CAT 2025 Score vs Percentile

CAT score is the number of marks you earn in the exam, while a CAT percentile is your relative rank compared to all other test-taker. CAT score vs percentile analysis is done by coaching institutes every year based on the exam difficulty. Check complete analysis of CAT 2025 score vs percentile below.

CAT 2025 Score vs Percentile: IIM Kozhikode conducted CAT 2025 exam on November 30. CAT 2025 score of 84.8, 62.3, and 51.5 (out of 204), converted to 99, 95 and 90 percentile, respectively. The conducting IIMs do not publish the data for CAT score vs percentile, the data presented by coaching institutes is derived based on the exam difficulty level and first-hand student reaction. Check details on CAT 2025 score vs percentile below.

CAT 2025 Score vs Percentile (Overall)

The following table displays the scaled scores corresponding to various percentiles for CAT 2025. These figures are derived from independent analysis of candidate scorecards across coaching platforms. Official testing bodies do not release a centralised score-to-percentile chart.

Source: Analysis of candidate scorecards done by coaching institutes.

Section-wise CAT 2025 Score vs Percentile (VARC, DILR, QA)

Sectional performance targets vary across the three exam sections due to differing question distributions and section difficulty levels.

CAT Normalisation Process

CAT is administered across multiple sessions to accommodate test-taker volume. To ensure fairness across slots with varying difficulty levels, IIMs employ an official normalisation process. This methodology scales raw scores across different sessions by aligning session-specific reference points—incorporating session means, standard deviations, and top-percentile performance benchmarks—with overall aggregate parameters.

CAT 2025 Score vs Percentile: Raw Score Calculation

Understanding the distinction between raw scores and scaled scores is essential for interpreting your performance correctly. Percentiles are calculated entirely from scaled scores, not raw marks.

The CAT 2025 examination pattern consisted of 68 total questions carrying a maximum of 204 marks (VARC: 24 questions / 72 marks; DILR: 22 questions / 66 marks; QA: 22 questions / 66 marks). The marking scheme awards +3 marks for every correct answer, imposes a −1 mark penalty for incorrect Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), and applies no negative marking for Type In The Answer (TITA) questions or unattempted items.

Raw Score Formula: (3 × Number of Correct Answers) − (1 × Number of Incorrect MCQs)

CAT Scaled Score Calculation Process

Formula for calculating scaled score is as follows:

In the above formula,

• R: The candidate's raw score in a specific section.
• M₁: Mean raw score of all candidates in that specific slot/session.
• M: Mean raw score across all sessions combined.
• M_0.1: Mean raw score of the top 0.1% of candidates in that specific slot.
• M_0.1 (overall): Mean raw score of the top 0.1% of candidates across all sessions combined. (Note: Exact parameter definitions can slightly adapt per year's official IIM specification).

How is CAT Percentile Calculated?

The CAT percentile formula determines the percentage of candidates who scored below a given candidate:

Formula for calculating CAT Percentile: (N - r / N) * 100

In the above formula, N represents the total number of candidates who appeared across all test sessions (approximately 2,58,000 for CAT 2025), and r is the candidate's merit rank based on scaled scores. Candidates with identical scaled scores share the same rank. Percentiles are rounded off to two decimal places, with scores of 99.995 and above rounded to 100.

Difference between Percentile and Percentage in CAT Exam

A 99 percentile does not mean achieving 99% of total exam marks. On the CAT 2025 scaled scale, a 99 percentile corresponded to 84.8 marks out of 204 (roughly 41.5%). Furthermore, percentile is distinct from raw rank, and identical percentile scores do not translate to identical marks across different years due to exam difficulty fluctuations.

Raw Score vs Scaled Score vs Percentile

Because the examination is administered across multiple slots with varying difficulty levels, raw scores undergo a statistical normalisation process. Sectional scaled scores are generated independently per section, and their sum forms the overall scaled score. Official CAT scorecards display scaled scores and final percentiles rather than raw marks.

NOTE: Same raw score can give different scaled score as normalisation process considers for the relative difficulty of a specific session, a raw score of 55 in a comparatively tougher slot may scale upward more significantly than the exact same raw score in an easier slot. Exact scaled scores cannot be independently replicated without the complete distribution dataset for all test-takers.