The IIMs conducted CAT 2025 across hundreds of test centres in more than 150 cities across India. The exam turned out to be much harder than expected. Even well-prepared candidates felt anxious despite months of rigorous preparation.

With the release of the final answer keys, candidates now have a clearer idea of their actual performance. As expected, both sectional and overall scores have dropped sharply compared to previous years. Cut-offs in some sections are likely to hit record lows this year.

Now that raw scores are available, one important question arises – how will scores across multiple slots and sections be equated and normalised?

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CAT 2025 Score vs Percentile – Overview

Why Is CAT Normalisation Needed?

The argument that a tough paper affects everyone equally doesn't fully apply to CAT. Here's why:

• CAT is conducted across multiple slots.
• Each slot has a different question paper.
• Different groups of candidates appear in different slots.
• Difficulty levels may vary slightly between slots.

With CAT 2025 raw scores now available, it's clear that there was a slight but noticeable difference in difficulty levels. This variation existed both across slots and sections. Though the difference was modest, it's still meaningful and can't be ignored from a candidate's perspective.

Such differences aren't unusual. CAT and other major entrance exams use standardised, scientific, and well-accepted approaches to equate and normalise scores after the exam.

How Does IIM Minimise the Need for Normalisation?

The most logical step is to reduce the need for normalisation in the first place. The CAT authorities try to achieve this during the question paper design stage itself.

What IIMs Do:

• Design question papers for each slot with similar look and feel
• Maintain similar difficulty levels across slots
• Ensure uniformity in topics and question models
• Replicate the structure as closely as possible

Historically, CAT authorities have done a commendable job in this area. They manage to ensure significant similarity across slots for each section. However, this effort can only achieve limited results. Things can easily go out of alignment from year to year.

This is where the more rigorous and scientific approach comes in – the normalisation process.

What Is CAT Normalisation?

Now, coming to the exact methodology that the IIMs use for such normalisation of scores across slots in a given section, an official process document has been shared on the CAT website.

The process has remained the same for several years now, and so has the document. The details of the process given in the document are slightly technical-sounding and are based on intimidating-looking formulas and expressions and can flummox a casual reader and the average CAT aspirant.

But to help you make proper sense of all that the document says, we have simplified the content and made it intuitive and relatable. So read on to get a good understanding of what all the CAT does to equate and normalise your scores.

Understanding 'Location' and 'Scale' in CAT Normalisation

Many people misinterpret 'location' and 'scale' to mean different cities or the number of test-takers. That's not correct.

What 'Location' Means:

To understand this, imagine a chart showing the scores of all candidates in any section from any slot:

• All possible marks (0 to 100) are plotted on the horizontal axis
• The number of students who scored each mark is plotted on the vertical axis
• This creates a bell-shaped curve (also called a normal curve)

The average of all candidate scores is represented by a vertical line. This average, or mean, is what the document calls 'location'. It indicates the difficulty level of the section in that slot.

What 'Scale' Means:

The distribution of scores can be:

• Flat and wide (like a short, wide hill)
• Narrow and high (like a tall, steep mountain)

This 'spread' of the distribution is called 'scale'. It indicates how scoreable that section was. Mathematically, this is measured by standard deviation.

How Does CAT Normalisation Work? (Simple Explanation)

Think of it like running a race:

• Some runners get a flat track
• Others get a hilly track
• Comparing finishing times directly would be unfair
• The effort required isn't the same

Normalisation is the adjustment that makes performances from different tracks comparable.

The approach used by IIMs is called the Z-Score Method. Here's how it works:

Step 1: Compare to Average Each candidate's performance is first compared to the average score in their slot.

Step 2: Express in Standard Deviations The score is then expressed in terms of "steps" above or below that average. These steps are technically called standard deviations.

Step 3: Equal Steps = Equal Performance If two candidates from different slots are the same number of steps above their respective slot's average, they're considered to have performed equally well.

Step 4: Award Scaled Scores Both candidates are awarded the same scaled score, ensuring fairness and equity.

How Is CAT Percentile Calculated?

After obtaining scaled scores, the IIMs follow this process:

StepProcess1Rank all students across slots in each section (descending order)2Award sectional percentiles based on rank3Calculate total scaled score (sum of sectional scaled scores)4Award overall percentile based on total scaled score

What Is Percentile? Percentile is simply the percentage of candidates who scored below your score. For example, if your percentile is 95, it means you scored better than 95% of candidates.

CAT Normalisation Across Sections

Besides normalising across slots, there are also differences in the scoreability and difficulty level of each section. The CAT authorities address this using the Percentile Equivalence Approach.

How It Works: Instead of only asking how many steps above or below the average a candidate is, this approach looks directly at the candidate's position among peers.

Does CAT Normalisation Work Perfectly?

Despite IIMs' claim of normalising across sections, historical data shows some limitations:

• Raw scores and scaled scores in some sections may be generally higher than others.
• More scoreable sections tend to give certain candidates an edge.
• Those who perform strongly in more scoreable sections benefit slightly.
• This can skew the composition of toppers when considering overall scores.

It remains to be seen how effectively IIMs will handle this for CAT 2025.

CAT Score vs Percentile – Key Differences

Important Points to Remember

Here are the key takeaways about CAT scoring and normalisation:

• CAT uses normalisation to ensure fairness across different slots.
• The Z-Score method is used for normalisation.
• 'Location' refers to mean (difficulty level).
• 'Scale' refers to standard deviation (scoreability).
• Percentile equivalence approach is used for cross-section normalisation.
• Final percentiles are based on scaled scores, not raw scores.
• The process isn't always perfect but is scientifically designed.

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