How is the raw score calculated in the CAT exam?

You receive 3 marks for each correct answer. For every wrong MCQ, 1 mark is deducted. There is no mark deduction for incorrect non-MCQ questions.

What is the purpose of CAT normalization?

Normalization adjusts scores across different exam slots, ensuring that students from varying difficulty levels are compared fairly and equally.

Does my raw score directly determine my CAT percentile?

No, your percentile is determined by your scaled score, which is calculated after the raw scores undergo the normalization process.

Why do two students with the same raw marks sometimes get different scaled scores?

This happens due to normalization. As different slots have varying difficulty, normalization adjusts scores, meaning the same raw marks can yield different scaled scores.

Which sections follow the specified CAT marking scheme?

The marking scheme of +3 for correct and -1 for incorrect MCQ (no deduction for non-MCQ) is followed for all three sections: VARC, DILR, and QA.

CAT 2025 Marks vs Expected Percentile Slot-Wise

Check CAT 2025 marks vs expected percentile slot-wise. Understand score trends for morning, afternoon, and evening slots with predicted cut-offs.

Table of Contents

Understanding CAT Scoring & Percentile Calculation
CAT 2025 Expected Overall Marks vs Percentile
Slot-Wise CAT 2025 Marks vs Percentile
Expected Section-Wise Score vs Percentile
How to Calculate CAT Score and Percentile?
Conclusion

Common Admission Test (CAT) is one of the best paths for the aspirants who wish to target admission in top IIMs and B-schools in India. If you want to know how many marks you need to score to get a particular percentile, here you will find all the information.

After giving the CAT exam, students calculate their raw scores, but as the CAT happens in multiple slots, the result follows normalization rules. Under normalization, marks are adjusted so that the students from different slots are compared equally. After normalization, the scaled score is used to decide the percentile. In this article, we will discuss the slot-wise, section-wise, and expected marks vs percentile analysis for CAT 2025.

Understanding CAT Scoring & Percentile Calculation

It is very important to know how CAT scoring works. The raw score is calculated with a simple rule. You get 3 marks for each correct answer, and a -1 mark is deducted for every wrong MCQ. If you answer non-MCQ questions incorrectly, no marks will be deducted. The same marking scheme is followed for all three 3 sections, including VARC, DILR, and QA.

You calculate the raw scores after your exam, but the percentile does not depend on your raw marks. CAT follows the normalization process because each exam slot has a different difficulty level. Normalisation helps in adjusting scores to judge all the students evenly. This is the reason that two students with the same raw marks may get different scaled scores. The final result is determined by the scaled score.

Also Read: CAT Score vs Percentile: Section-wise Percentile, Check Last 5 Years Scores

CAT 2025 Expected Overall Marks vs Percentile

As per the past year trends, exam difficulty, and normalization, the table below provides the details about expected overall raw marks for CAT 2025.

Overall Marks vs Percentile (Estimated Out of 198)

The estimated data for overall marks vs percentile for CAT 2025 is mentioned below. However, the final scores will be based on paper difficulty, normalization, and competition level.

Percentile	Expected Raw Score
100 – 99.9	115 – 125+
99.5 – 99	98 – 110
98 – 97	85 – 95
96 – 95	70 – 80
94 – 90	60 – 68
89 – 80	45 – 50
Below 80	Below 45 marks

Also Read: CAT Percentile Predictor: Check Your Score and Percentile

Slot-Wise CAT 2025 Marks vs Percentile

CAT is conducted in 3 slots and marks, and there may be differences in the difficulty level. Below is the expected slot-wise CAT 2025 Marks vs Percentile.

CAT Slot 1 2025 Marks vs Percentile

CAT VARC Score	CAT DILR Score	CAT QA Score	Overall CAT Score	CAT Percentile
45-47	39-41	35-37	100-102	100
39-41	34-36	31-33	91-93	99+
28-30	28-30	21-23	65-67	95+
22-24	22-24	17-19	56-57	90+
20-22	19-20	16	42-45	85+
17-19	16-18	13-15	39-41	80+

CAT 2025 Slot 2 score vs Percentile

CAT VARC Score	CAT DILR Score	CAT QA Score	Overall CAT Score	CAT Percentile
46-48	40-42	36-39	103	100
40-42	35-37	32-34	94-96	99+
30-33	30-32	222-25	67-69	95+
24-26	25-26	18-20	57-59	90+
20-22	20-22	17	43-46	85+
18-20	17-19	14-16	40-42	80+

CAT 2025 Slot 3 score vs Percentile

CAT VARC Score	CAT DILR Score	CAT QA Score	Overall CAT Score	CAT Percentile
45-47	39-41	35-37	100-102	100
39-41	34-36	31-33	91-93	99+
28-30	28-30	21-23	65-67	95+
22-24	22-24	17-19	56-57	90+
20-22	19-20	16	42-45	85+
17-19	16-18	13-15	39-41	80+

Expected Section-Wise Score vs Percentile

Here is the detailed breakdown of expected section-wise scores vs percentile:

VARC

Check out the VARC section score vs the expected percentile in the table below.

CAT Percentile	CAT VARC Score
80	18
85	20
90	24
95	30
98	36
99	41
100	59

DILR

Check out the DILR section score vs the expected percentile in the table below.

CAT Percentile	CAT DILR Score
80	17
85	19
90	22
95	27
98	34
99	38
100	63

QA

Check out the QA section score vs the expected percentile in the table below.

CAT Percentile	CAT QA Score
80	11
85	14
90	17
95	22
98	29
99	33
100	57

How to Calculate CAT Score and Percentile?

Here are the steps to calculate the CAT score and Percentile for CAT 2025:

Raw Score

Raw score is calculated based on your answers. For every correct answer, you get +3 marks, and -1 mark is deducted for every wrong MCQ. There is no negative marking for non-MCQs.

Scaled Score

The scales score adjusts the raw marks using the normalization method to offer fair results to every student in every slot.

Percentile

The percentile shows how many students have scored less than you. If you get a higher percentile, it means you have performed better than others. It not only shows the marks, but also the relative standing as per your scaled score.

Formula

The CAT percentile is calculated using the formula P = (N-r) / N x 100. Here "N" is the total candidates, "r" is your rank. This formula converts your position into a percentage.

Composite score

IIM uses the composite score with scaled CAT score, academic performance, work experience, gender diversity, and academic diversity factors for shortlisting candidates.

Also Read: CAT Result 2025: Release Date (Jan), Download IIM CAT Scorecard

Conclusion

Understanding the CAT 2025 Marks vs expected percentile is very important for preparation and after exam evaluation. Your exact percentile is based on the normalization and difficulty of exam slots, past trends. Scoring 100-120 raw scores can get you a 99-99.9 percentile. A raw score of 70-95 can lead to a 90-98 percentile. IIMS considers balanced scores, so your section-wise performance in VARC, DILR, and QA is important.

If you clearly understand the expected scores and slot-wise differences, you can easily plan your preparation for CAT and evaluate your mock tests result accurately. It will help you predict your real exam performance, set realistic goals, and create customized strategies for higher percentile scores.