Great Lakes - PGDM & PGPM Admissions 2026
Final Application Deadline: 15th March | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025
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.
This Story also Contains
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 |
Final Application Deadline: 15th March | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025
400+ Company Visits | Highest CTC Offered: 21 LPA | Average CTC Offered: 8.65 LPA | 100% Placement Assurance
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 |
Last Date to Apply: 26th March | Ranked #36 amongst institutions in Management by NIRF | 100% Placement
Ranked among top 10 B-Schools in India by multiple publications | Top Recruiters-Google, MicKinsey, Amazon, BCG & many more.
| 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
FMS Udaipur admission for 2026 is not open. The MBA 2026 admission will likely commence in May 2026. You can keep checking the official website of FMS.
Hi admission to the courses offered at CUSAT is based on the CUSAT CAT results, relative performnace of the students and the number of applications for each course. Please check CUSAT CAT cutoff 2025 to know in detail about the cutoff score for Electrical and Electronic branch in previous years.
Yes, it is possible. If you have received a PI call from IIM Sambalpur with a 75 percentile in CAT, you have a chance to convert the call. However, the final selection will depend on multiple factors such as your personal interview performance, academic record, and overall profile.
All the
Hello
If you are looking to take admission in the MBA programme with a CAT score of 73, check out the list of MBA Colleges accepting 70-80 percentile .
All the best!
You can find all the information here:
CAT- https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/cat-exam-dates
SNAP- https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/snap-exam-dates
Ranked among top 10 B-Schools in India by multiple publications | Top Recruiters-Google, MicKinsey, Amazon, BCG & many more.
Final Application Deadline: 15th March | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025
Industry Internship Training
Recognized as Category-1 Deemed to be University by UGC | 41,000 + Alumni Imprints Globally | Students from over 20+ countries
400+ Company Visits | Highest CTC Offered: 21 LPA | Average CTC Offered: 8.65 LPA | 100% Placement Assurance
NAAC A++ Accredited | Ranked #12 by NIRF