If you have recently taken the CAT exam or plan to appear soon, you might be wondering how to calculate CAT percentile. Your CAT percentile 2025 shows how your performance compares with other candidates across all exam slots. It’s calculated using your scaled score and the total number of test-takers. The formula for CAT percentile calculation is:
Percentile (P) = [(Total candidates – Your rank) / Total candidates] × 100
Understanding this helps you estimate your chances of admission and prepare strategically for the next round. In this guide, we’ll break down each step of how the CAT percentile is calculated.
What is CAT Percentile?
A CAT percentile is the measure of relative performance in the CAT Exam, meaning it tells you how you performed in the exam compared to other candidates. A percentile does NOT indicate what your actual marks are at all, but instead indicates your position among all the other candidates.
So if your CAT percentile is 95, then it means you scored better than 95% of the candidates who took the exam.
Many aspiring CAT candidates confuse the CAT percentile and the CAT score frequently. It's important to understand the difference between the CAT score and the percentile.
Step-by-Step Process to Calculate CAT Percentile
The process for how to calculate CAT percentile follows a structured system, which is mentioned in the points below:
- Raw Score CalculationAfter the CAT exam, your responses are evaluated: +3 for every correct MCQ, -1 for every wrong answer, and 0 for unattempted. (The marking scheme might change as per your examination year.) This gives you your raw score in each section and overall.
- Normalisation / Scaling Across SlotsCAT is conducted in multiple slots; the difficulty can vary. To ensure fairness, raw scores are scaled (normalised). Your scaled section-wise scores and overall scaled score result from this process.
- Ranking of CandidatesOnce scaled scores are determined, all candidates are ranked in descending order of overall scaled score. Identical scores may get the same rank.
- Percentile Calculation FormulaYour percentile shows the percentage of candidates you outperformed.
The formula is: Percentile = (total number of candidates appeared-your rank)/total candidates)×100
For example, if 2,00,000 took the exam and your rank is 2,000, percentile = ((200,000 - 2,000)/200,000) × 100 = 99.0 percentile.
- Sectional Percentile vs Overall Percentile You’ll find sectional percentiles (for VARC, DILR, QA) and an overall percentile on your CAT scorecard. Each matter for college shortlisting.
- Rounding Off Percentiles are rounded to two decimal places. For instance, a calculated value ≥ 99.995 is rounded to 100 percentile.
Read More: How Much CAT 2025 Percentile Do You Need to Get Into FMS Delhi 2026
Conclusion
Knowing how to calculate CAT percentile is essential in preparing smartly and having realistic targets. While your raw score is an important part of your overall performance, your percentile is the measure of how you performed in relation to your competition. If you understand the calculation process well, you’ll easily know your rank and see how close you are to getting into your dream MBA college.
