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Vipra Shrivastava
Senior Manager - Content
Updated on Dec 24, 2025 17:49 IST
IIM has shared the formula of Scaled CAT score calculation for three different slots. Read below to understand how scaled score in CAT is calculated and the formula that will be applied to prepare the CAT 2025 result of about 2.95 lakh test takers. Read more.

IIM Kozhikode will use the same formula of Scaled CAT score calculation for three different slots, as used in previous years. Read below to understand what is scaled score in CAT and how it is calculated and the formula that has been applied to prepare the CAT 2025 result.  

CAT score calculation

What is scaled score in CAT? The exam is held in three slots every batch of candidates got  different set of questions. The examination authority normalize the CAT scores of all candidates to assess their performance on a standardised scale. This is critical to ensure none of the candidates have any advantage or disadvantage over another due to varied difficulty levels of the test slot. For result preparation, CAT authorities calculate raw scores of candidates and then evaluate each performance on a common scale so that there is fairness in percentile calculation. Read below to know how CAT 2025 score has been calculated for Slot 1, Slot 2 and Slot 3. 

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Table of contents
  • What is scaled score in CAT Exam?
  • Scaled CAT Score Calculation for All Three Slots
  • CAT Scaled Score vs Percentile 2025

What is scaled score in CAT Exam?

The CAT exam pattern changed in 2020 and it became a three slot exam (earlier there were only two slots). The exam authorities introduced a modified process of Scaled CAT Score calculation in line with three-slot system. CAT 2025 will follow the same method of Scaled Score calculation for preparation of candidate scorecards. Read below to understand the scaled score in CAT and its calculation for performance normalisation and assessment. 

Also Read:

Scaled CAT Score Calculation for All Three Slots

IIMCAT has shared the formula of scaled CAT score calculation of students appearing in the exam in three different slots this year. In the process below, the CAT scaled score calculation has been explained with the example of Quantitative Aptitude section, same methodology is applied for scaled score calculation for VARC and DILR. If any candidate’s scaled score is more than 100, it will be rounded down to 100.

Step 1: Calculate the Mean (M) and the Standard Deviation (SD) of the raw scores in QA section for all candidates appearing in the morning session. Let Mean = M1 and SD = S1 and G1 = M1 + S1.

Step 2: Calculate the Mean (M) and the Standard Deviation (SD) of the raw scores in QA section for all candidates appearing in the afternoon session. Let Mean = M2 and SD = S2 and G2 = M2 +S2.

Step 3: Calculate the Mean (M)  and the Standard Deviation (SD) of the raw scores in QA section for all candidates appearing in the evening session. Let Mean = M3 and SD = S3 and G3 = M3 + S3.

Step 4: Calculate the Mean (M) and the Standard Deviation (SD) of the raw scores in QA section for all candidates appearing in CAT (i.e. including all the three sessions). Let Mean = M and SD = S and G = M + S.

Step 5: Calculate the Mean (M) raw score in QA section of the top 0.1% candidates in the morning session and denote it by M10.1 

Step 6: Calculate the Mean (M) raw score in QA of top 0.1% candidates in the afternoon session and denote it by M20.1

Step 7: Calculate the Mean (M) raw score in QA of top 0.1% candidates in the evening session and denote it by M30.1

Step 8: Calculate the Mean (M) raw score in QA of top 0.1% candidates appearing in CAT (i.e. considering all the three sessions) and denote it by M0.1.

Suppose now XYZ is a candidate who appeared in the morning session and her raw score in QA section is R. Then the scaled score of XYZ in QA, say r given by:

r = (RG1 ) M0.1G

-------------------------------- + G

M10.1G1

In case XYZ is a candidate who appeared in the afternoon session and her raw score in QA section is R. Then the scaled score of XYZ in QA, say r given by:

r = (RG2 ) M0.1G

---------------------------------------- + G

M20.1G2

In case XYZ is a candidate who appeared in the evening session and her raw score in QA section is R. Then the scaled score of XYZ in QA, say r given by:

r = (RG3 ) M0.1G

----------------------------------- + G

M30.1G3

Check in detail CAT scaled score calculation:

CAT_Scaled_Score_Calculation

CAT Scaled Score vs Percentile 2025

Check the table below for a comparison of CAT scaled score vs percentile to understand the calculation of exam score better:

Percentile

VARC Score

DILR Score

QA Score

Overall

99.9

51

46

48

122

99.5

44

39

40

103

99

40

34

33

90

98

34

31

30

81

95

30

26

25

70

90

23

19

18

53

85

19

15

16

45

80

17

13

14

40

75

15

11

12

34

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CAT Percentile predictor prepared by Shiksha.com helps students to get their predicted CAT percentile on the basis of their expected exam score. So, predict your CAT 2025 exam score by clicking the link below:

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Q:   What is the CAT exam cutoff required to get admission to IIM Bangalore?
A:

The CAT cut offs for IIM Bangalore hovers between 97-100 percentile. The qualifying CAT cut off required for being eligible for IIM Bangalore's Written Ability test (What) and Personal Interview PI is 85 percentile for General category students, whereas for SC candidates, it is 70 percentile. For ST candidates, it is 65 percentile and for PwD candidates it is 60 percentile. Given below are the sectional and overall qualifying CAT cut offs for IIM Bangalore.

  • General category: 80 VARC 75 DILR 75 Quantitative Aptitude 85 (Overall)
  • NC-OBC category: 75 VARC 65 DILR 65 Quantitative Aptitude 75 (Overall)
  • EWS category: 70 VARC 65 DILR 65 Quantitative Aptitude 75 (Overall)
  • SC category: 65 VARC 60 DILR 60 Quantitative Aptitude 70 (Overall)
  • ST category: 55 VARC 55 DILR 55 Quantitative Aptitude 65 (Overall)
  • PwD category: 50 VARC 50 DILR 50 Quantitative Aptitude 60 (Overall)
Q:   What is the difference between qualifying CAT cut off and final CAT cut off?
A:
Qualifying CAT cut off percentiles of an IIM is the minimum percentile (sectional as well as overall) required by candidates to be eligible for the Written Ability Test (What) and Personal Interview PI round. These are only eligibility score and not the score for selection. The final CAT cut off percentiles are the scores on the basis of which a candidate is actually selected for the What-PI round. The qualifying CAT cut offs are released publically before the CAT exam and result as a part of selection criteria for the MBA/PGP batch of that year. The qualifying cut offs for CAT are release category wise - General, NC/OBC. General-EWS, SC/ST, PwD. The qualifying cut offs percentiles of General category candidate is higher than then rest. The final CAT cut offs are not released publically. The cut offs are estimate on the basis of candidate's selection for What-PI. The final CAT cut offs for General category candidate is also higher than then rest.
Q:   Will CAT cut offs rise for 2026 admission?
A:

CAT cut offs do not flutuate much. For the past few years, the CAT exam cut offs for IIMs or other top colleges have not seen much change. If there is any change at all, it is in decimals. However, that decimal point too can make or mar admission chances. CAT cut offs for 2026 admission will largely remain the same as the CAT 2025 exam difficulty level was same as last year and number of takers dipped from last year.

Q:   What is the minimum CAT cut off for IIM ABC?
A:

Minimum qualifying cut off for IIM Ahmedabad is 95 percentile whereas for IIM Bangalore and IIM Calcutta, it is 85. However final cut offs for these three top IIMs are between 99 to 100 percentile.

Q:   Are CAT cut offs announced along with the CAT result?
A:

CAT cutoffs are usually not announced with the CAT result. The CAT cutoffs are also not released to the public.

They are published after a few days of the result announcement when the IIMs and other colleges start their shortlisting process. The IIMs opens their shortlisting window based on the CAT cut-offs two to three days after the result announcement. The CAT percentile of candidates shortlisted for the Written Ability Test (WAT), Group Discussion (GD), and Personal Interview (PI) can be considered the cut-off for that IIM. For example, if a candidate with a CAT percentile of 99 belonging to the General category is selected for the WAT/GD-PI of IIM Calcutta, then the CAT cut-off for IIM Calcutta is 99 percentile. Only those candidates who make it to the WAT/GD-PI round of IIMs will get to know the cut-offs.

Q:   Which MBA colleges are available with 80 percentile in CAT?
A:
There are quite a few MBA colleges who accept CAT score of 80 percentile and above for admission. The admission process for these colleges include group discussion and Personal Interview . Fore School of Management Goa Institute of Management International Management Institute, Delhi Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal Indian Institute of Management, Visakhapatnam Loyola Institute of Business Administration, Chennai Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli Praxis Business School, Kolkata Prin. L. N. Welingkar Institute of Management development & Research, Bangalore Shiva Institute of Management Studies, Ghaziabad Sydenham Institute of Management Studies, Research and Entrepreneurship Education S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research TA Pai Management Institute Trinity College for Management and Technology, Ghaziabad Click on this link for more: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/colleges-accepting-cat-scores-range-80-to-90-percentile-blogId-11981.
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Vipra Shrivastava
Senior Manager - Content

Vipra Shrivastava is MA in English Literature from Delhi University with extensive experience in content writing of over 14 years. She has been handling content for Management, Accounting and Commerce streams for 8

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