CAT Percentile vs Score (Marks): 2025, 2024 & Past Years

If you’ve started preparing for the CAT exam, you’ve probably heard people talk about percentiles more than marks. That’s because in CAT, what truly matters for IIM calls is not your raw score but your percentile. 

Knowing the relationship between CAT percentile vs score helps you set clear score targets and track your preparation progress effectively.

Below, we have shared the expected CAT marks vs percentile 2025, using the latest trends and data from CAT 2024 and previous years. 

You’ll learn how scores are converted into percentiles, what marks are needed for 99+, 95, or 90 percentile, and how normalization affects your final percentile. 

What is CAT Score?

Your CAT score is the total number of marks you earn in the exam based on correct and incorrect answers. 

The CAT Exam has three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA), with a total of around 198 marks. 

For every correct answer, you get +3 marks, and for every wrong answer, –1 mark is deducted. Unattempted questions have no penalty.

Below is a quick example:

If you answer 60 questions correctly and get 15 wrong, your total score will be:

(60×3)−(15×1)=180−15=165

This raw score (165) is then scaled and normalized across all slots to ensure fairness before being converted into a percentile.

What is CAT Percentile?

Your CAT percentile shows how you performed compared to all other candidates who appeared for the exam. It doesn’t represent your marks but your rank among test takers. For example, if your percentile is 99, it means you scored higher than 99% of candidates who took the test.

The percentile is calculated using this formula:

Percentile (P)= (N−R/N) x 100

Where: 

• N = total number of candidates who appeared for CAT, 
• R = your rank based on scaled score.

Since CAT 2025 will be conducted in three slots, IIMs use a normalization process to ensure fairness among sessions before percentile calculation.

Example: Suppose 2.5 lakh students appear, and your rank is 2,500.

P= (2,50,000−2,500/ 2,50,000) × 100 = 99

So, your CAT percentile is 99 – meaning you’re among the top 1% of all test-takers.

CAT 2025 Score vs Percentile (Expected)

Based on past years CAT exam analysis, normalization data, and difficulty patterns, here’s the expected CAT marks vs percentile 2025.

CAT Percentile (2025)	Expected CAT Score (Out of 198)	What It Means / IIMs in Range
99.9 – 100	115 – 120+	Top 0.1% candidates; IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta likely
99 – 99.5	98 – 110	Excellent score range; eligible for calls from IIM K, L, I, and top IITs
97 – 98.9	85 – 95	Competitive for new IIMs, SPJIMR, FMS Delhi
95 – 96.9	70 – 80	Suitable for IIM Trichy, IIM Udaipur, IIM Raipur
90 – 94.9	60 – 68	Possible calls from baby IIMs, IIT Roorkee, IMT Ghaziabad
85 – 89.9	50 – 58	Can expect calls from TAPMI, GIM Goa, Great Lakes, FORE
80 – 84.9	45 – 50	Decent performance; may get non-IIM Tier 1 B-schools
Below 80	<45	Good start but needs improvement for IIMs or top colleges

Scoring around 100 marks in CAT 2025 should place you roughly around the 99 percentile mark. However, this can change slightly depending on how tough each section turns out in your slot.

CAT Percentile vs Score 2025 (Sectional)

While the overall percentile determines your final CAT ranking, sectional percentiles are equally crucial because every IIM shortlists candidates based on sectional cutoffs too. Based on past years data and difficulty trends, below is the expected section-wise CAT 2025 score vs percentile.

Section	99 Percentile	95 Percentile	90 Percentile	80 Percentile
VARC (Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension)	42–45	33–36	27–30	20–22
DILR (Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning)	38–40	28–30	22–24	17–18
QA (Quantitative Aptitude)	33–35	25–27	18–20	13–15

As per recent trends, VARC and DILR continue to be the most competitive sections, while QA is slightly more predictable. Scoring around 100 marks overall with balanced sectionals can comfortably secure a 99 percentile. 

These CAT 2025 section-wise marks vs percentile estimates help aspirants identify their weak areas and plan preparation effectively.

Also explore: CAT Online Coaching

How Many Marks Are Needed for 99+ Percentile in CAT 2025?

Aiming for a 99+ percentile in CAT 2025 means positioning yourself among the top 1% of test-takers, which is roughly the top 2,000 out of more than 2 lakh aspirants. 

Based on the last few years’ patterns, scoring between 95 and 105 marks out of 198 is usually enough to cross this benchmark.

Percentile Range	Expected Marks in CAT 2025	Level of Competitiveness
99.9 – 100	110 – 120+	Exceptional (Top 0.1% – 0.2%)
99.5 – 99.9	100 – 110	Excellent (Top 0.5%)
99 – 99.5	95 – 100	Very Strong (Top 1%)

CAT Percentile vs Marks 2024

Check below the overall CAT 2024 percentile vs score:

Percentile	Overall Score
100	151
99	96
98	85
95	70
90	57
85	49
80	43

Candidates scoring around 96 marks secured 99 percentile, while a perfect 151 fetched 100 percentile.

VARC Score vs Percentile

Percentile	VARC Score
100	59
99	41
98	36
95	30
90	24
85	20
80	18

This section-wise CAT 2024 score and percentile chart shows that a scaled score near 41 yielded 99 percentile in VARC. 

DILR Score vs Percentile

Percentile	DILR Score
100	63
99	38
98	34
95	27
90	22
85	19
80	17

As per the CAT 2024 score and percentile analysis, DILR continued to be challenging, with 38 scaled marks required for 99 percentile. 

Quants Score vs Percentile

Percentile	QA Score
100	57
99	33
98	29
95	22
90	17
85	14
80	11

The CAT score and percentile data of 2024 indicate that around 33 scaled marks led to 99 percentile in Quantitative Aptitude.

More important resources for CAT exam:

CAT Answer Key	CAT VARC Syllabus
CAT Exam Eligibility	CAT Exam Pattern
CAT DILR Syllabus	CAT Exam Syllabus
CAT Admit Card	Best Books for CAT Exam
CAT Practice Questions	CAT Quant Questions
CAT Quant Syllabus

CAT Percentile vs Score 2023

In CAT 2023, a score of around 76 marks secured the 99 percentile. This year saw a moderately tough paper, especially in DILR. 

The trend indicates that aspirants targeting 99+ percentile needed strong accuracy rather than high attempts, emphasizing the importance of balanced performance across all three sections.

Marks in 2023	Percentile
101	99.9
84	99.5
76	99
61	97
54	95
44	90
35	80

CAT Score vs Percentile 2022

Marks in 2022	Percentile
109	99.9
92	99.5
84	99
72	97
62	95
49	90
36.02	80

The CAT 2022 exam was slightly tougher than 2023, with 84 marks giving a 99 percentile. QA was notably challenging, pulling overall attempts down. The data shows that consistent accuracy and time management can yield a high percentile even without attempting all questions in CAT.

CAT Marks vs Percentile 2021

Marks in 2021	Percentile
124	99.9
110	99.5
98	99
82	97
73	95
60	90
45	80

In CAT 2021, the paper was relatively moderate, and a 98-mark score was enough for 99 percentile. The overall cutoffs were slightly higher than in subsequent years. Students who excelled in VARC had a clear advantage, as that section carried significant weightage in normalization.

CAT Marks vs Percentile 2020

Marks in 2020	Percentile
130	99.9
115	99.5
101	99
85	97
76	95
63	90
48	80

The CAT 2020 exam saw the highest cutoffs of the past few years, with 101 marks leading to 99 percentile. QA was comparatively easier, driving overall scores upward. This trend highlights how changes in difficulty directly influence percentile conversions year to year.

CAT Percentile vs Score Comparison

Percentile	CAT 2024	CAT 2023	CAT 2022	CAT 2021	CAT 2020
99.9	151	101	109	124	130
99.5	96	84	92	110	115
99	85	76	84	98	101
97	70	61	72	82	85
95	57	54	62	73	76
90	49	44	49	60	63
85	43	35	36	45	48

Mentor’s Insight on CAT Marks vs Percentile Trend:

From 2020 to 2024, the CAT score vs percentile trend shows a steady decline in the marks needed for top percentiles, especially post-2021. This shift reflects a slightly higher difficulty in recent papers — particularly in DILR and VARC.

While CAT 2020 required 101 marks for 99 percentile, CAT 2024 needed around 85 marks for the same level. Such variations prove that percentile depends more on relative performance and normalization rather than raw score alone.

For CAT 2025 aspirants, the smart strategy is to focus on accuracy, section-wise balance, and consistent mock analysis rather than chasing extremely high attempts. Reaching 95+ percentile with 60–70 marks is very achievable with targeted practice.

Practice with CAT PYQs:

CAT Previous Year Papers	CAT 2025 Question Paper
CAT 2024 Question Paper	CAT 2023 Question Paper
CAT 2022 Question Paper	CAT 2021 Question Paper
CAT 2020 Question Paper	CAT 2019 Question Paper

CAT VARC Score vs Percentile

CAT 2024 

Percentile	VARC Score
99.9	55
99.5	44
99	40
97	33
95	30
90	24
85	20
80	18
75	15

CAT 2023

Percentile	VARC Score
100	61.66
99.99	57.32
99.87	51.02
99.5	44
99.26	41.76
99	39.7
98.21	35.88
96.72	31.47
95	28.68
93.5	26.33
90	23.39
86.43	20.66
80	17.58
75	15.27

CAT 2022

Percentile	VARC Score
99.94	52.43
99.73	45.57
99.41	41.77
98.12	35.42
97.84	34.18
95.35	29.12
93.43	26.59
90.8	24.06
83.13	18.99
77.59	16.46

Explore additional free resources for CAT Exam:

CAT DILR Mock Test	CAT VARC Mock Test
CAT Quant Mock Test	CAT Study Material

CAT DILR Score vs Percentile

CAT 2024

Percentile	DILR Score
99.9	50
99.5	41
99	37
97	30
95	27
90	22
85	19
80	17
75	14

CAT 2023

Percentile	DILR Score
100	50.6
99.99	42.7
99.9	36.58
99.71	32.78
99.43	29.71
99.14	27.56
99	27.39
98.37	24.58
96.83	20.88
95.53	19.6
90	15.63
84.87	13.01
80	11.67

CAT 2022

Percentile	DILR Score
99.99	48.31
99.98	45.98
99.61	34.37
99.41	31.96
99.33	30.89
97.37	22.76
96.67	21.6
92.29	16.95
89.56	14.75

CAT Quants Score vs Percentile

CAT 2024

Percentile	QA Score
99.9	45
99.5	36
99	33
97	25
95	22
90	17
85	13
80	11
75	9

CAT 2022

Percentile	QA Score
99.95	49.38
99.9	46.3
99.86	44.26
99.45	36.85
99.38	36.07
97.46	26.85
95.72	23.31
85.97	14.57

Section-Wise CAT Percentile Comparison (2022–2024)

Year	VARC (99%ile Score)	DILR (99%ile Score)	QA (99%ile Score)
CAT 2024	40	37	33
CAT 2023	39.7	27.4	~30*
CAT 2022	41.7	31.9	44.2

Note: QA 2023 score approximated based on overall difficulty pattern (official sectional data not released).

Marks-Wise CAT Percentile

Marks	Approx. CAT Percentile (2024 Trend)
10 marks in CAT percentile	55 – 60 percentile
20 marks in CAT percentile	70 – 75 percentile
30 marks in CAT percentile	85 – 87 percentile
40 marks in CAT percentile	93 – 95 percentile
50 marks in CAT percentile	97 – 98 percentile
60 marks in CAT percentile	98.5 – 99 percentile
70 marks in CAT percentile	99.2 – 99.5 percentile
80 marks in CAT percentile	99.7 percentile
90 marks in CAT percentile	99.85 percentile
100 marks in CAT percentile	99.9+ percentile

Normalization in CAT 2025

Since the paper varies slightly in difficulty across the slots, the IIMs use a normalization process to ensure fairness and equal scoring for all candidates, no matter which slot they write in.

Normalization is a statistical method used to adjust the raw scores of candidates across different slots to a common scale. This ensures that if one slot is slightly tougher than another, students are not unfairly penalized for it.

In simple terms:

“If your paper was tougher, your score will be adjusted upwards; if it was easier, it will be scaled accordingly.”

• Normalization ensures transparency and fairness across sessions.
• You should focus on maximizing accuracy in your slot rather than worrying about difficulty levels.
• Even if your slot feels tougher, normalization will balance it.

Mentor’s Tip:

“Never compare raw marks with friends who appeared in a different slot – it’s meaningless until normalization.”

Top B-Schools in India Based on CAT Percentile 2025

Colleges Accepting 98–100 Percentile in CAT

• Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM Ahmedabad)
• Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM Bangalore)
• Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIM Calcutta)
• Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi (FMS Delhi)
• Indian Institute of Management Lucknow (IIM Lucknow)
• Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIM Kozhikode)
• Indian Institute of Management Indore (IIM Indore)

A percentile above 98 can secure calls from the top IIMs and elite institutes like FMS Delhi. This is the benchmark for India’s most competitive management programs, typically demanding 99+ percentile for general category students.

Colleges Accepting 95–98 Percentile in CAT

• Indian Institute of Management Shillong (IIM Shillong)
• SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai (SPJIMR Mumbai)
• National Institute of Industrial Engineering, Mumbai (NITIE Mumbai)
• Management Development Institute, Gurgaon (MDI Gurgaon)
• Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT)
• Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management, IIT Bombay (SJMSOM IIT Bombay)
• Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi)
• New IIMs (Udaipur, Ranchi, Raipur, Trichy, Rohtak)

With a percentile between 95 and 98, aspirants can target top-tier institutes beyond the Big 6 IIMs, including SPJIMR, MDI, NITIE, and top IIT B-schools. This range offers a great balance between high-quality education and realistic competition.

Colleges Accepting 90–95 Percentile in CAT

• Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad (IMT Ghaziabad)
• Baby IIMs (Amritsar, Bodh Gaya, Nagpur, Sambalpur)
• Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB)
• Vinod Gupta School of Management, IIT Kharagpur (VGSoM IIT Kharagpur)
• Department of Industrial and Management Engineering, IIT Kanpur (IME IIT Kanpur)
• International Management Institute, Delhi (IMI Delhi)

A 90–95 percentile in CAT 2025 can still get you into strong B-schools like IMT Ghaziabad, XIMB, and Baby IIMs. With an impressive profile and good interview performance, students in this range can secure admissions to reputed management institutes.

Factors Affecting CAT Percentile

• Difficulty Level of the Paper: If the paper is tougher, overall scores drop and the percentile cutoffs lower accordingly.
• Normalization Across Slots: Since CAT is held in three slots, normalization ensures fairness – but it can shift scaled scores slightly up or down.
• Total Number of Test-Takers: A higher number of candidates means more competition and tighter percentile distribution, especially around 90–99 range.
• Sectional Performance: Strong performance in even one section can significantly raise your overall percentile due to its weighted impact.
• Accuracy Rate: Negative marking penalizes random guessing; maintaining over 85–90% accuracy is crucial for high percentile.
• Time Management: How efficiently you allocate 40 minutes per section affects your number of attempts and overall score.
• Slot Variation: Slight differences in question patterns or difficulty between slots influence raw-to-scaled score conversion.
• Distribution of Scores: Percentiles depend on how other students perform – if the majority score low, even moderate scores can yield high percentiles.
• Number of Questions Attempted: Attempting too few questions limits potential marks; attempting too many increases error chances – both affect percentile.
• Balance Across Sections: Many IIMs require minimum sectional cutoffs; failing one section can bring down your overall percentile impact.
• Accuracy in Non-MCQs (TITA Questions): TITA questions have no negative marking – accuracy here can safely boost your raw and scaled scores.
• Statistical Scaling Process: The mean and standard deviation-based scaling used by IIMs slightly changes year to year, influencing percentile mapping.

Expert Tips to Improve Your CAT Percentile

• Master the Basics First: Build a solid conceptual foundation in Quant, LRDI, and VARC. Accuracy and speed come only after you understand fundamentals thoroughly.
• Focus on Accuracy, Not Attempts: Every wrong answer costs marks. Aim for 85–90% accuracy, even if it means attempting fewer questions. High accuracy always beats reckless attempts.
• Analyze Every Mock Test Deeply: After each CAT mock test, spend 2–3 hours analyzing errors, weak areas, and time wasted. Improvement happens in analysis, not just during the test.
• Balance All Three Sections: Don’t ignore any section. Even one weak area can hurt your overall percentile since IIMs require sectional cutoffs.
• Simulate Real Exam Conditions: Practice mocks in the same 2-hour slot timing, without breaks or distractions, to build mental stamina for CAT exam day.
• Work on Reading Speed and Comprehension: For VARC, daily reading of editorials and analytical articles helps improve comprehension speed and critical reasoning skills.
• Develop Logical Patterns in DILR: DILR rewards pattern recognition. Practice varied sets daily to get comfortable with unconventional puzzles and data types.
• Track and Improve Weak Topics: Keep a “mistake notebook” – revisit questions you got wrong and learn the concept behind each. Progress compounds with consistency.
• Take Sectional Tests Regularly: Don’t rely only on full-length mocks. Focused sectional tests help improve speed and familiarity with question patterns in each area.
• Stay Calm During the Exam: Nervousness lowers efficiency. If a section feels tough, remember – it’s tough for everyone, and normalization will balance it out.
• Revise Formulae and Shortcuts Weekly: Keep revising key formulas, theorems, and tricks to avoid wasting time recalling them during the exam.

India’s Top CAT/MBA Prep Programs:

• Online XAT Coaching
• Online SNAP Coaching
• Online OMET Coaching

Best Offline Coaching Programs for CAT:

CAT Coaching in Jaipur	CAT Coaching in Indore
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FAQs About CAT Score vs Percentile 2025