How to Get into IIFT Through CAT: Complete 2026 Guide

If you’re wondering how to get into iift now that it uses CAT, you’re in the right place.

The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) is a top grade institute for MBA in trade and international business, with three campuses – IIFT Delhi, IIFT Kolkata, and IIFT Kakinada – offering flagship MBA IB and business analytics programs that lead to premium roles in foreign trade, consulting and global b schools.

From 2024 onward, the iift entrance exam conducted by NTA has been scrapped. IIFT now shortlists candidates using CAT scores, and the entire admission process is built around CAT, GD-PI-WAT and diversity factors. The admission criteria have been updated to reflect this new CAT-based process.

This guide explains the full selection process, category wise cutoffs, CAT target percentiles, and preparation strategy –fit into your IIFT plan.

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Snapshot: IIFT, Campuses and Flagship MBA Programs

IIFT is an Indian Institute of Foreign Trade set up by the Government of India to develop professionals in foreign trade and international business. As an indian institute of foreign trade, it is widely regarded as a high RoI, quasi-IIM level b schools option.

The three campuses – especially the Delhi campus – are popular among general category as well as reserved categories because of excellent placements and exposure. Cutoff trends at IIFT have reflected its growing competitiveness among top MBA aspirants.

IIFT Delhi, Kolkata and Kakinada at a Glance

Campus	Key Programmes	Typical Focus Area
IIFT Delhi	MBA (IB), MBA (BA)	Core trade, strategy, analytics
IIFT Kolkata	MBA (IB)	Trade, supply chain, eastern-region industry
IIFT Kakinada	MBA (IB) (newer campus)	Emerging trade hub, coastal business

(Programs as per recent admission information; always confirm from official brochures.)

Campus preference among applicants often depends on factors like program focus, location, and individual cutoff trends.

Across campuses, the flagship iift mba is essentially mba international business or MBA IB, preparing you for roles in export-import, global marketing, finance and business analytics in MNCs and top mba colleges-level recruiters.

IIFT Campus and Facilities

The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) stands out not just for its academic excellence in foreign trade and international business, but also for its world-class campus facilities across all three locations. Each IIFT campus—Delhi, Kolkata, and Kakinada—offers a vibrant environment designed to foster holistic development for students of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade.

The flagship Delhi campus, located in the heart of the capital, provides students with easy access to the city’s business and cultural hubs. The campus features modern classrooms equipped with the latest technology, a comprehensive library specializing in international business and foreign trade resources, and advanced computer centers to support research and learning. Comfortable hostels, a well-equipped gymnasium, and extensive sports facilities ensure a balanced student life. The campus also boasts auditoriums and seminar halls for events, guest lectures, and industry interactions, making it a dynamic hub for aspiring business leaders.

IIFT Kolkata, situated in the eastern part of the city, mirrors the high standards of the Delhi campus with its own state-of-the-art infrastructure. Students benefit from spacious lecture halls, a dedicated library, and excellent residential facilities. The campus is designed to encourage collaboration and networking among students interested in the institute of foreign trade.

The Kakinada campus, the newest addition to the Indian Institute’s network, is located in Andhra Pradesh and is rapidly developing into a center for emerging trade and coastal business studies. It offers modern amenities, including digital classrooms, a resource-rich library, and recreational spaces, ensuring that students receive the same quality experience as their peers in Delhi and Kolkata.

Across all campuses, IIFT’s commitment to providing a supportive and resourceful environment helps students excel both academically and personally, reinforcing its reputation as a premier institute of foreign trade in India.

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Fees and Placements

When considering an MBA in International Business at IIFT, understanding the fee structure and placement outcomes is crucial for planning your investment and career trajectory. The fee for the MBA (International Business) program varies by campus and student category. For the 2024–2026 batch, the tuition fee for Indian students at the Delhi campus is approximately INR 17,25,000. For foreign and NRI students, the fee is around USD 60,000. Please note that these figures do not include hostel accommodation and other ancillary charges, which are billed separately.

IIFT’s strong industry connections and focus on international business translate into outstanding placement results year after year. The placement process at the Delhi campus and other locations attracts top recruiters from both national and international markets. For the most recent batch, the highest international salary package reached an impressive INR 80 LPA, while the average domestic salary stood at INR 25.16 LPA. The median salary was INR 24 LPA, reflecting the consistent value of an IIFT degree in the job market.

A total of 392 students were placed, with 82 recruiters participating, including 26 first-time recruiters. The BFSI (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance) sector emerged as the top hiring sector, accounting for 30% of placements. IIFT’s dedicated placement cell provides comprehensive support, from resume building to interview preparation, ensuring that students of the MBA international business program are well-prepared to secure roles with leading organizations.

With its competitive fee structure and stellar placement record, IIFT continues to be a top choice for candidates aiming for leadership roles in international business and global trade.

IIFT Admission Process in Two Stages

The IIFT admission process now officially has two stages.

1. Stage 1 – Shortlisting

   • Based on CAT scores (overall and sectional cutoff) plus gender diversity.

   • This produces the pool of shortlisted candidates for the second round.

2. Stage 2 – Final Selection Process

   • Based on group discussion, personal interview, sometimes writing ability test / extempore, plus academic diversity, work-ex and other parameters.

   • This stage decides the final admission list for iift admissions in each campus.

IIFT’s official selection criteria and weightages are updated each year, but the broad structure of the selection process is stable.

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Stage 1: Shortlisting on CAT Scores and Sectional Cutoff

In Stage 1, IIFT computes a composite score that almost entirely depends on your CAT scores and gender. According to the latest selection criteria, for 2025 intake:

Parameter	Weightage (Stage 1)
CAT 2025 Score (normalized)	98%
Gender Diversity (female bonus)	2%
Total	100%

Candidates must ensure their IIFT application form is accurately filled and submitted before the deadline to be considered for shortlisting.

The category cat sectional cutoff and cat composite cutoff ensure that:

• You must clear a sectional cutoff in each CAT section.

• You must also clear a total or overall cutoff, expressed as a percentage of CAT marks or percentile.

For the 2024–26 batch (based on CAT 2023), the institute released category wise cutoffs and thresholds:

Category	Sectional Cutoff (CAT%)	Composite Cutoff (CAT%)
General category	55	30
Gen-EWS / OBC-NCL (ews obc ncl)	50	25
SC / ST / PwD / Kashmiri Migrants	30	20

These numbers are qualifying thresholds; actual cutoffs for getting a call can be higher, especially for iift delhi.

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Stage 2: GD–PI–WAT Based Final Selection

Once you clear the iift cat cutoff and sectional cutoff, you enter the personal interview round and related activities.

For the final iift mba admissions, IIFT uses multiple parameters with the following indicative Stage‑2 weights:

Parameter	MBA IB Weightage	MBA (BA) Weightage
CAT 2025 Score	48	48
Group discussion	21	21
Personal interview	22	22
Academic diversity	3	3
Gender diversity	3	3
Work Experience	3	3
Total (final selection)	100	100

In addition to academic diversity, a candidate's academic record is also evaluated as part of the final selection process.

This table is the heart of the final selection criteria and overall final selection process for both mba ib admission and the business analytics program.

Your final score or composite score decides your final iift conversion and whether your name appears in the final admission list.

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Step 1 – Check CAT Exam Eligibility and IIFT Eligibility

Before thinking about cat cutoff, make sure you meet both CAT and IIFT eligibility criteria.

According to CAT norms and summaries on Mockat’s CAT Exam eligibility, general category candidates and general category students need at least 50% in graduation (or equivalent CGPA), while SC category / SC ST PwD candidates get relaxation to 45%. There is no age limit, and final‑year students are allowed.

IIFT’s own eligibility is aligned with this:

• Bachelor’s degree of at least 3 years with minimum required marks obtained (typically 50% for general category and 45% for sc st pwd / sc st pwd kashmiri).

• Candidates must have a valid CAT score in the year of admission (e.g., CAT 2024 for 2025‑27).

• Candidates belonging to reserved categories (SC, ST, PwD, OBC‑NCL, EWS) must produce valid certificates.

If you’re not sure you qualify, use Mockat’s guides on cat exam basics and eligibility, then loop back to IIFT’s official brochure.

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Step 2 – Target the Right CAT Cutoff for IIFT

To convert IIFT, you must hit a specific cat cutoff and cat cut offs by campus and category, often referred to informally as the iift cat cut or iift cut.

Recent analysis of iift cat shortlisting suggests the following expected percentile thresholds for the 2025 batch:

Category	Expected IIFT CAT cutoff (percentile)
General category	98+
EWS	96+
OBC‑NCL (ews obc ncl)	90+
SC category	85+
ST / PwD / Kashmiri Migrants	75+

Remember, these are expectediift cut offs, not exact actual cutoffs, and they can differ for iift delhi, iift kolkata, and iift kakinada.

Candidates are advised to regularly check the official IIFT website for the latest admission notification regarding cutoffs and important updates.

From RTI‑based and expert data:

• For the 2026 batch (CAT 2025), the qualifying iift cat cut off 2025 was much lower in percentile (70 and below), but the iift delhi cutoff for converting the flagship program effectively sat near the high‑90s percentiles once the entire selection process was applied.

So your target minimum score should usually be higher than the published qualifying thresholds.

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IIFT Delhi Cutoff vs Kolkata vs Kakinada

Within IIFT, the iift delhi campus is the most competitive, followed by iift kolkata, then iift kakinada.

Historic data using the older IIFT exam and newer CAT scores pattern suggests the following category wise cutoffs for General category (approximate, based on recent years):

Campus	Exam Basis	Overall Cutoff Marks / Percentile (Gen)
IIFT Delhi	IIFT 2025 exam (expected)	~52–54 marks (MBA IB / BA)
IIFT Kolkata	IIFT 2025 exam (expected)	~52 marks (MBA IB)
IIFT Delhi	CAT 2025 (expected)	40 percentile qualifying (much higher effective for call)
All campuses	CAT 2025 (expected)	Percentiles in table above

For female candidates, gender diversity points slightly reduce the effective iift cut needed; some analyses show 1–2 percentile advantage, especially at iift kolkata.

When you see terms like iift delhi cutoff, iift cut offs and iift cutoff on blogs, always check if they refer to:

• Qualifying overall cutoff,

• Sectional cutoff, or

• Final composite score after GD‑PI‑WAT.

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Understanding Sectional Cutoff, Overall Cutoff and Composite Score

IIFT strictly enforces both sectional cutoff and overall cutoff.

For CAT‑based shortlisting, each section must cross the relevant threshold, and your total must exceed the cat composite cutoff defined for your category. According to recent guidance:

• Sectional cutoff in CAT sections is defined as a % of maximum CAT marks.

• The cat composite cutoff refers to the minimum % of your normalized CAT marks (e.g., 30% for general category in 2025).

• IIFT then converts these into a 98‑point CAT scale, adds 2 points for gender diversity, and generates a Stage‑1 rating score for shortlist.

Later, in Stage 2, GD, personal interview, and writing ability test marks are added to CAT‑based points to compute the final composite score and final score used for final selection.

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Reservation Policy and Category Wise Cutoffs at IIFT

Like other central mba colleges, IIFT follows government norms for different categories:

Category Group	Typical Reservation / Treatment*
General category students	Compete for open seats (no relaxation)
EWS / OBC‑NCL (ews obc ncl)	Some seats reserved, lower category wise cutoffs
SC / ST / PwD (sc st pwd)	Reserved seats, lower iift cut offs
SC ST PwD Kashmiri / st pwd kashmiri migrants	Treated as special reserved categories

*Exact percentages and campus‑wise seat split should be checked in latest brochure.

For reserved category candidates, clearing the qualifying cat cut offs and category wise thresholds is still mandatory. But the actual iift cat cutoff in percentile terms will be significantly lower than for the general category.

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What Happens After the IIFT CAT Cutoff: Shortlist to Final Admission List

Once you clear the iift cat cutoff and sectional cutoff:

1. You are moved into the pool of shortlisted candidates for iift admissions.

2. You receive a call for GD‑PI‑WAT at iift delhi, iift kolkata or iift kakinada, depending on your preference and merit.

3. Your performance in group discussion, personal interview, and writing ability test becomes crucial for final selection.

IIFT clearly distinguishes between:

• Qualifying iift cut offs 2024 for eligibility, and

• The final selection process that creates the campus‑wise final admission list.

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Weightage in the Final Selection Process

The current IIFT selection process gives strong but not absolute importance to cat scores.

Here’s how your Stage‑2 final selection criteria typically look:

Factor	Description
CAT‑based score	48% of final weight for both MBA IB and business analytics
GD (group discussion)	21% – tests communication & difficulty level of thought
Personal interview	22% – checks fit for international business & foreign trade
Academic diversity	3% – bonus for non‑engineers
Gender diversity	3% – bonus for female candidates
Work experience	3% – allocated via work‑ex rating score

The work‑ex rating score uses bands of months worked (e.g. 24–36 months = 3 points) and an interviewer score to generate a final work‑ex component.

Even an exceptional performance in GD‑PI cannot fully compensate for very low CAT, but it can tilt your final score compared with peers close to the borderline iift cut.

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Section-wise Preparation Strategy for CAT (QA, DILR, VARC)

To crack IIFT via CAT, you need strong fundamentals in:

• Quantitative aptitude (Quantitative Ability),

• Data interpretation and logical reasoning (DILR), and

• Verbal ability and reading comprehension (VARC).

Quantitative Aptitude

For QA:

• Focus on arithmetic, algebra, geometry and modern math at the level expected in top b schools.

• Since IIFT once had its own QA‑heavy test, its selection criteria still values comfort with numbers for mba ib and mba international business roles.

• Maintain accuracy; remember the difficulty level of QA tends to be moderate‑high in CAT.

Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning

For data interpretation and logical reasoning:

• Practice timed sets from Mock CATs and IIFT‑level mba colleges papers.

• Varied puzzles help you adapt to unpredictable difficulty level in the CAT exam.

• Clearing the DILR sectional cutoff is critical; missing it kills your IIFT dream, even if your total cat scores look good.

Verbal Ability and Reading

For verbal ability and RC:

• Build comfort with dense passages related to economics, trade and global markets – very relevant to international business and foreign trade courses.

• Focus on para‑summary, para‑jumbles and vocabulary in context.

• Strong VARC helps in CAT and later in GD, WAT and personal interview round performance.

Mockat’s CAT courses, mocks and sectionals on mockat.com can help sharpen each area with detailed analysis of marks obtained, error patterns and time management.

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IIFT MBA IB, MBA International Business and Business Analytics

IIFT offers:

• MBA IB / mba international business – the flagship program across iift delhi, iift kolkata and iift kakinada.

• MBA (BA) – a specialised business analytics program at iift delhi with slightly different cutoffs and cohort profile.

Both programs sit at the intersection of management, trade and analytics, making IIFT a top grade institute for careers in global supply chain, trade finance, consulting and data‑driven decision making.

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Difficulty Level: How Tough Is It to Convert IIFT?

Converting IIFT is tough because:

• The effective iift delhi cutoff in percentile is around the high‑90s for general category.

• Category wise competition is intense even among reserved categories due to limited seats.

• You must handle the combined difficulty level of CAT, GD, WAT and personal interview.

However, for candidates belonging to sc st pwd, sc st pwd kashmiri or st pwd kashmiri migrants, lower category wise cutoffs help, provided you still cross the stated minimum score thresholds.

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Important Dates and Timeline for IIFT Admissions via CAT

While exact important dates change each year, a typical timeline looks like this:

Step	Usual Time Window
CAT registration & cat exam date	Aug–Sept; exam in late Nov
IIFT MBA IB / BA application form	Around Sept–Nov
CAT result and cat cut offs discussion	Jan
Release of iift cat cutoff & shortlist	Feb–Mar
GD–PI–WAT selection process	Mar–Apr
Offer letters & final admission list	May–Jun

Always check IIFT’s latest iift admissions page and official important dates before planning travel or resigning from job offers.

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IIFT vs Other Top MBA Colleges Accepting CAT

IIFT competes with:

• Old IIMs, new IIMs and other elite b schools,

• FMS Delhi, MDI Gurgaon, etc., for strong CAT performers.

Where IIFT stands out is its focus on foreign trade, international business and business analytics, its location at iift delhi and iift kolkata, and specialised roles with export‑import firms and global banks.

For many aspirants, the IIFT delhi campus offers a mix of brand, placements and global exposure that rivals more famous mba colleges.

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How Mockat Helps You Crack CAT and IIFT

Mockat focuses on helping you maximise cat scores so that you comfortably clear the iift cat cut, iift cut offs and all related cat cutoff criteria.

Using Mockat you can:

• Understand CAT Exam eligibility and fill the form correctly using their detailed form‑filling guide.

• Practise topic‑wise tests for quantitative aptitude, data interpretation, logical reasoning and verbal ability.

• Take full‑length mocks simulating the real cat exam difficulty level.

• Get detailed analysis of marks obtained and gap areas.

Once you get calls from iift delhi, iift kolkata or iift kakinada, you can focus on GD‑PI‑WAT using Mockat’s content and videos to sharpen your group discussion skills, refine your personal interview answers and structure essays for the writing ability test.

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Final IIFT Prep Checklist

To wrap up, here’s a quick checklist aligned with IIFT’s selection criteria and selection process:

1. Eligibility & Forms

   • Confirm CAT & IIFT eligibility criteria via official websites and Mockat’s CAT Exam eligibility guide.

   • Apply to CAT and IIFT before the deadlines listed in the important dates tables.

2. CAT Preparation

   • Target a cat cutoff higher than the expected iift cat cutoff for your category.

   • Ensure every section crosses its sectional cutoff; don’t gamble on a single strong area.

   • Track your composite score prospects and overall cutoff trends for iift admissions.

3. Category & Diversity Strategy

   • If you are from ews obc ncl, sc st pwd, sc category, or sc st pwd kashmiri, understand your category wise cutoffs but aim higher than the published numbers.

   • Leverage gender diversity if you are a woman, and academic diversity if you’re non‑engineer.

4. GD–PI–WAT & Work‑ex

   • Prepare structured answers around trade, economics and international business to impress the personal interview panel.

   • Review IIFT’s work‑experience rating score bands and highlight relevant roles in foreign trade, consulting or analytics.

   • Practise group discussion and writing ability test tasks so that your GD‑PI performance adds significantly to your final selection chances.

5. Campus Preferences

   • Prioritise iift delhi if your percentile is very high, but consider iift kolkata and iift kakinada where iift cutoff and iift cut can be slightly lower.

   • Remember that across all campuses, the brand of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade remains strong.

If you combine a solid CAT plan, smart understanding of category wise iift cut offs, and focused GD‑PI prep, you’ll greatly improve your odds of seeing your name on the final iift list and starting your journey in one of India’s most respected institutes for mba ib and mba international business.