Estimate your overall & sectional CAT score on the basis of your total & correct attempts
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Know MoreCalculate your CAT 2023 percentile using a data-driven tool and artificial intelligence
Know MoreFind out the cutoff requirements for IIMs & other B-schools based on your unique profile.
Know MoreThe CAT cutoff serves as a benchmark for the minimum percentile score required for the colleges listed below. This criterion is typically influenced by factors such as the exam's difficulty level, the number of test-takers, available seats, and other considerations. The table below provides information for distinct categories. For a personalized response, you can explore our MBA PROFILIZER
Institute Name |
General |
OBC |
SC |
ST |
EWS |
IIM A |
99.68 %ile |
97.71 %ile |
78.95 %ile |
72.79 %ile |
97.71 %ile |
IIM B |
99.89 %ile |
96.08 %ile |
83.38 %ile |
78.93 %ile |
95.48 %ile |
IIM C |
99.71 %ile |
97.87 %ile |
91.44 %ile |
77.90 %ile |
99.03 %ile |
** For all the above variants, Gender/10th/12th/Grad is considered as Male/90%/85%/80% (Engineer) with a work experience of 12 months.
** These are indicative numbers as per CAT 2022. For Example, there might be someone who did not get calls at the mentioned percentile from the respective institute.
The CAT Exam is a Computer Based Test (CBT) conducted in 3 slots on the same day. The CAT exam pattern 2023 will be along the same lines as CAT 2022.
The previous year's exam pattern is given below:
Section |
MCQs |
TITA |
Total Questions |
Time Allotted |
VARC |
21 |
3 |
24 |
40 minutes |
DILR |
14 |
6 |
20 |
40 minutes |
QA |
15 |
7 |
22 |
40 minutes |
Total |
49 |
16 |
66 |
120 minutes |
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After each CAT Exam, one question that burns in the mind of every CAT aspirant is How have I performed? Well, Career Launcher aims to answer this question with our CAT 2023 Score Calculator & Percentile Predictor. Over the years, we have collected the information of CAT attempts of thousands of candidates and with the help of Machine Learning techniques have been able to build a robust model of percentile prediction which has proven its worth over the years.
Possible deviations from the predicted percentiles as observed in the previous CAT results are given below:
The selection procedure differs according to various participating institutes.
After the CAT selection procedure ends, each IIM releases its separate merit lists. The final selection process of B-schools or the CAT selection procedure of participating B-schools is based on multiple criteria such as performance in CAT and GD/WAT and PI rounds and past academic records and/or work experience. The criteria or parameters vary from institute to institute. IIMs release their detailed admission criteria after the CAT notification every year.
While the percentiles are essential to meet the CAT cutoffs of B-schools, what is the CAT score that is required to reach the top percentiles?
Given below are the CAT scores and the net questions candidates can aim for according to CAT 2022.
Percentile Rank |
CAT Score 2022 |
Net Qs |
99.50 |
93 |
31 |
99.00 |
84 |
27 |
97.00 |
68 |
22 |
95.00 |
60 |
19 |
90.00 |
49 |
16 |
85.00 |
41 |
13 |
80.00 |
36 |
12 |
75.00 |
31 |
10 |
70.00 |
28 |
9 |
60.00 |
22 |
7 |
50.00 |
17 |
5 |
The overall difficulty of CAT 2022 was higher than that of CAT 2021. The exam followed the exam pattern of CAT 2021 with 66 questions to be answered in 120 minutes. The distribution of questions across the sections also remained the same, with 24 questions in VARC, 20 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 2022) |
Most Difficult |
Moderately Difficult |
Least Difficult |
VARC |
Slot 1 |
Slot 2 |
Slot 3 |
DILR |
Slot 3 |
Slot 1 |
Slot 2 |
QA |
Slot 3 |
Slot 2 |
Slot 1 |
DILR was the most difficult section of CAT 2022 and the easiest was VARC. Ideally, a CAT score of 84 was required to get a 99 %ile in CAT 2022.
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According to the CAT 2022 examination paper, the overall level of difficulty of the exam can be characterized as ranging from moderate to difficult. Upon closer examination of the individual sections, it can be observed that the Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension segment appears to fall within the range of Easy to Moderate difficulty, while the Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section is inclined toward the Moderate to Difficult category. Furthermore, the Quantitative Ability section is also assessed as being of moderate difficulty, in line with the overall level of the CAT 2022 examination.
It is important to note that the difficulty level of the examination for the current year may exhibit variations.
In a comparative analysis, it is evident that slot 3 of the CAT 2022 examination can be characterized as the most difficult. This observation is primarily attributed to the higher level of complexity in the Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning as well as the Quantitative Ability sections in slot 3. The easiest slot seemed to be slot 2.
For the preceding eight years, the toughest examination was administered by the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM Bangalore) in 2021.
The percentile depends on both accuracy and the number of questions attempted. To attain a 99 percentile in CAT 2022, it was necessary to achieve an overall score of 84 marks by correctly answering at least 27 questions. The sectional scores could exhibit variability contingent upon the number of questions attempted, particularly when accompanied by a higher degree of accuracy. So, a good attempt with moderate to good accuracy will be 33-35 questions.
The detailed analysis of CAT Exam 2023 for each slot will be live on Career Launcher’s website 1 hour after each slot exam ends