Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kozhikode will announce the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2025 results today at 6 PM . Candidates can access their scores and percentiles on the official website, iimcat.ac.in .
The CAT 2025 examination took place on November 30 . IIM Kozhikode conducted the test across 339 centres in 170 cities nationwide. A total of 2.95 lakh candidates registered for the exam. Out of these, 2.58 lakh candidates appeared, marking an attendance rate of approximately 86%. This attendance figure represents a decrease compared to the previous year.
Exam Structure and Marking Scheme
CAT 2025 consisted of three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA). The exam pattern remained unchanged from previous years, featuring a total of 68 questions.
The final answer key for CAT 2025 was issued on December 17 . Candidates had the opportunity to raise objections. Out of 187 objections submitted, only one was accepted following review. The official marking scheme awards three marks for each correct answer. One mark is deducted for every incorrect answer.
Understanding CAT Percentile Calculation
The CAT percentile indicates a candidate’s performance relative to all other test-takers. It reflects the percentage of candidates who scored less than or equal to a particular candidate. A strong percentile is critical for securing admission into prestigious Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs offered by IIMs and other top business schools across India.
The percentile calculation follows a structured three-step process:
- Step 1: Raw Score Evaluation
Initially, each candidate’s score is evaluated section-wise for VARC, DILR, and QA. These individual section scores are then totalled to determine the overall raw score for the exam. - Step 2: Score Normalisation
Subsequently, all raw scores, both section-wise and overall, undergo a normalisation process. This converts the variable raw scores from different slots into a standardised scaled CAT score. - Step 3: Percentile Conversion
Finally, these normalised and scaled scores are converted into percentiles. These percentiles are the definitive figures reported on the official CAT 2025 scorecard, used for admission shortlisting.
The CAT Normalisation Process
The CAT exam is administered in multiple time slots on the same day to accommodate the large number of candidates. The normalisation process is crucial for ensuring fairness and equity in evaluating candidates’ performance across these different sessions. This method systematically adjusts scores to account for variations in question difficulty levels and other statistical differences across exam shifts. It ensures that no candidate is unfairly advantaged or disadvantaged based on their specific exam slot, allowing for a consistent and unbiased assessment of aptitude and skill levels.
Several statistical parameters are rigorously considered during the normalisation process. These include:
- Highest score achieved by any candidate in a given session
- Lowest score achieved by any candidate in a given session
- Mean (average) score for a specific session
- Median score for a specific session
- Scores corresponding to the top 10 percentiles within each session
- Scores corresponding to the lowest 10 percentiles within each session
IIM Kozhikode conducted the CAT 2025 exam in three distinct slots on November 30 . Slot 1 ran from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM, Slot 2 from 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM, and Slot 3 from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM. This multi-slot format necessitates the rigorous normalisation procedure to ensure accurate, fair, and comparable results for all candidates seeking admission to premier management institutes.