Our CAT percentile predictor has consistently delivered remarkably accurate results, with many students appreciating how closely our estimates match the actual scores, sometimes right down to the decimal point. Over the years, we’ve continuously refined our model, giving you one of the closest score predictions to the actual CAT results.
Here are some points to be noted about the CL's CAT 2025 Percentile Predictor, as follows:
The CAT Response Sheet 2025 has been released, allowing aspirants to view the answers they marked in the exam and analyse their performance before the official results are declared. The response sheet contains the question-wise responses, enabling candidates to compare their answers with the CAT 2025 Answer Key (once released) and estimate their raw scores with high accuracy.
Accessing the CAT 2025 Response Sheet is crucial for understanding your attempt pattern, identifying mistakes, and evaluating your performance across VARC, DILR, and Quant.
Once you download your response sheet from the official CAT website, you can upload it to our CAT Percentile Predictor to instantly get insights into:
The CAT Response Sheet 2025 not only helps you estimate your performance but also provides transparency in the evaluation process. It is an essential document for all aspirants who wish to make informed decisions about their MBA admissions strategy and prepare for the next phase, including WAT-PI preparation.
The CAT exam is something that becomes an immense part of the life of every CAT aspirant as it draws closer. A natural consequence of this is that it takes up a huge amount of mental space for the aspirant until the day of the exam.
A natural question that comes to the mind of every serious aspirant after they attempt the CAT exam is, "How have I done?" or "What percentile will I get?" or "Will it be enough to get a call from my dream college?" or "Is there any tool that can help me know my CAT score?"
CL has been addressing these queries and predicting estimated CAT scores using raw response data shared by students, including the number of correct, incorrect, and unattempted questions.
Every year, our CAT Score Calculator 2025 becomes even more accurate, powered by extensive historical data and continuous refinement to deliver highly reliable predictions.

The CAT percentile is determined based on the score a candidate achieves. Out of the 68 questions in CAT 2025, attempting around 48 questions with 85-90% accuracy can get you a 99.99 percentile. The table below reflects the estimated CAT score vs percentile and required score in each section for your reference:
|
Expected Percentiles |
Overall Score |
||
|
CAT 2025 Slot 1 |
CAT 2025 Slot 2 |
CAT 2025 Slot 3 |
|
|
99 |
81 |
82-83 |
83-84 |
|
95 |
65 |
66 |
67 |
|
90 |
52 |
53 |
53 |
|
85 |
45 |
45 |
45 |
|
80 |
40 |
40 |
40 |
|
Expected Percentiles |
VARC Score |
DILR Score |
QA Score |
||||||
|
Slot 1 |
Slot 2 |
Slot 3 |
Slot 1 |
Slot 2 |
Slot 3 |
Slot 1 |
Slot 2 |
Slot 3 |
|
|
99 |
40 |
40 |
42 |
26 |
27 |
27 |
28 |
30 |
28 |
|
95 |
33 |
33 |
33 |
19 |
19 |
20 |
21 |
22 |
22 |
|
90 |
25 |
25 |
25 |
16 |
16 |
16 |
18 |
20 |
20 |
|
85 |
23 |
23 |
23 |
13 |
13 |
13 |
14 |
14 |
14 |
|
80 |
21 |
21 |
21 |
12 |
12 |
12 |
13 |
13 |
13 |
CAT 2025 slot 3 was comparatively difficult than CAT 2024 slot 3
CAT 2025 Slot 2 was difficult compared to that of CAT 2024 and CAT 2023.
VARC
DILR
QA
The CAT Exam is a computer-based test (CBT) conducted in 3 slots on 30th November 2025. The CAT 2025 exam pattern was similar to that of CAT 2024.
The CAT 2025 exam pattern is provided in the table below for your reference:
|
Section |
Total Questions |
Total Marks |
Time Allotted |
|
VARC |
24 |
72 |
40 Mins. |
|
DILR |
22 |
66 |
40 Mins. |
|
QA |
22 |
66 |
40 Mins. |
|
Total |
68 |
204 |
120 Mins. |
CAT cutoff is the minimum percentile that a candidate is expected to achieve to get into a B-school. While top B-schools are known to have a higher CAT cutoff range, the minimum cutoff varies both from institute to institute and profile to profile.
Shortlisting from B-schools after CAT exam depends on various factors such as the candidate's CAT percentile, academic record, work experience, category, academic diversity and the institute's specific criteria.
Further, it is worth noting that there are two stages to qualify for the admission procedure of CAT:
Find below the tabulated CAT minimum percentile 2025 of top-tier IIMs based on the previous year’s cutoff:
|
List of IIMs |
CAT Cutoff 2025 (Expected Percentile) |
|
IIM Ahmedabad |
99+ |
|
IIM Bangalore |
99+ |
|
IIM Calcutta |
99+ |
|
IIM Lucknow |
98+ |
|
IIM Kozhikode |
98+ |
|
IIM Indore |
98+ |
|
IIM Shillong |
97+ |
|
IIM Raipur |
96+ |
|
IIM Rohtak |
95-96%ile |
|
IIM Vizag |
96+ |
|
IIM Amritsar |
95+ |
|
IIM Mumbai |
97+ |
*Please note that the above-mentioned percentiles are just the indicative numbers (as per the admission criteria of B-schools for 2025-26 academic batch).
For Example: The above percentiles do not guarantee an admission call from a B-school. The final admission decisions are based on a composite score.
The composite score typically includes components such as your CAT score, academic performance (10th, 12th, graduation marks), work experience, gender diversity, and discipline background. For instance, even two candidates with the same CAT percentile may receive different outcomes depending on their academic profile and work experience weightage in a particular institute’s selection criteria.
A noticeable difference exists in the expected B-school cutoffs for different candidates with different profiles.
|
Profile A |
Profile B |
|
Category: NC-OBC |
Category: General |
|
Gender: Female |
Gender: Male |
|
Percentile: 99.2 |
Percentile: 99.2 |
|
Education: Engineer (Graduation: 85%) 10th and 12th - 90%) |
Education: Engineer (Graduation: 85% 10th and 12th - 90%) |
|
Work Experience: 6 months |
Work Experience: 24 Months |
Even though both have the same percentile, Candidate A might have a higher chance of getting a call from top B-Schools because of the profile.
Candidates can predict their B-schools with the help of our IIM profilizer by filling in their relevant details as per their profiles.
Great prediction model, most accurate amongst all predictors I used.
Closest prediction out of all the available predictors super impressed!
Spot on!
The IIM admission process differs based on the admission criteria - preferences of various participating institutes:
After the CAT results are declared, each IIM conducts its own selection process based on its individual admission policy. The final selection is typically based on a composite score that includes CAT performance, Written Ability Test (WAT), Personal Interview (PI), academic record, and, in some cases, work experience. Each institute then releases its separate merit list based on these parameters.

It is essential to examine past trends before preparing for CAT 2025. By doing so, you can adopt a better exam-taking strategy and learn smart tips and tricks to score better.
One frequently asked question among CAT aspirants is, What CAT score is required to reach the top percentiles, which are essential for clearing the cutoffs of B-schools?
Given below are the CAT scores and percentiles that candidates can aim for according to CAT 2024:
CAT Score Vs Percentile 2024 Overall Trends
|
Percentile |
Approximate Marks in 2024 |
|
99.5 |
104 |
|
99 |
103 |
|
95 |
58 |
|
90 |
47 |
|
85 |
44 |
|
80 |
43 |
The overall difficulty of CAT 2024 was higher than that of CAT 2023. The exam followed a new pattern, with 68 questions to be answered in 120 minutes. The distribution of questions across the sections also remained the same, with 24 questions in VARC, 22 questions in DILR, and 22 questions in QA. Each section had to be attempted in 40 minutes.
Among the 3 slots, there was only a marginal difference in the level of difficulty.
|
Section (CAT 2024) |
Most Difficult |
Moderately Difficult |
Least Difficult |
|
VARC |
Slot 2 |
Slot 1 |
Slot 3 |
|
DILR |
Slot 1 |
Slot 2/3 |
- |
|
QA |
Slot 1 |
Slot 2 |
Slot 3 |
IIM Ahmedabad
IIM Bangalore
IIM Calcutta
IIM Lucknow
Based on the first two slots of CAT 2025, no major changes were observed in the paper pattern. The exam followed the same structure as previous years, with three sections — VARC, DILR, and QA — and a total duration of 120 minutes, with 40 minutes allotted per section. The marking scheme and overall pattern remained consistent, and students confirmed that the format was very similar to recent CAT editions.
The overall difficulty level of CAT 2025 has been moderate. VARC and QA were considered manageable, while DILR was on the tougher side due to several arrangement-based sets. Although the pattern remained unchanged, the difficulty levels varied slightly across sections, which is typical for CAT every year.
Yes. You can access live, slot-wise CAT 2025 analysis delivered by top CAT experts in English and Hinglish.
Candidates, with the help of CAT live analysis, gain a fresh snapshot of how they performed in the exam. It helps them formulate their further preparations and provides insights into expected cutoffs and percentiles.
The detailed CAT 2025 exam analysis for all three slots is released on the exam day itself. After each slot concludes, section-wise difficulty levels, question distribution, and expected score insights are published. A complete consolidated analysis is made available once all three slots are finished.