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CAT Score vs Percentile 2025: Raw Score, Scaled Score, Percentile Formula & Cutoff

Lakshmi Singh • 7 Mins read • 29 Sep 25

CAT Score vs Percentile

CAT score vs percentile has always been a hot topic among MBA aspirants. More than 2.5 lakh students appear for the CAT exam, but how many make it? Only a fraction with 2-3% (final seats in all 20 IIMs are roughly 5,000-6,000). The confusion begins when candidates see different numbers on their CAT results: raw scores, scaled scores, and percentiles. They wonder how they connect? That’s where understanding the difference between CAT raw score vs scaled score, CAT normalization process, and CAT percentile calculation becomes critical.

In simple words:

CAT score tells you how many marks you’ve earned.
CAT percentile tells you where you stand among all test-takers.

But here’s the catch:

A candidate with the same raw score in two different slots can get different scaled scores(CAT slots normalization).
Scaled scores are converted into percentiles with the use of CAT percentile formula.
CAT raw score vs scaled score is not just jargon. It impacts where you stand in the competition.

Sectional variations like CAT sectional scores in Quant, VARC, and DILR can shift the equation. And CAT score trend 2025 hints at stiff competition. In short, understanding CAT score vs percentile is more than just number-crunching. In this blog, we’ll break down:

How CAT score vs percentile differentiate?
How does the CAT percentile calculation actually work?
What role does CAT raw score vs scaled score play?
Why do CAT slots normalization change outcomes?

CAT Score vs Percentile: Raw Score and Scaled Score Explained

The CAT score vs percentile can be broken down into three simple stages:

1. CAT Raw Score

Based on the marking scheme:

+3 for correct answers
-1 for wrong MCQs
No negative marking for non-MCQs.

Shows your actual marks (But raw scores are not on the official scorecard).

2. CAT Scaled Score

CAT is held in multiple slots so raw scores are adjusted through the CAT normalization process.
Scaling removes difficulty differences in slots.
Only scaled scores are on your scorecard.

3. CAT Percentile

Reflects your relative performance compared to other candidates.
CAT percentile formula: (1 – Rank ÷ Total Candidates)×100.

Differences Between CAT Score and Percentile

The table summarizes the difference between CAT score vs percentile:

Parameters	CAT Score (Raw/Scaled)	CAT Percentile
Nature	Absolute marks (raw) Normalized (scaled)	Relative rank among all test-takers
Basis	Marking scheme+normalization	Position/rank in the merit list
On Scorecard	Only scaled score	Sectional+overall percentiles
Purpose	Ensures fairness in slots	Used for IIM shortlisting+cutoff

In short:

Raw score= your actual marks.
Scaled score= adjusted marks after normalization.
Percentile= your standing among all aspirants.

That’s how the CAT score vs percentile game stays fair and square for everyone chasing MBA seats.

CAT Score vs Percentile: Percentile Calculation Process

Here is how candidates can do CAT percentile calculation:

Total Candidates (N): Count all candidates.
Assign Ranks (R): Rank candidates based on scaled scores.
Percentile=N−RN×100\text{Percentile} = \frac{N - R}{N} \times 100Percentile=NN−R×100

This shows the percentage of candidates a person scored higher than.
Example: If 200,000 candidates appear and a candidate ranks 2,000, then Percentile= 99.

Sectional Percentiles: Calculated similarly for each section (QA, DILR, VARC).
Rounding: Percentiles are rounded to 2 decimals

CAT Score vs Percentile: CAT Normalization Process

Purpose: Adjusts raw scores from different slots to a common scale.
Why Needed: CAT is held in multiple slots and the difficulty level varies. Normalization stops slot-based advantage or disadvantage.
How It Works:

Calculate mean and standard deviation of raw scores per slot and section (VARC, DILR, QA).
Adjust scores with formula- top performers per slot help align distributions.
Computing percentiles uses scaled scores.

Example (CAT 2024):

Slot 1 was easier than slots 2 and 3.
Candidate scoring raw 30 in QA (Slot 1)- got normalized score 37.5.
Candidate scoring raw 30 in QA (Slot 2)- got normalized score 29.4.

Normalization offsets difficulty differences. It helps in achieving fair evaluations without jeopardizing the results.

CAT Score vs Percentile: CAT Score Trend 2025

Here we have curated a table of estimated CAT 2024 Score vs Percentile as per experts. It shows slot-wise marks vs percentile for the overall CAT exam and sectional scores in VARC, DILR, and QA:

CAT Percentile	VARC Score	DILR Score	QA Score	Overall Score
100%ile	59	63	57	151
99.9%ile	48	36	40	102
99%ile	41	38	33	96
98%ile	36	34	29	85
95%ile	30	27	22	70
90%ile	24	22	17	57
85%ile	20	19	14	49
80%ile	18	17	11	43

Section-wise CAT 2024 Score vs Percentile

Take a look at this detailed breakdown of approx. score thresholds required in each section and overall to achieve specific percentiles in the CAT 2024 exam

CAT Score vs Percentile: VARC

VARC Score	CAT Percentile (approx.)
59.00	100.00
41.00	99.00
36.00	98.00
30.00	95.00
24.00	90.00
20.00	85.00
18.00	80.00

CAT 2024 Score vs Percentile: DILR

DILR Score	CAT Percentile (approx.)
63.00	100.00
38.00	99.00
34.00	98.00
27.00	95.00
22.00	90.00
19.00	85.00
18.00	80.00

CAT 2024 Score vs Percentile: QA

QA Score	CAT Percentile (approx.)
57.00	100.00
33.00	99.00
29.00	98.00
22.00	95.00
17.00	90.00
14.00	85.00
11.00	80.00

CAT 2023 Overall Score vs Percentile

CAT Percentile	Scaled CAT Score
100.00	142.90
99.99	118.67
99.95	106.95
99.90	101.43
99.83	95.96
99.50	84.29
99.37	81.75
99.00	76.02
98.50	71.15
98.37	70.31
98.00	66.68
97.70	65.91
97.00	61.56
96.60	59.99
96.00	58.10
95.42	56.13
95.00	54.86
94.00	53.32
93.00	52.35
92.05	47.99
91.00	46.13
90.00	45.16
85.00	42.29
80.00	41.19
75.00	40.02

CAT 2023 VARC Score vs Percentile

CAT Percentile	Scaled Score VARC
100.00	61.66
99.99	57.32
99.87	51.02
99.50	44.00
99.26	41.76
99.00	39.70
98.21	35.88
96.72	31.47
95.00	28.68
93.50	26.33
90.00	23.39
86.43	20.66
80.00	17.58
75.00	15.27
62.28	11.53

CAT 2023 DILR Score vs Percentile

CAT Percentile	Scaled Score DILR
100.00	50.60
99.99	42.70
99.90	36.58
99.71	32.78
99.43	29.71
99.14	27.56
99.00	27.39
98.37	24.58
96.83	20.88
95.53	19.60
90.00	15.63
84.87	13.01
80.00	11.67
77.88	10.81
72.94	9.67

CAT 2023 QA Score vs Percentile

CAT Percentile	QA Scaled Score
100	49.46
99.98	41.87
99.90	37.83
99.50	31.39
99	28.18
98.50	25.73
98	24.31
97.50	23.71
97	22.70
96.50	21.69
96	21.41
95.50	20.44
95	19.68
94	17.91
93.50	17.66
93	17.54
92.50	15.00
90	13.63
80	9.20

CAT Score vs Percentile: What Raw Scores Lead to 90, 95, 99+ Percentiles?

Here is a comprehensive overview of the CAT 2025 raw score to percentile, while highlighting what raw scores lead to top CAT percentiles:

CAT Raw Score Range	Approximate Percentile Range
127+	99.9+
110 - 120	99.7 - 99.9
94 - 103	99 - 99.5
85 - 93	97 - 98
72 - 84	90 - 95
60 - 71	85 - 89
50 - 59	80 - 84

CAT Score vs Percentile: Factors That Influence Outcomes

These factors affect CAT scores and percentiles:

Paper Difficulty, Slot Variations: Different slots have different difficulties. Normalization changes raw scores into scaled scores. Same raw score has different percentiles if you compare slots.
Accuracy, Attempt Strategy: Students should maximize correct answers and minimize wrong attempts. Balanced attempts with high accuracy help to improve CAT percentiles.
Sectional Importance: Percentiles are calculated overall and section-wise (VARC, DILR, QA). Sectional cutoff matters more than you think. Weak performance in one section can hurt overall chances.

CAT exam demands the meticulously prepared minds, for that, our section can be your guide: CAT Exam Details

Conclusion

At the end of the day, CAT score vs percentile is not just numbers but about your strategy. Your CAT raw score vs scaled score, adjusted through the CAT normalization process, decides your percentile.

Keep an eye on CAT sectional scores
Understand the CAT percentile calculation
And now how CAT accepting Colleges' cutoff vs percentile works

Master these, and you’re not just scoring marks but playing the CAT score vs percentile game smart.

CAT Score vs Percentile: FAQs

Ques: What is the difference between CAT cutoff and CAT percentile?

Ans: Here is the difference

CAT percentile: shows how you performed compared to other candidates- relative.
CAT cutoff: the minimum percentile an institute needs to shortlist you for admission.

Ques: How is CAT cutoff calculated every year?

Ans: Cutoffs depend on factors like

Exam difficulty
Number of candidates
Total seats
Past trends

Institutes set cutoff percentiles to shortlist candidates.

Ques: What percentile do I need to get shortlisted by the top IIMs?

Ans: You will be needing the following

For older IIMs (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Calcutta): You need 98+ percentile.
For newer IIMs: You need 94-97 percentile, depending on the CAT score trend 2025.

Ques: Why are sectional cutoffs important in CAT?

Ans: Each section of CAT (VARC, DILR, QA) has minimum percentile requirements. Your CAT sectional scores matter because even a high overall percentile won’t help if you fail a sectional cutoff.

Ques: Can the same CAT score get different percentiles in different years?

Ans: Yes. Percentiles depend on your relative performance.

The same CAT raw score vs scaled score can give different percentiles
It is based on difficulty and the candidate pool.

Ques: How does slot-wise normalization affect CAT cutoff and percentile?

Ans: Here is the explanation

CAT is conducted in multiple slots with varying difficulty
CAT normalization process adjusts scores
So your final CAT percentile vs score is fair across slots.

Ques: Is CAT cutoff different for various categories?

Ans: Yes. The difference can be seen between cutoff of different categories:

Reserved categories often have lower cutoff percentiles (70-80 for SC/ST/OBC).
General category cutoff is higher.

Ques: Does clearing CAT cutoff guarantee admission to an IIM?

Ans: Unfortunately, no.

Clearing the CAT cutoff only gets you shortlisted for WAT, GD, and PI rounds.
Final admission depends on your performance in these rounds and your overall profile.