Achieving 90 Percentile in CAT: Colleges, Cut Offs, Scores & How to Use Mockat’s Predictor

Scoring 95 percentile in CAT puts you in roughly the top 5% of CAT test takers, which is a huge advantage when you’re shortlisting MBA colleges in India. With the right information, you can turn that CAT percentile into calls from strong B schools, new IIMs, IITs and other top colleges.

This guide is a dedicated sub‑page for the CAT 2025 percentile predictor pillar on Mockat.com. We’ll show you:

• What 95 percentile really means in terms of CAT marks, raw score and scaled score

• Which IIMs and top non IIM colleges you can target

• How cut offs, exam pattern, difficulty level and profile affect your chances

• How to use Mockat’s predictor to pick your target college list and secure admission

What does 95 percentile in CAT really mean?

In simple words, 95 percentile in CAT means you have scored better than 95% of all total test takers in that year. If about 2.9–3.0 lakh candidates actually appear for the CAT exam, a 95 percentile rank would place you roughly in the top 14,000–15,000 candidates.

That’s why most colleges set their CAT cutoff for the General category in the 90–95+ band – it’s a convenient way to filter the top slice of the applicant pool. 

Some quick points:

• A good CAT score is relative to the colleges you are targeting. For old IIMs like IIM Ahmedabad, you usually need a much higher CAT score (98–100 percentile range)

• For newer IIMs and strong non‑IIM MBA programs, 95 percentile is often enough to get shortlists, provided your academics, work‑ex and profile are decent.

• For some top MBA colleges outside the IIM system, such as FMS** Delhi** or IIT Madras, calls may still cluster around the high‑90s.

Raw CAT score, scaled score & CAT percentile – quick refresher

The Common Admission Test uses two kinds of scores:

• Raw CAT score / raw score – marks you actually get based on the correct answer, wrong answers and unanswered questions

• Scaled score – raw marks are adjusted (normalised) across different slots because the difficulty level may vary a bit; percentiles are calculated on these scaled scores 

Marking scheme in the current CAT exam pattern:

• +3 for each correct answer

• –1 for each wrong MCQ (this is the negative marking)

• 0 for unanswered questions and non‑MCQ (TITA) questions

So when colleges publish cutoff scores or talk about percentile marks, they’re effectively referring to the scaled score mapped to a CAT percentile band.

How many marks for 95 percentile in CAT? (Recent trends)

Naturally, you want to know how many marks to target.

Recent score–percentile analyses from prep platforms show that for the last few years:

• Around 54 marks in CAT 2023 corresponded to 95 percentile when the paper was relatively tough

• In more moderate papers, 65–70 CAT marks (out of ~198–204) are often enough for 95 percentile

Because the difficulty level and exam pattern (198 vs 204 total marks, number of questions etc.) can change slightly year to year, treat the numbers below as indicative:

Table 1: Approx CAT score vs percentile (recent trends)

Remember: percentiles are always computed on the scaled score, not directly on the raw CAT score. LPT

90 percentile in CAT vs 95 percentile – what changes?

A lot of students ask, “Is 90 percentile in CAT enough?” The short answer: it opens doors to many decent MBA colleges, but 95 percentile pushes you into a very different league.

At 90 percentile in CAT:

• You can target solid non IIM colleges and some newer IIMs when profiles and categories are favourable

• You will get calls from a wide set of B schools, but competition for scholarships and top roles is tougher

At 95 percentile:

• You come into range for several Indian Institute of Management campuses – especially IIM Nagpur, IIM Udaipur, IIM Ranchi, IIM Kashipur and IIM Sambalpur (qualifying or safe cut offs around 94–95 percentile for General category)

• You also strengthen your case for IIT Institute of Management departments such as DoMS IIT Delhi, IIT Roorkee and IIT Kharagpur MBAs, which often look at 90–95+ percentile for shortlist ranges

Several of these institutions offer specialized management studies programs, providing a comprehensive approach to management education.

Table 2: 90 vs 95 percentile – typical college buckets

So if you’re already at or projecting a good CAT score around the mid‑60s in cat scores, it absolutely makes sense to push for 95 percentile rather than settling at 90.

Categories of MBA colleges at 95 percentile

At 95 percentile, you are in contention for multiple bands of MBA colleges:

1. Old IIMs & elite IIMs

   • IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow etc.

   • Typically look at 98–100 percentile for General category shortlists, though the qualifying minimum percentile may be lower (e.g. 80–90).

2. New / baby IIMs (CAP IIMs)

   • IIM Udaipur, IIM Ranchi, IIM Kashipur, IIM Sirmaur, IIM Sambalpur, IIM Jammu, IIM Nagpur, IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Visakhapatnam, etc.

   • Their cap cutoff (for the Common Admission Process) is usually in the 92–95 percentile band for General category students.

3. IITs offering MBAs through their Department/School of Management

   • IIT Delhi, IIT Roorkee, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras

   • Qualifying cut offs around 90 percentile; practical calls often at 93–96 percentile, depending on the year. Other strong non‑IIM B‑schools

   • FMS Delhi, IMI Delhi, Goa Institute of Management, Great Lakes Institute of Management and others

   • Call profiles often start from the late‑80s to 95 percentile, depending on program and category. 

These are colleges accepting CAT where a well‑balanced composite score (CAT + academics + work‑ex + diversity) will determine whether a 95 percentile actually converts into a call.

Good MBA College Characteristics

When evaluating MBA colleges, it’s important to look beyond just rankings and cutoffs. A good MBA college is defined by several key characteristics that contribute to a transformative learning experience and strong career outcomes.

First, top MBA colleges like IIM Ahmedabad are known for their world-class faculty, many of whom bring a blend of academic excellence and real-world industry experience. This ensures that students gain both theoretical knowledge and practical insights relevant to today’s business environment.

A well-structured curriculum is another hallmark of a good MBA college. The best programs regularly update their courses to reflect the latest trends, technologies, and business practices, preparing students for the evolving demands of the corporate world.

The strength of a college’s alumni network is also crucial. Top MBA colleges foster robust alumni communities that offer mentorship, networking opportunities, and career guidance, helping students and graduates access a wide range of professional opportunities.

Accreditation and reputation matter as well. Good MBA colleges are often recognized by bodies such as the AACSB or AICTE, which signals adherence to high academic standards and global best practices.

Placement records are a practical indicator of a college’s quality. Leading MBA colleges consistently achieve high placement rates, with students securing roles in top companies across diverse sectors.

Finally, diversity in the student body—across academic backgrounds, industries, and regions—enriches classroom discussions and broadens perspectives, making the learning experience more dynamic and inclusive.

In summary, a good MBA college combines experienced faculty, a forward-thinking curriculum, a supportive alumni network, strong accreditation, excellent placements, and a diverse student community. These factors set apart institutions like IIM Ahmedabad and other top MBA colleges in India.

MBA Programs and Specializations

MBA programs in India are designed to cater to a wide range of career aspirations and industry needs. Many colleges, including leading Institute of Management campuses, offer a variety of specializations to help students tailor their education to their professional goals.

Some of the most sought-after MBA specializations include finance, marketing, human resources, operations, and international business. These core areas remain popular due to their relevance across industries and the broad career opportunities they offer.

In addition to traditional tracks, many colleges now provide specialized programs in emerging fields. For example, IIM Nagpur offers a focused program in business analytics, equipping students with the skills needed for data-driven decision-making in modern organizations. The Goa Institute of Management is well-known for its program in rural management, preparing graduates to address the unique challenges and opportunities in rural and social sectors.

There are also options for those seeking flexibility, such as executive MBA programs. These are designed for working professionals who want to advance their careers without taking a break from employment, allowing them to apply new knowledge directly to their current roles.

The choice of specialization should align with your career interests and the demands of the job market. Whether you’re aiming for a role in finance, looking to make an impact in rural development, or interested in the fast-growing field of analytics, many colleges and MBA programs in India offer pathways to help you achieve your ambitions.

By carefully considering the specializations and unique offerings of each Indian Institute or business school, you can select the MBA program that best matches your professional goals and sets you up for long-term success.

IIMs around the 95 percentile range (overview)

New & baby IIMs at 95 percentile

For General category candidates, recent policies and RTI data show that many newer Indian Institute of Management campuses shortlist around the mid‑90s:

• Shortlisting minimum percentile required (qualifying) often lies around 92–95

• Final cut offs (actual offers) can be higher, especially for oversubscribed programs

• Gender diversity and academic diversity now carry meaningful weight in the admission process

IIM Nagpur, IIM Udaipur & IIM Ranchi

These three are classic examples of top colleges in the “new IIM” category where a 95 percentile can be very powerful:

• IIM Nagpur

  • Recent admission batches have used around 95 percentile CAT cut-off for the main MBA program.

  • MBA fee structure is ~₹21–21.5 lakh for the 2‑year program. Indian Institute of Management Nagpur

  • Strong focus on gender diversity and academic diversity – recent batches have >40% women and representation from arts, commerce, science and medical backgrounds.
    
    IIM Udaipur

  • Qualifying cat cutoff for General category around 94–95 percentile; many converts are in the 96–98 bracket.

  • Fees for the flagship 2‑year MBA are roughly ₹21–22 lakh.

• IIM Ranchi

  • Qualifying minimum percentile is around 95; RTI data shows final cutoffs for General category in some years near 98.7 percentile.

IIM Sirmaur, IIM Sambalpur, IIM Jammu, IIM Kashipur & IIM Visakhapatnam

• IIM Sirmaur

  • Overall qualifying cat cutoff for General category has typically been around 92–95 percentile.

• IIM Sambalpur

  • Official policies show an overall qualifying percentile of around 90 for General category, with effective cut offs expected around 92–94. Indian Institute Of Management Sambalpur

• IIM Jammu

  • Often participates in CAP with qualifying percentiles around the early‑90s (about 92).

• IIM Kashipur

  • Shortlisting criteria use sectional cut offs of ~75 percentile and overall around 92–95; recent policies list 95 for General category as a common benchmark. 

• IIM Visakhapatnam

  • Frequently cited among IIMs where cat scores around 90+ can earn a call for strong candidates.

Table 3: Indicative IIM ranges around 95 percentile (General category)

Note: Values above are indicative and change yearly. Always check official admission policies on each Institute of Management website before relying on them.

Top non IIM colleges at 95 percentile

A 95 percentile candidate also has excellent options among top non IIM colleges that use CAT exam scores.

Many of these top non-IIM colleges offer rigorous management studies programs, designed to provide a comprehensive foundation in management principles and practices.

IITs: IIT Delhi, IIT Roorkee, IIT Kharagpur & IIT Madras

• IIT Delhi (DMS / DoMS IIT Delhi) – MBAs typically shortlist around 90–96 percentile for General category depending on year and profile.

• IIT Roorkee – expected CAT cutoff around 95+ percentile for the flagship MBA.

• IIT Kharagpur (VGSoM) – minimum overall CAT percentile for General category is about 90, but effective call range trends higher for popular tracks.

• IIT Madras – multiple sources point to expected cut offs near 95–96 percentile for General candidates.

These IIT MBAs are often treated as top MBA colleges because of their strong brand, tech‑driven curriculum and campus placements, so a higher CAT score closer to 96 can really improve your composite score in their admission process.

Other leading B‑schools: FMS Delhi, IMI Delhi, Goa Institute, Great Lakes

• FMS Delhi

  • Often expects 99+ CAT percentile for General category calls; still worth knowing if you’re close to 98–99 with strong profile.

• IMI Delhi

  • IMI Delhi cut offs for PGDM are usually around 88–90 percentile; excellent option if you’re slightly below 95 as well.

• Goa Institute of Management

  • CAT cutoff band historically 85–90 percentile, profile‑based.

• Great Lakes Institute of Management (Chennai)

  • For two‑year PGDM, expected cut off 85–90; for one‑year PGPM, minimum around 80 percentile.

Table 4: Non‑IIM colleges for 90–95 percentile candidates

CAT exam pattern, difficulty level & cut offs

To understand why CAT cut offs move slightly each year, you must connect them with the CAT exam pattern and difficulty level.

Current pattern (as per recent official bulletins and analyses):

• Duration: 120 minutes, 3 sections × 40 minutes

• Sections:

  • VARC – Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

  • DILR – Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

  • QA – Quantitative Ability (or Quantitative Aptitude)

• Total questions: ~66–68

• Total marks: around 198–204

• Marking: +3 for correct, –1 negative marking for MCQs, no penalty for TITA

If one slot’s data interpretation and logical set is trickier, or if reading comprehension passages are denser, overall cat scores go down and the same percentile is achieved at a lower raw score. That’s exactly why 95 percentile sometimes needed only ~54 marks in 2023, but 65–70 in other years.

Section‑wise focus at 95 percentile: VARC, DILR & QA

Most IIMs and IITs don’t just look at overall CAT scores; they also impose sectional cut offs in:

• Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)

• Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)

• Quantitative Ability (QA)

Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension

VARC tends to be the make‑or‑break section for many MBA aspirants:

• IIMs like IIM Kashipur and IIM Nagpur often require sectional percentiles of 70–75+ in VARC for General category.

• Even if your overall percentile in CAT is 95, weak VARC raw score can kill your shortlist chances.

Focus on:

• Strengthening reading comprehension of dense editorials and reports

• Building vocabulary indirectly via consistent reading, not word lists alone

• Practising para‑jumbles and summary questions under strict time

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

The logical reasoning + DI section is often the most volatile:

• Slot‑wise difficulty level swings can be dramatic

• IIMs like IIM Sambalpur, IIM Kashipur and IIM Sirmaur typically put sectional bars around 65–75 percentile in DILR.

Key tips:

• Treat data interpretation and logical puzzles as pattern‑recognition exercises, not just calculation drills

• Maintain very high accuracy to minimise negative marking in LR sets

• Early in the section, quickly scan all sets and choose 2–3 “friendly” ones to secure your good CAT score first

Quantitative Aptitude / Quantitative Ability

In QA, a higher CAT score is usually about selecting the right questions:

• Newer IIMs often set QA cutoffs around 65–75 percentile; IITs like IIT Delhi and IIT Roorkee also care about balanced QA performance.

Focus areas in quantitative aptitude:

• Arithmetic (T&D, mixtures, ratio, percentages) – essential to hit 95 percentile

• Algebra & functions

• Geometry and modern maths (permutations, probability) for those aiming beyond 95 percentile

Using Mockat’s CAT 2025 percentile predictor to shortlist colleges

Once you roughly know your expected cat marks or raw score, the next step is to map it to your CAT percentile and build a realistic college list.

That’s exactly where the CAT 2025 percentile predictor on Mockat.com helps:

1. Enter your expected sectionwise cat scores based on mocks.

2. Mockat’s percentile analysis engine estimates your overall cat percentile using historical score vs percentile patterns.

3. You can then tag each target college into bands – 90+, 95+, 98+ – and see which ones fit your projected range.

4. Use it iteratively: as your mock raw cat score improves, re‑run the predictor and update your shortlist of colleges accepting your new range.

This is much more precise than guessing from past cutoff scores alone, because you can see how small changes in scaled score move your expected percentile.

How to choose the right college at 95 percentile

At 95 percentile, you’ll likely have multiple options. Choosing the right college is about much more than brand name:

• Program type & specialisation

• Interested in rural management? You might look at institutes like IRMA alongside IIMs.

• For analytics or tech‑heavy roles, IIMs with strong BA/analytics tracks or IIT MBAs may be better.

• Location & network

• Metro‑based campuses (Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai) can help with live projects, but non‑metro campuses like IIM Kashipur or IIT Kharagpur also have powerful alumni networks.

• Fees & RoI

• New IIMs usually charge ₹17–22 lakh total fees; old IIMs often lie at the higher end of this band.

• FMS and some university MBA colleges offer incredible RoI due to low public‑university fees.

• Most colleges in this percentile range offer a balance of reasonable fees and strong placement outcomes, making them attractive for candidates seeking good ROI.

• Diversity & campus culture

• Many new IIMs explicitly reward academic diversity and gender diversity in the composite score, which makes them great choices for non‑engineers and women candidates.

Ultimately, even among top colleges, “best” depends on your domain interests, budget, and long‑term goals.

CAT cut offs, composite scores & final selection

Most IIMs and many IITs follow a three‑step structure:

1. Qualifying CAT cutoff

   • A minimum percentile required in overall and sectional scores to be considered (e.g. 94–95 for IIM Udaipur, 90 for IIT Kharagpur MBA).

2. Shortlisting based on composite score

   • They calculate a composite score combining CAT, class X/XII/graduation marks, work experience, and diversity factors.

3. PI + WAT + final cutoffs

   • After interviews and writing tasks, they set final cutoffs using the updated composite score list to issue offers.

This is why two candidates with the same percentile in CAT can see completely different outcomes across all the institutes in their list.

Quick reality check: IIM Ahmedabad & other top‑tier cut offs

Even with 95 percentile, it’s important to be realistic about the very top IIMs:

• IIM Ahmedabad and peers usually shortlist General category candidates only around 98–100 percentile, and recent policies have further tightened CAT shortlisting norms.

• Their published CAT cutoff for eligibility (e.g. 80 percentile) is just a minimum; actual interview calls are driven by much higher percentile marks plus stellar profiles.

So while a 95 percentile is excellent, think of old IIMs as stretch options and focus more on new IIMs, IITs and strong B schools where your chances are significantly higher.

Using stats on total test takers to set realistic goals

CAT 2023 and 2024 saw record participation, with around 3.28–3.29 lakh registrations and nearly 2.88–2.93 lakh test takers.

That means:

• The competition for each percentile point is intense.

• Tiny differences in cat scores (even 3–4 marks) can push you from 93 to 95 percentile or from 95 to 97.

• Sectional consistency across VARC, DILR and QA is critical to avoid missing cap cutoff thresholds.

Final tips to secure admission with a 95 percentile in CAT

1. Aim a little higher than 95

   • Plan your preparation for at least the 97–98 percentile zone; if you land at 95 percentile, you’ll still have excellent options, and if you overshoot, you unlock even more top colleges.

2. Balance all three sections

   • Don’t let poor VARC or DILR raw score drag you below sectional cutoffs, especially for IIMs like IIM Nagpur, IIM Udaipur, IIM Ranchi, IIM Sirmaur, IIM Sambalpur, IIM Jammu and IIM Kashipur where sectional bars are enforced. 
     Use tools like Mockat smartly

   • Regularly feed your mock cat marks into the CAT 2025 percentile predictor on Mockat to track where your projected CAT percentile stands and which MBA colleges you can realistically convert.

   • Keep updating your shortlist of top non IIM colleges, new IIMs, IIT MBAs and other MBA programs as your performance improves.

3. Deep‑dive into every college’s admission process

   • For each IIM/IIT/other B school, read PDF policies to understand their exam pattern expectations, cut offs, diversity weights and WAT/PI ratios.

   • For institutes like IIT Kharagpur, check how their composite score is computed; for others such as IMI Delhi and GIM, verify if there are sectional cutoffs or only overall cat cutoff.

4. Check latest fees before locking choices

   • Fees for IIMs and leading institutes are revised frequently; always verify the most recent brochure for fee structure.

If you methodically use your predicted CAT scores, understand the mapping to 95 percentile, and align them with realistic cutoff scores and profiles of IIMs, IITs and other top colleges, you’ll be in a strong position to secure admission to a genuinely good MBA college.