For CAT aspirants, understanding the distinction between CAT score and CAT percentile is important for understanding the competitive landscape of MBA admissions. These two parameters hold significant weight in determining one's chances of securing admission into esteemed institutions like IIMs and other top B-schools.
The CAT score represents the total marks obtained by a candidate in the exam. It is an absolute measure of your performance and reflects the raw numerical outcome of your efforts in the test. Essentially, it quantifies the number of correct answers and penalizes for incorrect ones.
On the other hand, CAT percentile is a relative score. It signifies the percentage of candidates who scored lower than you in the exam. For example, if your CAT percentile is 90, it means you performed better than 90% of the candidates who appeared for the test. This metric provides a comparative assessment of your performance against others.
Both CAT score and percentile play pivotal roles in the admission process. While a high CAT score showcases your absolute proficiency in the exam, a good percentile demonstrates your relative standing among your peers. Top B-schools often consider both metrics to ensure a comprehensive evaluation of candidates.
To achieve a 99 percentile, you would typically need a CAT score that places you in the top 1% of test-takers. This requires a thorough and strategic preparation strategy, including mastering core concepts, rigorous practice, and effective time management.
When it comes to CAT exams, it's essential to grasp the distinction between CAT score and CAT percentile. Both these metrics hold crucial significance in the initial screening for IIM admissions, particularly for the Written Ability Test and Personal Interview (WAT-PI) rounds.
The CAT score represents the total marks obtained by a candidate in the exam. To break it down further, here's an overview of the CAT marking scheme:
The CAT score is calculated by summing up the sectional scores and sorting them to arrive at the total score.
The CAT exam consists of 66 questions divided into three sections: VARC (24 questions), DILR (20 questions), and QA (22 questions). The CAT marking scheme allocates 3 marks for every correct answer and deducts 1 mark for each incorrect response. There is no negative marking for Non-MCQ and unattempted questions. The overall CAT 2023 score is the sum total of the marks obtained by the candidate in the CAT exam, combining sectional scores to arrive at the total CAT score.
CAT percentile signifies the percentage of candidates who have scored below a particular candidate in the merit list. For example, if a candidate achieves an 80 percentile, it means their performance was superior to approximately 80% of all test-takers in the same year. The percentile system helps rank candidates relative to each other. It's important to note that CAT percentile does not reveal the actual marks a candidate received, but rather their standing compared to other test-takers.
If there are 2 lakh applicants for the test, about 40,000 of them (20%) would fall within the percentile range of 80 to 100.
The percentile obtained in the CAT exam provides an indication of where a candidate stands in comparison to other test takers, rather than disclosing their exact marks. This system helps maintain fairness and equitability in the evaluation process.
To calculate the CAT percentile, let's take VARC as an example for CAT 2023. The process involves the following steps:
Scaling and normalization are crucial steps in the CAT scoring process. A merit list of applicants is created based on the scaled results. The CAT normalization method ensures fairness and equity in evaluating candidates across all sessions. Since questions may vary slightly between sessions, the CAT Scaled Score is calculated to ensure a fair evaluation. It's possible for the scaled score to differ somewhat from the raw score.
The CAT Score normalization procedure involves adjusting the scale and position of the score distribution to account for any discrepancies between the two question papers. The CAT percentiles are derived from the scaled scores achieved through this technique. Candidates who qualify based on percentiles are then shortlisted for subsequent stages like writing ability tests, group discussions, and personal interviews. This normalization technique aims to ensure total equity in the performance of aspirants across both sessions.
The method described below is used to compute the scaled score for each section through the normalizing procedure.
Step I: Morning Slot Mean & Standard Deviation
Step II: Afternoon Slot Mean & Standard Deviation
Step III: Calculating the Overall Mean
Step IV: Morning Slot Raw Score
Step V: Afternoon Slot Raw Score
Step VI: Overall Raw Score
CAT Scaled Score and Composite Score
The candidates' composite score is computed by considering various factors:
Different institutes have their own criteria and weighting for these factors when calculating the composite score. The formula for score calculation may vary between different B-schools.
Top IIMs follow specific criteria for preliminary screening and final selection based on various parameters. Here are some examples:
|
IIM |
Criteria and Weightage |
|
IIM Ahmedabad |
- Composite Score (CS) = ARF-CS * Normalized AR score + CATF-CS * Normalized total score in CAT + ARF-CS: Application Rating Multiplication Factor for Composite Score + CATF-CS: CAT Multiplication Factor for Composite Score |
|
IIM Bangalore |
- Weights for CAT 2023, including: + 10th (Weight: 10%) + 12th (Weight: 5%) + Bachelor's or graduate degree (Weight: 10%) + Work experience (Weight: 10%) |
|
IIM Calcutta |
- CAT score (Weight: 30%) + Work Experience (Weight: 8%) + Personal Interview (Weight: 48%) + Written Ability Test (WAT) (Weight: 10%) + Academic Diversity at Graduation Level for Non-Engineering Degree (Weight: 4%) |
|
IIM Lucknow |
- Scaled CAT (CS) (Weight: 60%) + HSC (12M) (Weight: 10%) + Graduation (GM) (Weight: 10%) + Work Experience (WE) (Weight: 10 |
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