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For the candidates who attended CAT 2024 Exam on November 24, 2024, can predict their CAT score by using the CAT answer key 2024 and response sheet. IIM Calcutta released the CAT 2024 answer key along with the response sheet on December 3, 2024. The question that arises in the mind of the CAT aspirants is, how many marks one should score in the CAT to get the 99 percentile would lead them to calculate the probable score after analysing the CAT 2024 slot-wise answer key. The CAT 2024 question paper had a total number of 68 questions, for a total score of 204. 22 questions came in the VARC section, LRDI and QA sections had 22 questions each. As CAT 2024 score calculation is a complex process, involving RAW CAT score, CAT percentile, and normalized score, read this article to learn about how many marks should one score in the CAT to get the 99 percentile. Read the Careers360 article to know what will be the probable CAT marks for the 99 percentile.
As CAT 2024 has concluded, let us look at the section-wise marks and the probable percentile for that. These would be crucial for candidates to understand how many CAT marks for the 99 percentile are needed in the CAT 2024 Slot 1.
CAT Percentile | CAT VARC Score | CAT LRDI | CAT QA Score | Overall CAT Score |
99 | 39-40 | 31-32 | 30-31 | 90 |
95 | 31-32 | 24-25 | 23–24 | 66 |
90 | 25-26 | 19-21 | 17-18 | 56-57 |
85 | 22-23 | 16-18 | 14-15 | 45-46 |
80 | 20-21 | 13-14 | 12-13 | 40-41 |
70 | 16-17 | 11-12 | 10-11 | 35-36 |
As CAT 2024 has concluded, let us look at the section-wise marks and the probable percentile for that. These would be crucial for candidates to understand how many CAT marks for the 99 percentile are needed in the CAT 2024 Slot 2.
CAT Percentile | CAT VARC Score | CAT LRDI | CAT QA Score | Overall CAT Score |
99 | 41-42 | 27-28 | 28-29 | 87 |
95 | 33-34 | 22-23 | 22-23 | 63 |
90 | 26-27 | 18-19 | 16-17 | 55-56 |
85 | 23-24 | 15-17 | 13-14 | 44-45 |
80 | 21-22 | 12-14 | 11-12 | 39-40 |
70 | 17-18 | 11-12 | 10-11 | 35-36 |
CAT Percentile | CAT VARC Score | CAT LRDI | CAT QA Score | Overall CAT Score |
99 | 39-40 | 32 | 33-35 | 90 |
95 | 31 | 24 | 24 | 72 |
90 | 26 | 19-20 | 21-22 | 60 |
One of the best ways to get an idea of how the CAT marks for the 99 percentile have differed over the years is to look at the scaled marks for the past year along with the scaled score of CAT 2024. This will also help the candidate to understand the difficulty level of the CAT 2024 compared to previous years.
CAT Percentile | Scaled Score 2022 | Scaled Score 2023 | Scaled Score 2024 |
100 CAT Percentile | 145.83 | 138.59 | To be Announced |
99.95 CAT Percentile | 115 | 106.95 | To be Announced |
99.90 CAT Percentile | 109.9 | 101.43 | To be Announced |
99.50 - CAT Percentile | 92.87 | 84.29 | To be Announced |
99 CAT Percentile | 83.64 | 76.02 | To be Announced |
98 CAT Percentile | 73.88 | 68.68 | To be Announced |
96.6 CAT Percentile | 65.40 | 59.99 | To be Announced |
95.5 CAT Percentile | 59.75 | 56.41 | To be Announced |
93 CAT Percentile | 53 | 52.35 | To be Announced |
90 CAT Percentile | 48.44 | 45.1690 CAT Percentile | To be Announced |
85 CAT Percentile | 41.32 | 42.29 | To be Announced |
80 CAT Percentile | 36.02 | 41.19 | To be Announced |
70 CAT Percentile | 28.5-29 | 38.94 | To be Announced |
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There are three sections in the CAT 2024 Examination- Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA). 68 questions will be divided into these three sections, each correct answer carrying 3 marks with them. The candidate would get 40 minutes for each of the section. Each section would contain several non-MCQ questions along with primarily MCQ questions.
Section | Number of Questions | Time Allotted | Marks (+3 for every correct answer and -1 for every wrong answer) |
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 24 | 40 | 72 |
Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation (LRDI ) | 22 | 40 | 66 |
Quantitative Aptitude (QA). | 22 | 40 | 66 |
Total | 68 | 120 | 204 |
Read Also: CAT 2024 Score Calculation: How Raw Score Converts to Scaled Score
New: CAT Score Calculator: Estimate Your Raw and Scaled Scores Instantly
Suggested: CAT 2024 Percentile Predictor: Estimate Your Percentile Instantly
To understand how many marks should one score in CAT 2024 to get the 99 percentile, one needs to understand the how raw score is calculated. The RAW CAT score is determined according to the following process-
Raw Score = 3 * (number of correct answers given by the candidate) - 1 * ( number of wrong answers given by the candidate)
Example: Let us assume that one of the applicants has attempted 58 questions out of 66 questions. Out of these, they have answered 48 correctly. Out of 10 wrong answers 8 wrong answers are from MCQ and 2 are from non-MCQ, so the RAW CAT Score would be
Attempted - 58
Correct- 48
MCQ incorrect- 8
Non-MCQ Incorrect 2
So Total = (48*3)- (8*1) = 136
Moreover being a competitive exam, the CAT also provides the percentile apart from the RAW CAT Score. Percentile shows how one candidate has scored better than other candidates. For instance, last year 76.02 marks fetched one a percentile of 99, which in turn implies that one candidate has scored better than the 99% of the appeared candidates. To calculate the percentile of one candidate, the following process is taken-
Percentile = [1-{One’s CAT Rank / Number of Candidates appeared for the test}] * 100
CAT Percentile Predictor can be a handy tool for the applicants to get a glimpse of what they can expect as a percentile. They need to calculate the RAW score and then put it in the calculator tool mentioned above, to get a sneak peak about the expected Percentile.
The difficulty level of the CAT exam varies each year. So the same number in different years can provide a higher or lower percentile depending upon the nature of the exam in that particular year. One can look into the raw marks of the candidates as well as the percentile of the last year to get an idea about what the section-good score or what section-wise score expectations might look like in CAT 2024, looking at the previous years.
Moreover, as the CAT Exam is conducted in different shifts, there are possibilities that some shifts might have difficult questions compared to the other shifts. So to bring parity between the different shifts, the CAT normalization process is initiated, keeping the difficulties of question in mind. CAT marks for the 99 percentile needed to be comprehended in this context of CAT normalization process:
Step 1: Calculate the mean and the standard deviation (SD) of the raw scores in the QA section for all candidates appearing in the morning session. Let Mean = M1 and SD = S1.
So G1 = M1 + S1.
Step 2: Calculate the mean and the standard deviation (SD) of the raw scores in the QA section for all candidates appearing in the afternoon session. Let Mean = M2 and SD = S2.
So G2= M2 + S2.
Step 3: Calculate the mean and the standard deviation (SD) of the raw scores in the QA section for all candidates appearing in the evening session. Let Mean = M3 and SD = S3 and G3 = M3 + S3.
Step 4: Calculate the mean and the standard deviation (SD) of the raw scores in the QA section for all candidates appearing in CAT (i.e. including all three sessions). Let Mean = M and SD = S and G = M + S.
Step 5: Calculate the mean raw score in the QA section of the top 0.1% candidates in the morning session and denote it by M10.1.
Step 6. Calculate the mean raw score in QA of the top 0.1% candidates in the afternoon session and denote it by M20.1.
Step 7. Calculate the mean raw score in QA of the top 0.1% candidates in the evening session and denote it by M30.1.
Step 8. Calculate the mean raw score in QA of the top 0.1% of candidates appearing in CAT (i.e. considering all three sessions) and denote it by M0.1
Now let's assume that ABC is a candidate who appeared for the CAT exam in the morning shift. ABC gained the Raw Score of R in the QA section. Then the scaled score of ABC is calculated by following this formula-
A similar process is to be taken for the afternoon and the evening courses.
Similar Methods are taken to calculate marks for other sections as well.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The CAT 2024 Exam has three sections. The CAT VARC section will include 24 questions with a weightage of 72 marks. These will be followed by the DILR section and QA section. The DILR and QA sections comprise 22 and 22 questions, respectively, and with 66 marks.
Applicants can try the Careers360 Percentile to know their CAT percentile. Upon putting the CAT Raw score in the predictor tool.
The difficulty level of CAT 2024 was moderate to hard. However, with the proper preparation, the candidates will be able to clear it.
Looking at the past trends, scoring 120 will gain the candidate's 90 percentile. However, this score can vary according to the difficulty level of the examination each year.
To calculate the the CAT Raw Score one need to follow these steps
Raw Score = 3 * (number of correct answers given by the candidate) - 1 * ( number of wrong answers given by the candidate)
On Question asked by student community
Hello
As you said you by mistakenly done that, you don't need to get worry regarding that ,
Just inform the help desk and carry the correct certifications , the state certificate will not disqualify you .
The steps you can follow is -
1. You can check if the correction window is available or not
2. Contact the CAT desk immediately.
Hope this helps
In CAT registration, you cannot create a new user ID with the same mobile number, even if you use a different email ID. Each mobile number and email can be linked to only one account. If you already registered once, the system will not accept a duplicate with that number. To register again, you must use a new mobile number and new email ID. If you lost your old login, you can recover it through the forgot password/user ID option on the CAT portal.
Yes, you can fill the CAT form even if you currently have a backlog. CAT eligibility requires you to be in your final year of graduation or already graduated backlogs don’t stop you from applying.
While filling the form:
Enter the aggregate percentage/CGPA of marks you have obtained up to the latest semester for which results are declared (in your case till 4th semester).
There will be an option to mention that you have a backlog.
If you clear the backlog later, you’ll just need to show the updated marks during admission.
Hello Aspirant,
Yes, you can apply for the CAT exam as a final-year student. You must declare your backlog on the online application form. You do not write about it on the final-year student certificate; that document is to certify your enrollment status. You must clear all backlogs before the final admission process to any MBA college.
Hello,
Thank you for your question!
KL- MAT syllabus: Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning, English/Verbal Ability, and General Awareness (similar to MAT/CMAT pattern).
CAT scores are valid in many private universities including KL University, but always check the year’s admission notification.
CAT vs other exams: CAT is toughest (IIMs + top B-schools), while MAT/CMAT/ATMA are relatively easier and accepted by many mid-level private universities.
Hello it will clear your doubt!
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