CAT Score Validity 2025 - For How Many Years is a CAT Score Valid?

CAT Score Validity 2025 - For How Many Years is a CAT Score Valid?

Team Careers360Updated on 12 Dec 2025, 05:13 PM IST

The CAT 2025 score validity is 1 year; for example, the CAT 2025 exam concluded on November 30, 2025, and now your score is valid till December 31, 2026. The CAT score validity determines the period for which a candidate can use the score of the CAT exam to seek admission to MBA/PGDM programs at any CAT-accepting institution. The CAT score validity may vary for some of the colleges, but for most B schools, the validity of the CAT score is a maximum of 1 year. After 1 year, candidates have to reappear for the CAT exam for the particular year to procure a valid CAT score.

CAT Score Validity 2025 - For How Many Years is a CAT Score Valid?
CAT Score Validity

How to Download CAT Scorecard 2025?

The CAT scores are provided through the CAT scorecard 2025. The CAT scorecard can be downloaded from the official website by candidates using their CAT login credentials generated during the CAT registration. The CAT scorecard 2025 can be downloaded using the steps mentioned below.

  • Step 1: Visit the IIM CAT official website, that is, iimcat.ac.in
  • Step 2: Click on the CAT result 2025 link titled- ‘CAT Result 2025 Tab’ and enter your CAT user ID and password to log in
  • Step 3: Next, click on the ‘IIM CAT Score Card 2025’ tab
  • Step 4: CAT result 2025 will appear on the screen
  • Step 5: Download the CAT scorecard 2025 and keep it for future reference

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Question: How do CAT score percentiles differ from scaled scores?
Answer: In the CAT exam, a scaled score is a candidate's actual numerical marks that are obtained after a statistical adjustment for test slot difficulty. Whereas a percentile indicates a candidate's relative position or rank among all the test-takers.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Is CAT score valid for 2 years?
A:

No, the validity of the CAT scorecard 2025 is one year. The CAT score 2025 can be used for MBA admission 2026 till December 31, 2026.

Q: Is the CAT 2025 response sheet out?
A:

Yes, the CAT 2025 response sheet as well as the answer key were released on December 4, 202,5, on the official site, iimcat.ac.in. All candidates will be able to log in using their credentials and check their slot-specific response sheet. 

Q: What is the validity of the CAT score? How long is the CAT 2025 valid for?
A:

The validity of the CAT score 2025 is for 1 year. After 1 year, the CAT score for the preceding year will be considered invalid for seeking admission to any B school. To apply for colleges, candidates will have to appear again for the CAT exam.

Q: How many CAT attempts are allowed?
A:

There is no limit on the number of CAT attempts that a candidate can take.  You can take the exam as many times as you want, provided you meet the eligibility criteria for each attempt. 

Q: What is a valid CAT score for IIM?
A:

A good CAT score for IIM admissions generally falls within the 95-99 percentile range for newer IIMs and top private B-schools, while the older, more established IIMs often require a score above the 98th percentile for general category candidates.

Q: How many CAT attempts are allowed?
A:

There is no limit on the number of CAT attempts that a candidate can take.  You can take the exam as many times as you want, provided you meet the eligibility criteria for each attempt. 

Q: What is a valid CAT score for IIM?
A:

A good CAT score for IIM admissions generally falls within the 95-99 percentile range for newer IIMs and top private B-schools, while the older, more established IIMs often require a score above the 98th percentile for general category candidates.

Q: What is a good score for CAT?
A:

A good CAT score will depend on the college that a candidate aims for. If the goal is to pursue an MBA from IIMs then a good score would be percentile between 98-99.9. Other than IIMs a percentile between 90-99 would be considered good enough.

Q: Can I get IIM with the 95 percentile?
A:

At 95 percentile IIM is feasible for some reserved categories. For the General category candidates 95 percentile may fall short of converting an IIM. However, lower-tier IIMs can be targeted with the 95 percentile.

Q: Does CAT have a negative marking?
A:

Yes. The CAT exam has negative marking. For every answer marked wrongly by a candidate, 1 mark will be deducted. For every correct answer, 3 marks are awarded. No marks are deducted for questions left unattempted by the candidate.

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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