What is a Good Score/Percentile in CAT 2025? - Check Here

A good score/percentile in CAT 2025 is subjective, but 90 to 95 percentile is ideal for CAT 2025. To get admission to top IIM colleges, students must score between 98-100 percentile. For admission to leading B-schools, students must aim at 95-97 percentile in CAT 2025.

Table of Contents

Good CAT 2025 Score for Tier-I, II & III B-Schools
What Does a Good CAT Score Mean?
How Many Questions to Attempt for 99+ Percentile in CAT …
CAT 2025 Score vs Percentile
Top MBA Colleges Accepting Good CAT 2025 Percentile
How to Get a Good Score in CAT 2025?
Faqs

If you are looking for an answer to “what is a good score/percentile in CAT 2025”, then you have come to the right place. A good score in CAT 2025 is subjective. If you belong to the General/NC-OBC category and want to get admission to some of the top IIMs in India, then you must score at least 98 to 100 percentile in the CAT examination 2025 . To get admission to IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, and IIM Calcutta, a score between 99 to 100 percentile is ideal. Under the list of CAT 97 percentile colleges, IIM Lucknow and IIM Kozhikode are considered to be the best MBA colleges.

Also Read :

List of MBA Colleges Accepting 50-60 Percentile in CAT 2025	List of MBA Colleges Accepting 60-70 Percentile in CAT 2025
List of MBA Colleges Accepting 70-80 Percentile in CAT 2025	List of MBA Colleges Accepting 80-90 Percentile in CAT 2025
List of MBA Colleges Accepting 90-95 Percentile in CAT 2025	MBA Colleges Accepting 95-99 Percentile in CAT 2025

Good CAT 2025 Score for Tier-I, II & III B-Schools

Each institute will have a different minimum CAT score requirement to be eligible for admission. Other business schools that accept CAT scores are listed in the table below:

Tier	Minimum CAT score	Minimum Sectional Score
Tier I	200	80-85
Tier II	120	40-50
Tier III	100	30-40

What Does a Good CAT Score Mean?

If you wish to understand what it means to acheive a good CAT 2025 score, check the table below:

Category	Key Insights
Definition of a Good CAT 2025 Score/Percentile	• A “good” percentile depends on the target college. • A 97 percentile is generally strong and can secure calls from top IIMs like IIM Lucknow, IIM Kozhikode, etc. • Students should set a clear target percentile to plan an effective preparation strategy.
College-Wise CAT Score Expectations	• Top IIMs (BLACKIS): Require 99+ percentile for competitive chances. • Other IIMs: Typically require 95–98 percentile. • Non-IIM top B-schools (IIFT, IITs, FMS Delhi, SPJIMR): Often need 95+ percentile. • Tier-3 colleges: Accept lower percentiles, offering more flexibility. • Cutoffs vary significantly from institute to institute.
Why Percentile Targets Vary	• Cutoffs depend on seat availability, number of applicants, and college reputation. • IIMs collectively offer around 5,000 seats, whereas nearly 2,00,000 candidates take CAT every year. • To be among the top 5,000 students, candidates must generally score 97.5+ percentile.
Good Percentile for IIM Admissions	• To get into top IIMs (BLACKIS) → 99+ percentile is ideal. • To get into newer IIMs (IIM Jammu, IIM Amritsar, etc.) → Possible with 90–94 percentile. • Even with 99 percentile, admission isn’t guaranteed because work experience, academics, diversity & PI performance also matter.
IIMs vs Top Private Colleges	• Some students prefer top private institutes (ISB Hyderabad, XLRI Jamshedpur, SIBM Pune) over new IIMs due to: – Stronger alumni networks – Better infrastructure – Established placements • As new IIMs grow, their required CAT percentiles may rise.
Importance of Percentile-Wise Analysis	• Students should study CAT percentile-wise college lists to set realistic goals. • Helps create a personalised preparation plan aligned with desired colleges.

How Many Questions to Attempt for 99+ Percentile in CAT 2025?

To achieve a 99+ percentile in CAT 2025, it's advisable to attempt around 41 questions with an accuracy rate of 85-90%. Below is a breakdown of the number of questions required to attain a 99+ percentile, 95+ percentile, and 90+ percentile in each section of the CAT 2025 exam.

CAT Percentile	Questions to Attempt in VARC	Questions to Attempt in DILR	Questions to Attempt in QA	Total Questions to Attempt
99+	14-15	10-11	13-15	40-41
95-999	13-14	9-10	12-13	35-39
90-95	11-12	7-8	11-12	29-34
85+	9-10	6-7	9-11	24-28

Also Read : List of Non-IIM MBA Colleges to Apply to Before and After CAT 2025 Exam

CAT 2025 Score vs Percentile

To understand what is good CAT percentile score is, you must first know the CAT score vs percentile calculation. Check out the table below to know more:

Percentile	Score-VARC	Score-DILR	Score-QA	Overall Score
99.5%ile	44	35	40	101
99%ile	34	26	36	96
98%ile	32	28	30	90
95%ile	32	20	29	81
90%ile	29	17	26	72
85%ile	24	15	20	59
80%ile	20	12	15	47

Therefore, a good score in CAT can be different for each candidate. However, since the CAT is being taken for admission to IIMs, we should take a look at what is a good CAT score for gaining admission to IIMs.

Top MBA Colleges Accepting Good CAT 2025 Percentile

Given below are a few of the top IIMs and other MBA colleges that will shortlist you for the final selection round of the MBA admissions in 2025 based on your CAT percentile/score:

IIMs & Other Top B-Schools	Expected CAT 2025 Cut Off Percentile
IIM Ahmedabad	99-100
IIM Bangalore	99-100
IIM Calcutta	99
IIM Lucknow	97+
IIM Mumbai	97+
IIM Kozhikode	97 to 98
IIM Amritsar	95+
IIM Sambalpur	95+
IIM Trichy	94+
IIM Ranchi	94+
IIM Kashipur	94+
IIM Vizag	92+
IIM Bodhgaya	92+
IIM Shillong	90+
IIM Sirmaur	95+
IIM Rohtak	95+
SPJIMR, Mumbai	90-95
JBIMS Mumbai	95-97
XIM-Xavier University Bhubaneswar	90-93
Faculty of Management Studies (FMS) New Delhi	97-98
Management Development Institute (MDI) Gurgaon	94-95
Institute of Management Technology (IMT) Ghaziabad	90-92
Department of Management Studies (IIT Delhi) New Delhi	90-93

How to Get a Good Score in CAT 2025?

Putting in targeted practice and study hours every day is the key to getting a good score in the CAT. You have to adopt new strategies and work on increasing your speed and accuracy as well. If you are aiming to be among the top achievers, you should put in calculated efforts for the same. Given below are some CAT preparation guides created by our experts that you should check out.

How to Prepare for CAT 2025 DI & LR	How to Prepare for CAT 2025 for Working Professionals
How to Prepare for CAT 2025 VARC	How to Prepare for CAT 2025 Quantitative Ability
Common Mistakes to Avoid During CAT 2025 Preparation	Importance of Vedic Maths in CAT 2025

For any further queries on what is a good score/percentile in CAT 2025, feel free to reach out to us in our Q&A Zone . Check our CAT 2025 College Predictor and CAT 2025 Percentile Predictor to get an idea of your estimated CAT scores. You can even fill out our Common Application Form (CAF) to get guidance from our team of college counsellors!

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FAQs

How hard is it to score 99.9 percentile in CAT 2025?

It is very hard to score 99.9 percentile in CAT since it is one of the toughest and most challenging exams in India. Achieving a 99 percentile or higher on the CAT is difficult and demands a solid preparation strategy, a lot of effort, and commitment. To do well on this exam, students must strike a balance between speed and precision. One must devote at least 6-8 months to exam preparation.

Is it easy to get 85 percentile in CAT?

Yes, it is easy to get 85 percentile in CAT only if the student has done enough preparation and has all the exam basics cleared. A student who receives an 85 percentile score has performed better than 85% of the students who took the CAT exam. Students who scored at or above the 85th percentile on the entrance exam are likely among the top 15% to 20% of all applicants.

Which colleges accept the 70 percentile in CAT?

Some of the reputed colleges accepting the 70 percentile in CAT are:

Universal Business School, Mumbai
SRIRAM Group of Institutions, Greater Noida
MATS University, Raipur
Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar
Jaipur National University (JNU), Jaipur
ICFAI University, Mizoram
IBS Business School, Pune
IBS Business School, Ahmedabad
Great Lakes Institute of Management, Gurgaon
GNA University, Phagwara
GITAM School of Business
Birla Institute of Management Technology, Greater Noida
Asia-Pacific Institute of Management (AIM, Delhi)
Amity University, Noida
Amity University, Mumbai
Amity University, Jaipur
Amity Business School, Noida, etc.

Is 60 percentile score in CAT considered good?

A 60 percentile score in CAT is considered satisfactory as it can get you admission into tier 2 and tier 3 colleges in India. A CAT score of 90+ percentile is thought to be satisfactory for admission to the IIMs and top MBA schools.

How to achieve a good CAT percentile/score?

To achieve a good CAT percentile/score, a candidate needs to develop an effective study plan, progressive practice, take regular mock tests, etc. You must have a solid timetable when you begin your CAT preparation so that each component has adequate time to be covered entirely. Students will have 60 minutes for each section, thus efficiency is key while answering questions, especially in time-consuming sections like DI and QA.

What parameters are used to calculate the CAT score and percentile?

The following are the parameters used to calculate the CAT score and CAT percentile:

Class 10th scores
Class 12th scores
CAT Marks (scaled)
Working experience
Diversity (gender and academic)
Marks in the qualifying examination for graduation, etc.

What is the difference between the raw score and the scaled score in CAT?

The actual score a candidate receives on the CAT exam is known as the CAT raw score. After that, a normalisation method transforms the raw score into a scaled score. For example, IIMs calculate the scores after normalising the raw scores for each CAT exam slot. This calculation depends on the number of test takers across the CAT exam slots. As a result, normalisation is used to determine the percentile score to compare all candidates on the same scale.

Can I get admission to IITs if I score a good CAT percentile/score?

Yes, a student can get admission to IITs if they score a good CAT percentile/score. Applicants would need a CAT score over 98 percentile for IIT Delhi and Bombay, 95+ percentile for IIT Madras & Kanpur, 90+ percentile for IIT Kharagpur, and 80% percentile for ISM Dhanbad based on the gradual analysis of the previous CAT cut-off.

Is 80 percentile in CAT considered good for top MBA colleges in India?

Yes, 80 percentile in CAT is considered good for top MBA colleges in India. Some IIMs and other prestigious MBA/PGDM institutions in India are among them. However, if you aim to get into IIM-BLACKI or colleges like FMS or SPJIMR, then you'll need to score above the 95 percentile.

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LPU is best known for having a clear and student-friendly admission process. If you want to cancel your admission after self-reporting, you must log in to your LPU admission portal and submit a request for withdrawal. After that, you may need to upload a written application and your bank details for refund processing. You can also contact the LPU admission helpline or visit the campus admission office for faster assistance. Refunds are processed as per the university’s refund policy.

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