Achieving 90 percentile in the CAT 2025 exam will open doors for a candidate. To obtain a percentile of 90 means a candidate has to secure approximately 51-56 marks in CAT 2025. For 90 percentile, aspirants can choose from a range of colleges, as there are more than 20 non-IIMS accepting a 90 percentile in CAT 2025. The CAT marks vs percentile is often curated by professionals and MBA experts to provide an idea to students on how much to score in CAT. Students can check below, 90 percentile in CAT will mean how many marks overall, alongside they can review a list of IIMs and other colleges apart from IIMs accepting 90 percentile for MBA/PGDM admissions in 2026.
LATEST Official CAT 2025 Answer Key RELEASED | CAT 2025 Answer Key Link | CAT 95 percentile Marks 2025
IIM Kozhikode will retain its three-stage admission process for the MBA (PGP) 2026–28 batch, with CAT 2025 scores carrying a final weightage of 35 percent. The minimum overall CAT cut-off for general category candidates remains at 85 percentile, with sectional qualifying scores required in VARC, DILR, and QA. Shortlisting of candidates will be based on CAT performance, academic record, and personal interview rounds.
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The overall marks required to achieve 90 percentile in the CAT 2025 exam are expected to be between 51-56, based on the trends from the last few years.
CAT 2025 Percentile | CAT 2025 Marks (overall) |
90 | 51-56 (expected) |
ALSO CHECK: CAT 2025 Slot 1 Score vs Percentile | CAT 2025 Slot 2 Score vs Percentile | CAT 2025 Score vs Percentile vs Colleges
Below is the CAT percentile vs score by IMS for each CAT 2025 slot.
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 |
The expected percentile vs marks data for the CAT 2025 exam slots by Career Launcher is provided in the table below.
Expected Percentiles | CAT 2025 Slot 1 | CAT 2025 Slot 2 | CAT 2025 Slot 3 |
99 | 81 | 82-83 | 83-84 |
95 | 65 | 66 | 67 |
90 | 52 | 53 | 53 |
85 | 45 | 45 | 45 |
80 | 40 | 40 | 40 |
Candidates can check the CAT percentile vs marks for CAT 2025 slots in the following table, as expected by IQuanta.
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 |
Check Out CAT 2025 cut off IIM ABC | Expected IIM Ahmedabad Composite Score 2026| CAT 2025 Slot 3 score vs percentile
For the slot 1 CAT marks vs 90 percentile, see the table below.
CAT 2025 Percentile | CAT Marks 2025 Slot 1 |
95 | 56-58 |
90 | 45-48 |
85 | 40-42 |
80 | 35-36 |
75 | 32-33 |
70 | 30-31 |
60 | 25-31 |
Data by Careers360
The CAT 2025 marks for 90 percentile are predicted to be around 44-46. See the table below to know the required marks for more CAT percentiles.
CAT 2025 Percentile | CAT Marks 2025 Slot 2 |
95 | 55-57 |
90 | 44-46 |
85 | 38-40 |
80 | 34-35 |
75 | 31-32 |
70 | 29-30 |
60 | 24-25 |
Data by Careers360
For the Slot 3 CAT 2025 exam, the required CAT marks for 90 percentile are listed in the following table.
CAT 2025 Percentile | CAT Marks 2025 Slot 3 |
95 | 54-56 |
90 | 44-45 |
85 | 38-40 |
80 | 34-35 |
75 | 30-32 |
70 | 29-30 |
60 | 24-25 |
Data by Careers360
IIMs accepting 90 percentile in CAT for the admission of candidates into their MBA /PGDM program are as follows.
IIMs Accepting 90 Percentile | CAT Percentile 2025 (Expected) |
IIM Nagpur CAT 2025 Cutoff | 80-90+ |
IIM Raipur CAT Cutoff 2025 | 80-90+ |
IIM Ranchi CAT Cutoff 2025 | 80-90+ |
IIM Trichy CAT 2025 Cutoff | 80-90+ |
IIM Sambalpur CAT Cutoff 2025 | 80-90+ |
IIM Shillong CAT Cutoff 2025 | 80-90+ |
IIM Bodh Gaya CAT 2025 Cutoff | 80-90+ |
IIM Amritsar CAT Cutoff 2025 | 80-90+ |
IIM Udaipur CAT 2025 Cutoff | 80-90+ |
IIM Vizag CAT Cutoff 2025 | 80-90+ |
IIM Jammu CAT 2025 Cutoff | 80-90+ |
There are so many colleges that will accept the CAT 2025 score for MBA admissions 2026. Some of those colleges accepting the CAT 90 percentile for admission of candidates into their MBA /PGDM program are as follows.
Colleges Accepting 90 Percentile | CAT 2025 percentile (Expected) |
95 | |
99+ | |
90+ | |
93+ | |
90+ | |
85-95 | |
90+ | |
90+ | |
91 | |
94 | |
98 | |
92-95 | |
90+ |
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. Now let us understand how is CAT percentile is calculated.
Step 1: Determine the total number of candidates (N) expected to appear for the CAT 2025 exam across both slots, morning and afternoon.
Step 2: Allot Rank (r) based on the scaled score obtained in any one section (e.g. QA) to all the candidates who appeared in the CAT. If two or more candidates score the same marks in the section, then assign identical ranks to the candidates.
Step 3: Calculate the percentile (P). The image below shows how to calculate the CAT percentile using the rank based on the VARC section scaled score.

Since the CAT exam is held in three separate slots with potentially varying levels of difficulty, the normalisation process helps create an equal field for all candidates. After evaluating the candidate’s response sheet, raw scores are generated. These raw scores are then converted into scaled scores through the normalisation process. Finally, the scaled scores are used to determine the CAT percentile. The normalisation process is implemented by the institutes to eliminate potential bias and maintain fairness for the CAT 2025 exam.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The expected marks in the CAT exam 2025 for 90 percentile are around 55-56.
The CAT percentile is the position or rank of the candidate among all the test takers, whereas the CAT score is a candidate’s raw performance in the exam.
Yes, the CAT percentile slightly varies each year.
On Question asked by student community
With 84.91 percentile in CAT (General, male, no work experience), top colleges like IIMs, IITs, FMS, MDI, etc. are not possible. You may get calls from private institutes such as IMT Nagpur/Hyderabad, IMI Bhubaneswar, XIME, SDMIMD, Welingkar (some programs) and similar colleges. Universities like Amity or LPU are also options.
It’s better to choose carefully, as placements and ROI may be average. Reattempting CAT or trying XAT/CMAT could improve options.
Hello,
With a CAT percentile of 88.77 and a strong CGPA of 9.0, you are in a competitive range for newer IIMs (like IIM Amritsar, IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Sirmaur, IIM Nagpur) and several top non-IIM B-schools such as TAPMI, BIM Trichy, Great Lakes, IMI Delhi, FORE School of Management, and KJ Somaiya. You may not reach the older IIMs (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, etc.) since they usually require 98+ percentile, but you have excellent chances at mid-tier and emerging institutes.
For more details access mentioned link below:
Hope it helps.
Hello
The expected cutoff for the JAP (Joint Admission Process) is around 90 to 95th percentile, with a minimum sectional cutoff of around 75 percentile in Quantitative Ability. You have scored 82.2% which is very low; that's why you are unlikely to meet the minimum criteria for the JAP IIMs in the general Category.
I hope this information helps you.
Thank you.
Hello,
Here is your IIM Cutoff for Gen/OBC/SC/ST, CS Score Cut Off. I am providing you the link. Kindly open and check it out. From here you can get all the details.
I hope it will help you.
Thank you.
With a CAT score of around 80 percentile and about 2 years of work experience, getting a call from the top IIMs (IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Kozhikode, Indore) is extremely difficult, as their cutoff percentiles are usually much higher, even for reserved categories. These institutes typically shortlist candidates above 95–99 percentile depending on category, academic profile, and diversity factors.
However, you may still have some chances at a few of the newer or baby IIMs, especially if you belong to a reserved category (SC/ST/OBC/EWS) and have a decent academic background. IIMs such as IIM Jammu, IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Sirmaur, IIM Sambalpur, IIM Nagaland, IIM Amritsar, and IIM Vizag have historically called candidates in the 75–85 percentile range for certain categories. Your 2 years of work experience can also work in your favour, as most IIMs give weightage to professional experience during shortlisting and final selection.
That said, selection does not depend on CAT percentile alone. Factors like your 10th and 12th marks, graduation score, academic consistency, gender and academic diversity, work experience quality, and performance in the personal interview play a very important role. Even with an 80 percentile, a strong interview and profile can improve your chances at newer IIMs.
You should also keep strong non-IIM options open. At this percentile, good colleges like newer IIT MBA programs, some NITs, and reputed private B-schools can offer better and more realistic opportunities. Applying broadly and preparing seriously for the interview stage is very important.
In summary, while top IIMs are unlikely at 80 percentile, you may still have a realistic chance at some of the newer IIMs depending on your category and overall profile.
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