The latest percentile data released by IIM Kozhikode offers valuable insights into how India’s top-performing MBA aspirants are distributed across gender, academic background, and geography.

Apply to any top 250 B Schools from one window. Shortlist, save. CLICK

At the very top, 12 candidates achieved a perfect 100 percentile. While males dominated numerically (10 males, 2 females), academic diversity stood out – 9 of the 12 toppers were from non-engineering backgrounds, underlining a clear shift in competitive dynamics.

These candidates represented eight states, with Delhi contributing the highest number, followed by Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Jharkhand, and Odisha.

Just below perfection, 26 candidates scored 99.99 percentile. This group showed a more balanced academic mix, with 12 engineers and 14 non-engineers, though gender skew remained (22 males, 4 females). Haryana emerged as the leading state, while Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra continued their strong presence. Southern and eastern states such as Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and Chhattisgarh also featured prominently.

Media Release for Common Admission Test 2025 (CAT 2025)

Another 26 candidates secured 99.98 percentile, where non-engineers clearly dominated (18) and female representation improved slightly (5 females). Uttar Pradesh led this bracket, followed by Delhi, West Bengal, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Haryana.

Amrita School of Business MBA Admission & ACAT 2026 Exam. APPLY NOW

Key Takeaway for Aspirants

The data reinforces a critical trend: top percentiles are no longer engineer- or metro-centric. For MBA aspirants targeting IIMs and leading B-schools, focused preparation and strategy matter far more than background.

SJMSOM IIT MBA Admission 2026. Application Open After CAT Result

Candidates can then download their official CAT 2025 scorecards by logging into the CAT 2025 website (https://iimcat.ac.in), using the CAT application login ID and password.

MBA Entrance Exam: VITBEE vs ACAT vs IBSAT

Announcing the results of CAT 2025, Prof. Debashis Chatterjee, Director, IIM Kozhikode, said, “This year’s CAT examination was among the smoothest conducted in recent years. IIM Kozhikode feels privileged to have served as the coordinating institute and expresses its sincere gratitude, on behalf of all 22 IIMs, to all stakeholders for the seamless conduct of CAT 2025. I would particularly like to acknowledge the exemplary commitment of Prof. Ramkumar PN, Admissions Chair and CAT 2025 Convener, whose efforts were central to the successful execution of the examination. I also take this opportunity to congratulate all successful aspirants and wish them the very best for the subsequent stages of the admission process.”

Compare MBA Colleges: SJMSOM vs IIM Mumbai vs VGSoM vs DMS IIT Delhi

Top percentile scores: Count, gender, discipline, and state-wise distribution:

Overall Percentile	Total Count	Gender and Discipline	State-wise distribution
100 percentiles	12	Female - 2 Male - 10 Engg - 3 Non-Engg - 9	Uttar Pradesh	1
			Karnataka	1
			Maharashtra	1
			Delhi	3
			Haryana	2
			Gujarat	2
			Jharkhand	1
			Odisha	1
99.99 percentiles	26	Female - 4 Male - 22 Engg - 12 Non-Engg - 14	Tamil Nadu	2
			Uttar Pradesh	4
			Maharashtra	4
			Gujarat	1
			Delhi	1
			Haryana	5
			Madhya Pradesh	2
			Chhattisgarh	1
			West Bengal	2
			Rajasthan	3
			Andhra Pradesh	1
99.98 percentiles	26	Female - 5 Male - 21 Engg - 8 Non-Engg - 18	Gujarat	2
			West Bengal	3
			Delhi	4
			Maharashtra	2
			Uttar Pradesh	7
			Rajasthan	1
			Chandigarh	1
			Madhya Pradesh	2
			Karnataka	1
			Odisha	1
			Haryana	2

Out of the 2.95 lakhs registered eligible candidates, 1.10 lakh were female, 1.85 lakh were male, and 9 were transgender candidates. Of the 2.58 lakh candidates who appeared, 0.97 lakh were female, 1.61 lakh were male, and 9 were transgender candidates.
Of the 2.95 lakhs registered eligible candidates, the category-wise breakup is as follows: General – 65.76%, EWS – 5.26%, NC-OBC – 17.82%, SC – 8.78%, ST – 2.38%, PwD (across categories) – 0.49%. Of the 2.58 lakhs candidates appeared, General – 65.32%, EWS – 5.59%, NC-OBC – 18.52%, SC – 8.34%, ST – 2.22%, PwD (across categories) – 0.47%.
IIMs will release their shortlists for subsequent admission processes based on the CAT 2025 scores and other criteria specific to each IIM’s Admissions policies.
93 non-IIM institutions will also use CAT 2025 scores this year for admission into their management programmes. The details of non-IIM institutions registered with CAT 2025 can be found on the CAT 2025 website. Candidates are advised to check the CAT website to ensure that the institutions to which they are applying with their CAT score are registered with the CAT 2025 centre.
The CAT Convener sincerely thanks the print and digital media covering CAT 2025 for their support and dissemination of information to prospective candidates throughout the entire CAT 2025 process.