If you’ve already checked your CAT 2025 response sheet and calculated your raw score, the next big question is: What percentile will this translate to? With 2.9 lakh candidates appearing for the CAT 2025 exam, even a small difference in correct answers ended up shifting percentiles significantly.
- A review of the past 5-7 years of CAT data shows that scoring around 100-110 marks, or roughly 35-38 correct answers, has consistently placed candidates at the 99 percentile.
- Section-wise trends also stay steady: about 20 correct answers in VARC, 16 in DILR, and around 20 in QA have been enough to reach the top 1% of test-takers.
Estimating your percentile early helps you plan for IIM shortlists, PI/WAT prep, and backup college options.
Speaking about this tool, Sahil Chalana, Founder of Collegedunia, said that “Every year, more than 1 lakh students use this calculator to calculate scores. This data helps us to make an accurate prediction of raw scores, scaled scores and expected percentiles... Our team have come up with the closest to the actual CAT 2025 percentile predictor”
Check:
- How CAT scores are calculated using the official marking and scaling method.
- Check the latest CAT results, scorecard details and expected cutoffs
How to use the CAT Percentile Predictor 2025?
CAT Percentile Predictor 2025 by Collegedunia is a free tool designed to help you in calculating your expected percentile based on your CAT 2025 scores.
Using the CAT percentile predictor is very easy. All you need to do is provide either your overall CAT scores out of 204 or section-wise CAT scores, followed by category (General/ EWS/ OBC-NCL/ SC/ ST) and choice of course (MBA/ PGDM or Executive MBA). Then just click on the ‘Check Results’ tab to know your predicted percentile for CAT 2025 along with the list of colleges accepting this range.
Also Read:
CAT 2025 Percentile Predictor: Correct Answers vs Percentile Table
Based on the CAT exam data from past years, approximately 35 - 38 correct answers can get you a high percentile at 99.5 + percentile with a raw score of 100-110. This is the top percentile to get calls from top IIMs.
- A raw score between 90 and 98 typically secures the 99th percentile, equivalent to answering 30 to 33 questions correctly.
- Answering 27 - 30 questions correctly can get you a 97 percentile, along with a raw score of 80 - 89. 2 - 3 more correct answers could get you a 99 percentile.
This table shows the estimated overall correct answer and the corresponding approximate raw score, and the percentile. This prediction table was made assuming a moderately difficult paper while maintaining a high level of accuracy.
| Target Percentile | Approx. correct answer needed | Approx. raw scores (marks) | Notes (Assuming 85% accuracy) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 99.5+ | 35-38 | 100-110 | Requires near-flawless performance |
| 99 | 30-33 | 90-98 | The goal of the top IIMs calls |
| 97 | 27-30 | 80-89 | Excellent performance |
| 95 | 24-27 | 70-79 | Strong score for leading non-IIM colleges |
| 90 | 18-21 | 55-65 | Solid score |
| 85 | 14-17 | 45-54 | Good base for profile-based institutions |
Also Read:
- Step-by-step guide to calculating your CAT score accurately.
- Meet previous CAT toppers and see their scores, strategies, and profiles.
A Reddit user predicted on the Reddit forum that, “CAT 2025 exam paper (if paper is slightly tougher – expected):
93-95 Marks = 99 Percentile
68-70 Marks = 95 Percentile
58-60 Marks = 90 Percentile”
Ques. Is 35-38 correct, really enough for 99 percentile in CAT 2025?
Ans. It is usually enough to answer 35-39 correct answers (with high accuracy) to score 99 percentile.
Ques. 90 percentile at only 18-21 correct. Does that mean CAT 2025 is easy?
Ans. It is just a prediction based on previous years. 18-21 with high accuracy can get you 90 percentile.
Sectional Performance in VARC for High Percentile
To achieve an overall high score, you also need to clear the minimum sectional cutoffs. VARC typically consists of 24 questions.
If you have answered 20+ questions correctly, you are expected to get a 99th percentile in VARC, while 17-19 correct answers are likely to get you a 95-99th percentile in VARC.
| Correct Answer | Approx Raw Score | Expected Sectional Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| 20+ | 55+ | 99+ |
| 17-19 | 46-54 | 95-99 |
| 14-16 | 37-45 | 90-95 |
| 11-13 | 29-36 | 80-90 |
| 8-10 | 22-28 | 70-80 |
Also Read:
- IIM Ahmedabad’s CAT 2025 sectional cutoff percentiles for all categories.
- Check IIM Bangalore’s CAT 2025 sectional and overall cutoff percentiles.
- IIM Calcutta’s sectional cutoffs and expected overall CAT 2025 percentile.
Ques. I got only 14 correct in VARC but 99 overall. Will a low VARC percentile kill my IIM A/B/C Chances?
Ans. IIM Ahmedabad needs an 85+ percentile sectional cutoff. IIM Bangalore and IIM Calcutta need around 80th percentile sectional scores across sections.
DILR Section: Correct Answer vs Percentile
In CAT 2025, DILR have around 22 questions, with the need to answer 16+ questions correctly to get a 99+ percentile in the DILR section.
Here is the correct answer vs the expected DILR sectional percentile of CAT 2025.
| Correct Answer | Approx Raw Score | Expected Sectional Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| 16+ | 43+ | 99+ |
| 14-15 | 37-42 | 95-99 |
| 12-13 | 31-36 | 90-95 |
| 10-11 | 26-30 | 80-90 |
| 7-9 | 19-25 | 70-80 |
Ques. Only 12 correct in DILR, will this pull my overall percentile down below 99?
Ans. Overall, still be 98.5 to 99. But may miss the chances of IIM A, B, C calls. But you may get calls from new and baby IIMs.
Also Read:
QA Section: Correct Answer vs Percentile
The QA section has 22 questions totalling 66 marks.
Here is the table with the approximated correct answer vs the QA sectional percentile of CAT 2025
| Correct Answer | Approx. Raw Score | Expected Sectional Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| 22+ | 61+ | 99%+ |
| 19-21 | 52-60 | 95-99% |
| 16-18 | 43-51 | 90-95% |
| 13-15 | 34-42 | 80-90% |
| 10-12 | 28-33 | 70-80% |
Ques. 18 correct in QA, but 8 wrong(6 negative marks). Will my QA percentile drop below 95?
Ans. You may expect a raw score of 48. 95-96 percentile. Still safe for most of the IIMs
CAT 2025: Balanced Profile for Calls from Top MBA Colleges
For CAT 2025, achieving a balanced profile requires answering 40-45 questions correctly overall, with strong emphasis on QA (18 - 20 correct answers) with approximately 95 percentile.
VARC and DILR need to be in the range of 90-95 percentile (15-17 correct answers in VARC, 13-14 in DILR)
| Section | Correct Answer needed (Approx) | Approx Raw Score | Sectional Personal Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| VARC | 15-17 | 42-48 | 90-95 |
| DILR | 13-14 | 36-39 | 90-95 |
| QA | 18-20 | 51-57 | 95+ |
| Overall | 40-45 | 120+ | 99 overall |
Ques. I have 85 percentile in DILR but 99 percentile overall. Will IIM Lucknow or Kozhikode reject me at the interview shortlist stage?
Ans. IIM Lucknow and Kozhikode have 80 percentile sectional cutoff. Many got calls last year with an 82-85 percentile in 1 section.
Also Read:
- CAT 2025 score vs percentile predictions to understand where your marks stand.
- Slot-wise DILR score vs percentile trends for CAT 2025.
CAT 2024: Correct Answer vs Percentile
The CAT 2024 had a total of 68 questions and a total raw score of 208. The overall required raw score was generally higher than the previous year.
Here is the correct answer vs percentile data for the CAT 2024.
| Percentile | Approx Correct answer | Approx Raw Score |
| 99.5+ | 36-38 | 104-110 |
| 99 | 33-35 | 95-98 |
| 97 | 27-29 | 78-82 |
| 95 | 24-26 | 70-73 |
| 90 | 19-21 | 57-60 |
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