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CAT 2025 Pass Percentage: Expected Cutoff Percentiles for IIMs & Top MBA Colleges
CAT 2025 pass percentage is the minimum percentile a candidate needs to get in the CAT exam to be eligible to apply for different CAT accepting colleges. The CAT pass percentage is calculated based on the normalized CAT scores. The CAT pass percentage varies for every college. The CAT pass percentage is released in the form of a CAT cutoff by all the participating MBA/ PGDM/ MMS institutes. In this article, know the college-wise expected CAT pass percentage.
This Story also Contains
- CAT Pass Percentage 2025: Expected
- CAT Pass Percentage: Previous Year Trends
- CAT Pass Percentage: VARC Scores
- CAT Pass Percentage: DILR Scores
- CAT Pass Percentage: QA Scores
- CAT Pass Percentage for IIMs
- CAT Pass Percentage for Non-IIMs
CAT 2025 Important Links
CAT Pass Percentage 2025: Expected
The CAT pass percentage will depend on factors like CAT 2025 difficulty, seats offered, the number of candidates appearing, and the normalization effect. Considering all these contributing factors, the expected CAT pass percentage for 2025 for different categories is provided in the table below.
| CAT Pass Percentile | VARC Score | DILR Score | QA Score | CAT Total Marks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
99.5 | 42 | 30 | 30 | 105-110 |
99 | 36 | 25 | 25 | 95-100 |
95 | 30 | 20 | 22 | 70-75 |
90 | 24 | 14 | 13 | 58-62 |
80 | 20 | 11 | 9 | 44 |
70 | 18 | 9 | 7 | 30 |
Also see: What is a good CAT score? How to achieve it in CAT exam
CAT Pass Percentage: Previous Year Trends
Here are the CAT pass percentage previous year trends to help candidates preparing for the CAT 2025 exam understand the required percentile and target accordingly.
| CAT Percentile | CAT Exam 2024 | CAT Exam 2023 | CAT Exam 2022 | CAT Exam 2021 | CAT Exam 2020 |
| 99.59 | 123 | 101 | 109 | 124 | 130 |
| 99.5 | 104 | 84 | 92 | 110 | 115 |
| 99 | 96 | 76 | 84 | 98 | 101 |
| 97 | 79 | 61 | 72 | 82 | 85 |
| 95 | 70 | 54 | 62 | 73 | 76 |
| 90 | 58 | 44 | 49 | 60 | 63 |
| 80 | 44 | 35 | 36 | 45 | 48 |
CAT Pass Percentage: VARC Scores
VARC is one of the important sections of the CAT exam. The candidate must score more in the VARC section to maximise chances of selection. Here are the CAT pass percentage VARC scores for your reference.
| CAT VARC Percentile | CAT VARC Score 2024 | CAT VARC Score 2023 | CAT VARC Score 2022 |
| 99.9 | 55 | 57.32 | 52.43 |
| 99.5 | 44 | 44 | 45.57 |
| 99 | 40 | 39.7 | 41.77 |
| 97 | 33 | 31.47 | 34.18 |
| 95 | 30 | 28.68 | 29.12 |
| 90 | 24 | 23.39 | 24.06 |
| 85 | 20 | - | - |
| 80 | 18 | 17.68 | - |
| 75 | 15 | 15.27 | - |
CAT Pass Percentage: DILR Scores
DILR previous year scores vs the percentile breakout are given below. Candidates preparing for the CAT exam can check the table for more information.
| CAT DILR Percentile | CAT DILR Score 2024 | CAT DILR Score 2023 | CAT DILR Score 2022 |
| 99.9 | 50 | 42.7 | 48.31 |
| 99.5 | 41 | 29.71 | 34.37 |
| 99 | 37 | 27.39 | - |
| 97 | 30 | 20.88 | - |
| 95 | 27 | 19.6 | - |
| 90 | 22 | 15.63 | 18.56 |
| 85 | 19 | 13.01 | - |
| 80 | 17 | 11.67 | - |
| 75 | 14 | - | - |
CAT 2024 Most Scoring Concepts- VARC, DILR & QUANT
Start your CAT journey today and download CAT 2024 most scoring concepts PDF, including study materials based on CAT previous year papers, CAT question papers, and CAT exam sample questions.
Download EBookCAT Pass Percentage: QA Scores
The CAT exam section of QA is considered difficult among the three sections. Candidates appearing for the CAT 2025 exam must check the CAT QA previous year scores vs the percentile breakout given below for better understanding.
| CAT QA Percentile | CAT QA Score 2024 | CAT QA Score 2023 | CAT QA Score 2022 |
| 99.9 | 45 | - | 46.3 |
| 99.5 | 36 | - | 36.85 |
| 99 | 33 | - | 36.07 |
| 97 | 25 | - | 26.85 |
| 95 | 22 | - | - |
| 90 | 17 | - | - |
| 85 | 13 | - | - |
| 80 | 11 | - | - |
| 75 | 9 | - | - |
CAT Pass Percentage for IIMs
The pass percentage in the CAT exam for IIMs is expected to be in the range of 97-99.9 CAT percentile. The CAT pass percentage is used by IIMs to shortlist the candidates for the next selection rounds. The CAT pass percentage 2023, the CAT 2022 pass percentage, and the CAT pass percentile 2021 are given in the table below.
| List of IIMs | Expected CAT Pass Percentage (Last year) | CAT Pass Percentage 2023 | CAT Pass Percentage 2022 | CAT Pass Percentage 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
99-100 | 99.68 | 99-100 | 99-100 | |
99-100 | 99.89 | 99-100 | 99-100 | |
99 | 99.71 | 99 | 99 | |
97+ | 98 | 97-98 | 97-98 | |
97+ | 98 | 97-98 | 97-98 | |
97-98 | 98 | 97-98 | 97-98 | |
95+ | 96 | 95-96 | 95-96 | |
95+ | 96 | 95-96 | 95-96 | |
95+ | 96 | 95-96 | 95-96 | |
94 | 95 | 94-95 | 94-95 | |
94 | 95 | 94-95 | 94-95 | |
94 | 95 | 94-95 | 94-95 | |
94 | 95 | 92-94 | 92-94 | |
92 | 93 | 92-94 | 92-94 | |
92 | 93 | 92 | 92 | |
92 | 93 | 90 | 90 | |
90 | 92 | 92 | 92 | |
95 | 96 | 92-94 | 93-94 | |
95 | 96 | 90 | 91-92 |
CAT Pass Percentage for Non-IIMs
CAT scores are accepted nationwide by colleges other than IIMs for admission to their MBA/PGDM programs. The non-IIMs CAT pass percentage 2023, the CAT pass percentage 2022, the CAT 2021 pass percentage, and the CAT pass percentage 2020 are given in the table below.
| CAT Accepting Colleges | Expected CAT Pass Percentage (Last Year) | CAT Pass Percentage 2023 | CAT Pass Percentage 2022 | CAT Pass Percentage 2021 | CAT Pass Percentage 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
99 | 98.2 | 97-99 | 98-99 | 97-99 | |
94 | 95 | 90 | 85 | 85 | |
98+ | 97 | 97+ | 98 | 98+ | |
90+ | 95 | 90 | 70 | 90 | |
99+ | 99 | 99 | 99+ | 99 | |
90+ | 98 | 95-99 | 95-97 | 95-99 | |
95+ | 95 | 94+ | 97+ | 95+ | |
95+ | 96 | 95 | 97 | 95 | |
85+ | 90 | 95-99 | 95-99 | 95-99 | |
90+ | 94 | 91 | 91 | ||
95+ | 95 | 90 | 85.11 | 85.11 | |
85+ | 90 | 85 | 80 | 80 |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What is the qualifying score for CAT?
A:
The qualifying score for the CAT exam varies from one institute to another. The qualifying CAT cut off required for the top MBA colleges in India is 90 to 99 percentile.
Q: What is the pass percentage for the CAT exam?
A:
The CAT pass percentage generally ranges from 90-99 percentile for most of the good B schools. For getting into IIMs the required CAT pass percentage is usually between 97-99.9 percentile. IIMs also have sectional CAT pass percentage criteria for selection.
Q: What is the percentage for clearing the CAT exam?
A:
There is no specified percentage required for clearing the CAT exam. The IIMs and other B schools accepting CAT scores for admission to their MBA/PGDM programs have their own respective CAT pass percentage for shortlisting applicants.
Q: What is a good CAT score?
A:
A good CAT score will differ from college to college. If a candidate aims for IIMs a good CAT score would be 97-99.9 percentile for normalized CAT scores. For colleges other than IIMs any CAT score above 90 percentile will be considered as a good score.
Q: Which IIM is easiest to get into?
A:
IIM with lower CAT pass percentage are easy to get into. IIMs such as IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Sirmaur, IIM Amritsar, IIM Shillong, and IIM Nagpur are much easier to get into if the CAT scores are low and the overall is not strong enough for top IIMs.
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Hello,
Here you can get study material for CAT :
https://bschool.careers360.com/download/ebooks/cat-quantitative-aptitude-questions-answers-pdf
Hope it helps !
Hello aspirant,
A timetable is essential if you are preparing for the CAT in addition to your college coursework. It will give you an idea of how long it will take you to finish your syllabus and then set aside the appropriate amount of time for revision and mock exams.
Hello Nikita,
To get into any of the top IIMs, such as IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Kozhikode, or Indore, a good percentile in CAT is required, although academics play a vital role too. Let's break it down below:
CAT Score: 98+ percentile is an excellent score and makes one
Hello!
Prep for CAT 2024: Application Pattern
Syllabus: Focus on those areas that fall under the syllabus; for instance, Quantitative Aptitude, Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, and Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning.
Books: Stick to standard books from renowned authors, say, Arun Sharma for Quant, Norman Lewis in vocabulary, and
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While starting your CAT preparation late can be challenging, it's still possible to achieve a good score with focused effort. Prioritize understanding the exam pattern, and focus on key areas like Quantitative Ability, Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, and Verbal Ability.
Create a structured study plan, practice regularly with mock
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