Cracking the CAT: All You Need to Know About the CAT Result

Cracking the CAT: All You Need to Know About the CAT Result

If you’ve just taken the Common Admission Test (CAT), first off, a big congratulations! Preparing for CAT is no small feat, and just getting through it is an achievement in itself. For every MBA hopeful, the result is a major milestone. It’s when all those late-night study sessions, endless mock tests, and last-minute revisions finally come together — and you get to see where you stand. But once the CAT results are out, what should you look at? How do you make sense of those numbers, and what’s the next move from here? Let’s walk through it.

What is the CAT result?

The CAT result isn’t just about one number — it’s a mix of several key scores that give B-schools a complete picture of your performance. You’ll see your sectional and overall percentiles, raw scores, and something called a scaled score (thanks to CAT’s normalization process). All of this helps determine whether you move on to the next stage — like the Written Ability Test (WAT), Group Discussion (GD), and Personal Interview (PI) at top management institutes.

Here’s a simple breakdown of what your CAT result includes:

How is the CAT Result Calculated?

CAT is conducted in multiple sessions, and to ensure fairness, a normalization process is applied. This adjusts for differences in difficulty level across slots. So, your raw score is converted into a scaled score, which then determines your percentile.

For example, a scaled score of around 99.5 percentile usually means you’re among the top 1,000 candidates out of 2.5-3 lakh test-takers. Each section has its own percentile, and failing to meet a minimum cutoff in even one section can cost you a shortlist from top IIMs.

When and Where to Check Your CAT Result

The CAT result is usually declared in late December or early January. About a month after the exam. Here’s how to check the result:

1. Go to the official CAT website – https://iimcat.ac.in
2. Log in using your User ID and Password
3. Download the scorecard from the dashboard

It’s also advisable to keep a printout of your scorecard handy for future admission processes.

What Happens After the Result?

Once the results are out, B-schools begin their shortlisting process. Most IIMs and top MBA colleges consider:

• Your overall and sectional percentiles
• Academic profile
• Work experience (if any)
• Diversity factors (like gender, academic background, etc)

Shortlisted candidates move on to the next rounds – WAT, GD, and PI – which hold significant weight in the final selection.

Frequently Asked Questions

But once the results are out, what should you look at? How do you make sense of those numbers, and what’s the next move from here? Let’s walk through it.