CAT Score vs Percentile 2026: Check The Safe Score For 99+ Percentile
Understanding the difference between CAT Score and CAT Percentile is one of the most important things for MBA aspirants, as Business Schools evaluate the candidates on the basis of their relative performance not only raw score. Previous year cutoff trends are also provided.
CAT Score and CAT Percentile are the terms which are responsible for your first shortlisting. Understanding the difference between both is crucial to evaluate student performance and also their chances to enroll in top B-Schools of India. Your CAT Score is the absolute value representing the marks you earn in the exam. Normalization process later, turns the raw score into a scaled score on the basis of shift timing and your test set, meanwhile CAT Percentile is your relative performance compared to all other candidates who appeared for the exam that year.
This article brings you an overview on the CAT 2026, how is CAT Score calculated, what is CAT Percentile and breakdown on the CAT Score vs Percentile 2025.
To know about your college with the help of your percentile and complete profile you can check out MBA Profilizer.
Also check, IMT Ghaziabad MBA 2026: Highest Salary & ROI
CAT 2026 Exam: Overview
CAT 2026 will take place on 29 November, 2026 Sunday, admit cards will be out on 4 November 2026. Aspirants can have an overview on the exam details below.
| Particulars | Details |
| Exam Name | Common Admission Test (CAT) 2026 |
| Conducting Body | Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore |
| Official Website | iimcat.ac.in |
| Exam Date | November 29, 2026 |
| Exam Mode | Computer-Based Test (CBT) across 3 shifts/slots |
| Slot Timings | Slot 1: 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM Slot 2: 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM Slot 3: 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM |
| Total Questions | 68 Questions |
| Section-wise Split | VARC: 24 Questions DILR: 22 Questions QA: 22 Questions |
| Exam Duration | 120 minutes (40 minutes per section) |
| Marking Scheme | +3 for correct answer -1 for wrong MCQ 0 for wrong Non-MCQ (TITA) |
| Application Fee | INR 2,700 for General / EWS / NC-OBC INR 1,350 for SC / ST / PwD |
| Basic Eligibility | Bachelor's degree with a minimum of 50% aggregate marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD) |
| Admit Card Release | November 04, 2026 |
| Expected Result Date | 3rd / 4th Week of December 2026 |
| Score Validity | 1 Year (Valid till December 31, 2027) |
CAT Score vs Percentile
The table below lists down the major difference that the student should be aware of while calculating their chance of getting into top B-School. Aspirants can check the detailed difference below.
| Feature | CAT Score | CAT Percentile |
| Definition | The absolute scaled marks obtained by a candidate based on the CAT marking scheme. | A relative rank indicating the percentage of candidates who scored lower than or equal to a specific candidate. |
| Nature of Value | Absolute value (can be positive, zero, or negative). | Relative value (always between 0 and 100). |
| Calculation | Derived from raw scores (+3 for correct, -1 for wrong MCQs, 0 for unattempted) after multi-session normalization. | Calculated using the formula: P = ((N - r) / N) * 100, where N is total test-takers and r is rank. |
| Dependency | Depends purely on individual accuracy and the difficulty level of the test paper. | Depends on the candidate's performance relative to all other test-takers in that year. |
| Consistency | Fluctuates yearly based on exam difficulty. | Remains the benchmark criterion used by IIMs and top B-schools for shortlisting cut-offs. |
| Upper Limit | Varies every year based on total marks (typically around 198 total marks). | Capped at 100 percentile (expressed up to two or three decimal places, e.g., 99.98). |
What is a CAT Score ?
A CAT Score is the absolute value you earn in the exam test. This score is not the final criteria of the selection into the B-Schools. Raw scores are later turned into scaled scores through a normalization process.
Marking Scheme for CAT:
- +3 Marks for every correct respons
- -1 Marks for every incorrect MCQ
- 0 Marks for unattempted MCQs or TITA
Raw score is calculated as:
Raw Score = ( 3 x Correct Response ) - ( 1 x Incorrect MCQ )
What is CAT Percentile ?
CAT Percentile is the relative performance compared to all other candidates appearing for the exam that year. To be precise, a 98 percentile doesn’t mean you scored 98 percent in an exam, it means your scaled score was higher than 98% of all candidates who gave the test. Percentile formula used to calculate percentile is:
P = ( N - r/N) x 100 where,
- P = Percentile Score
- N = Total no. of candidates who appeared for the exam
- r = Candidates’s rank based on the scaled score
CAT Score vs Percentile: Previous Year Cutoff Trend
This is the table prepared by experts on the approx scores required to achieve in each section of the CAT Exam according to the 2025 Exam. Check the detailed list below.
| Percentile | VA-RC Score | DI-LR Score | QA Score | Overall Score |
| 99.9 %ile | 48 | 36 | 40 | 102 |
| 99.5 %ile | 44 | 32 | 30 | 89 |
| 99 %ile | 40 | 28 | 27 | 80 |
| 98 %ile | 36 | 25 | 23 | 71 |
| 95 %ile | 30 | 19 | 18 | 57 |
| 90 %ile | 25 | 16 | 15 | 49 |
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Vikrant Kumar is a Senior Executive – Data & Research, specialising in data-driven content analysis and editorial research. He works with large datasets to identify trends, patterns, insights, and emerging developments across key subjects and converts these findings into clear, engaging, and informative content. His role combines data analysis with editorial storytelling, using tools and research methodologies to support fact-based articles, reports, rankings, and analytical content. He focuses on turning complex data into meaningful insights that can strengthen content quality and help readers understand important trends and developments.
