A CAT percentile predictor that shows where its numbers come from
This CAT percentile predictor does three things. It works out your raw score in VARC, DILR and QA from the answers you got right and wrong, using CAT’s marking: +3 for a correct answer, −1 for a wrong multiple-choice answer and nothing lost for a wrong TITA (type in the answer) question. It then estimates your overall and sectional percentiles from score–percentile points that you enter, and finally turns any percentile into the approximate number of candidates ahead of you.
The IIMs publish each candidate’s scaled score and percentiles, but never a table linking scores to percentiles, and the scores are normalised across the three slots before scaling. Tables online are built from candidates’ reports. So this tool does not ship a made-up table: you add the points you trust, and every estimate says which points it used. It runs entirely in your browser.
How to use the CAT Percentile Predictor
- In step 1 enter, for each section, how many MCQs and TITA questions you got right and wrong. Your section and total raw scores appear above step 2.
- In step 2 paste score–percentile points from real CAT scorecards of the same year, one per line, starting with
overall,varc,dilrorqa. - The score boxes start with your raw scores; type your scaled scores instead if your points are scaled scores.
- Read the estimated overall percentile and the sectional table. Scores outside your points are not extrapolated.
- In step 3 set the number of candidates for your year to see roughly how many are ahead of you.
CAT Percentile Predictor features
Section-wise raw score
Six rows — MCQ and TITA for VARC, DILR and QA — with each section capped at its question count (24, 22, 22 in the recent pattern).
TITA handled correctly
Wrong TITA answers cost nothing, so the tool counts them as attempts without a penalty.
Your points, your scope
Overall and sectional percentiles are interpolated separately from points tagged with their section.
Honest output
No points, one point or a score outside the points gives “—” or “above/below”, never an invented number.
Candidates ahead
(100 − percentile) × test-takers ÷ 100, with the count editable for any year.
CAT marking scheme and raw score
The raw score is 3 × correct − 1 × wrong MCQs; wrong TITA answers and unattempted questions score zero. Example: in VARC, 13 MCQs right and 4 wrong plus 2 TITA right and 1 wrong gives 39 − 4 + 6 = 41 out of 72. With DILR 24 and QA 32, the total is 97 out of 204. The section sizes and the scheme are the IIMs’ recent pattern; confirm them on iimcat.ac.in for your year and use the marks calculator custom mode if they change.
Why raw score is not your CAT score
CAT is held in three slots with different papers. The IIMs equate the slots (an equipercentile method) and then scale the result, so the scorecard shows a scaled score that is usually close to, but not the same as, the raw score. Percentiles are then calculated from scaled scores across all test-takers. That is why a raw-score-to-percentile table can only ever be approximate, and why points from your own year and, ideally, your own slot work best.
Percentile and rank are linked by the number of test-takers: with about 2.58 lakh candidates, 99 percentile means roughly 2,580 people ahead and 95 percentile roughly 12,900. The percentile to rank calculator does the same for NTA exams.
Where to find good reference points
- Scorecards of friends or classmates from the same CAT year — overall and sectional scaled score with the percentile.
- A coaching institute’s compiled list for your year, with its sample size and slot stated.
- Two or more points that bracket your score; points on both sides of each section score.
- Avoid mixing years: the difficulty and the number of test-takers change, and so does the score needed for a percentile.
CAT Percentile Predictor FAQ
Is there negative marking in CAT TITA questions?
No. Only wrong multiple-choice answers lose a mark; a wrong or blank TITA answer scores zero.
How is the CAT percentile calculated?
The IIMs normalise scores across slots, scale them and then rank all test-takers; your percentile is the share of candidates you scored as well as or better than. They do not publish the exact table.
Can this CAT percentile calculator predict my percentile before the result?
Only from points you trust for the same year. Without them it shows your raw score and the candidates-ahead maths, not a guess.
How many candidates are ahead of me at 99 percentile?
About 1 % of test-takers: roughly 2,580 if 2.58 lakh took the exam. Change the count in step 3 for your year.
What is CAT score vs percentile?
It is the relationship between scaled score and percentile in a given year. It shifts every year, which is why this tool asks for that year’s points.
Is the predicted percentile official?
No. It is an estimate. Only the CAT scorecard from the IIMs is official, and institutes use it with their own sectional and overall cut-offs.