Understanding how scaled score will be calculated for three shifts in CAT 2025 is important for all test-takers to ascertain their percentile score. Scaled scores for CAT are calculated using the CAT normalization process 2025 . This normalization process is used to ensure fairness and transparency in the evaluation process, and that no candidate has an advantage or disadvantage over another due to the varied difficulty levels of the test slot. This enables the examination authority to select the most deserving candidates based on their actual performance in the exam. In this article, we have discussed in detail what is scaled CAT score is, how it is calculated, along with other important details.
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What is Scaled CAT 2025 Score?
The CAT exam is administered across multiple sessions (two or three). Since the question papers for each session are slightly different from one another, a scaled score is produced through the normalization process to ensure fairness and equality in performance comparison. This scaled score could vary in different ways from the raw score.
Calculation of CAT Composite Score
The final score determined by IIMs for admission to their programs is the composite score. A candidate's composite score is determined by taking into account a variety of factors in addition to their CAT score.
Two candidates who scored the same on paper may have different composite scores based on a variety of factors. The additional criteria taken into account when calculating a composite score are as follows:
Class 10th Marks
Class 12th Marks
Graduation Percentage/ Grade
Work Experience
Academic Background
Gender Diversity
The formula for calculating the CAT Composite Score used by the IIMs is as follows:
How Is Scaled CAT 2025 Score Calculated?
The scaled CAT score will be calculated by the exam conducting authority in the following steps:
CAT Scaled Score Calculation Step 1
Mean (M) and standard Deviation (SD) for the raw scores of all candidates for each of the three slots are calculated in the following manner. Specific characters are used by IIMs to indicate these values as provided in the table below:
CAT Slot 1
Score Value | Sign |
|---|---|
Mean | M1 |
Standard Deviation | S1 |
G1 | M1+S1 |
CAT Slot 2
Score Value | Sign |
|---|---|
Mean | M2 |
Standard Deviation | S2 |
G3 | M2+S2 |
CAT Slot 3
Score Value | Sign |
|---|---|
Mean | M3 |
Standard Deviation | S3 |
G3 | M3+S3 |
CAT Scaled Score Calculation Step 2
In this step, the Mean and Standard Deviation are determined by using the candidates’ raw scores from all shifts (morning, afternoon, and evening):
Mean = M
Standard Deviation = S
G = M+S
CAT Scaled Score Calculation Step 3
After the raw scores are calculated for all students across all CAT sessions, the average raw score of the top 0.1% of candidates in each shift is calculated in the third step using the following formula:
CAT Average Raw Score Particulars | Sign |
|---|---|
Mean (M) of top 0.1% candidates in CAT Slot 1 | M10.1 |
Mean (M) of top 0.1% candidates in CAT Slot 2 | M20.1 |
Mean (M) of top 0.1% candidates in CAT Slot 3 | M30.1 |
CAT Scaled Score Calculation Step 4
The average raw score of the top 0.1% of candidates who participate in all the shifts of CAT 2025 will be calculated in this step.
Mean of top 0.1% candidates in CAT Slot 1+Slot 2+Slot 3 combined = M0.1
CAT Scaled Score Calculation Step 5
Finally, the candidates’ scaled score is calculated in the last step using a specific formula. If a candidate’s CAT raw score is denoted by R, candidates may calculate their scaled score (S) using the following formula:
CAT Slots | CAT Scaled Score Formula |
|---|---|
Slot 1 | G+R-G1 M0.1-G/(M10.1-G1) |
Slot 2 | G+R-G2 M0.1-G/(M20.1-G2) |
Slot 3 | G+R-G3 M0.1-G/(M30.1-G3) |
What is CAT Score 2025?
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The CAT score is the final grade a student receives in the exam using its marking criteria. In plain English, a candidate's CAT score will be determined by how well he or she does in each of the three components (Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Ability). Each student's CAT 2025 composite score will be determined based on their scaled CAT score, their grades in the 10th & 12th grades and graduation, their academic diversity and gender diversity, and their professional experience or employment history.
The CAT result 2025 will be released in December 2025/January 2025, and it includes the candidates' personal information, sectional scores earned by the candidate, percentile, scaled score, and total score, among other details. Candidates who meet the requirements will be invited to participate in the next round of admission. Several prominent business schools, in addition to the Indian Institute of Management, also accept CAT scores.
How to Calculate CAT 2025 Raw Score?
Candidates can follow the steps mentioned below to calculate their CAT score:
- Determine the number of correct responses in the CAT exam.
- Since IIM allots 3 marks for each correct answer in CAT, multiply the total number of correct answers by 3.
- Next, count the number of incorrect answers and add them to get the total number of erroneous answers.
- Since -1 mark is deducted for each incorrect response in the CAT exam, subtract the total number of wrong answers from the summation of correct answers.
- The obtained result will denote your CAT score.
CAT Score = (No. of Correct Answers) * 3 - No. of Incorrect Answers |
|---|
What is CAT Percentile 2025?
The CAT percentile, along with a few other factors, shows a student's position in the exam in comparison to the other students who took it at the same time. The position of a candidate among all CAT applications, which is used to determine the candidate's ranking, is indicated by the CAT percentile, to put it simply. It is a unit used to determine or assess the proportion of students on the merit list that are above or below you.
How to Calculate CAT Percentile 2025?
The percentiles for the CAT exam are the same as those for other exams. The percentiles just serve as a visual depiction of how many students are performing worse than you on the exam. Below is a general formula for calculating the percentile:
CAT Percentile = ( 1 - All India Rank(Total Candidates in the Exam) * 100% |
|---|
A candidate's overall rank is referred to as his/her CAT 2025 percentile. The percentile for CAT 2025 will be determined based on the scaled score. Candidates who earn more marks throughout all sections will receive a higher rank. If two applicants receive identical scores on the VARC section, both will be assigned Rank 1. Following a defined formula, the percentile score for CAT 2025 will be determined. After the implementation of the formula, it will be necessary to round a candidate's calculated percentile score (P) up to two decimal points.
Both the percentile scores for all sections of the CAT and the overall percentile scores for the CAT are calculated using the procedure mentioned below. To understand how the CAT percentile is determined, the QA component was chosen as an example, and subsequent sections will follow a similar procedure.
- Step 1: Determine the total number of applicants (N) who appeared for the CAT 2025 exam (i.e. including morning, afternoon, and evening sessions).
- Step 2: Assign each candidate who took the CAT 2025 exam a rank (r), based on the scaled scores earned in the QA section. The same rank will be given to all applicants who receive identical scaled scores in the QA portion, whether it be two or more candidates. Consider that two applicants have received the highest scaled score possible on the QA portion each. In that case, both of them would be given a rank of 1. Additionally, the candidate(s) with the second-highest scaled score in the QA section are given a rank of 3, and so on.
- Step 3: Determine the percentile score (P) for a candidate with a given rank (r) in the QA section using the following formula:
P= ( (N-r) N) x 100 |
|---|
Step 4: A candidate's estimated percentile score (P) should be rounded off to the nearest two decimal points. For instance, all percentile scores that are larger than or equal to 99.995 are rounded off to 100, and all percentile scores that are greater than or equal to 99.985 but strictly less than 99.995 are rounded off to 99.99, and so on.
Scaling and Normalization Process for IIMs
CAT 2025 will be conducted in multiple shifts across India to accommodate the large number of test-takers. To ensure fairness across different sessions, the IIMs apply a well-structured normalization and scaling method before assigning percentiles. This approach eliminates any advantage or disadvantage caused by varying difficulty levels in the test slots.
The normalization system used in CAT is designed to maintain fairness and consistency in evaluation, similar to the process followed in other national-level exams such as GATE. It compares candidates' performance across sessions by converting raw scores into scaled scores, which are then used to determine the percentile ranking. In simpler terms, it assumes that the overall ability level of candidates appearing in all sessions remains similar, allowing fair comparison of results.
The CAT 2025 question paper will consist of 100 questions, carrying three marks each for correct answers and a penalty of one mark for every incorrect response. While the raw score is calculated using this marking scheme, the final results displayed on the CAT scorecard are based on the scaled scores after normalization.
In recent years, since CAT has been conducted in only two shifts on the same day, the variation in difficulty between sessions has been minimal. As a result, the difference between actual marks and scaled scores remains quite small, ensuring that every candidate’s performance is evaluated with complete equity.
CAT 2025 Percentile Calculation Process Key Changes
Before appearing for CAT 2025, you must stay updated about every new rule and calculation method announced by IIMs to avoid any confusion later. Based on recent trends and official updates, the percentile calculation method is likely to remain the same as in 2024.
- Percentile scores equal to or above 99.995 are rounded off to 100.
- Scores between 99.985 and 99.994 are rounded off to 99.99.
- Percentiles continue to be rounded similarly across other score ranges.
- CAT 2025 is expected to see over 3.4 lakh registrations, reinforcing its growing competition level.
Related Links:
| Colleges Accepting CAT Score 50-60 Percentile | |
|---|---|
| Colleges Accepting 80-90 Percentile in CAT | |
Candidates can check our CAT College Predictor 2025 and CAT Percentile Predictor 2025 tools to get an idea of their results based on their performance in the CAT 2025 exam. In case you have any queries, you can ask them on the CollegeDekho QnA Zone . Stay tuned with us for more updates on CAT 2025!
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FAQs
Hey, you get your CAT 2025 raw score first by adding +3 for each right answer and -1 for each MCQ wrong answer across VARC, DILR, and QA. Then normalization adjusts it for shift difficulty using stats like mean and SD, creating a fair scaled score per section. Add those up for your total scaled score. No worries, it evens out tough slots!
The CAT 2025 normalization process adjusts scores from different exam shifts to ensure fairness. It involves calculating the average and standard deviation of raw scores for each slot, then scaling your score using a formula to account for difficulty differences. This way, your performance is compared on a common scale regardless of which slot you appeared in, ensuring no advantage or disadvantage due to varying question papers.
CAT ensures fairness across different exam slots by using a normalization process. This means your raw scores are adjusted statistically based on the overall difficulty level of the slot you took. If your slot is tougher, your scores are scaled up, and if it is easier, your scores are scaled down. This process balances the difficulty and makes your percentile fair compared to others in different slots. The exam pattern and duration remain the same for all slots to keep things equal.
CAT normalization is necessary because the CAT exam is held in three different shifts with different question papers. Since the difficulty level can vary across these shifts, normalization ensures fair comparison by adjusting scores so candidates are evaluated on a level playing field. This way, your performance is judged fairly, regardless of which shift you took the test in.
In CAT 2025, your raw score is first calculated by awarding +3 marks for each correct answer and deducting -1 for each wrong MCQ answer, with no penalty for non-MCQ types. This raw score is then converted into a scaled score through a normalization process that adjusts for differences in difficulty across exam slots. This ensures fairness and helps compare scores from different sessions accurately.
Percentile is calculated using the formula: P = ((N - r) / N) * 100, where N is the total candidates and r is the candidate's rank.
The CAT percentile indicates a student's position in the exam compared to all other test-takers, showing their ranking on the merit list.
The raw score is calculated as (Number of Correct Answers * 3) - (Number of Incorrect Answers * 1).
The CAT Composite Score is determined by IIMs considering CAT scaled score, 10th/12th marks, graduation percentage, work experience, academic background, and gender diversity.
The scaled score is produced through a normalization process to ensure fairness and equality in performance comparison across multiple exam sessions with different question papers.
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