CAT Section-wise Marks vs Percentile 2025: How Much Score Do You Need in VARC, DILR & QA for 85-99+ Percentile

CAT Section-wise Marks vs Percentile 2025: How Much Score Do You Need in VARC, DILR & QA for 85-99+ Percentile

Team Careers360Updated on 28 Nov 2025, 04:11 PM IST

For clearing sectional CAT 2025 cut offs and getting PI calls, candidates must score 50-60% in each section of VARC/DILR/QA to get a 99 percentile. To be precise, a candidate appearing for the CAT 2025 exam must score in the range of 12-52 marks in VARC section, 33 to 61 marks in DILR section and 31-46 in the QA section to achieve overall CAT score of 99 percentile and get MBA admission 2026-28 into prestigious IIMs in India. This article helps you gather knowledge and target your desired percentile for the upcoming CAT exam scheduled to be held on November 30, 2025. Keep reading this article for more information.

This Story also Contains

  1. CAT 2025 Sectional Score vs Percentile (Expected)
  2. CAT Sectional Score vs Percentile 2024
  3. CAT Section-wise Score vs Percentile 2023
  4. Overall CAT Score vs Percentile 2025 (Expected)
  5. CAT Score vs Percentile 2024
  6. CAT Score vs Percentile 2023
  7. CAT 2025: Questions Attempt Required for 99 Percentile
  8. CAT Section-Wise Score for 99 Percentile: Top IIMs
CAT Section-wise Marks vs Percentile 2025: How Much Score Do You Need in VARC, DILR & QA for 85-99+ Percentile
CAT Section-wise Marks vs Percentile 2025

CAT 2025 Sectional Score vs Percentile (Expected)

Candidates should know the section-wise score to attain the 90-99 percentile in the CAT exam before starting to prepare for the exam. The table below shows slot-wise CAT 2025 expected scores for the three sections of VARC, DILR, and QA. The CAT will be held in three slots, and a slot-wise breakout gives you more clarity to know how much you need in each section for the 90-99 percentile.

CAT 2025 Percentile

CAT 2025 VARC Score (Expected)

CAT 2025 DILR Score (Expected)

CAT 2025 QA Score (Expected)

100

39.17

61.86

52.15

99+

12-52

33-61

31-46

98+

28

31-33

28-31

97+

31-42

12-33

15-24

89-90

54.79

63.99

61.14

CAT Sectional Score vs Percentile 2024

Before starting to prepare for the CAT exam straightaway, candidates must pay attention to the previous year's section-wise CAT marks vs percentile to get an idea of their section-wise target and overall expectations regarding MBA admission into top IIMs. Check the table below for more information related to the CAT score vs percentile 2024 in the range of 85-99 percentiles for your reference.

CAT 2024 Percentile

CAT 2024 VARC Score

CAT 2024 DILR Score

CAT 2024 QA Score

100

39.17

61.86

52.15

99.96

52.94

43.32

36.68

99.94

23.33

62.49

42.95

99.89

45.42

39.42

37.16

99.85

33.96

55.31

31.17

99.84

24.3

50.48

42.95

99.83

15.61

55.48

46.14

99.81

47.5

33.01

36.17

99.77

23.54

52.24

38.16

99.69

30.09

41.47

38.96

99.62

-

-

-

99.5

-

-

-

99.28

20.44

44.48

34.43

99.14

12.08

61.56

43.16

98.68

28.16

31.47

31.24

98.57

-

-

-

98.39

-

-

-

98.37

-

33.47

28.4

98.26

-

-

-

97.32

31.87

33.01

15.9

97.24

42.73

12.6

24.27

89.42

15.21

24.46

16.19

86

-

-

-

85

-

-

-

CAT Section-wise Score vs Percentile 2023

The table is in continuation of the CAT exam 2023 section-wise score vs percentile data for analysing 85-99 percentile chances for the candidates. The table below shows VARC, DILR, and QA scores vs the overall CAT score in the CAT 2023 exam.

CAT 2023 Percentile

CAT 2023 VARC Score

CAT 2023 DILR Score

CAT 2023 QA Score

99.95

36.94

46.45

22.7

99.62

32.12

30.54

24.72

99.61

24.53

28.83

38.65

99.61

24.53

23.83

38.65

99.58

21.67

29.48

34.96

99.39

43.69

17.62

20.69

99.21

11.88

27.56

93.71

99.08

37.9

26.57

12.62

94.07




86.63

14.77

14.64

10.6

Overall CAT Score vs Percentile 2025 (Expected)

The candidates need a score of 96 to 132 to get the 99+ percentile in the CAT 2025 exam. The 99 percentile opens the gate for top IIMs like IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, and IIM Ahmedabad. Refer to the table for more details.

CAT Percentile 2025

CAT Overall Score 2025 (Expected)

100

153.17

99+

96-132

98+

97-98

97+

80.07

89-90

55.86

CAT Score vs Percentile 2024

candidates are advised to check the CAT score vs percentile 2024 to target the desired CAT score for the CAT 2025 exam. You can check the CAT score vs percentile 2024 in the table below.

CAT 2024 Percentile

CAT 2024 Overall Score

100

153.17

99.96

132.94

99.94

128.77

99.89

122

99.85

118.44

99.84

117.72

99.83

117.23

99.81

116.68

99.77

113.94

99.69

110.25

99.69

110.25

99.62

107.9

99.5

103.98

99.28

99.34

99.14

96.79

98.68

90.86

98.57

89.71

98.39

87.84

98.37

87.74

98.26

86.7

97.32

80.07

97.24

79.66

95

70

93

64

90

58

89.42

55.86

86

50.29

85

49

CAT Score vs Percentile 2023

Here are the CAT score vs percentile 2023 for the students appearing for the CAT 2025 exam. You can check the CAT score vs percentile 2023 in the range of 85-99 percentile in the table below.

CAT 2023 Percentile

CAT 2023 Overall Score

99.95

106.09

99.62

87.38

99.61

87

99.61

87

99.58

86.11

99.39

88.99

99.21

96.15

99.08

77.8

94.07

57.07

86.63

40

81.83

35.17

79.26

33.12

74.57

30

70.96

27.32

CAT 2025: Questions Attempt Required for 99 Percentile

Each CAT section has a time limit of 40 minutes, and candidates are advised to at least attempt the following number of questions to get 99 percentile in the upcoming CAT exam. For more information, refer to the table below.

CAT Exam Sections

Number of Questions

Attempted Questions

VARC

24

17-18

DILR

22

11-12

QA

22

14-15

Total

68

40-45

CAT Section-Wise Score for 99 Percentile: Top IIMs

Here are the top IIMs with their section-wise percentile for getting admission into the MBA program. For instance, IIM Ahmedabad needs 85 percentile in VARC, 85 percentile in DILR, and 75 percentile in QA, while it is 80 percentile for each section of VARC, DILR, and QA for admission to MBA programs. The table highlights IIMs and their required section-wise percentile for admission.

IIM Institutions List

CAT VARC Percentile

CAT DILR Percentile

CAT QA Percentile

IIM Ahmedabad CAT Cutoff 2025

85

85

75

IIM Bangalore CAT Cutoff 2025

80

80

80

IIM Kozhikode CAT Cutoff 2025

75

75

75

IIM Lucknow CAT Cutoff 2025

85

85

85

IIM Mumbai CAT Cutoff 2025

80

80

75

IIM Calcutta CAT Cutoff 2025

80

80

75

IIM Indore CAT Cutoff 2025

80

80

80

IIM Raipur CAT Cutoff 2025

75

75

75

IIM Trichy CAT Cutoff 2025

75

75

75

IIM Ranchi CAT Cutoff 2025

75

75

75

IIM Udaipur CAT Cutoff 2025

75

75

75

IIM Rohtak CAT Cutoff 2025

97

IIM Vishakhapatnam CAT Cutoff 2025

70

70

70

IIM Sambalpur CAT Cutoff 2025

65

65

65

IIM Bodhgaya CAT Cutoff 2025

75

75

75

IIM Sirmaur CAT Cutoff 2025

75

75

75

IIM Jammu CAT Cutoff 2025

75

75

75

IIM Amritsar CAT Cutoff 2025

75

75

80

IIM Shillong CAT Cutoff 2025

75

75

75

IIM Kashipur CAT Cutoff 2025

75

75

75

IIM Nagpur CAT Cutoff 2025

75

75

75

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: How many questions to get right for 99 percentile in CAT?
A:

Candidates who are appearing for the CAT exam are expected to attempt 40-45 questions out of 68 questions for a score of 99 percentile in the CAT exam 2025. 

Q: How much to score in DILR for 99 percentile?
A:

Candidates are advised to attempt 11-12 out of the total 22 questions of DILR for 99 percentile in the CAT. The safe score will be around 31-32 for the desired 99 percentile in the CAT 2025.

Q: How many marks in VARC to get 99 percentile?
A:

You are required to attempt 17-18 questions in the CAT VARC section and score a total of 41-42 marks to get a 99 percentile in the CAT Exam 2025. 

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Questions related to CAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CAT ?

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