CAT 2025 Total Marks: Section-Wise Marks, Cutoff Scores & Selection Criteria

CAT 2025 Total Marks: Section-Wise Marks, Cutoff Scores & Selection Criteria

Team Careers360Updated on 30 Nov 2025, 09:36 AM IST

The CAT total marks for 2025 are 204 for all the CAT sections, with a total of 68 questions. The CAT 2025 total marks will be divided into three different sections, which are 24, 22, and 22 across the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA), respectively. The total time duration for the CAT exam is 120 minutes, with 40 minutes for each section. For every correct answer, 3 marks are given. For each wrong answer, 1 mark is deducted as per the CAT negative marking scheme. This year, IIM Kozhikode will conduct the CAT 2025 on November 30, 2025. The result for CAT 2025 is expected to be announced around December 19-20.

LiveCAT 2025 Result LIVE: MBA entrance exam results on December 24? cut-offs, IIM admission requirementsDec 20, 2025 | 10:28 PM IST

The CAT percentile calculation will be done in four steps:

  • CAT marks will be awarded based on correct and incorrect answers. 
  • The total score will be calculated by adding +3 marks for each correct answer, while -1 mark will be deducted for every incorrect answer.
  • Overall and section-wise scores will be normalised to arrive at a scaled CAT score.
  • The final normalised scores will then be converted to percentiles, which are presented in the CAT scorecards.
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This Story also Contains

  1. CAT 2025 Total Marks for Eligibility
  2. How to Calculate Your Score from CAT Total Marks 2025?
  3. CAT Total Marks for Cutoff
  4. CAT 2025 Total Marks for Selection Process
CAT 2025 Total Marks: Section-Wise Marks, Cutoff Scores & Selection Criteria
CAT Total Marks 2025

CAT 2025 Total Marks for Eligibility

As per the CAT 2025 eligibility criteria, a candidate needs to have at least 50% marks or an equivalent CGPA (45% for reserved category candidates) in the Bachelor’s Degree. Only the candidates with the above-stated marks are eligible to apply for the CAT 2025. Apart from these, the marks of the 10th and 12th standards. IIMs and other colleges give weightage to the marks of the 10th and 12th standards for the final selection process.

How to Calculate Your Score from CAT Total Marks 2025?

To calculate your CAT 2025 score or total mark, you must follow the steps given below:

  • You will need to begin with raw score calculation, which will be based on the marking scheme.
  • Since the CAT 2025 exam will be conducted in slots, the difficulty level might vary. Therefore, to ensure fairness, the process of 'normalisation' or 'scaling' will be used by the exam authorities.
  • Your percentile score will indicate your performance relative to all other candidates who will take the exam.
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CAT Total Marks for Cutoff

The CAT total marks for cutoff are the marks required for the candidate to apply for different colleges for admission to their MBA/PGDM courses. The CAT total marks for the CAT cutoff depend on certain factors like the CAT difficulty level, the number of appearing candidates, the normalisation process, etc. The expected CAT 2025 total marks for different percentile cutoffs are provided in the table below.

CAT 2025 Percentile Predictor
Use the CAT Percentile Predictor to estimate your score, gauge your performance, and know your chances of getting shortlisted by IIMs.
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CAT percentile

Score VARC

Score DILR

Score QA

CAT Total Marks

99.5

42

30

30

86

99

36

25

25

74

95

30

20

22

52

90

24

14

13

42

80

20

11

9

35

70

18

9

7

30

CAT 2025 Total Marks for Selection Process

The CAT total marks for the selection process will be released after the 2025 CAT results are declared. The candidates having enough scores will have the CAT total marks for the selection process at IIMs and other top B schools. The CAT total marks for the selection process will be released by different colleges for shortlisting candidates to their respective MBA/PGDM programs. The CAT total marks for the selection process across IIMs and other colleges are given in the table below.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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: What is a good attempt in CAT?
A:

A good number of attempts in CAT would be different for each section and would depend on the accuracy with which a candidate attempts each section. With an estimated accuracy of 90% a good number of attempts would be somewhere between 40-55. Difficulty level of the exam should also be considered.

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.

Q: What are the total marks of the CAT exam?
A:

The total marks for the Common Admission Test (CAT) exam are 204. The time duration of the CAT exam is 120 minutes (2 hours). The three sections have 24, 22, and 22 questions, respectively. Each question carries three marks. It also has a negative mark, with 1 mark being deducted for every wrong answer.

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Questions related to CAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CAT ?

Hello,

For a raw score of 56 in CAT 2025 Slot 3, your expected overall percentile is likely to be in the range of the 90th-95th percentile. The exact percentile can vary slightly on the final normalization process and the process and performance of all test-takers. In this article you'll find more about the CAT result.

I hope it will clear your query!!

Hello,
With a projected CAT percentile of 87% but not clearing sectional cutoffs, your chances at top IIMs are limited because they require both overall percentile and sectional minimums. However, you still have a good shot at other reputed management institutes and non-IIM B-schools. Consider colleges like NMIMS, SPJIMR, IMT, TAPMI, Great Lakes, and other well-ranked private or state-level B-schools that accept CAT scores and weigh your profile holistically. Your academic record, BSc in Animation with 80%, and 5 years of work experience at Ubisoft India are strong points and may help in institutes that value work experience in their selection process. Also, explore institutes that accept XAT, MAT, or CMAT, where your profile can be competitive.
Hope this helps you.

Good Morning,

NIT Rourkela CAT cutoff range is between 70-85 percentiles for the general category. 70 is the minimum percentile needed to apply, and 85 is the highest percentile. However, the maximum percentile depends on the particular year competition. It can be changed.

Thank You.

If you filled the UGC NET form under EWS but you don’t have a valid EWS certificate, then forget using the EWS category. They won’t accept it. You’ll automatically be treated as General category during document verification.


And no, this won’t make your form “invalid” or “illegal.” It just means you won’t get the EWS benefit.


So yes — you can still go for General category posts and Professor recruitment. Just don’t try to submit a fake/invalid certificate; that will get you disqualified.

Hello,
If your CAT admit card shows your surname first followed by your first name as entered in the form, it is correct. You do not need to worry about this format as long as it matches the details you provided. Ensure all other information on the admit card is accurate and carry it to the exam along with the required identification documents.
Hope this helps you.