CAT Score vs Percentile-Check Section-Wise Analysis last 5 years(2024-2020)

The CAT Score vs Percentile shows the relationship between the percentile range with the marks scored by the candidate in the CAT exam. Previous years’ CAT score vs percentile indicates that a score of around 81-96 translates to around 99 percentile in CAT. Students scoring overall 73-85 marks in CAT 2025 are expected to get a CAT score of around 98 percentile.

• To score 95 percentile in CAT 2025, students must score around 59-70 overall marks in CAT 2025 and must score 30-32 in VARC, 20-27 in DILR, and 18-22 in QA.
• Students with an overall score of 50-57 in CAT 2025 are expected to get a CAT percentile score of around 90.
• 85 percentile in CAT 2025 is expected to translate to around 41-49 CAT score in 2025.

 

What is CAT Score vs Percentile?

CAT score vs percentile is a comparative analysis of the performance of candidates, helping them to analyze and convert their CAT scores into CAT percentile scores. As per the CAT score vs percentile from the last two years, the expected score range for 99 percentile in CAT is around 81-96. 95 percentile in CAT 2025 is expected to translate to a CAT score of around 73-85 marks.

CAT marks vs percentile is determined based on various factors as listed below.

• Difficulty Level of CAT 2025
• Number of Test-Takers in CAT 2025
• Sectional Variability in CAT 2025

CAT Score vs Percentile- Slot Wise

CAT score vs percentile is different for different CAT slots as the difficulty level of questions varies for each slot. To score 99 percentile in the easy slot, candidates must score around 91+ marks, 85+ marks in the difficult slot, and 88+ marks in the moderate slot.

CAT Score vs Percentile- Easy Slot

CAT Score vs Percentile- Difficult Slot

CAT Score vs Percentile- Moderate Slot

CAT Score vs Percentile- Section-Wise

Aspirants can go through the tables below to check the expected CAT score vs percentile for each section of CAT 2025 based on the CAT score vs percentile trends from past years.

CAT Score vs Percentile- VARC

CAT Score vs Percentile- DILR

CAT Score vs Percentile- QA

Questions to Attempt for 99+ Percentile in CAT 2024?

The percentile in the CAT exam is determined by several factors, including the difficulty level of the paper, the performance of other candidates, and the scaling process. Based on trends from past years, to get a 99+ Percentile, the CAT score generally ranges between 102 and 117 in total raw scores.

With 80% accuracy, you need to attempt 42–48 questions across sections. You Here is an approximate breakdown of the score required for the 99+ percentile and the number of section-wise attempts, assuming 80% accuracy:

CAT Safe Score & Percentile

CAT safe score is different for different IIMs. As per the CAT cutoff for previous years, the expected CAT safe score for IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Bangalore is 99.5+ percentile. For IIM Calcutta and IIM Lucknow, the expected CAT safe score is around 99.7+ and 99+ percentiles.

Estimated CAT 2024 Total Score vs Percentile

“Typically, IIMs and top-tier B-schools look for candidates in the 99+ percentile range, but lower percentiles can still secure you admissions to other well-known institutes.”

CAT Score vs Percentile Trends

Subsequently, the CAT Score vs. Percentile graph goes up and down every year based on the difficulty of the CAT test, candidates’ ability, and percentile conversion. Here is a comparison of CAT Score vs Percentile for 2023 and 2024 (based on historical trends and assumptions for CAT 2024):

Factors Influencing CAT Percentiles

• Difficulty Level: A tougher paper usually means lower raw scores for high percentiles.
• Number of Test-Takers: A larger pool of candidates may slightly shift percentile boundaries.
• Sectional Variability: Performance across sections often varies; one tough section can influence overall scores.

How CAT Score vs Percentile Is Calculated

CAT percentiles are calculated using the following steps:

1. Raw Score Calculation: A formula derived from the CAT marking system is applied, whereby three points are awarded for each correct answer, and one point is deducted for each incorrect answer.
2. Normalization: Raw scores collected are aligned across the different slots so as to achieve a balance. This process contributes to the differences in the difficulty level of the task needed for each slot, which are only slightly different.
3. Percentile Assignment: The probability scores are then ranked and the percentage rank is determined by applicable statistical techniques.

Comparative Analysis: CAT 2024 vs CAT 2023 vs CAT 2022 Score vs Percentile

The comparison of CAT score vs percentile helps candidates understand the scaled scores required to achieve their target score. Here is a comparative analysis of the CAT scores versus percentiles for the past three years.

CAT Score vs Percentile- Last 5 Years

CAT score vs the Percentile of the last 5 years shows a distinctive fluctuation in the difficulty of the exam and normalization.

• For the 100 percentile, scores were fairly stable in the range of 132–145, with 140+ in CAT 2024. 
• The 99.9 percentile saw a decline in 2023 of 101–102, but it increased to 108+ in 2024. 
• For the 99 percentile, scores have reduced from 83–100 in previous years to 78+ in 2024. 
• The mid-range percentiles, like 95 and 90, also required less marks than in 2020, which indicates that papers have become more challenging. 
• In 2023, even a 38–39 mark was placed in the 70 percentile, whereas earlier in 2020, it was 18–30. 
• In 2024, marks for lower percentiles increased slightly, so there was more competition among average scorers. Small variations in marks can make a huge difference in your percentile.

CAT Scaled Score vs Percentile

Based on last year’s CAT score and percentile analysis by experts, we have provided below the scaled score required for getting 70-100 percentile.