The CAT 2025 exam evaluates candidates through three sections, viz, VARC, DILR, and QA, with each correct answer earning +3 marks and a -1 penalty for wrong MCQs, while TITA questions have no negative marking. The total marks obtained from your raw score. However, since CAT is conducted in multiple slots with varying difficulty levels, scores are adjusted using a normalisation process to ensure fairness. This gives you a scaled score, which is then used to calculate the percentile, indicating how well you performed relative to other test-takers. For example, a 95 percentile means you scored better than 95% of the candidates. The percentile is calculated using a statistical formula based on the total number of candidates and their rank after scaling. Even a slight difference in raw scores can significantly impact your percentile. Therefore, understanding CAT score vs percentile is vital for aspirants targeting top IIMs and B-schools, where percentiles—not just raw scores—determine shortlisting.
- What is the CAT Score?
- What is the CAT Percentile?
- Steps to Calculate CAT Score vs Percentile 2025
- How to Calculate Percentile in CAT 2025?
- What is the Difference Between CAT Raw Score & CAT Scaled Score?
- CAT Normalisation Process 2025
- Formula Used in Calculating CAT Percentile and Scaled Scores
- Final Word
What is the CAT Score?
In CAT 2025, your score is the total marks you get based on your answers. You earn +3 marks for each correct answer and lose 1 mark for each wrong MCQ. There is no negative marking for TITA (non-MCQ) questions. The exam has three sections – VARC, DILR, and QA. Your marks from all three sections are added to get your raw score, which is then adjusted (scaled) if your exam slot was easier or harder than others.
Your percentile shows how well you did compared to other students. For example, a 90 percentile means you scored better than 90% of the candidates. The percentile depends on your score and how many students scored more or less than you. This helps IIMs and other B-schools rank students fairly. Even a slight difference in score can make a big difference in percentile, so knowing the CAT score vs percentile is important while preparing.
Also Check: CAT Total Marks 2025: Marking Scheme, Pattern Trends, Benefits
What is the CAT Percentile?
Your CAT score shows how many marks you got in the exam. But your CAT percentile shows how well you did compared to other students. A percentile tells you what percentage of students scored less than or equal to you. For example, if your percentile is 98, it means you scored better than 98% of all students who took the exam. Percentiles are given for each section and for your overall score. Top MBA colleges like IIMs use percentiles (not just raw scores) to select candidates for the next rounds.
Steps to Calculate CAT Score vs Percentile 2025
To ensure fairness across different exam slots, CAT 2025 uses a process called normalisation. This process adjusts raw scores based on the difficulty level of each slot. Below are the simplified steps used to calculate CAT score vs percentile, especially for the Quantitative Aptitude (QA) section.
Step 1: Find the average score (mean) and standard deviation (spread of marks) in the Quant (QA) section for the morning slot. Let’s name them:
- M1 = average score
- S1 = standard deviation
- G1 = M1 + S1
Step 2: Do the same for the afternoon slot:
- M2 = average score
- S2 = standard deviation
- G2 = M2 + S2
Step 3: Repeat this for the evening slot:
- M3 = average score
- S3 = standard deviation
- G3 = M3 + S3
Step 4: Now calculate the overall average score and standard deviation across all slots combined:
- M = overall average
- S = overall standard deviation
- G = M + S
Step 5 to Step 7: Find the average score of the top 0.1% of students in each slot:
- Morning = M1 (0.1)
- Afternoon = M2 (0.1)
- Evening = M3 (0.1)
Step 8: Then find the average score of the top 0.1% of all students in all slots:
- This is called M (0.1)
How to Calculate Percentile in CAT 2025?
The CAT 2025 Percentile Calculation Process involves raw scores, scaled scores, and final percentiles. Since the exam is conducted in different slots, scores are normalised to scaled scores. Based on the scaled score, the CAT Percentile 2025 is calculated.
- Count the total number of candidates who appeared for CAT 2025.
- Identify the number of candidates who scored less than you.
- Use the formula: Percentile = (No. of candidates scoring less than you / Total candidates) × 100
- This is done separately for each section and the overall score.
What is the Difference Between CAT Raw Score & CAT Scaled Score?
The CAT raw score is the total of marks you get by answering questions correctly. Candidates will get 3 marks for each correct answer and lose 1 mark for each wrong MCQ. There is no negative marking for TITA questions. The CAT scaled score is calculated after adjusting the raw score for the difficulty level of different exam slots. This is done through a process called normalisation. The scaled score is used to determine the final percentile.
Also Check: CAT Exam Difficulty: Year-on-Year Comparison
CAT Normalisation Process 2025
CAT 2025 is conducted in multiple slots, and each slot can have a different difficulty level. Normalisation is used to ensure fairness. This method makes sure that no student is at an advantage or disadvantage based on the exam slot they were assigned.
- Your raw score is calculated by awarding +3 marks for every correct answer, -1 mark for every wrong MCQ, and 0 marks for unanswered or incorrect TITA (non-MCQ) questions.
- Slot-wise statistics are prepared by calculating the average score (mean) and the spread of scores (standard deviation) for each section in every slot.
- Your score is then scaled using a mathematical formula that adjusts it based on your slot’s average and standard deviation, along with the performance of the top 0.1% of candidates in your slot.
- This scaling ensures that students in tougher slots are not given lower percentiles unfairly.
- Finally, your percentile is calculated by comparing your scaled score with all other test-takers to determine your relative performance.
Formula Used in Calculating CAT Percentile and Scaled Scores
The following formula is used for calculating the scaled score:
Normalized Score = μ + ( X - μs⁄σs ) × σ
Where:
- X = Raw score of the candidate in that section
- μs = Mean score of the candidates for the session
- σs = Standard deviation of scores in the session
- μ = Mean score of all candidates across all sessions
- σ = Standard deviation of all candidates across all sessions
After normalising the scores, use the following formula to calculate the percentile:
Percentile = ( N - R⁄N ) × 100
Where:
- N = Total number of candidates who appeared for CAT in that particular slot/section
- R = Rank of the candidate (based on normalised score, in descending order)
Final Word
Understanding the CAT 2025 score vs percentile process is essential for every aspirant. Since the exam is conducted in multiple slots, normalisation ensures fairness in scoring. The percentile reflects your performance compared to other candidates and plays a significant role in shortlisting by top B-schools. Knowing how scores are calculated and converted into percentiles, students can set clear goals and plan their preparation more effectively.
