TISS Cutoff 2026 CAT for Aspirants – Scores, Admit Card, Exam Day & More

If you’re aiming for TISS MA HRM & LR, MA ODCL or MHA through CAT 2025 (for the 2026 intake), you need to understand two things equally well:

The TISS cutoff (required CAT percentile / CUET‑PG score)
The CAT processitself – from the admit card to your performance on exam day

This guide connects all of it for you and links naturally to your CAT preparation and CAT Exam Eligibility (pillar).

👉 Before you dive deep into TISS, make sure you meet all CAT eligibility conditions using the detailed guide on the mockat.com.

Introduction to TISS and Eligibility Criteria

The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) is one of India’s most respected institutions for higher education in social research and public policy. The Tata Institute of Social Sciences offers multiple Master of Arts programmes and other master’s degree options across disciplines, with a strong focus on social impact.

For TISS admissions, candidates should have a bachelor’s degree and should have successfully completed Bachelor's or Master's Degree of minimum 3 or 4 years duration (or its equivalent) under the 10+2+3 / 10+2+4 / 10+2+2+1 bridge route — or any other pattern (including other pattern variations) fulfilling the mandatory 15 years of formal education — from a university recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

If you are among the candidates studying in the final year, you must have passed all the subjects required up to that point. Otherwise, the institute can keep your admission as provisional admission until you submit the degree certificate and the final mark/grade sheet. This is part of the admission process and document verification checks.

For HRM and LR, TISS also promotes gender diversity by giving additional weightage to female and transgender candidates during the selection process.

1. How TISS Uses CAT & CUET PG Now

TISS has reshaped its admission process in the last few years:

Till 2023 – Selection was via TISSNET (TISS’ own test).
From 2024 – TISSNET was scrapped and most PG programmes shifted to CUET PG scores.
From the 2025–26 academic year onwards – three flagship management‑oriented programmes at the Mumbai campus use CAT scores for shortlisting and selection.

These CAT-based programmes are:

MA in Human Resources Management & Labour Relations (HRM & LR)
MA in Organisation Development, Change & Leadership (ODCL)
MHA (Hospital Administration)

As per the latest selection criteria, CAT 2025 performance is the primary driver of shortlisting for online assessment OA, with extra marks for gender diversity for female and transgender candidates.

Table 1 – Entrance Tests Accepted by TISS for PG Programmes (2026 Admissions)

Programme Type	Entrance Exam Used	Notes
MA HRM and LR	CAT 2025	CAT percentile + gender diversity weightage for shortlisting for OA
ODCL	CAT 2025	Similar weightage pattern; ma odcl cat score is used for OA shortlisting
Master of Hospital Administration (MHA)	CAT 2025	Management‑oriented hospital administration programme
Other Master’s Degree / Master of Arts programmes	CUET PG 2026	CUET PG score used for merit list in most other courses

2. What Exactly Is the TISS Cutoff?

The TISS cutoff is:

The required CAT percentile (for HRM & LR, ODCL, and MHA), or
The minimum CUET PG marks (for other courses)

…that you must score to be called for the next stages and eventually reach the final selection process.

Cutoffs are category‑wise and programme‑wise. Shortlisting varies by category, section, and programme, so the cutoff is not fixed. TISS uses sectional cutoffs (sectional CAT percentile minimums) for OA shortlisting in its CAT-based tracks.

Meeting the cutoff is essential for OA shortlisting and for reaching the final merit list stage later.

3. TISS Cutoff 2026 – Official CAT Percentile Cutoff & Expected Scores

This section also answers the common query: tiss cutoff 2025 cat (i.e., the CAT 2025 cutoff context used for TISS 2026 admissions).

3.1 Official CAT-Based Minimum Cutoffs for 2026 Intake (OA Shortlisting)

TISS has published the minimum CAT percentile required (section-wise and overall) for shortlisting for online assessment OA.

Table 2 – CAT (Percentile) Cutoffs for OA Shortlisting (2026 Intake)

Category	Programme	VARC	DILR	QA	Overall
General KM AF EWS	MA HRM & LR / MA ODCL	60	60	60	70
OBC (NC)	MA HRM & LR / MA ODCL	54	54	54	63
SC ST	MA HRM & LR / MA ODCL	45	45	45	53
General KM AF EWS	MHA	60	55	55	60
NC OBC	MHA	54	50	50	54
SC ST	MHA	45	41	41	45

Important: these cutoffs are for OA shortlisting. The final merit list can be far more competitive depending on the year.

For safety, target above the minimum cat levels shown in Table 2, and ensure your qualification is pattern fulfilling.

3.2 Competitive Expected Cutoffs (Reality Check)

Because HRM & LR and organisation development attract many top CAT scorers, most coaching and RTI-based analyses still expect very high competitive percentiles (often in the high‑90s) for final selection, especially in General category. Treat the published cutoff as eligibility, and aim much higher for safety.

4. Previous-Year TISSNET Cutoff – To Understand the Level

Even though TISSNET is discontinued, older cutoffs help you understand the competition level and the older tissnet selection process.

TISSNET 2023 General category cutoffs (marks out of 100) at TISS Mumbai.

Table 3 – TISSNET Cutoff (General Category, TISS Mumbai – 2023)

Programme	TISSNET Cutoff (Marks out of 100)
MA Labour Studies & Practice	71.99
MA in Human Resources Management and Labour Relations	71.31
MA Development Studies	70.02
MA Analytics	69.24
MA Media & Cultural Studies	68.98
MA in Women’s Studies	63.90
LLM in Access to Justice	63.22
MA Education	59.40
MA Applied Psychology (Clinical & Counselling Practice)	58.56
MA Education & Technology	55.91
MA Education (Elementary)	51.15

Table 4 – HRM & LR General Cutoff Trend (TISSNET)

Year	Exam Used	Programme	Gen Cutoff (Marks)
2021	TISSNET	HRM & LR	73.83
2023	TISSNET	HRM & LR	71.31

5. How TISS Decides the Cutoff

TISS cutoffs depend on the following criteria:

Number of applicants to each programme (shortlisting differs).
Difficulty level of CAT or CUET PG in that year.
Seat matrix across categories (General, OBC (NC), SC ST, EWS, PwD, etc.).
Performance distribution – how many high scorers exist.
Programme preference – HRM and LR, ODCL, and other programmes have different demand.

Because HRM & LR now shares the CAT applicant pool, the cutoff stays highly competitive.

6. TISS Cutoff & CAT Exam Eligibility Criteria – How They Connect

To even use your CAT scorecard for TISS, you must first be eligible for CAT and hold a qualifying bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) from a university recognized by the University Grants Commission; under such act, degrees from non‑recognized institutions may not be accepted.

If you are among the candidates studying in the final year, make sure you have passed all the subjects before admission and keep your graduation marks documents ready. In many cases, graduation marks are converted into a rating score for academic evaluation in the admission process.

You then complete CAT registration and fill the CAT application form online (the application form is on iimcat.ac.in). After you successfully completed registration, you receive a CAT user id (login id), which you later use for admit card download and results.

✅ Tip: Keep your CAT login details safe—without them, you can’t access your scorecard to submit in the TISS application form during TISS admissions.

Courses Offered by TISS

TISS offers a wide range of Master of Arts and other postgraduate programmes rooted in social research and practice. The flagship CAT-based options at the Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai include MA HRM & LR (arts in human resources), MA ODCL (development change and leadership), and MHA.

The labour relations master route (HRM and LR) focuses on workforce strategy, IR, and people systems, while ODCL is built for development change and leadership work in organisations (a leadership master track).

For MHA, eligibility can include candidates from medicine, paramedical sciences, pharmacy, engineering, law, and even veterinary science, depending on the year’s rules.

These programmes also reward the CAT skill mix: logical reasoning, verbal ability, quantitative aptitude, and data interpretation.

7. CAT 2025 Exam – Exam Date, Admit Card & Test Centres

CAT 2025 was conducted by IIM Kozhikode on Sunday, 30 November 2025 in multiple sessions across around 170 cities. The application window opened on 01 August 2025 and was later extended till 20 September 2025 (5:00 pm).

Table 5 – CAT 2025 Official Schedule (as updated)

Event	Date / Period
Registration opens	01 August 2025 (10:00 am)
Registration closes (extended)	20 September 2025 (5:00 pm)
Admit card download window (actual)	12 November – 30 November 2025
Test date	30 November 2025
Result declaration (actual)	24 December 2025

The official CAT website is iimcat.ac.in for all details including test centre and exam day guidelines.

8. CAT Admit Card 2025 – How to Download It Correctly

Your CAT admit card (hall ticket) is mandatory to enter the examination centre. For CAT 2025, the admit card was released on 12 November 2025 and remained downloadable till the test date.

Step-by-step: download the admit card

Go to iimcat.ac.in.
Click on candidate login.
Enter your user id and password (created in the application form).
Click the admit card link and download the PDF.
Print at least one copy for exam day.

If you forgot your password, use the “Forgot Password” option with your registered email.

9. Details Mentioned on the Admit Card & Documents to Carry

Check these details on the hall ticket:

Name and photo
Registration number / roll number
Test date and slot timing
Test centre address and reporting instructions
PwD status (if applicable)

Documents to carry to the exam hall:

One printed admit card
One valid photo ID proof (Aadhaar / PAN / Passport / Voter ID / DL)

Table 6 – Checklist for CAT 2025 Exam Day Documents

Item	Why it’s needed
Admit card / hall ticket	Confirms identity, slot, test centre and test date
Government photo ID proof	Identity verification at gate & inside exam hall
Extra printed copy of admit card	Backup in case one gets lost or damaged
Photographs (if asked)	For pasting on the printed admit card / attendance
PwD certificate (if applicable)	To validate PwD status and arrangements

10. Exam Day Guidelines – From Admit Card to Test Screen

Key exam day guidelines:

Reach the test centre at least 60–90 minutes before reporting time.
Keep the admit card and ID proof on the desk for verification.
Follow all instructions printed on the admit card and announced by invigilators.
Do not carry prohibited items; keep the exam hall rules in mind.

11. From CAT Percentile to TISS Shortlist – What Happens Next?

Once you have a valid CAT scorecard and your result is out:

Track TISS announcements and start the TISS application form for CAT-based programmes.
Enter your percentile details and upload documents in the application form.
If you meet the cutoff and shortlisting varies, shortlisted candidates are invited for OA.

For TISS Mumbai 2026, the selection criteria for OA shortlisting is:

MA HRM & LR: cat score weightage 97% + gender diversity 3%
MA ODCL: ma odcl cat score weightage 95% + gender diversity 5%

Stage 2 includes an online assessment OA round (which can include an extempore reflection test) and a personal interview (often run as an online personal interview (OPI)).

Final selection process weightage for the final merit list:

HRM and LR and MA ODCL: cat score 70% + OPI 30%
MHA: cat score 80% + online assessment 20% (ERT 10% + OPI 10%)

After admission offered, the candidate submits the degree certificate and other documents in the application form workflow. In case of any false declaration, admission can be cancelled and legal action can follow.

12. TISS Mumbai 2026 – Key Dates (from Application Form to Merit Lists)

For candidates applying this cycle, these are the key milestones that shape the admission process:

Table 7 – TISS 2026 CAT-PG Timeline (Mumbai programmes)

Event	Date (as published)
Application portal opens	03 November 2025
Last date to submit application form	11 January 2026
Form correction window	12–13 January 2026
Announcement of shortlisted candidates for OA	13 February 2026
PI / ERT window	09–27 March 2026
Merit List 1	20 April 2026
Merit List 2	05 May 2026
Merit List 3	12 May 2026
Closing admission formalities	20 June 2026

13. Why Your Admit Card & Exam Discipline Matter for the TISS Cutoff

Without the admit card, you can’t enter the exam centre. Without sitting for CAT, there is no score for the cutoff. Even small mistakes (like misreading the test centre address) can cost your attempt.

14. TISS Cutoff Strategy – How mockat.com Can Help

Clearing the cutoff for HRM and LR, ODCL, or MHA is comparable to competing with top B-schools.

On mockat.com you can:

Learn strategies aimed at high percentiles
Use mock tests to simulate the cat exam day experience
Plan form filling so your admit card and application form steps go smoothly

15. Quick FAQs on TISS Cutoff, CAT Score & Selection Criteria

Q1. Does TISS accept CAT score?
Yes. For these three programmes, TISS uses CAT scores for OA shortlisting and the merit list / final merit list. This is the core of TISS admissions for these tracks.

Q2. What is the minimum CAT percentile required for HRM & LR?
For General KM AF EWS, the overall cutoff is 70 with sectional cutoffs of 60/60/60. For NC OBC and SC ST, the minimum CAT overall and sectional percentiles are lower (see Table 2).

Q3. What is the tiss selection criteria 2025 / 2026 pattern?
The selection criteria includes CAT-based weightage (plus gender diversity marks), followed by OA and personal interview stages, and then the final merit list.

Q4. How to get into TISS?
Score above the cutoffs, submit the application form correctly, clear the online personal interview, and then track each merit list update. Also ensure you have successfully completed bachelor's requirements (all the subjects) if you are candidates studying in the final year.

Q5. What happens if I enter wrong information?
If TISS finds a false declaration at any stage, it can cancel admission and take legal action. Always keep documents like relieving letters ready; after selection, the candidate submits proof and the degree certificate, and ensure your records match the eligibility criteria.