CAT Score and CAT Percentile Analysis 2019: Meaning, Calculation, Examples

CAT 2019 Exam is scheduled on November 24, 2019. Candidates appearing for CAT can find the differences between CAT score and CAT percentile with examples in this article. Read the whole article to know everything about CAT score and CAT Percentile.

Common Admission Test (CAT), which is one of the popular management entrance exams in India, is set to take place on November 24, 2019. Almost, all good B-Schools in India accept CAT score. The aspirants are busy with their preparation and are aiming to score a good percentile in CAT 2018. Many times, students are often confused about the terms CAT score and CAT percentile. Most candidates assume that both terms carry the same meaning. However, there is a wide difference between the CAT score and CAT percentile, to know the difference between CAT Score vs CAT Percentile, read the following.

Understanding the relationship between both is not only confusing but also complex. Some students also are in doubt with respect to the fact that CAT score is presented in percentile format instead of score. In general, CAT percentile points to a candidate’s position among all applicants of CAT, based on which the ranking of the candidate is decided. Once the exam is successfully conducted, you will be able to check your estimated CAT score using our CAT Percentile Predictor here. And once the CAT result is out, you will also be able to predict and evaluate your chances of getting into a MBA college in India through the CAT College Predictor here. You can also read and go through the detailed CAT 2018 exam analysis here to estimate the required CAT score / CAT Percentile to study in your dream college according to the exam analysis of last year.

In this article, CollegeDekho has put down a detailed analysis of the riddle ‘difference between CAT score and CAT percentile’. We hope that this analysis will help you understand the primary/ basic difference between score and percentile.

CAT Score vs CAT Percentile: Meaning

The aspirants must note that there is no specific method for CAT through which you can figure out the exact score you will have to achieve to feature in the elite list of CAT 99 percentile league. The percentile in CAT exam is evaluated at par with the difficulty level of the exam. The difficulty level of the CAT exam is not constant ever year, and the evaluation process of CAT percentile changes every year. Before going through some examples associated with CAT score and CAT percentile, you need to understand the exact meaning of CAT Score and CAT Percentile.

What is a CAT Score?

To understand the CAT score, one must first understand the Exam pattern and marking scheme of CAT Examination, both the things are explained in the following points:

CAT examination has a total of 100 questions divided into 3 sections.
CAT Examination has four Sections, that are as follows:

Section	Question
Quantitative Ability	34
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension	34
Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation	32

Maximum Marks for CAT Exam is 300
Marking Scheme for CAT Exam is such that for every correct answer, +3 marks are allocated, whereas, for every wrong answer, 1 mark is deducted.
There is no deduction of marks if the question is unanswered.
Each section is evaluated and marked.
Based on the above rules, the CAT Score of a candidate is prepared.

However, to calculate the composite score of students some other parameters are considered, based on other parameters, two candidates with same on paper score may have different composite sores. Here are the other parameters that are considered while drawing a composite score:

Class 10the Marks
Class 12th Marks
Graduation Percentage/ Grade
Work Experience
Academic Background

What is a CAT Percentile?

A percentile is regarded as a unit used to calculate/ evaluate the percentage of students above or below you in the merit list. For example, if you score 70 percentile in CAT, it means that 70% of students who appeared in the entrance test scored less than you. Therefore, candidates securing 70 percentile or above indicate their position in the top 30% of applicants who appeared for the exam.

Let us look at another example to make it clearer. If two lakh students gave CAT exam, at least 20% of students (40,000 students) would come under 80-100 percentile range. Therefore, the percentile secured by the candidates in the CAT exam is suggestive of their position and does not exactly indicate the marks they score in CAT exam.

Also Read: Top MBA Colleges for Women

CAT Score vs CAT Percentile: IIMs’ Scaling and Normalisation Process for CAT 2019

CAT exam is conducted in different sessions. IIMs follow a smart scaling and normalisation process for scoring with an objective to determine the merit of the candidates appearing for CAT exam in different sessions. The scaling and normalisation process came into existence after the CAT was revamped into the computer-based test.

The normalisation process followed by IIMs for CAT exam ensures complete justice when it comes to appraising equity and fairness in performance across multiple sessions. CAT normalisation process is a clear practice of comparing the CAT scores of candidates across different forms and is similar to other popular entrance exams in India such a GATE. For normalisation across sections, IIMs use the percentile equivalence.

To put it simply, CAT normalisation process is based on the primary guesswork that in all sessions of the CAT exam, the ability of the candidates remains the same without any changes.

Let us try to interpret the CAT scoring system to get a fair idea of percentile more clearly. The CAT paper comprises of 100 questions and three marks are awarded to each correct answer while one mark deducted for a negative answer. The original score secured by the candidates in CAT is not based on this typical marking system due to the prevalence of the normalisation process.

In recent years, the normalisation process is not too aggressive as the CAT exam is being conducted in two slots on a single day (morning and afternoon). Therefore, the scaled score mentioned in the CAT scorecard remains too close to the actual marks secured by the candidates.

Also Read: Difference between GMAT and CAT

How to Calculate CAT Percentile?

Percentiles in CAT exam are just like percentiles in other exams. The percentiles are just a representation/ indication of the number of people who are behind you in the test. The General formula to calculate percentile along with some of the examples in this regard are elaborated below.

Percentile = ( 1 - All India Rank(Total Candidates in the Exam) * 100%

Example 1: Let us assume that 50 candidates appeared for CAT exam. You have done well in the exam and scored 3^rd rank in the entrance test, which means that 47 students scored less than you. Now, you percentile should be calculated as follows: -

47/50*100 = 94 Percentile.

Therefore, you scored 94 percentile in CAT as per the above example.

Example 2: Let us assume that 2,000 candidates appeared for CAT exam. You have topped the exam by securing the first rank, which means that 1,999 candidates scored less than you. Now, your percentile should be calculated as follows: -

1999/2000*100 = 99.95 Percentile.

Therefore, you scored 99.95 percentile in CAT as per the above example.

After having a look at the above examples, you might wonder how multiple people secure 100 percentile in CAT. It happens because of rounding off, which is explained below in detail: -

Example 3: Let us assume that 2,00,000 candidates appeared for CAT exam. You have secured 6^th rank in the exam, which means that 1,99,994 students scored less than you. Now, your CAT percentile should be calculated as follows:

199994/200000*100 = 99.997 Percentile.

Therefore, you scored 99.997 percentile in CAT as per the above example.

However, the CAT scorecard shows percentile up to two decimal digits. Therefore, we will have to round it off. If we will have round this off to two decimal places, we should round it up to 100 percentile.

Also Read: Telangana MBA 2020: Admission, Important Dates, Selection Process

CAT Marks vs CAT Percentile: Approximate

The table below explains the approximate CAT Marks and CAT percentile Approximations. Students preparing for CAT 2019 can refer to the table to get an idea of the relation between CAT 2019 Score and CAT 2019 Percentile:

CAT Percentile	Minimum Marks Scored in Quantitative Analysis	Minimum Marks Scored in Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning	Minimum Marks Scored in Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension	Overall Marks
99.9	85	57	81	201
99	84	54	79	180
95	58	41	50	140
90	51	32	47	110 – 120
85	44	27	35	94 – 107
80	36	21	33	91
70	17	30	75	75

Note: The above-mentioned comparison is made based on the previous year’s data of CAT. Candidates who score above 90 percentile in CAT have chances to get a call from IIMs.

Also Read: PTRSU MBA 2020: Application, Important Dates & Selection Procedure

CAT Score vs CAT Percentile: CAT 2018

CAT exam occurs in two-shift, Morning and Evening, here is the Estimated CAT score and CAT percentile for the morning and evening shift of CAT 2018.

CAT Score vs CAT Percentile: CAT 2018, Morning Shift

Here is the estimation of CAT Marks and CAT percentile of the year 2018 to help students preparing for CAT 2019 an idea:

Verbal	Quant	LRDI	CAT Score	CAT Percentile
70	50	50	150	99
60	45	45	140	98
55	38	38	120	95
50	30	30	105	90
45	25	25	95	85

Note: The above-mentioned score is based on the data of CAT 2017 percentile and score. There may be a change in score and percentile for CAT 2018.

CAT Score vs CAT Percentile: CAT 2018, Evening Shift

The table given below is showing the CAT 2018 Exam analysis for the Evening Shift, students aspiring to give CAT 2018 can have a look at the following table:

Verbal	Quant	LRDI	CAT Score	CAT Percentile
69	47	48	145	99
59	42	43	135	98
58	35	36	115	95
48	27	28	100	90
44	22	23	90	85

Students must note that these are the scores and Percentiles of CAT 2018 and it is most likely that the CAT Score and CAT Percentile will rise for CAT 2019. Also, the CAT percentile and CAT Score required to study different MBA specialisations in the same University can be different.

To get the list of colleges for different percentile ranges, read the following articles:

Apart from CAT, many MBA colleges accept other Examinations, here is a list of all the MBA Exam and MBA option: