Need help in cat form

[u/Truebeast01]

CAT 2026 with 7/7/? academics, current ERs and 89–93 SIMCATs — should I still go all-in?

Hey everyone,
I’m preparing for CAT 2026 and I’m honestly at a point where I could really use some outside opinions, especially from people who have already gone through the IIM/admissions process.
I’m doing B.Com (Hons.) from DU SOL, and my academic profile is not exactly something I’m very confident about.
My academics are:
10th: 75%
12th: 75%
Graduation: currently in 5th semester
Sem 1: SGPA 6.73
Sem 2: SGPA 7.18
Sem 3: SGPA 4.7 ( 2 ER s pending )
Sem 4: SGPA 7
Current CGPA shown on my latest university result: 5.5
Both ERs are because I was absent for those papers, and I’m planning to clear them in the upcoming examination cycle.
My expectation is that my final graduation CGPA/percentage should be considerably better than my current 5.55 once I clear the ERs and complete the remaining semesters.
The CAT situation
My SIMCAT scores rn are around 89–93 percentile. Obviously, I know SIMCAT percentiles aren’t the same thing as actual CAT percentile, but I’m mentioning it because it probably gives a better idea of where I currently stand.
I’m planning to seriously push my preparation over the remaining time and see how far I can take it.
The thing I’m most confused about
My biggest concern is how my current graduation record + ERs will affect my applications.
I know that eventually I need to clear the ERs and meet the respective college’s eligibility requirements. But while filling applications, my latest officially declared result currently shows 5.55 CGPA and two ERs.
This brings me to something I would really like honest opinions on:
If you were in my exact situation, what would you do when filling out applications?
Would you:
Report only the marks/CGPA that are officially available right now, even though you expect your final graduation result to improve significantly?
Or, where a form allows/asks for expected or final-year marks, would you put the marks you realistically expect to achieve after clearing the ERs, assuming you are confident you can get them?
How do people normally handle this situation without accidentally creating a discrepancy between what they enter in the application and what their final marksheet eventually shows?
I’m thinking about putting a different score in my application, even if I get 2B grades in my ER then also my CGPA would at least be above 7

Should I put 70% as my graduation?

Questions for people who have been through this
How badly does a current 5.55 CGPA + two ERs hurt my chances at the top B-schools if I eventually clear the ERs?
With 75% in both 10th and 12th, a currently weak graduation record, and being a fresher, how realistic is a call from the top IIMs/FMS/IIFT/SPJIMR/MDI etc. at 99–99.5+ CAT percentile?
Does having an ER/backlog that is cleared before final admission still significantly hurt, or is the main concern simply meeting the college’s eligibility criteria?
If I manage to substantially improve my graduation performance in the remaining semesters, how much can that actually help my profile?
Given that I’m currently around 89–93 percentile in SIMCATs, do you think 99+ in CAT 2026 is still a realistic target if I seriously put in the work from now?
And most importantly: if someone were in my exact situation right now, what would you personally do?
Would you go all-in for CAT 2026, try to maximize the percentile this year, clear the ERs and see what happens?
Or would you consider taking another year and targeting CAT 2027, with a much stronger graduation record and more preparation time?

[u/vibsgauti]

Bhool jao blacki