class X pass, and Class XII passed in 2024/2025 or appearing in 2026, with provisional rules for those completing XII by 31 July 2026.
2. Application. Separate online application and fee on iimidr.ac.in during the published window (the 2026 domestic PDF listed February to mid-March 2026 dates; always confirm live dates).
3. IPM Aptitude Test (AT). Three sections: QA (MCQ), QA (Short Answer), Verbal Ability (MCQ), each with a timed block. Marking rules and negative marking exceptions for SA are in the IPM procedure PDF. For 2026, the PDF listed AT on 4 May 2026.
4. Eligible pool and PI shortlist. Candidates need positive raw scores and category-wise minimum marks in each AT section (cutoffs set by the Admissions Committee, not inventable here). PI shortlists use an Aptitude Test Score with published sectional weights inside ATS: QA MCQ 25, QA SA 25, VA 50.
5. Final Composite Score. ATS 65 + PI 35. Fail either AT or PI and you are out. Domestic sanctioned intake noted in the PDF was 150 for the 2026 batch. Successful IPM completion leads to the dual BA (Foundations of Management) and MBA pathway described in the institute note.

If you are an IPM aspirant, stop reading PGP CAT tables. Use IPMAT exam guide and the IPM PDF only.

What to verify each year

Sectional AT minima for IPM PI eligibility and exact PGP composite call cutoffs are committee-set each year. When unverified, open the live notice. Do not import a coaching screenshot from another cycle.

Profile implications

PGP, CAT-heavy. Stage II is majority CAT (55) with QA the largest sectional block (23). Final stage still keeps CAT at 40, with VARC the largest CAT slice (20). Section balance matters before any “overall percentile” story.

PGP, academics-heavy. Class 12 at 25 shortlist points is a defining Indore feature among BLACKI peers. Weak Class 12 is a structural problem. Class 10 still matters (10 shortlist, 5 final).

PGP, work-ex. Only 0 to 3 shortlist points. Work experience is a minor lever compared with Lucknow or Bangalore. Interview performance (45 final) is the main conversion lever for experienced candidates.

IPM profiles. This is an after-Class-XII path. Strength in timed quant plus verbal on IPMAT, then PI. Final weight is AT-majority (65). CAT preparation does not substitute for AT pattern practice.

How Indore differs from Lucknow and Kozhikode

Versus IIM Lucknow, Lucknow’s General MBA floors demand 85 in each section with overall 90, and MBA shortlist CAT weight is 60 with meaningful work-ex points (IIML policy PDF). Indore’s General/EWS overall 90 with 80 sectionals is a different shape, and Indore loads Class 12 harder while barely scoring work-ex. Lucknow also splits MBA/ABM/SM. Indore splits PGP vs IPM across exams. Peer guide: IIM Lucknow selection criteria.

Versus IIM Kozhikode, Kozhikode adds Stage 1 registration, Class X/XII percentage floors, AIS with CAT 50% and boards 35% combined, and final WAT at 20% (IIMK PGP policy PDF). Indore’s PGP final is PI-heavier (45) without a published WAT block in the 2026-28 PGP FCS table. Kozhikode rewards timed writing more; Indore rewards PI and Class 12 more. Peer guide: IIM Kozhikode selection criteria.

Common mistakes

1. Mixing PGP CAT cutoffs with IPM AT cutoffs in the same spreadsheet.
2. Assuming overall 90 General means a PGP PI call.
3. Ignoring Class 12’s 25-point shortlist weight for PGP.
4. Preparing CAT mocks only, then sitting IPMAT without SA-section practice.
5. Skipping PI after a PGP shortlist and expecting Stage III consideration.
6. Using CAP advice for Indore.

Frequently asked questions