Competitions

CAT Prep

Upskill

Placements

MBA Co'26

RTI Response

Rankings

Score Vs. %ile

Salaries

Campus Tour

CAT 2023 Score vs Percentile Analysis | Scaled Score & Key Insights

Mar 13, 2024 | 5 minutes |
Team InsideIIM

Join InsideIIM GOLD

Webinars & Workshops

Compare B-Schools

Free CAT Course

Take Free Mock Tests

Upskill With AltUni

CAT Study Planner

Final 8 Days to CAT 2024 Test-38

Participants: 2

Final 9 Days to CAT 2024 Test-37

Participants: 171

Final 10 Days to CAT 2024 Test-36

Participants: 180

Final 11 Days to CAT 2024 Test-35

Participants: 256

Final 12 Days to CAT 2024 Test-34

Participants: 276

Final 13 Days to CAT 2024 Test-33

Participants: 250

Final 14 Days to CAT 2024 Test-32

Participants: 235

Final 15 Days to CAT 2024 Test-31

Participants: 294

Final 16 Days to CAT 2024 Test-30

Participants: 249

Final 17 Days to CAT 2024 Test-29

Participants: 279

Final 18 Days to CAT 2024 Test-28

Participants: 308

Final 19 Days to CAT 2024 Test-26

Participants: 314

Final 20 Days to CAT 2024 Test-26

Participants: 275

Final 21 Days to CAT 2024 Test-25

Participants: 220

Final 22 Days to CAT 2024 Test-24

Participants: 236

Final 23 Days to CAT 2024 Test-23

Participants: 152

Final 24 Days to CAT 2024 Test-22

Participants: 205

Final 25 Days to CAT 2024 Test-21

Participants: 195

Final 26 Days to CAT 2024 Test-20

Participants: 247

Final 27 Days to CAT 2024 Test-19

Participants: 206

Final 28 Days to CAT 2024 Test-18

Participants: 209

Final 29 Days to CAT 2024 Test-17

Participants: 212

Final 30 Days to CAT 2024 Test-16

Participants: 239

Final 31 Days to CAT 2024 Test-15

Participants: 231

Final 32 Days to CAT 2024 Test-14

Participants: 235

Final 33 Days to CAT 2024 Test-13

Participants: 260

Final 34 Days to CAT 2024 Test-12

Participants: 364

CAT 2017 VARC SLOT- 2

Participants: 395

CAT 2017 DILR SLOT- 2

Participants: 235

CAT 2017 VARC SLOT- 1

Participants: 416
The Common Admission Test (CAT) is one of the most prominent and highly competitive entrance exams for admission into postgraduate management programs in India. It is conducted annually by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). CAT serves as a gateway to prestigious management institutes across the country, including the IIMs and numerous other renowned business schools. The CAT exam assesses candidates' aptitude in various areas such as Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA). In this article, we will analyze the Score Vs percentile in the CAT examination for 2023. What is CAT Score? Before delving into the analysis of CAT score versus percentile in 2023, let's grasp the concept of the CAT score. It refers to the cumulative marks obtained by a student in the CAT exam, taking into account the designated marking scheme. Essentially, the CAT score represents the sum of marks obtained by a candidate across all three sections: Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) (24 questions), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) (20 questions), and Quantitative Ability (QA) (22 questions). The CAT raw score serves as the fundamental basis for the subsequent analysis of CAT marks versus percentile. The CAT exam awards 3 marks for every correct answer and deducts 1 mark for every incorrect answer. There is no penalty for an unattended question. Moreover, for every incorrect answer for a NON-MCQ question, there is no penalty. What is the CAT scaled score? The CAT exam is conducted in multiple sessions, typically three. As the question papers differ slightly between sessions, a normalized process is used to create a scaled score. This ensures fairness and equality when comparing performance. The scaled score may differ from the raw score in various ways depending on the difficulty of each section. Section Wise Questions Distribution and Marks
Section Number of Questions Time Allotted (In Minutes) Marks (+3 for every correct answer -1 for every incorrect answer)
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) 24 40 72
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) 20 40 60
Quantitative Aptitude (QA) 22 40 66
CAT PERCENTILE What is CAT Percentile? A percentile is a metric utilized to assess the proportion of students in the merit list who rank above or below a specific individual. For instance, achieving a score of 80 percentile on the CAT indicates that 80% of the test takers obtained lower scores than you. Consequently, candidates with a percentile of 80 or higher can be considered part of the top 20 % among all the test takers.

InsideIIM's CAT 2024 free mini-mock tests

Percentile Vs Marks Distribution (CAT 2023) (Overall) InsideIIM has conducted comprehensive data research to compile an extensive analysis of overall scores versus percentiles for the year 2023. The following table shows the comparison between the score and percentile for CAT 2023.
Percentile Scaled Score
100 138.59
99.95 106.95
99.9 101.43
99.5 84.29
99 76.02
98.5 71.15
98 66.68
97.5 63.64
97 61.56
96.6 59.99
96 58.1
95.5 56.41
95 54.86
94 53.32
93 52.35
92 51.95
91 46.13
90 45.16
85 42.29
80 41.19
75 40.02
70 38.94
CAT 2022 VS CAT 2023: A Comparative Analysis
Percentile Scaled Score (2023) Scaled Score (2022)
100 138.59 145.83
99.95 106.95 115
99.9 101.43 109.9
99.5 84.29 92.87
99 76.02 83.64
98 66.68 73.88
96.6 59.99 65.4
95.5 56.41 59.75
93 52.35 53
90 45.16 48.44
85 42.29 41.32
80 41.19 36.02
70 38.94 28.5-29
CAT 2023 VS CAT 2022: Attempt Rate Analysis
Percentile Required Correct Attempts (2023) Required Correct Attempts (2022)
100 47 49
99.95 36 38
99.9 34 37
99.5 28 31
99 26 28
98 22 24
96.6 20 22
95.5 19 20
93 18 18
90 15 16
85 14 14
80 14 12
70 13 10
#Figures for the number of correct attempts have been rounded off. Please note that this doesn’t include negative markings. The comparison between CAT 2023 and CAT 2022 shows that CAT 2023 was tougher. To get the same percentile in CAT 2023, you need to answer fewer questions correctly compared to CAT 2022. This suggests that the CAT exam is getting harder over time. Test-takers should be aware of this trend and adapt their study plans accordingly to improve their chances of doing well. We will provide a detailed analysis of the score vs. percentile for VARC, DILR & QA soon. In the meantime, you can start preparing for CAT 2024 by taking InsideIIM’s free mini-mock tests available here Frequently Asked Questions 
  1. What score is required to attain the 100th percentile in CAT 2023?
   - A score of 138.59 is needed to achieve the 100th percentile in CAT 2023.
  1. What score is needed to secure the 95th percentile in CAT 2023?
   - To secure the 95th percentile in CAT 2023, a candidate would need a score equivalent to or higher than 54.86.
  1. How does one's score compare to the 99th percentile in CAT 2023?
   - If a candidate's score is higher than 76.02, they would rank above the 99th percentile in CAT 2023.