CAT Normalization Process 2021: Check Composite Score Formula

Updated on Apr 23, 2021 - 12:41 p.m. IST by Sundararajan #CAT

CAT Normalization Process 2021: CAT result 2021 will be based on the normalization process of CAT 2021 followed by IIMs. To ensure rationality and veracity in the performance of candidates in the CAT 2021 exam, IIM will follow a CAT normalization process in 2021. As per the Indian Institute of Management, “the CAT 2021 normalization process will adjust for location and scale differences of score distribution across different forms.” The first normalization process of CAT is done across different forms, then the scores are further normalized across different sections. Nowadays, the normalization process has become a common trend and is used in all entrance exams which are conducted in different slots/shifts.

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CAT Normalization Process 2021: Check Composite Score Formula

Exam Dates of CAT 2021

We all know that the national level CAT exam is the biggest entrance exam, hence every year more than 2 lakh candidates register for it. As per last year’s trends, we expect more than 2.3 lakh candidates will register for the CAT 2021 exam. To conduct the exam successfully and without altercation, CAT 2021 will be conducted in three different shifts. Therefore, three different test forms shall be conducted in three test shifts.

Before filling the application form, candidates must be aware of the exam dates of CAT 2021 as it contains the start and end dates, admit card date, CAT 2021 exam date, and much more. As per the exam dates, CAT 2021 will be held on the last Sunday of November 2021 i.e. November 28, 2021. Given below is the schedule of CAT 2021 which can be checked by candidates for reference.

CAT Exam Dates 2021

Events	Dates
Start of Application Process of CAT 2021	First Week of August 2021
End of CAT application process	Last Week of September 2021
CAT 2021 Admit card	Last Week of October 2021
CAT 2021	November 28, 2021 (Tentative)
Declaration of CAT Result	First Week of January 2022

Quick Links -

How to prepare for CAT 2021
CAT 2021: When and how to start preparation?
CAT Preparation 2021 - How to prepare for CAT without coaching

What is the CAT Normalization Process 2021?

The entrance exam of CAT 2021 will be conducted only in computer-based mode in three shifts i.e. morning, afternoon, and evening. Henceforth, to avoid any kind of discrimination, the Indian Institute of Management will follow the process of normalization for CAT 2021 which will change scale differences of score distributions across different forms.

The normalization process of CAT 2021 will be followed as an established practice that will compare the scores of candidates across different/various forms. The main purpose of the CAT 2021 normalization process will be that none of the candidates from either of the slots/ shifts get undue advantage or face disadvantage.

The scaled scores will then be converted into CAT percentile. The shortlisted candidates (on the basis of CAT percentile) will have to appear for the selection process of IIMs, which will include Written Ability Test (WAT), Group Discussion (GD), and Personal Interview (PI) rounds.

Quick Links -

How to prepare for PI-WAT rounds of top B-schools
How to crack GD-PI WAT rounds of top B-schools

Calculation of CAT Scaled Scores

Complete details related to sectional scores as well as overall scaled scores will be mentioned on the result of CAT 2021. The below-mentioned steps will be followed by IIM in CAT result 2021, to calculate the scaled score of each section. Let us look at an example of how the scaled score will be calculated for CAT 2021 -

Step 1: First the mean & standard deviation (SD) will be calculated of the raw scores in the DILR section for all candidates who will appear in the morning shift

Let Mean = M1
Let SD = S1
Hence, G1 = M1 + S1

Step 2: Similarly, the mean and the standard deviation (SD) of the candidates who will appear in the afternoon shift will be calculated from the raw scores in the same DILR section for all candidates.

Let Mean = M2
Let SD = S2
Hence, G2 = M2 + S2

Step 3: Now, calculate the mean and the standard deviation (SD) of the raw scores in the DILR section for all candidates who will appear in both morning and afternoon shifts.

Let Mean be M
Standard Deviation be S
Therefore, G = M + S

Step 4: Calculate the mean raw score in the DILR section of the top 0.1% of candidates who will appear in the first-morning shift. Denote the same by 𝑀1 0.1

Step 5: Similarly, For the top 0.1% candidates of the afternoon shift, calculate the mean raw score in the DILR section. Denote it by 𝑀2 0.1

Step 6: Now For the top 0.1% of candidates who will appear in CAT 2021 for both morning and afternoon shifts, calculate the mean raw score in the DILR section. Denote the same by 𝑀0.1.

cat-example

A similar technique will be followed to calculate the scaled score of all three sections. i.e. Total scaled score = Sum of scaled scores of DILR, VARC, QA.

How to Calculate CAT Percentile 2021

IIM will release the percentile calculation method of CAT 2021. The rank obtained by a candidate will be termed as CAT percentile 2021. On the basis of the scaled score, the percentile of CAT 2021 will be calculated. It is imperative for candidates to understand how their CAT percentile 2021 will be calculated and ranks will be allotted to them.

Higher rank will be provided to those candidates who score more marks in all sections. If two candidates will score similar marks in the VARC section, then in such case both of them will be given Rank 1. The CAT 2021 percentile score will be calculated on the basis of a defined formula. After the formula is implemented, there will be a need to round off the calculated percentile score (P) of a candidate up to two decimal points.

The following steps will be used with regard to the calculation of the CAT 2021 percentile. For example sake, the QA section is chosen to know how CAT percentile is calculated and a similar process will be applicable to other sections.

Step 1: Calculate the total number of candidates (N) who appeared for CAT 2021 (i.e. including morning, afternoon, and evening sessions).

Step 2: Assign a rank (r), based on the scaled scores obtained in the QA section, to all candidates who appeared for CAT exam 2021. In the case of two or more candidates get identical scaled scores in the QA section, then the same rank will be awarded to all those candidates.

As an example, suppose two candidates obtain the highest scaled score in the QA section, then both of those candidates are assigned a rank of 1. Moreover, the candidate(s) obtaining the second-highest scaled score in the QA section are assigned a rank of 3 and so on.

Step 3: Calculate the percentile score (P) of a candidate with rank (r) in the QA section as:

𝑃 = ( (𝑁−𝑟) 𝑁 ) × 100

Step 4: Round off the calculated percentile score (P) of a candidate up to two decimal points.

For example, all percentile scores greater than or equal to 99.995 are rounded off to 100, all percentile scores greater than or equal to 99.985 but strictly less than 99.995 are rounded off to 99.99, and so on.

The method that is mentioned above is used for the computation of the overall CAT percentile scores and for the percentile scores of other sections.

CAT Result 2021

IIM will announce the result of CAT 2021 in the first week of January 2022. CAT 2021 result will contain details related to the personal details of candidates, sectional scores obtained, percentile, as well as total, scaled score, and percentile.

Candidates who will qualify will be called upon to take part in the further admission process. CAT scores are accepted not only by the Indian Institute of Management but various other top b-schools other than IIMs as well.

Quick Links -

IIM Fee Structure for MBA and Seats
Top MBA Colleges in India Accepting CAT

Frequently Asked Question (FAQs) - CAT Normalization Process 2021: Check Composite Score Formula

Question: What is normalization in CAT?

Answer:

CAT is conducted in multiple shifts and every shift has a different set of questions. There may be some differences in the difficulty level. CAT Normalization process is used to adjust the candidate’s score for these differences.

Question: Why CAT scaled scored important?

Answer:

CAT scaled score is used to compare a candidate’s performance with another candidate for the same and other shifts. It will help candidates and such institutes that accept CAT scores to get a fair assessment of candidate’s performance in CAT 2021.

Question: How are CAT scaled scores calculated?

Answer:

IIMs calculate the mean and standard deviation of candidates Raw scores and then they apply a formula to calculate the scaled score.

Question: What all factors are taken into consideration in the CAT scaled score calculation?

Answer:

Candidates must know that the raw scores of all candidates that appeared in CAT entrance test. Apart from that, CAT shifts will also matter to calculate the scaled score.

Question: Why is normalization used in CAT

Answer:

CAT Normalization process is used to ensure that no candidate gets advantage or disadvantage.

Question: What is the formula for CAT normalization process?

Answer:

CAT normalization process formula are as follows:

Raw Score= 3 x (No. of correct answer) - 1 x (No. of incorrect answer)

Question: Can marks be reduced after CAT normalization?

Answer:

In terms of actual CAT score, the impact of CAT normalization process would lead to decrease in the marks of candidates who have secured high score in the exam. However, such candidates should not worry about their score because they have cleared the CAT exam.

Question: Is CAT score valid for 2 year?

Answer:

No, CAT scorecard is valid for only one academic year.

Question: How are CAT score calculated?

Answer:

R= Rank of the candidate on the basis of CAT scaled score or total number of candidates. For example, 1000 aspirants take CAT entrance test and bag the top rank which means a total of 999 candidates scored less than you. Then candidates percentile will be 999/1000*100= 99.9

Question: How is CAT score scaling done?

Answer:

The CAT 2021 normalization process will be done by adjusting the location and scaled differences of CAT score distributions across the different shift CAT question paper. The CAT scaled scores will be converted into CAT percentiles.

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Questions related to CAT

Showing 9641 out of 9641 Questions

7 Views

I got 91.2%age in 10th , 75.2%age in 12th and 9.1 cgpa in graduation, If I score high about 99+ in CAT ; Can I get into IIM B or due to my 12th low marks I cant?

Anurag Khanna 7th May, 2021

Hello Aspirant,

See according to the data mentioned by you, you have decent chances to get a call from IIM Bangalore provided that your score 99+ percentile in CAT

For your clarity let us understand the complete admission procedure for IIM Bangalore :-

IIM Bangalore

In IIM B there is a two stage selection process and the cut-offs are given below :-

Category	Quantitative Aptitude Percentile	Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning Percentile	Verbal and Reading Comprehension Percentile	Overall Percentile
General	75	75	80	85
EWS	65	65	70	75
NC-OBC	65	65	70	75
SC	60	60	65	70
ST	55	55	55	65
PWD	50	50	50	60

For shortlisting of candidates for PI and AWT following weightage is considered by IIM B :-

S.No.	Components	Weightage
1	Gender Diversity	2
2	CAT 2020	40
3	10 Standard	20
4	12 Standard	10
5	Bachelors	20
6	Weighted Work Experience	8
Total		100

Note that weightage mentioned is in points and the 40 points of CAT weightage can be bifurcated as follows :-

**Verbal & Reading Comprehension (VARC) - 14 points

**Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) - 16 points

**Quantitative Aptitude (QA) - 10 points

You can check out complete admission process for IIM B from the link given below :-

https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/iim-bangalore-admission-criteria

Similarly for admission process and complete details of cut-offs of other IIMs kindly check out the link given below :-

https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/iim-admission-criteria

You can also use CAT Pathfinder to predict your chances to get call from different IIMs and non-IIMs :-

https://bschool.careers360.com/pathfinder/cat

I hope this information helps you.

Good Luck!!

6 Views

I am a fresher engineering graduate applied for BITSOM addmission on the basis of my CAT score and declared waitlisted after PI. I have a good GRE score also which I did not mentioned anywhere in my previous addmission application. Can I apply again on the basis of my GRE score.

snigdha vig 6th May, 2021

Hi,

Since you mentioned that you are waitlisted, it is better to wait for the final results or further updates. Along with that you can apply to other universities for the same. Applying for the same thing again can get your application rejected due to double application. Also, GRE score is just for admission in Universities or colleges outside India. It is advisable to wait for the next update and stick to the qualifications that are required. Adding excess and irrelevant details in any application is not always beneficial.

I hope this helped you.

All the Best!

21 Views

my academics 10th - 69 % 12th - 63 % graduation - 98.97% what cat percentage is enough for me to get all iims

Anurag Khanna 6th May, 2021

Hello Aspirant,

The academic record which you have mentioned in the question is quite average for getting calls from different IIMs but yes if you score 99.5+ percentile in CAT then you will have good chances to get call from top IIMs like IIM A/B/C and for average IIMs you should have at least 98 or more percentile in CAT.

Now let us discuss about admission criteria of some of the top IIMs like IIM A/B/C :-

IIM Ahmedabad

Admission process for IIM A is a two step process. First step is for preliminary screening on the basis of Sectional cut-offs and overall cut-offs along with different rating points for IIM A which are described in the tables below and you need to clear sectional cut-off as well as Overall cut-off :-

Category	VRC percentile	DILR percentile	QA Percentile	Overall Percentile
General, EWS	70	70	70	80
NC-OBC cum Transgender	65	65	65	75
SC	60	60	60	70
ST	50	50	50	60
PwD (EWS, General, SC, NC-OBC)	60	60	60	70
PwD (ST)	50	50	50	60

Ratings on the basis of class 10th score :-

Per cent Score in Xth Std. Exam	Rating Score A
<=55	1
>55 and <=60	2
>60 and <=70	3
>70 and <=80	5
>80 and <=90	8
>90	10

Rating on the basis of class 12th score :-

Per cent Score in XIIth Std. Exam	Rating Score B
<=55	1
>55 and <=60	2
>60 and <=70	3
>70 and <=80	5
>80 and <=90	8
>90	10

Rating scores on the basis of field of graduation and percentage :-

Per cent score in Professional courses	Rating Score C
<= 50	1
> 50 and <= 55	2
> 55 and <= 60	3
> 60 and <= 65	5
> 65 and <= 75	8
> 75	10

Rating scores on the basis of work experience (if any) :-

Work Experience in Month (July 31, 2020)	Rating Score D
< 12 months	0
>= 12 and <= 36 months	MF * (number of months of work experience – 11)
> 36 months	5
Work-experience Multiplication Factor (MF) = 0.20

After considering all the ratings on the basis of above discussed factors candidates are shortlisted for Step 2 which is Analytical Writing Test and Personal Interview round.

You can check out complete admission process for IIM A from the link given below :-

https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/iim-ahmedabad-admission-criteria

IIM Bangalore

In IIM B also there is a two stage selection process and the cut-offs are given below :-

Category	Quantitative Aptitude Percentile	Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning Percentile	Verbal and Reading Comprehension Percentile	Overall Percentile
General	75	75	80	85
EWS	65	65	70	75
NC-OBC	65	65	70	75
SC	60	60	65	70
ST	55	55	55	65
PWD	50	50	50	60

For shortlisting of candidates for PI and AWT following weightage is considered by IIM B :-

S.No.	Components	Weightage
1	Gender Diversity	2
2	CAT 2020	40
3	10 Standard	20
4	12 Standard	10
5	Bachelors	20
6	Weighted Work Experience	8
Total		100

Note that weightage mentioned is in points and the 40 points of CAT weightage can be bifurcated as follows :-

Verbal & Reading Comprehension (VARC) - 14 points
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) - 16 points
Quantitative Aptitude (QA) - 10 points

You can check out complete admission process for IIM B from the link given below :-

https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/iim-bangalore-admission-criteria

IIM Calcutta

In IIM C also there is a two stage selection process and the cut-offs are given below :-

Category	VA	DILR	QA	Overall Percentile
General	≥ 75	≥ 80	≥ 80	≥ 85
NC-OBC	≥ 65	≥ 65	≥ 70	≥ 75
EWS	≥ 65	≥ 65	≥ 70	≥ 75
SC	≥ 60	≥ 60	≥ 65	≥ 70
ST	≥ 55	≥ 55	≥ 55	≥ 65
PwD	≥ 45	≥ 45	≥ 45	≥ 55

Class X Marks (in per cent)	Points	Class XII Marks (in per cent)	Points
≥80	10	≥80	15
≥75 and < 80	8	≥ 75 and < 80	12
≥70 and < 75	6	≥70 and < 75	9
≥65 and < 70	4	≥65 and < 70	6
≥60 and < 65	2	≥60 and < 65	3
< 60	0	< 60	0

Bachelor’s Degree Marks (in per cent)	Points
≥ 60	15
≥ 55 and < 60	10
≥ 50 and < 55	5
< 50	2.5

For IIM C also you need to clear the above cut-offs and your points as mentioned in the above table should be decent enough to get shortlisted for Stage 2 which is of AWT and PI.

Final selection will be made on the basis of following weightage :-

Components	Weights
CAT 2020 Score	30
Personal Interview (PI)	48
Point granted for Academic Diversity at Bachelor’s level for Non-Engineering degree	4
Work Experience	8
Total	90

You can check out the link given below for complete admission Process of IIM C :-

https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/iim-calcutta-admission-criteria

Similarly for admission process and complete details of cut-offs of other IIMs kindly check out the link given below :-

https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/iim-admission-criteria

You can also use CAT Pathfinder to predict your chances to get call from different IIMs and non-IIMs :-

https://bschool.careers360.com/pathfinder/cat

I hope this information helps you.

Good Luck!!

10 Views

when should i apply for mba colleges? before CAT exams or after?

Abir Gayen 6th May, 2021

HI Aspirant,

The Common Admission Test (CAT) is a computer based test for admission in a graduate management program.So after giving the test wait for the results and the score and accordingly you can apply for various college.Through cat results you can apply to mba colleges throughout India.

Hope it helps!

23 Views

I am from CW 1 Category, How much percentile should i get In CAT exam , and Other rounds to convert IN FMS DELHI FOR MBA. 10th -10 cgpa 12th~ 77%.

ayan mukherjee 6th May, 2021

Dear aspirant,

As you are from CW1 category and considering your academic results and also that you want to know about the cat percentile to convert FMS delhi. See to get fms you need a very high score in cat atleast 99.6-99.7+ . But it can vary according to some factors.