Achieving a score of 50 marks in the Common Admission Test (CAT) is a great achievement for many aspiring M.B.A. candidates. However, what does this score mean in terms of percentiles? This is because the difficulty of the CAT examination varies from year to year, and so does the number of test-takers appearing for the exam. Thus, the percentile corresponding to a score of 50 marks varies from cycle to cycle. Through this article, we explain what a score of 50 marks translates into and examine the trends of percentiles year-wise so that the candidates know what their position is in terms of percentile.
Check| 70 Marks in CAT: What Percentile Is It? Check Year-on-Year Trends
CAT Admission 2026: Overview
CAT 2026 exam is scheduled for November 29, 2026 (Sunday). Before the exam check the quick overview of the exam details shared below.
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Particulars
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Details
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Exam Name
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Common Admission Test (CAT) 2026
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Conducting Body
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Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore
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Official Website
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iimcat.ac.in
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Exam Date
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November 29, 2026
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Exam Mode
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Computer-Based Test (CBT) across 3 shifts/slots
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Total Questions
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68 Questions
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Section-wise Split
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• VARC: 24 Questions
• DILR: 22 Questions
• QA: 22 Questions
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Exam Duration
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120 minutes (40 minutes per section)
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Application Fee
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• INR 2,700 for General / EWS / NC-OBC
• INR 1,350 for SC / ST / PwD
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Basic Eligibility
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Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 50% aggregate marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD) or equivalent degree
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Score Validity
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1 Year (Valid till December 31, 2027)
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50 Marks in CAT: Year-Wise Percentile Analysis
In years like 2023 and 2022, when exam paper was difficiult, candidates secured between 96-98 percentiles through a total of 50 marks, which is only possible because of the overall lower scores of candiates. During favorable years such as 2020, 2021, 2024, and 2025, a score of 50 marks would probably earn candidates percentile close to 84-89.
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CAT Year
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Approx. percentile for 50 Marks
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2025
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88 - 89 %ile
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2024
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86 - 88 %ile
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2023
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98 %ile
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2022
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96 - 97 %ile
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2021
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84 - 85 %ile
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2020
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84 - 85 %ile
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Check| 60 Marks in CAT: What Percentile Is It? Check Year-Wise Trends
What are your options if you score 50 in CAT ?
When you achieve a score of around 50 in the CAT, you can generally expect to end up in the percentile range of 84 to 89 (though this can be higher in tougher years). As a result, while this score does not qualify you for the old-established IIMs, you are still likely to have options about private non-IIM b-schools of high repute/standing where you are likely to land admissions. Some of the schools you can apply to based on your score of this nature include TAPMI Manipal, IMT Ghaziabad, KJ Somaiya Mumbai, FORE School of Management, and GIM Goa. Furthermore, you have the option to take other entrance exams such as XAT, NMAT, SNAP, or CMAT, or work to excel in the WAT-PI (Writing Ability Test and Personal Interview) process in order to make good use of your CAT score.
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