CAT result 2024: 99th percentile score will likely be 93 marks

File photo of a CAT exam center. | Photo credit: K. Murali Kumar/The Hindu

The Common Admission Test (CAT) 2024 results have been announced last night, marking the conclusion of the first phase of the admissions process for the next generation of MBA aspirants. Candidates can access their scorecards on the official websiteby logging into the candidate portal.

The CAT 2024 exam was conducted in three slots (forenoon, afternoon, and evening) on 24^th November at 389 test centres spread across 170 cities. Approximately 2.93 lakh students appeared for the exam of which 1.07 lakh were female, and 1.86 lakh were male. 9 transgender candidates appeared for the examination as well. Of the 2.93 lakhs appeared candidates, the category wise break up is as follows: General – 67.20%, EWS – 5.09%, NC-OBC – 17.5%, SC – 8.08%, ST – 2.12%, PwD (across categories) – 0.41%.

The CAT results have been normalised to neutralise disparities in difficulty levels across the slots, ensuring fairness in the scoring process. The coveted 99^th percentile score, after normalising all three slots, is reportedly hovering at around 93 marks out of a total of 204. The 95^th and 90^th percentile correspond to 71 and 58 normalised marks respectively. A total of 14 test takers have secured the 100^th percentile this year out of which 13 are male and one is a female aspirant. Five 100^th percentilers hail from Maharashtra while Delhi and Telangana claim two each.

Initial observations indicate that the forenoon slot was relatively easier, leading to significant scaling down of scores for candidates in this slot. On the other hand, the afternoon slot, perceived as the most challenging, has seen scores marginally scaled up. The Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) section maintained a consistent difficulty level across all slots, resulting in minimal scaling. However, the Quantitative Ability (QA) and Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation (DILR) section exhibited considerable variation in complexity, becoming the primary focus of score adjustments. For instance, forenoon slot candidates’ LRDI scores have been scaled down by as much as 4.5 points while afternoon slot candidates’ VARC scores and evening slot candidates’ QA scores have seen a scaling down of 1-3 points.

The percentile cut-offs to secure seats at management institutes vary with category, gender, academic credentials and academic diversity. Although the CAT percentiles are calculated on the basis of the total scores, percentiles for individual sections are also declared. Institutes enforce sectional percentile cut-offs as well in order to roll out the shortlist for stage two process.

The IIMs are expected to roll out the second stage shortlist in the upcoming two to three weeks. A general category student can expect interview calls from the IIMs at as low as 90^th percentile subject to the academic criteria and diversity. The reserved category cut-offs are expected to go way below the 90^th percentile mark. The selection process and admission criteria have been declared on the respective IIM websites. The student will be intimated about the shortlist via email, and it can be checked on individual IIM login portals too.

CAT scores have been shared with all IIMs, which will now begin issuing calls for the next phase of the admissions process. 86 non-IIM institutes will also be using CAT scores for their second stage shortlist. The second phase will consist of Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI) at most of the IIMs. Certain non-IIM institutions also employ facets like Group Interviews, Group Discussions, Group Exercises, AI Interviews and Case Discussions as part of their admissions procedure. These processes are set to commence in January and will continue through May. Aspirants now shift their focus to this crucial second phase, which will ultimately determine their admission outcomes.

Acing the personal interviews at IIMs demand a rigorous uptake of knowledge across fields like current affairs, economics, management domain knowledge and bachelor’s academic curriculum subjects. The interviewers primarily attempt to ascertain the self-awareness, general awareness and critical thinking capabilities of the candidates apart from the learning aptitude and suitability of the candidate for a management program.

The final merit list for admissions to the B-schools will be based on a cumulative score which is calculated on varying weightage basis. The scores awarded for all the stage two processes involved, along with CAT scores, academic profile and diversity factor will be taken into consideration for this.

Traditionally held on the last Sunday of November each year, the CAT is a vital milestone for MBA hopefuls. Future aspirants can glean valuable insights from this year’s trends, which may help them tailor their preparation strategies for upcoming exams.

(The Author Ajay Zener has more than 15 years of experience of training students for CAT. He is an IIM Ahmedabad Alumnus and Founder of GradSquare India.)