CAT 2026 salary & posts — pay level, in-hand, department
CAT (Common Admission Test (CAT)) fills 9 posts across 9 departments or services in groups Old IIM, Non-IIM (accepts CAT), New IIM. The table below lists each post with its department, group and pay level, taken from the same verified data as the CAT guide.
Pay levels run from 2-year full-time MBA up to 2-year full-time MBA/PGP, so the post you finally get matters as much as clearing the exam.
✓ Data verified 4 Oct 2026
Posts, department, group and pay level
| Post | Department | Group | Pay level |
|---|---|---|---|
| PGP (MBA-equivalent flagship) | IIM Ahmedabad | Old IIM | 2-year full-time MBA/PGP |
| PGP | IIM Bangalore | Old IIM | 2-year full-time MBA/PGP |
| PGP / PGDM (MBA) | IIM Calcutta | Old IIM | 2-year full-time MBA/PGP |
| PGP · ABM · PGP-SM (HRM) | IIM Lucknow | Old IIM | 2-year full-time MBA/PGP |
| PGP · other MBA programs | IIM Kozhikode | Old IIM | 2-year full-time MBA/PGP |
| PGP · PGP-HRM | IIM Indore | Old IIM | 2-year full-time MBA/PGP |
| PGP | IIM Shillong | Old IIM | 2-year full-time MBA/PGP |
| MBA · MBA (Financial Management) | Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), University of Delhi | Non-IIM (accepts CAT) | 2-year full-time MBA |
| PGP via CAP (Common Admission Process) | Newer IIMs — typically Bodh Gaya, Jammu, Kashipur, Ranchi, Sirmaur, Udaipur and other newer institutes (participation varies by year) | New IIM | 2-year full-time MBA/PGP |
Posts grouped by pay level
| Pay level | Posts |
|---|---|
| 2-year full-time MBA/PGP | PGP (MBA-equivalent flagship) · PGP · PGP / PGDM (MBA) · PGP · ABM · PGP-SM (HRM) · PGP · other MBA programs · PGP · PGP-HRM · PGP · PGP via CAP (Common Admission Process) |
| 2-year full-time MBA | MBA · MBA (Financial Management) |
Special requirements and notes by post
- PGP (MBA-equivalent flagship):
Shortlist weights CAT percentile 65% + Application Rating 35% (PGP 2026-28 policy), then AWT + PI; qualifying bar raised to 95 overall / 85 sectional
- PGP:
Strong weighting to academics, work experience and diversity in shortlisting; documented WAT + PI
- PGP / PGDM (MBA):
Composite PI shortlist with strong CAT weight; AWT + PI; strong finance pipeline
- PGP · ABM · PGP-SM (HRM):
Multiple programs with separate shortlist criteria
- PGP · other MBA programs:
Conducted CAT 2025; profile-based shortlisting beyond the CAT percentile
- PGP · PGP-HRM:
Convening institute for CAT 2026; composite shortlists with academics and diversity factors
- PGP:
GD/PI-centric selection after CAT-based shortlisting
- MBA · MBA (Financial Management):
Very high return-on-investment; General-category shortlists historically around 98–99 percentile, computed from a composite of CAT score and Class 10/12 marks
- PGP via CAP (Common Admission Process):
A shared CAP round (WAT + PI) after institute-wise shortlists; cutoffs meaningfully lower than the old IIMs
What pay level and in-hand salary mean
Pay level. Central government posts are placed on a pay matrix. A line such as "Level 2 · ₹19,900–63,200" says which row of the matrix the post sits in, followed by the entry pay and the top of the pay band as printed in the notification. The entry figure is the basic pay you start on; it is not what reaches your bank account.
Basic pay versus in-hand. In-hand (take-home) salary is basic pay plus allowances such as dearness allowance, house rent allowance and travel allowance, minus deductions. Allowances such as house rent and travel vary with the class of city you are posted in, which is why the same post can pay differently in different places.
Why this page does not give a single in-hand figure. The data for this exam gives the official pay level only. Because allowances depend on the posting city and deductions depend on the individual, any single take-home number would be a guess, so none is shown.
Group. The group letter or label is how the post is classified in the notification. Posts in the same group can still sit at different pay levels, so always read the pay level column, not the group alone.
Always confirm with the notification. Pay levels, vacancies and department lists can change between cycles. The official notification is the final word.
Choosing between posts
Look at pay level first, then at the department and the nature of the job (desk, field or physical). Check any special requirements listed above before you rank posts, because a post you do not qualify for cannot be a fallback.
Before you decide, confirm that you meet the age and education rules on the CAT eligibility page, and see how the stages are scored on the CAT exam pattern page.
CAT salary & posts — FAQs
Which posts are covered in CAT and what is the pay level of each?
PGP (MBA-equivalent flagship) — 2-year full-time MBA/PGP; PGP — 2-year full-time MBA/PGP; PGP / PGDM (MBA) — 2-year full-time MBA/PGP; PGP · ABM · PGP-SM (HRM) — 2-year full-time MBA/PGP; PGP · other MBA programs — 2-year full-time MBA/PGP; PGP · PGP-HRM — 2-year full-time MBA/PGP; PGP — 2-year full-time MBA/PGP; MBA · MBA (Financial Management) — 2-year full-time MBA; PGP via CAP (Common Admission Process) — 2-year full-time MBA/PGP.
Which CAT post has the highest pay level?
PGP (MBA-equivalent flagship), PGP, PGP / PGDM (MBA), PGP · ABM · PGP-SM (HRM), PGP · other MBA programs, PGP · PGP-HRM, PGP, PGP via CAP (Common Admission Process) (2-year full-time MBA/PGP), going by the pay levels listed in the data on this page.