CAT 2024: Score vs Percentile and Understand Calculation Process

The CAT 2024 conducted on November 24 presented a simpler question paper compared to the previous two years.

The exam, conducted for admission to prestigious postgraduate management programs, tested candidates in three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Quantitative Ability (QA) and Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR).

Learn more about how the Common Admission Test (CAT) percentile and normalization process works here.

CAT PERCENTILE SCORES AND NORMALIZATION

When you appear for the Common Admission Test (CAT), your performance will not only be judged based on your raw score.

The raw CAT score is calculated based on candidates’ performance in three sections: Verbal Skills and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Reasoning (DILR) and Quantitative Skills (QA). Each correct answer receives +3 points, while each incorrect answer incurs a -1 penalty; Unanswered questions do not receive a negative rating.

The total raw score is the sum of the scores from all sections.

Since the exam is conducted in multiple slots, there may be slight differences in the difficulty level of the exam papers. To ensure that each candidate is judged fairly, there is a process called normalization is applied and the results are converted to a percentile for comparison.

What is a percentile?

A percentile is a measure of where you rank compared to other test takers. For example, if your percentile is 90This means that you performed better than 90% of all candidates who took the exam. This allows you to evaluate your performance compared to others, not just based on your raw score, but compared to everyone who appeared for the test.

What is normalization in CAT?

Normalization is a statistical process designed to ensure fairness when exams are held in multiple time slots. That’s why it’s important:

• The CAT exam is conducted in different time slots and although efforts are made to keep the level of difficulty constant, it is almost impossible to make all the exam papers exactly the same in terms of difficulty.
• Normalization adjusts the raw values ​​to account for these differences.

How does normalization work in CAT?

1. Adjusting scores across slots: The normalization process adjusts your score based on the average performance of all candidates in your slot compared to those in other slots.

2. Section-wise scaling: After adjusting scores across slots, scores for each section are further scaled (e.g., quantitative ability, verbal ability).

3. Final conversion: These scaled scores are then converted into percentiles, giving a clear picture of your performance compared to others.

This ensures that candidates from different places are evaluated equally, making the admission process fair and unbiased.

How to Calculate Cat Percentile Scores

Here is how percentile scores are calculated in CAT 2024:

1. Total number of candidates (N): Determine the total number of candidates who appeared for the exam.

2. Assign rank (r): Organize candidates into a section based on their scaled scores, e.g. B. Quality assurance. If two or more candidates score the same number of points, they will be assigned the same rank.

3. Percentile formula: Calculate the percentile value (P) using the formula P: P=N(N−r) —100

4. Rounding off: For precision, round the percentile value to two decimal places.

5. Selection process according to CAT

The percentile value plays a crucial role in the selection process. Candidates who meet the CAT cutoffs for various IIMs and match their preferences will be shortlisted for the next stages of admission. These typically include:

Candidates seeking IIM admission must understand this process thoroughly and perform well in both the exam and subsequent selection rounds.

For more updates on CAT scores and percentile calculations, visit the official CAT website.