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?

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Team Careers360Updated on 30 Jun 2025, 10:19 AM IST

The CAT 2025 score validity is 1 year, i.e., December 31, 2025. 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.

LiveCAT 2025 LIVE: IIM Kozhikode to issue admit card on November 12; exam dates, participating collegesNov 7, 2025 | 8:22 AM IST

As per CAT exam pattern trends, the section-wise total number of questions for CAT 2025 are given in the table below.

CAT exam sections

Number of questions

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)

24

Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)

22

Quantitative Aptitude (QA)

22

Total

68

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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. 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 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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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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

The validity of the CAT score 2024 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,

To get admitted to the Institute of Management Studies (IMS), BHU, for an MBA in 2026, you must clear the CAT entrance exam. For that you need to fill out the application form of the CAT in August 2026, which you can get on the Official CAT website

I hope it will clear your query!!

Hello

You can get all the papers on the Careers360 website. To access the paper and download it for practice, just visit here:

https://design.careers360.com/articles/nift-cat-2024-question-paper-with-solutions

Hope it will help you!!

Hello dear candidate,

Yes, you have a very good chance of getting a BPT seat with 488 out of 600 and TS EAMCET rank of 14,000 under the ST category.

As the cut off of BPT for ST category students are generally between 25,000 to 45,000 ranks, depending upon the college and you have TS EAMCET rank of 14,000.

Thank you.

If you got 802 marks in Telangana Intermediate and belong to the ST category, you have a fair chance to get admission in a BPT course in 2025, but it depends on the college and cut-off. Most BPT colleges in Telangana ask for 12th marks in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, and some also use the TS EAMCET rank for admission. The cut-off for ST students is usually lower than for general students, but it changes every year. It is better to check the previous year’s cut-offs of the colleges you want to apply to.

Hello, Getting shortlisted for IIM Lucknow or IIT Bombay (SJMSOM) with your profile is challenging, primarily due to your 58% in Class 10th, which significantly impacts the composite score calculation for both institutes. While your 98 percentile CAT score is excellent, and your 24 months of work experience, B.Com (Hons) background (providing academic diversity, especially for IIM-L), and KVS National player status are valuable additions, top IIMs and IITs heavily weigh consistent academic performance. Your 74% in 12th is also on the lower side. IIM Lucknow places substantial weight on 10th and 12th marks, making a call quite difficult despite your strengths. You likely have a relatively better, though still uncertain, chance at IIT Bombay, as their weighting might be slightly less penalizing for past academics compared to IIM-L, and your high CAT score is a major factor. However, the low 10th score remains a significant hurdle for both prestigious institutions.

I hope you found this information helpful and for study related queries you can ask in careers360 app, Have a great day and!