- CAT 2025 results expected by first week of January 2026
- CAT scores are normalized due to three different test forms
- Percentile scores used for shortlisting candidates after normalization
The results for the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2025 results are likely to be declared by the first week of January 2026. Since the exam is conducted in three different test forms, the scores of candidates are subjected to a process of Normalisation. The process is undertaken to ensure fairness and equity in comparison of performances of candidates across different test sessions. The scaled scores of the candidates are converted into percentiles for purposes of shortlisting.
Percentile Score Calculation
The steps described below are followed to calculate the CAT 2025 overall and sectional percentile scores obtained by a candidate. While illustrating the percentile score calculation process, QA section is chosen as an example. Similar process is followed for the overall percentile score calculation and for the other two sections, i.e. DILR and VARC in CAT 2025.
Step 1: Calculate the total number of candidates (N) who appeared for CAT (i.e. including morning, afternoon and evening sessions).
Step 2: Assign a rank (r), based on the scaled scores obtained in the QA section, to all candidates who appeared for CAT. In the case of two or more candidates obtaining identical scaled scores in the QA section, assign identical ranks to all those candidates.
As an illustration suppose exactly two candidates obtain the highest scaled score in the QA section, then both of those candidates are assigned a rank of 1. Moreover, the candidate(s) obtaining the second highest scaled score in the QA section are assigned a rank of 3 and so on.
Step 3: Calculate the percentile score (P) of a candidate with rank (r) in the QA section as:
𝑃 = (𝑁-r/N) x 100
Step 4: Round off the calculated percentile score (P) of a candidate up to two decimal points. For example, all percentile scores greater than or equal to 99.995 are rounded off to 100, all percentile scores greater than or equal to 99.985 but strictly less than 99.995 are rounded off to 99.99 and so on.
A methodology similar to the one described above is used for the computation of the overall CAT percentile scores and for the percentile scores of other sections.
The CAT 2025 was conducted on November 30, 2025 in computer-based mode at 339 centers across India.
