CAT 2026 Marks vs Percentile: How Many Marks for 90, 95, 99 & 99.5 Percentile?
What is the CAT 2025 marks vs percentile table?
|
Percentile |
Slot 1 |
Slot 2 |
Slot 3 |
Range across slots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
99.9 |
122 |
115 |
119 |
115–122 |
|
99.5 |
103 |
97 |
101 |
97–103 |
|
99 |
90 |
83 |
86 |
83–90 |
|
98 |
81 |
75 |
76 |
75–81 |
|
95 |
70 |
65 |
65 |
65–70 |
|
90 |
53 |
51 |
51 |
51–53 |
|
85 |
45 |
41 |
43 |
41–45 |
|
80 |
40 |
37 |
37 |
37–40 |
How many marks are needed for 99 percentile in CAT?
About 83-90 marks in CAT 2025.
How many marks for 95 percentile in CAT?
About 65–70 marks in CAT 2025 (70 in Slot 1, 65 in Slots 2 and 3).
How many marks for 90 percentile in CAT?
About 51–53 marks in CAT 2025.
How many marks for 99.5 percentile in CAT?
About 97–103 marks in CAT 2025 (103 in Slot 1, 97 in Slot 2, 101 in Slot 3). Several IIMs' competitive shortlists sit around this level.
Why do different slots need different marks for the same percentile?
CAT is held in multiple slots with different question papers, and IIMs normalise scores so that a candidate in a tougher slot is not disadvantaged. Marks are converted to a scaled score, and percentile is calculated from that scaled score. In CAT 2025, Slot 1 and Slot 3 were tougher in DILR, so 99 percentile needed 5–7 more marks than in Slot 2 (which was more scoring). Your raw score in a tough slot may translate to a similar or higher percentile than a higher raw score in an easier slot.
How is CAT percentile calculated?
Percentile = (number of candidates with a scaled score below yours ÷ total candidates in the exam) × 100. A 99 percentile means you scored above 99% of all test-takers. Because it is a ranking, the same marks can produce different percentiles in different years.
How do sectional marks map to percentile?
For a 99 sectional percentile in CAT 2025, estimates were: VARC 40-45, DILR 30–34 and QA 26-30. For 99.5 sectional percentile: VARC 52-54, DILR 35–39 and QA 35–40. What marks should you plan for in CAT 2026?
Because CAT 2026 is on 29 November 2026 and the paper difficulty is unknown, plan with a buffer:
|
Your goal |
Plan for (raw marks) |
|---|---|
|
90 percentile |
55+ |
|
95 percentile |
70+ |
|
99 percentile |
90+ |
|
99.5 percentile |
105+ |
The buffer covers slot variance. If your goal is 99, convert marks to attempts: at 85% accuracy, roughly 35–38 attempts. See how many questions to attempt for 99 percentile.
Which target percentile do you need for your dream B-school?
For IIM A, B and C, aim for 99+ percentile. For IIM Lucknow, Kozhikode, Indore and Mumbai, roughly 97–99+. See marks needed for each IIM.
How can CATKing help you convert marks into a percentile?
CATKing's mock analytics dashboard shows where marks are being lost so you can raise your score efficiently, backed by live classes from founder Sumit Singh Gandhi (CAT 99.9 %ile) and faculty from IIMs, SPJIMR, NMIMS, JBIMS and NIT. Over 5,000 CATKing students have scored 99+ percentile, per catking.in. See programs at catking.in.
FAQs: CAT marks vs Percentile
How many marks are needed for 99 percentile in CAT 2026?
Based on CAT 2025, about 83–90 marks out of 204 gave a 99 percentile depending on slot. Plan for 90+ raw marks to stay safe in CAT 2026.
How many marks for 95 percentile in CAT?
In CAT 2025, about 65–70 marks gave a 95 percentile across the three slots.
How many marks for 90 percentile in CAT?
About 51–53 marks in CAT 2025.
How many marks for 99.5 percentile in CAT?
About 97–103 marks in CAT 2025, depending on slot.
Do IIMs publish an official CAT marks vs percentile table?
No. IIMs release your final percentile but not a raw-marks conversion. Published tables are coaching-institute estimates based on post-exam analysis.
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