What is a Good Percentile for CAT 2024? Check & Compare

by Pankaj Rathore Mon 18 Nov 2024 04:53 PM 542

CAT is the gateway to elite MBA colleges in India. If you are planning for an MBA at top-level institutes, a high percentile is a must. But what is "good percentile" for CAT 2024? Your quest for answers comes to an end as this article discusses the CAT percentile cutoffs 2024, expected percentiles and how your percentile can help you secure a seat at the most coveted MBA colleges. Let’s begin!

What is a Good Percentile for CAT 2024?

A good CAT percentile in highly relies on your target colleges and even career goals. For example:

99+ Percentile: Needed for the top BLACKI IIMs (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Kozhikode, Indore) and FMS Delhi.
90-95 Percentile: Easiest qualifications to get into IITs, SPJIMR, and MDI.
85-90 Percentile: Suitable for colleges like Great Lakes, KJ Somaiya, and TAPMI.

Also Read, CAT Score Calculator 2024, Predict Your CAT Percentile

CAT Score vs Percentile

Your CAT score vs percentile reflects marks in the exam, whereas percentile shows your ranking as compared to other candidates. For example, scoring in the 99th percentile means you have surpassed 99% of test-takers.

Raw Score Range	Expected Percentile
115+	99.9
94-100	99.5
82-88	99
75-78	97
58-70	95
45-51	90

Also Read, CAT Score vs Percentile 2023, Raw & Scaled Score Analysis

Percentile Required for Top IIM Colleges 2024

IIM	General Category Cutoff Percentile
IIM Ahmedabad	99.5+
IIM Bangalore	99.5+
IIM Calcutta	99.7+
IIM Lucknow	99+
IIM Kozhikode	98.5+
IIM Indore	98+
IIM Mumbai	98+

A better score increases your chances of being selected, even though the needed percentile may be lower for reserved categories.

Percentile Required for Top MBA Colleges 2024

Apart from the IIM colleges, many prestigious MBA colleges accept CAT scores:

Percentile Range	Colleges
90-95 Percentile	IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, SPJIMR, MDI Gurgaon, IMT Ghaziabad
85-90 Percentile	KJ Somaiya, TAPMI, GIM, Great Lakes
80-85 Percentile	IFMR, NIRMA, Loyola Institute of Business Administration, BIMTECH
70-80 Percentile	IMT Hyderabad, ITM Navi Mumbai, Christ University, IBS Hyderabad

Choosing the right college depends on 3 key primary factors: placement ROI, brand name, and alumni network.

How Much Percentile is Good in CAT 2024

The “good percentile” in CAT varies:

IIM aspirants: Aim for 95+ percentile.
Reputed private institutes: 85+ percentile is competitive.
Tier 2 colleges: 70-80 percentile can be sufficient.

Also Read, CAT Exam Analysis 2024

How Many Questions to Attempt for a 99 Percentile

To achieve a 99 percentile, you need to answer approximately 50-60% of the questions correctly. Based on the CAT marking scheme:

Quantitative Ability (QA): Solve 12-15 questions accurately
VARC: Target 16-18 questions with precision
DILR: Focus on solving 2 and a half sets correctly.

Section	No. of Questions to Solve Correctly	Target Accuracy
VARC	16-18	85-90%
DILR	12-14	80-85%
QA	12-15	80-85%

Colleges Based on CAT Percentile

Percentile Range	Colleges
95+ Percentile	FMS Delhi, IIT Bombay, IIMs (Top 10), SPJIMR, MDI Gurgaon
90-95 Percentile	IIT Delhi, XIMB, MICA, DFS, DSE
85-90 Percentile	KJ Somaiya, TAPMI, BIM Trichy, FORE, Great Lakes, IRMA
80-85 Percentile	IFMR, BIMTECH, NIRMA, Loyola, UBS
70-80 Percentile	Christ University, SDA Bocconi Asia Center, IBS Hyderabad, IMT Nagpur, Welingkar

Conclusion

A good CAT percentile for 2024 would depend on one's target colleges and career aspirations. For instance, 99+ is a must if one wants to study at the top IIMs, but most excellent MBA programs are accessible with scores in the 85-95 percentile range. Preparing with the right percentile goals while being consistent with mock test analysis will ensure entry into a top B-school. Your choice has to weigh the placement ROI, brand name, and your long-term goals.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a safe score for CAT 2024?

percentile ranging from 95-100 percentile can be considered as a safe score in CAT for General category candidates. The cutoffs for the BLACKI IIMs will be as high as 99.99 to 100 percentile. On the other hand, newer IIMs will declare a cutoff of 95-97 percentile.

What is a decent CAT percentile?

For other top MBA colleges 90-95 percentile is good. Most of the CAT test takers fall in the category of 80-90 percentile. Many of the private and government management institutions accept candidates with a CAT score between 80-90 percentile.

What percentile is 37 marks in CAT?

score of 37-39 gives 80 percentile in CAT 2023. Moreover, a score of 34-36 would give you 75 percentile, 30-33 would give 70 percentile, and 25-29 would give 65 percentile.

Will CAT 2024 be easy?

This year, the exam will be conducted by IIM Calcutta. While the exam is yet to take place, we cannot clearly judge but predict the potential difficulty levels based on previous trends. Hence, the VARC section is expected to remain moderate. However, the DILR section is predicted to be challenging. Similarly, the QA section is likely to range from moderate to difficult. These comparisons are based on the past year CAT exam analysis of the 2018 paper when the CAT exam was prepared by IIM Calcutta.

Q. Is 78 percentile in CAT good?

Rest confident that you are already above average because a CAT score in the 70–80 percentile is regarded as moderate. If you can't afford to drop a year or two, it's advised to enroll in the selected MBA program given the return on investment, faculty, facilities, and prospects for international exposure that B-schools in India provide.