If you are scoring 120 marks in CAT, then you can expect a percentile of around 99.9 percentile. Many government and private colleges, along with prestigious IIMs like IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Calcutta, and IIM Bangalore, give MBA admission based on a CAT score of 99+ percentile. Such a CAT score requires a sectional scaled score of 51 to 53 marks in VARC, 42 to 46 in DILR, and 43 to 48 marks in QA. In this article, we will explore what percentile you can expect scoring 120 marks in the CAT exam, the CAT 2025 expected percentile, the CAT normalisation process, IIMs and top B-schools, and much more.
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Candidates scoring 120 marks in CATt 2025 exam can expect a CAT score around 99.9 percentile and, in turn, get into prestigious IIMs like IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore for MBA admission 2026-28.
CAT 2025 Percentile | 120 Marks in CAT |
99.9 | 120 |
ALSO CHECK: CAT 2025 Slot 1 Score vs Percentile | CAT 2025 Slot 2 Score vs Percentile | CAT 2025 Slot 3 score vs percentile
Check the data by IMS India for candidates who scored 120 marks in the recently concluded CAT 2025 exam on November 30, 2025.
Percentile | Slot 1 CAT Marks | Slot 2 CAT Marks | Slot 3 CAT Marks |
99.9 | 122 | 115 | 119 |
99.5 | 103 | 97 | 101 |
99 | 90 | 83 | 87 |
98 | 81 | 75 | 77 |
95 | 70 | 65 | 66 |
90 | 53 | 51 | 52 |
Here are the 120 marks in CAT percentile data collected by IQuanta, who are eager to know their CAT score and calculate the percentile before the declaration of the CAT 2025 results.
Percentile | Slot 1 CAT Marks | Slot 2 CAT Marks | Slot 3 CAT Marks |
99.9 | 120 | 121 | 115 |
99.5 | 100 | 102 | 97 |
99 | 88 | 90 | 85 |
98 | 75 | 77 | 72 |
95 | 65 | 67 | 65 |
90 | 54 | 56 | 52 |
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If candidates scored 120 marks out of 204 marks in the CAT 2025 exam, they can expect a CAT score around 99.9 percentile for pursuing an MBA program. Check the table below for more information related to 120 marks in CAT percentile.
CAT Percentile | 100 Score in CAT |
99.9 | 115-119 |
99.5 | 99-101 |
99 | 85-87 |
98 | 74-77 |
95 | 64-66 |
90 | 50-52 |
85 | 40-43 |
Check Out CAT 2025 Score vs Percentile vs Colleges | CAT 2025 cut off IIM ABC | Expected IIM Ahmedabad Composite Score 2026
Here is the data by IIM King regarding 120 marks in CAT percentile for the candidates who checked the CAT 2025 answer key released on December 4, 2025 and want to know their percentile now. Check the table for more information.
CAT Percentile | CAT Score 2025 |
99.9 | 121 |
99.5 | 101.5 |
99 | 87.33 |
97 | 74.11 |
95 | 66.33 |
90 | 53.5 |
80 | 40 |
70 | 30 |
60 | 27 |
According to data from Careers360, candidates scoring 120 marks in the CAT 2025 exam will probably land with a CAT score in the range of 99.95 to 100 percentile. Check the table for more details.
CAT 2025 Percentile | CAT 2025 Slot 1 score | CAT 2025 Slot 2 Score | CAT 2025 Slot 2 Score |
99.95 | 115+ | 110+ | 112+ |
99.9 | 103-106 | 102-105 | 102-104 |
99.5 | 90-92 | 89-91 | 88-90 |
99 | 78-82 | 77-79 | 76-78 |
95 | 56-58 | 55-57 | 54-56 |
Data by Careers360
If you are planning to calculate your CAT percentile, you may be on the right page. As CAT percentile is calculated based on your section-wise CAT scaled scores and the overall CAT scaled score. The CAT percentile calculation method uses a simple percentile formula using the number of candidates in the exam and the rank of the candidates.
Step 1: First, calculate the number of candidates, let’s say N, who appear in the CAT Exam.
Step 2: Now allot the ranks, assume R, to all the candidates who appear for the exam based on their scaled score obtained in one of the CAT sections.
Step 3: P, that is, percentile, the image below shows how to calculate the CAT percentile using the rank based on the VARC section scaled score.

Step 4: As the last step, round off all the percentile scores to two decimal places. For example, 99.9876 rounded to the nearest 100.
The CAT 2025 normalisation process is done by IIM to eliminate any biases and unfair advantage. The CAT exam is held in three different slots, and there might be slight differences in exam papers across the three different slots. To overcome this, IIM relies on the CAT normalisation process. The scores after checking the candidate’s CAT response sheet are known as raw scores; these raw scores are then converted through the CAT normalisation process into scaled scores. In the end, scaled scores are used to calculate the CAT percentile.
Many MBA colleges, from prestigious IIMs to private B-schools and government colleges, give MBA admission based on the CAT score. Candidates with a scaled score of 120-130 marks in the CAT exam 2025 may expect MBA admission into the following top colleges, like IIM Ahmedabad, Faculty of Management Studies, etc.
Top Tier IIMs for MBA Program | Approx MBA Fees | Average Package |
Rs. 26.5 Lakhs | Rs. 35.22 LPA | |
Rs. 27 Lakhs | Rs. 34.23 LPA | |
IIM Bangalore | Rs. 26.5 Lakhs | Rs. 34.88 LPA |
Rs. 20.75 Lakhs | Rs. 32.3 LPA | |
Rs. 22.5 Lakhs | — | |
Rs. 21.15 Lakhs | Rs. 29.57 LPA |
Top Colleges for MBA Programs | Approx MBA Fees | Average Package |
Rs. 2.32 Lakhs | Rs. 34.1 LPA | |
Rs. 6-7 Lakhs | Rs. 26.12 LPA | |
Rs. 12 Lakhs | Rs. 25.82 LPA | |
Rs. 15 Lakhs | Rs. 28.01 LPA | |
Rs. 9.25 Lakhs | Rs. 22.75 LPA | |
Rs. 5.5 Lakhs | Rs. 28.03 LPA | |
Rs. 22.5 Lakhs | Rs. 33 LPA | |
Rs. 29.58 Lakhs | Rs. 25.6 LPA | |
Rs. 21.77 Lakhs | Rs. 27.3 LPA | |
Rs. 21.53 Lakhs | Rs. 16.25 LPA |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Candidates scoring around 120 marks in the CAT exam 2025 can expect a CAT percentile of around 99.9 percentile. Here, admission into the IIM Ahmedabad, Faculty of Management Studies would be possible.
A candidate with a CAT scaled score of 130 marks may expect a CAT score of 99.9 to 100 percentile for admission into prestigious IIMs and top B-schools.
A scaled score in the range of 120-130 marks in the CAT exam is around 99.9 percentile. Candidates aiming for 99.9 percentile must score 120-130 marks in the CAT exam 2025.
On Question asked by student community
Hello,
Here are some top colleges accepting XAT and CAT exams :
Top colleges accepting CAT:
IIMs (All Indian Institutes of Management)
FMS Delhi
SPJIMR Mumbai
MDI Gurgaon
IIT Bombay (SJMSOM)
IIT Delhi (DMS)
IIFT
IMT Ghaziabad
JBIMS Mumbai
Top colleges accepting XAT:
XLRI Jamshedpur
XIMB Bhubaneswar
IMT Ghaziabad
Great
Hi there,
A female candidate with a CAT percentile of 67.97 and low sectional scores should target private and tier-2/3 B-schools that accept overall CAT scores in the 60–70 percentile range and have flexible sectional criteria.
Some suitable options include AIMS Institute Bangalore, Doon Business School Dehradun, Christ Institute of
Hi there,
Yes, you are eligible for XISS Ranchi with a CAT percentile of 67.60.
According to recent admission trends, the CAT cutoff for the PGDM in Human Resource Management for the general category has been around 60 percentile. For other programs such as Marketing, Finance, and Rural Management, the
Hi there,
Careers360 offers a wide range of eBooks and study materials to assist with CAT preparation. You can access past CAT question papers with solutions to understand the exam pattern and difficulty level. Additionally, there are quantitative aptitude handbooks, cheat sheets, and section-specific practice sets for arithmetic, algebra, and
Hi there,
The minimum eligibility criteria for a general candidate to receive a call from IIM Sambalpur are as follows:
VARC: 65%ile
QUANTS: 65%ile
LRDI: 65%ile
Overall: 90%tile
Keep practising and aim to improve your score. You can also focus on other management exams where you may secure a strong
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