CAT 2021 Score vs Percentile: Steps to Calculate, List of IIMs & Cutoffs

Q: What is the difference between CAT score and CAT percentile?

CAT Score: The total number of marks obtained by a candidate in the exam out of 198. CAT Percentile: A relative score indicating your position compared to other test-takers. For example, a 90th percentile means you scored better than 90% of the candidates.

Q: What can I do if my CAT percentile is not as high as I hoped?

Don't despair! Many B-schools accept lower percentiles. Focus on other aspects of your application like work experience, academic background, and extracurricular activities. Consider alternative management programs or universities with lower cut-offs.

Q: Are CAT percentiles fixed or variable?

Percentiles are not fixed and can vary slightly each year. Factors like the number of applicants, overall exam difficulty, and seat availability influence percentiles.

Q: What are the average CAT percentiles required for top B-schools?

Average percentiles required for top IIMs typically range from 85 to 99. These percentiles can be higher for certain programs or categories.

CAT 2021 Score vs Percentile: Steps to Calculate, List of IIMs & Cutoffs

Megha KS,

Mar 4, 2024 | CAT

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CAT 2021 was conducted on Nov 28, 2023 by IIM Ahmedabad. Where CAT score is the total marks scored by the candidates out of 198 and CAT percentile is the percentage of total candidates scored lower AIR of one candidate in the exam.

CAT 2021 Score vs Percentile: Steps to Calculate, List of IIMs & Cutoffs

Table of Contents

CAT 2021 Score vs Percentile Overview
Distribution of Question for CAT 2021 Score vs Percentile
What is CAT 2021 Score vs Percentile?
Scaled CAT 2021 Score Calculation for All Three Slots
List of IIMs and their Cutoff Percentile

CAT 2021 score vs percentile analysis helped candidates determine their chances of admission into top B-schools in India. The score vs percentile analysis transforms the raw scores into respective probable percentiles which is considered to be an evaluation criteria.

CAT 2021 was conducted by IIM Ahmedabad on 28th November 2021. Moreover, there were three slots for CAT 2021, and the QA section for all 3 slots was easy, whereas the VARC and DILR were moderate as the candidates reviewed.

CAT 2021 Score vs Percentile Overview

2.31 lakh candidates appeared for the CAT 2021 exam. The exam was conducted in three slots by following all the COVID-19 protocols.

The exam was held for 2 hours, and the sectional timings were 40 minutes each. Section-wise CAT 2021 score vs percentile details is provided in the table below:

CAT 2021 Score vs Percentile
CAT 2021 Percentile	Overall Score	VARC	DILR	QA
99.5	161 - 164	70	51	67
98	148	64	46	52
95	126	57	40	43
90	110	47	36	34
85	95 - 98	43	28	28
80	85	38	25	24

Read More: How to Calculate CAT Percentile?

Distribution of Question for CAT 2021 Score vs Percentile

Chirag Gupta was the topper of CAT with a 100 percentile for the year 2021. Candidates remarked that the questions were primarily common, and they could attempt the paper within the stipulated time.

CAT Question Distribution
Subjects	Total Questions	MCQs	TITAs	Difficulty level
VARC - Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension	24	19	05	Moderate
DILR - Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning	20	14	6	Moderate
QA - Quantitative Ability	22	15	08	Easy

What is CAT 2021 Score vs Percentile?

The total marks bagged by the candidates in the CAT exam are called the CAT raw score. It is derived by adding the marks obtained in all three sections: VARC, DILR, and QA.

In comparison, CAT 2021 percentile score derives the candidate's position in the merit list/rank list. However, the percentile scores are calculated by following a particular method.

Read More: CAT 2020 Score vs Percentile

Steps to Calculate CAT 2021 Score vs Percentile

CAT 2021 scores were the raw marks scored by the candidates in the exam. The process to derive the CAT 2021 scores was as follows:

Candidates were required to calculate the number of correct answers. Then multiply each correct answer by 3.
Next, the number of incorrect answers was required to subtract from the number of correct answers.

CAT Score = (Number of Right Answers) * 3 - Number of Wrong Answers

CAT 2021 Percentile

CAT 2021 percentile represented the position of the candidate in the exam. The same percentile was used for admissions. The formula to calculate the percentile is as follows:

P = [(N−r) N] × 100

Let us understand the process of CAT 2021 score vs percentile with an example:

Example: Suppose 100 students took the CAT 2021 exam. A student’s performance earned him 4th position. In this case, 95 students scored below that mark. Therefore, the CAT percentile will be:

95/100*100 = 95 Percentile

Note: Candidates must note while comparing the CAT score vs percentile that the percentiles were presented after rounding it up to 2 decimal places.

Read More: GMAT vs CAT

Scaled CAT 2021 Score Calculation for All Three Slots

CAT 2021 took place in two slots, and each slot's difficulty level was variant. Hence, to arrive at a point where the scores were settled in a scaled manner. Therefore, IIIMCAT introduced a scaled score.

The process combined the difficulty level of two slots conducted on the same day to derive a conjunction. Here the difficulty level of one slot will not hamper the performance of the other slot, and the results will be released properly.

List of IIMs and their Cutoff Percentile

The percentile acceptance criteria for each IIM differs. The cutoff for admission is also variant. However, the cutoff percentile is mentioned in the table below.

IIMs and Cutoffs
IIMs	Cutoff Percentile
IIM Ahmedabad	99 Percentile
IIM Bangalore
IIM Calcutta
IIM Lucknow	97-98 Percentile
IIM Indore
IIM Kozhikode
IIM Amritsar	95-96 Percentile
IIM Nagpur
IIM Sambalpur
IIM Trichy	94-95 Percentile
IIM Raipur
IIM Ranchi
IIM Kashipur
IIM Vizag	92-94 Percentile
IIM Udaipur
IIM BodhGaya
IIM Shillong	90 Percentile
IIM Sirmaur	90 Percentile