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CAT is one of the most competitive MBA entrance exams in India and serves as the gateway to admission to top MBA colleges in India, such as the IIMs, FMS Delhi, SPJIMR, MDI Gurgaon and several others. However, one of the biggest challenges for aspirants is understanding the relationship between the CAT score and the percentile. Since CAT is a scaled-score-based exam, the raw marks are converted into scaled scores and percentiles. This can vary each year depending on the exam’s difficulty. CAT 2025 exam is scheduled to be held on November 30. Candidates appearing for this MBA entrance must check out this article to know how much to target section-wise in the upcoming CAT 2025 exam, make sure you keep reading the article.
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The CAT 2025 score vs percentile depends on the previous year’s analysis. The section-wise CAT 2025 score vs percentile (expected) data helps a candidate get an idea of both sectional cut-off and the overall cutoff required by them for MBA admissions 2026.
Check out the following tables, which mention the CAT 2025 section-wise scores which all candidates must target (slot-wise) by iQuanta.
CAT 2025 Slot 1 Sectional Cutoff
| CAT Percentile | CAT VARC | CAT DILR | CAT QA | Overall |
| 99.9 %ile | 54 | 43 | 44 | 120 |
| 99.5 %ile | 44 | 35 | 36 | 100 |
| 99 %ile | 40 | 30 | 32 | 88 |
| 98 %ile | 35 | 25 | 27 | 75 |
| 95 %ile | 30 | 20 | 21 | 65 |
| 90 %ile | 24 | 16 | 16 | 54 |
| 85 %ile | 20 | 13 | 13 | 45 |
| 80 %ile | 18 | 11 | 11 | 40 |
| 75 %ile | 15 | 9 | 9 | 30 |
CAT 2025 Slot 2 Section-wise cutoff
| CAT Percentile | VARC | DILR | QA | Overall |
| 99.9%ile | 54 | 46 | 42 | 121 |
| 99.5%ile | 46 | 38 | 34 | 102 |
| 99%ile | 41 | 33 | 31 | 90 |
| 98%ile | 35 | 28 | 27 | 77 |
| 95%ile | 30 | 23 | 20 | 67 |
| 90%ile | 25 | 16 | 16 | 56 |
| 85%ile | 21 | 13 | 13 | 47 |
| 80%ile | 18 | 11 | 11 | 42 |
| 75%ile | 15 | 9 | 9 | 32 |
Slot 3 Section-wise cutoff fro CAT 2025
| CAT Percentile | VARC | DILR | QA | Overall |
| 99.9%ile | 54 | 42 | 38 | 115 |
| 99.5%ile | 46 | 36 | 33 | 97 |
| 99%ile | 41 | 30 | 28 | 85 |
| 98%ile | 35 | 27 | 26 | 72 |
| 95%ile | 30 | 22 | 20 | 65 |
| 90%ile | 25 | 17 | 16 | 52 |
| 85%ile | 21 | 12 | 12 | 42 |
| 80%ile | 18 | 10 | 11 | 38 |
| 75%ile | 15 | 8 | 9 | 30 |
The CAT 2025 section-wise cutoff for each slot is mentioned in the following tables as per IMS India.
| Slot 1 | ||||
| Percentile | CAT VARC Score | CAT DILR Score | CAT QA Score | CAT Overall |
| 99.9 | 51 | 46 | 48 | 122 |
| 99.5 | 44 | 39 | 40 | 103 |
| 99 | 40 | 34 | 33 | 90 |
| 98 | 34 | 31 | 30 | 81 |
| 95 | 30 | 26 | 25 | 70 |
| 90 | 23 | 19 | 18 | 53 |
| 85 | 19 | 15 | 16 | 45 |
| 80 | 17 | 13 | 14 | 40 |
| 75 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 34 |
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| Slot 2 | ||||
| CAT Percentile | VARC Score | DILR Score | QA Score | CAT Overall |
| 99.9 | 52 | 42 | 43 | 115 |
| 99.5 | 45 | 35 | 35 | 97 |
| 99 | 41 | 30 | 28 | 83 |
| 98 | 36 | 27 | 25 | 75 |
| 95 | 32 | 23 | 20 | 65 |
| 90 | 25 | 17 | 15 | 51 |
| 85 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 41 |
| 80 | 18 | 11 | 12 | 37 |
| 75 | 17 | 10 | 10 | 33 |
| Slot 3 | ||||
| CAT Percentile | CAT VARC Score | CAT DILR Score | CAT QA Score | CAT Score |
| 99.9 | 53 | 44 | 45 | 119 |
| 99.5 | 46 | 37 | 37 | 101 |
| 99 | 41 | 32 | 30 | 87 |
| 98 | 34 | 29 | 27 | 77 |
| 95 | 30 | 24 | 23 | 66 |
| 90 | 23 | 18 | 17 | 52 |
| 85 | 19 | 15 | 14 | 43 |
| 80 | 17 | 12 | 12 | 37 |
| 75 | 15 | 11 | 11 | 33 |
The CAT percentile is the percentage of test takers a candidate has scored better than, not their percentage score. The CAT 2025 percentile is calculated by comparing a candidate’s rank to the total number of test takers. The final percentile score is rounded to two decimal places.
For example, if a candidate has a 99th percentile, it means that their performance was better than 99 per cent of all the CAT test takers that year.
The formula for calculating the CAT sectional as well as the overall CAT percentile for each candidate is provided below. For percentile calculation, the raw CAT scores of every candidate across the exam sessions are scaled to be marked on the same scale.
The CAT 2025 normalisation process is conducted to adjust scores across different exam slots. This is to ensure fairness due to potential variations in difficulty. This is a statistical process that uses the mean and standard deviation of each slot, which can be equated to a slightly higher scale score than a raw score from an easier slot.
The CAT exam is not just about overall percentile; it’s also about how well you perform in each section. To crack CAT 2025, one will need a section-wise strategy that will align with their strengths, weaknesses and target percentile.
Take a look at the following table to understand the CAT 2025 exam structure and how one can plan section-wise CAT targets.
Section | Number of Questions | Time Limit | Type of Questions | Marking Scheme |
VARC (Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension) | 24 | 40 mins | MCQs + TITA | -3/-1 |
DILR (Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning) | 20 | 40 mins | MCQs + TITA | -3/-1 |
QA (Quantitative Ability) | 22 | 40 mins | MCQs + TITA | -3/-1 |
Total | 66 | 120 mins | — |
Take a look at the following table, which mentions the list of colleges that will fall under the required CAT 2025 percentiles.
CAT 2025 Percentiles | Colleges that Accept CAT 2025 Percentile |
90-100 Percentile | |
95-99 Percentile | |
80-90 Percentile | |
70-80 Percentile (and below) |
|
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
A 99.9 percentile in the CAT exam will correspond to an overall score of approximately 102-106 marks, with the exact number varying slightly by year and slot.
A safe score in CAT will usually be between 90 and 98 and will be achieved with 72-84 raw marks. Such a percentile is appropriate for admissions to new IIMs and other B-schools as per the previous year's CAT cutoff.
A 40-mark score in CAT exam is estimated to be around 85 percentile. However, this can vary based on the exam’s difficulty and the number of test takers.
On Question asked by student community
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
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