CAT Score Vs Percentile 2026: The Common Aptitude Test (CAT) exam is scheduled to be conducted on November 29, 2026, and it will be conducted by IIM Indore. The CAT result 2026 will be declared in percentile and not in marks, and understanding the difference between these two is important for candidates.
In CAT 2025, 70 marks was around the 97th percentile. In CAT 2024 the same score was around the 95th percentile. So a 70 marks gives you a decent percentile on which candidates will be able to secure the call from top B-schools; the exact percentile moves by a couple of points, and that gap can decide which calls you get.
70 Marks in CAT: What Percentile Is It?
From the below data we can see that 70 was never close enough for the 99th percentile. The gap ran from about 6 marks in 2023 to about 27 marks in 2021. Second, the marks needed for the 99th percentile moved by around 20 across these five years, which is why nobody can hand you one fixed number.
|
CAT year
|
Approx. percentile for 70 marks
|
Marks needed for 99th percentile
|
|---|---|---|
|
2025
|
97
|
84.8
|
|
2024
|
95
|
95
|
|
2023
|
98
|
76.02
|
|
2022
|
97-98
|
84
|
|
2021
|
94
|
97
|
Note: IIMs don't publish a table matching marks to percentile. The figures come from tables compiled by different coaching institutes from candidate scorecards. Candidates can use them as close approximations, not official cutoffs.
Why does the same 70 give a different percentile every year?
The percentile can be considered as the rank of the candidate against the candidates who took the examination, so the percentile does not only depend on the difficulty level of the exam but also on how well the other candidates performed in that particular shift. From the above table we can say that for the 95th percentile, in 2024, 70 marks were required, while in 2023, it was under 55.
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How does a score of 70 add up in the exam?
CAT assigns +3 marks for a correct answer and −1 for a wrong multiple-choice answer. Under the recent pattern, wrong TITA (typed-in) answers carry no negative marking. So 70 marks can come from very different attempt patterns
|
Correct answers
|
Wrong MCQs
|
Marks
|
|---|---|---|
|
24
|
2
|
70
|
|
25
|
5
|
70
|
|
26
|
8
|
70
|
From the above table we can say that all three land exactly on 70 marks, yet the first involves 26 attempts and the last involves 34. The accuracy gap matters, because each extra wrong MCQ costs a mark on top of the three you didn't earn. If your mocks show a 70 built on lots of guessing, your real score may swing more on exam day than someone who reached 70 with fewer, safer attempts.
Is 70 a raw score or a scaled score?
The official scorecard shows scaled scores, not raw ones. CAT conducts the exam in three shifts, so marks are adjusted to account for differences in shift difficulty. The raw 70 can end up a little higher or lower after scaling, and nobody can tell by how much before the result.
If 70 is your mock score, remember that mock percentiles are calculated against a different set of test-takers than the real CAT; some mock series draw stronger or weaker candidates. Candidates must track the trend in their marks across mocks more closely than any single mock percentile.
Sectional cutoffs matter as much as the 70
Most IIMs apply a minimum percentile in each of VARC, DILR and QA on top of the overall cutoff. A 70 built on a great Quant score and a weak Verbal score can get filtered out even though the total looks good.
What should you do if 70 is your mock score?
Candidates must find their weakest section first. Check whether their sectional percentiles sit near a likely cutoff before chasing more total marks.
- Look at wrong answers.
- Set a buffer mark
- Don't panic over one mock.
What should you do if 70 is your actual result?
Check your sectional percentiles before anything else. They decide whether you clear the IIM shortlisting filters.
- Apply widely. Each IIM has its own weightage for academics, work experience and diversity, so don't assume the same percentile gives the same outcome everywhere.
- Check category cutoffs. They vary by category, so the same percentile can go further or less far depending on yours.
- Start WAT/GD/PI preparation early. A call is the start of the selection, and the interview rounds carry real weight.