First, let's make one thing clear - the CAT 2020 exam was a tough paper that stumped even the most prepared aspirants. While everyone expected the number of questions to reduce, what no one expected was the level of difficulty across at least two of the three sections in any of the slots. However, what one must remember is that the paper was difficult for everyone, and given that your percentile and not your score is what the top IIMs look at, chances are that your attempt might've been better than what you think. But was it good enough to the touch the 99th percentile? Here are predictions by leading coaching centers of what sectional and overall scores may amount to a 99 percentile.
CAT 2020 Score vs Percentile Predictions - What Score Will You Need To Get A 99 Percentile?
Note - Since the time of publishing this article, TIME has changed the various score cut-offs required for a 99 percentile. It is advised that aspirants read this information with caution since these are only estimates.
The following are the predictions by various leading CAT coaching organizations on what it'll take to score a 99 percentile across all three slots and sections.
| CAT 2020 Analysis By TIME, IMS, CL - Slot 1 |
| Section |
TIME |
IMS |
CL |
|
Score For 99%ile |
| VA-RC |
39 |
40 |
40-42 |
| DI-LR |
40 |
34 |
32-34 |
| QA |
45 |
44 |
46-48 |
| Overall |
110 |
110 |
105-110 |
For Slot 1 of CAT 2020, a 99th percentile score has been predicted to be closer to 110 as per TIME, IMS and CL.
For the VARC section TIME, IMS and CL are in agreement of a score in the 39-42 range, which would translate to 13-14 attempts with 100% accuracy and would lead to a 99 percentile. For DILR, IMS and CL predict that candidates will have needed to score in the 32-34 marks range to score a 99 percentile, while TIME has set the mark at 40 marks. For QA, the range is similar for all three, and stands between 45-48 marks.
The bottom-line appears to be that in order to have any aspirations for a 99 percentile, you will have needed to score 105+ in the morning slot of CAT 2020.
However, this is not set in stone and are only estimates.
| CAT 2020 Analysis By TIME, IMS, CL - Slot 2 |
| Section |
TIME |
IMS |
CL |
|
Score For 99%ile |
| VA-RC |
37 |
42 |
42-44 |
| DI-LR |
33 |
32 |
28-30 |
| QA |
43 |
41 |
40-42 |
| Overall |
102 |
105 |
100-102 |
Slot 2 was generally considered to be more difficult than Slot 1, especially the DI-LR section. As a result, the score required for a 99 percentile has dropped, with TIME, IMS and CL predicting scores in the range of 100-105.
For VA-RC, the score range for a 99 percentile remain generally the same as Slot 1. Given the difficulty level of the DI-LR section, the score range for a 99 percentile has dropped in the afternoon slot, with CL setting the score range to as low as 28-30, implying that candidates solving about 10 questions in the section would achieve a 99th percentile score. TIME has set the bar slightly higher. For QA, it can be inferred that a score in the range of 40-43 marks would be sufficient for a 99 percentile, as predicted by TIME, CL and IMS.
The bottom-line appears to be that in order to have any aspirations for a 99 percentile, you will have needed to score 100+ in the afternoon slot of CAT 2020.
However, this is not set in stone and are only estimates.
| CAT 2020 Analysis By TIME, IMS, CL - Slot 3 |
| Section |
TIME |
IMS |
CL |
|
Score For 99%ile |
| VA-RC |
38 |
41 |
40-42 |
| DI-LR |
32 |
30 |
26-28 |
| QA |
47 |
43 |
40-42 |
| Overall |
105 |
104 |
103-105 |
For Slot 3, the 99th percentile score has been predicted by TIME, IMS and CL to be in the 103-105 range.
Generally, the cut-offs for VA-RC remain similar to that Slot 2. For DI-LR, however, the cut-offs have been reduced by all three organizations, with CL putting the score range as low as 26-28 marks. TIME has also gone ahead and shot up the score to 47 in the QA section, which implies that the QA section in Slot 3 was the easiest of the lot (at least as per TIME).
The bottom-line appears to be that in order to have any aspirations for a 99 percentile, you will have needed to score 103+ in the evening slot of CAT 2020.
However, this is not set in stone and are only estimates.
So What's The Bottom Line?
Based on the analysis and predictions made by these three leading coaching centers, it appears that on average, we can see a score of 105-106 amounting to a 99 percentile in CAT 2020. All three organizations appear to be in agreement on this. This means that candidates aspiring for a 99th percentile score would have needed to attempt a minimum of 35 questions across all three sections overall to achieve the desired score.
How difficult do you feel CAT 2020 was? How did you fare in the exam? Let us know and compare your answers with other CAT 2020 test-takers:
- Slot 1 - Morning Slot From 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM.
- Slot 2 - Afternoon Slot From 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM.
- Slot 3 - Evening Slot From 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM.
Also check out CAT 2020 predictions by leading CAT coaches here.