What is Scaled Score in CAT? How is it Calculated for Three Slots?

Common Admission Test 2024 ( CAT )

4 mins read10.1K Views13.1K Comments
Vipra
Vipra Shrivastava
Senior Manager - Content
Updated on Dec 12, 2024 18:12 IST

IIM Calcutta will use the same formula of Scaled CAT score calculation for three different slots, as used in previous years. Read below to understand what is scaled score in CAT and how it is calculated and the formula that has been applied to prepare the CAT 2024 result. 

CAT score calculation

CAT 2024 is being held in three and every batch of candidates gets different set of questions. The examination authority normalize the CAT scores of all candidates to assess their performance on a standardised scale. This is critical to ensure none of the candidates have any advantage or disadvantage over another due to varied difficulty levels of the test slot. 

Latest: CAT 2024 result live updates

Q:   How much percentile is a good score in CAT exam?

A:

The CAT (Common Admission Test) is a highly competitive entrance exam for admission to various management programs offered by top business schools in India. The percentile score in CAT exam is based on the relative performance of the test taker compared to all the other test takers.

The cutoff percentile for admission to top business schools varies from year to year and also depends on factors such as the number of candidates, difficulty level of the exam, and the number of available seats. In general, a percentile score of 90 or above is considered a good score and can help you secure admission to some of the top business schools in India. However, to increase your chances of admission to the top-tier business schools, a percentile score of 95 or above is preferred.

Q:   What is sectional cutoff in CAT exam?

A:

Sectional cut off in CAT exam refers to the section wise percentiles required by the candidate for making it to the Personal Interview round of the IIMs or other top MBA colleges. The sectional cut offs are lower than overall cut offs of any institute. To understand better, check the table below for sectional CAT cut offs for IIM Ahmedabad:

Category

VARC percentile

DILR percentile

QA percentile

Overall percentile

General

70

70

70

80

NC-OBC-Transgender

65

65

65

75

SC

60

60

60

70

ST

50

50

50

60

PwD (General, NC-OBC-cum-transgender, SC)

60

60

60

70

PwD (ST)

50

50

50

60

For sectional cut offs of all IIMs, check this article – IIM shortlist and selection criteria

Q:   What is the minimum percentile required for IIM Trichy?

A:

IIM Trichy accepts minimum CAT percentile for shortlisting candidates for the Personal Interview round. For IIM Trichy MBA admission 2024, the estimated overall CAT cutoff for the General category students is 92 percentile. Candidates can refer to the table given below to check out the section-wise minimum CAT percentile required for various categories: 

Category

PVRC

PDILR

PQA

Overall percentile rank

(PT)

General

70707092

NC-OBC

45454574

EWS

40404070

SC

35353554

ST

252532.540

DAP

252532.540

Explore colleges based on CAT

Ahmedabad
#1 NIRF
₹12 L - 25 L
In Top 10 %ile by Average Salary of MBA Colleges
Bangalore
#2 NIRF
₹12.5 L - 24.5 L
In Top 10 %ile by Average Salary of MBA Colleges
Kozhikode
#3 NIRF
₹20.5 L - 22.5 L
In Top 10 %ile by Average Salary of MBA Colleges
Kolkata
#5 NIRF
NA
In Top 10 %ile by Average Salary of MBA Colleges

Want better recommendations?

There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.
Delhi
#4 NIRF
₹12 L
In Top 10 %ile by Average Salary of MBA Colleges
Lucknow
#7 NIRF
₹7.6 L - 12.6 L
In Top 10 %ile by Average Salary of MBA Colleges
Mumbai
#6 NIRF
₹14 L
Ranked in the top 10 by NIRF
Indore
#8 NIRF
₹17.25 L - 20 L
In Top 10 %ile by Average Salary of MBA Colleges
Rohtak
#12 NIRF
₹18.92 L
In Top 10 %ile by Average Salary of MBA Colleges
Gurgaon
#11 NIRF
₹8.25 L - 26 L
In Top 10 %ile by Average Salary of MBA Colleges
View allCollections

What is scaled score in CAT Exam?

The CAT exam pattern changed in 2020 and it became a three slot exam (earlier there were only two slots). The exam authorities introduced a modified process of Scaled CAT Score calculation in line with three-slot system. CAT 2024 will follow the same method of Scaled Score calculation for preparation of candidate scorecards. Read below to understand the scaled score in CAT and its calculation for performance normalisation and assessment. 

Also Read:

Explore more MBA exams with upcoming dates

MU BAAT 2025 Round 2 Registration

11 Dec '24 - 21 Jan '25

BET 2025 Round 2 Submission De...

21 Jan '25

MICAT (II) admit card download

22 Jan '25

SBEST Mock Test 2025

23 Jan '25

SRCC GBO Registration 2025

18 Dec '24 - 24 Jan '25

Issuance of X-GMT Admit Card

21 Jan '25 - 25 Jan '25

CMAT 2025 exam date

25 Jan '25

NBSAT 2025 registration Exam II

16 Dec '24 - 29 Jan '25

XAT 2025 Cut Offs Release

29 Jan '25

OJEE 2025 registrations

28 Jan '25

Scaled CAT Score Calculation for All Three Slots

IIMCAT has shared the formula of scaled CAT score calculation of students appearing in the exam in three different slots this year. In the process below, the CAT scaled score calculation has been explained with the example of Quantitative Aptitude section, same methodology is applied for scaled score calculation for VARC and DILR. If any candidate’s scaled score is more than 100, it will be rounded down to 100.

Step 1: Calculate the Mean (M) and the Standard Deviation (SD) of the raw scores in QA section for all candidates appearing in the morning session. Let Mean = M1 and SD = S1 and G1 = M1 + S1.

Step 2: Calculate the Mean (M) and the Standard Deviation (SD) of the raw scores in QA section for all candidates appearing in the afternoon session. Let Mean = M2 and SD = S2 and G2 = M2 +S2.

Step 3: Calculate the Mean (M)  and the Standard Deviation (SD) of the raw scores in QA section for all candidates appearing in the evening session. Let Mean = M3 and SD = S3 and G3 = M3 + S3.

Q:   What is the CAT cut off for IIM Lucknow?

A:
The CAT cut offs for IIM Lucknow is usually around 97-99 percentile. The two courses - PGP Agri-Business Management (ABM) and PGP Sustainable Management (some) are extremely popular among MBA aspirants who wish to make a career in these areas. The institute also offers PGP programme. The qualifying CAT cut off for IIM Lucknow's Written Ability test (What) and Personal Interview PI is 90 percentile for General category students, whereas for SC candidates, it is 70 percentile. For ST and PwD candidates, it is 60 percentile. Given below are the sectional and overall qualifying CAT cut offs for IIM Lucknow PGP course. General category: 85 VARC 85 DILR 85 Quantitative Aptitude 90 (Overall) NC-OBC category: 77 VARC 77 DILR 77 Quantitative Aptitude 82 (Overall) EWS category: 77 VARC 77 DILR 77 Quantitative Aptitude 82 (Overall) SC category: 55 VARC 55 DILR 55 Quantitative Aptitude 70 (Overall) ST category: 50 VARC 50 DILR 50 Quantitative Aptitude 60 (Overall) PwD category: 50 VARC 50 DILR 50 Quantitative Aptitude 60 (Overall) Click here for detailed IIM Lucknow admission and selection criteria: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/iim-lucknow-shortlist-admission-criteria-blogId-18509.

Q:   What is the CAT cut off for IIM Ahmedabad?

A:
The qualifying CAT cut off for IIM Ahmedabad is 85 percentile for 2023-25 batch. However, the final CAT cut off for IIM Ahmedabad will go up to 99-100 percentile. The qualifying CAT cut off is the minimum score required to be eligible for shortlisting of IIM Ahmedabad PI round. The score on which a candidate is selected is called the final cut off and is much higher than the qualifying cut off. Given below is the qualifying CAT cut offs for IIM Ahmedabad: General/EWS: 70 VARC 70 DILR 70 (QA), 80 (Overall) NC-OBC/transgender: 65 VARC 65 DILR 65 (QA), 75 (Overall) SC: 60 VARC 60 DILR 60 (QA), 70 (Overall) ST: 50 VARC 50 DILR 50 (QA), 60 (Overall PwD (General/ EWS, NC-OBC/transgender, SC): 60 VARC 60 DILR 60 (QA), 70 (Overall) PwD (ST): 50 VARC 50 DILR 50 (QA), 60 (Overall). .

Q:   Are CAT cut offs announced along with the CAT result?

A:
CAT cut offs are not announced along with the CAT result. The cut offs also not released publicaly. They are known after a few days of result announcement when the IIMs and other colleges start their shortlisting process. The IIMs will open shortlist window basis the CAT cut offs two to three days after the result announcement. The CAT percentile of candidates shortlisted for Written Ability Test (What), Group Discussion GD and Personal Interview, PI can be considered the cut off for that IIM. For example, if a candidate with CAT percentile of 99 belonging from General category is selected for the What/GD-PI of IIM Calcutta, then the CAT cut off for IIM Calcutta is 99 percentile. Only those candidates who will make it to the What/GD-PI round of IIMs will get to know the cut offs.

Q:   How many questions should I solve to score 99 percentile in CAT exam?

A:
It is tough to give an accurate number as an answer to this questions are the number of questions have been changing in CAT in the last three years. Moreover, percentile also depends on the difficulty level of the exams and the number of test takers in a particular year. However, one can say that it is safe to solve at least 2/3rd of the total questions in each section of the CAT. So, if CAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section has 24 questions, candidate must attempt 16-18 questions correctly. If the CAT Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning has 20 questions, the candidate must solve about 12-14 questions correctly. If the CAT Quantitative Aptitude section has 22 questions then candidates must solve about 14-15 questions correctly. For further understanding you can check detailed analysis here: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/how-many-questions-to-attempt-in-cat-to-score-99-percentile-blogId-19639.

Q:   What are the qualifying CAT cutoffs for all the IIMs?

A:
Qualifying CAT cut off percentiles of Iims for Written Ability Test (What) and Personal Interview PI for the batch of 2023-25 are listed below. Candidates who MET the qualifying CAT cut off, were eligible for What-PI round. These qualifying CAT cut offs are for General Category. The cut offs for Reserved category students are lower: 1. IIM Ahmedabad: 85 percentile 2. IIM Bangalore: 85 percentile 3. IIM Calcutta: 85 percentile 4. IIM Lucknow: 90 percentile 5. IIM Kozhikode: 85 percentile 6. IIM Indore: 90 percentile 7. IIM Udaipur: 93 percentile 8. IIM Shillong: 75 percentile 9. IIM Trichy: 93 percentile 10. IIM Visakhapatnam: 80 percentile 11. IIM Rohtak: 95 percentile 12. IIM Nagpur: 85 percentile 13. IIM Jammu: 93 percentile 14. IIM Ranchi: 90 percentile 15. IIM Sirmaur: 92 percentile 16. IIM Bodhgaya: 93 percentile 17. IIM Sambalpur: 93 percentile 18. IIM Kashipur: 94 percentile 19. IIM Raipur: 93 percentile 20. IIM Amritsar: 90 percentile For complete details of IIM selection and admission process read this article: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/iim-shortlist-selection-admission-criteria-blogId-18787.

Step 4: Calculate the Mean (M) and the Standard Deviation (SD) of the raw scores in QA section for all candidates appearing in CAT (i.e. including all the three sessions). Let Mean = M and SD = S and G = M + S.

Step 5: Calculate the Mean (M) raw score in QA section of the top 0.1% candidates in the morning session and denote it by M10.1 

Step 6: Calculate the Mean (M) raw score in QA of top 0.1% candidates in the afternoon session and denote it by M20.1

Step 7: Calculate the Mean (M) raw score in QA of top 0.1% candidates in the evening session and denote it by M30.1

Step 8: Calculate the Mean (M) raw score in QA of top 0.1% candidates appearing in CAT (i.e. considering all the three sessions) and denote it by M0.1.

Suppose now XYZ is a candidate who appeared in the morning session and her raw score in QA section is R. Then the scaled score of XYZ in QA, say r given by:

r = (RG1 ) M0.1G

-------------------------------- + G

M10.1G1

In case XYZ is a candidate who appeared in the afternoon session and her raw score in QA section is R. Then the scaled score of XYZ in QA, say r given by:

r = (RG2 ) M0.1G

---------------------------------------- + G

M20.1G2

In case XYZ is a candidate who appeared in the evening session and her raw score in QA section is R. Then the scaled score of XYZ in QA, say r given by:

r = (RG3 ) M0.1G

----------------------------------- + G

M30.1G3

Check in detail CAT scaled score calculation:

CAT_Scaled_Score_Calculation

CAT Percentile predictor prepared by Shiksha.com helps students to get their predicted CAT percentile on the basis of their expected exam score. So, predict your CAT 2024 exam score by clicking the link below:

CAT Percentile Predictor

Read More:

Check CAT cut offs and predict calls from IIMs and Non-IIMs accepting CAT score for admission. Check Fees, Placement Reviews, Admission, Shortlist Criteria and Eligibility of all CAT participating colleges by clicking the link below:

Predict CAT Admission Calls
About the Author
author-image
Vipra Shrivastava
Senior Manager - Content

Vipra is a massive Breaking Bad fan. When not watching crime drama series, she spends time in updating the list of places she wants to visit and people she wants to meet, but she is happiest in the company of dogs. ... Read Full Bio

Download Important Dates for MBA/PGDM Exams

News & Updates

Latest NewsPopular News

Explore Other Exams

Jan '25

XAT 2025 Cut Offs Release

17 Jan '25

XAT 2025 result

8 Jan '25

SNAP 2024 result announcement

21 Dec '24

SNAP 2024 session 3

13 Jan '25 -

17 Jan '25

NMAT 2024 Exam Window (second ...

5 Jan '25 -

10 Jan '25

NMAT 2024 Scheduling Window (s...

17 Oct '24 -

5 Dec '24

IIFT 2025 registration and app...

24 Dec '24 -

2 Mar '25

MAT 2024 Registration Process ...

24 Dec '24 -

9 Mar '25

MAT 2024 Registration Process ...

Feb '25

IBSAT 2024 Selection Process (...

28 Dec '24 -

29 Dec '24

IBSAT 2024 Exam

25 Jan '25

CMAT 2025 exam date

20 Jan '25

CMAT 2025 admit card download

25 Dec '24 -

25 Jan '25

MAH CET 20245 registration pro...

Mar '25

MAH MBA CET 2025

24 Jan '25 -

21 Feb '25

TANCET 2025 Registration

Feb '25

TANCET Admit Card Download

Feb '25

IRMASAT Personal Interviews

Mar '25

IRMASAT 2025 Final Result Anno...

The list of exams are recommended based on what other exams do the students in your area show interest in
qna

Student Forum

chatAnything you would want to ask experts?
Write here...

Answered 6 hours ago

No, CAT is not compulsory to get into PGDM course of ISMS Pune. The institute accept other national-level exam scores for selection as well. Aspirants with a valid score of CMAT/MAH CET can also apply for admission. The institute may accept scores of other entrance exams as well. Apart from this, it

...more

H

Himanshi Gupta

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 8 hours ago

It's great that you're exploring opportunities with your CAT score! With a 50 percentile in CAT, there are several MBA colleges in India that you can target. These colleges often consider other aspects of your profile such as academic background, work experience, and performance in the group discuss

...more

A

ABHINAV SRIVASTAVA

Contributor-Level 8

Answered 17 hours ago

It depends on your goals and the requirements of PSIT (Pranveer Singh Institute of Technology) for their MBA program. Here are some factors to consider:

1. Admission Criteria:

  • PSIT may accept CAT (Common Admission Test) scores, along with other exams like MAT, XAT, or UPSEE for MBA admissions.
  • If you w

...more

G

Gaurav Tanwar

Contributor-Level 8

Answered Yesterday

Bhavan's Royal Institute of Management provides admission based on merit and entrance. However, candidates are required to qualify graduation and secure a  bachelor's degree in any discipline. Apart from this, candidates must secure valid scores in entrance exams such as CAT, CMAT, KMAT etc. If the

...more

M

Manisha Shukla

Beginner-Level 4

Answered 2 days ago

Another option for those scoring low in CAT exam is applying to non-IIM. Many B-Schools like SPJIMR, IIM DELHI, lal bahadur sastri institute of management accept CAT score between 80-90 percentile. these institutes rank above some of the IIM in the NIRF - MHRF's ranking list.

A

Abhishek Singh

Beginner-Level 5

Answered 4 days ago

The admission to the PGP course offered by MET Institute of Software Development and Research does not need candidates to crack the CAT exam, rather there is a separate test called MET Online Test. MET Institute of Software Development and Research admission is entrance-based for courses offered at

...more

P

Piyush Choudhury

Beginner-Level 4

Answered 4 days ago

GNIOT CAT cutoff 2024 is yet to be released. However, in 2023, MBA cutoff for the unreserved category stood at 25. Over the period of three years, the CAT cutoff remained constant. Candidates can refer to the table given below to check out CAT percentile till 2023:

Post Graduate Diploma in Managemen

...more

N

Nitesh Lama

Beginner-Level 5

Answered 6 days ago

Every year, over 2 Lacs candidates appear for the CAT exam and about 10-14 test takers score 100 percentile. In CAT 2024, the number of 100 percentiler was 11, and in CAT 2023 the number of 100 percentilers was 14. In CAT 2022, the number of 100 percentilers was 11. In CAT 2021, only 9 candidates sc

...more

78439188
Vipra Shrivastava

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 6 days ago

Yes, it is possible to score 99.99 percentile in CAT in first attempt. Many candidates have scored 99.99 percentile in their first attempt in previously. But for that one needs to have a preparation strategy which is comprehensive and covers all the aspects of CAT. Apart from covering CAT syllabus t

...more

M

Manisha Singh

Beginner-Level 3

Answered 6 days ago

Candidates can take reference of subjects and topics from CAT study material for Verbal Ability, Data Interpretation and Quantitative Aptitude, but XAT preparation has to be exam specific and must include exam specific study material. Aspirants can use CAT sample questions too for practice purpose,

...more

E

Esha Singh

Beginner-Level 2