What is Scaled Score in CAT Exam 2026? Check Difference Between Raw Score vs Scaled Score

Q: Difference between raw score and scaled score?

The raw score is the total marks a candidate scores out of 198, while the scaled score is calculated by normalising the raw score to ensure fairness across all CAT shifts.

Q: What is the advantage of using scaled score?

A scaled score provides a standard range for candidates and allows direct and fair comparisons of results from one exam form to another.

Q: Is scaled score always greater than raw score?

Your scaled score will almost always be higher than your raw score.

Q: How is the scaled score calculated in CAT?

The overall scaled score is obtained by adding the scaled scores of these three sections.

Q: Difference between scaled score and raw score in CAT?

The raw score in CAT is the actual marks obtained by a candidate, while the scaled score is the adjusted score after normalization, reflecting the relative performance across sessions.

Q: Are raw and scaled scores different in CAT?

Yes, raw and scaled scores in CAT are different; the raw score is the candidate's actual marks, and the scaled score is derived after normalization to ensure fairness.

Author : Lalita Vishwakarma

November 26, 2025

Overview: What is scaled score in CAT exam? The scaled score in CAT is one of the key factors for evaluating your performance and percentile rank. Continue reading to know how to calculate scaled scores and the difference between scaled scores and raw scores in CAT!

The scaled score in CAT is the score obtained after the process of normalisation.
The CAT 2026 exam will be conducted online on 29 November 2026 by IIM Kozhikode.
The CAT score and percentile are the major necessities for CAT admission to the top IIMs in India.

Read on to get the complete details about “What does the scaled score in CAT exam mean?

Also Read | How to Get Good Score in CAT Exam?

What is Scaled Score in CAT 2026?

Before understanding “what is scaled score in CAT exam”, you should first know the CAT exam timings and the CAT exam duration.

The CAT exam is conducted for 120 minutes in three slots on the same day, each with varying difficulty levels. To ensure fairness, the scores are adjusted and called CAT-scaled scores.

How is Scaled Score Calculated In the CAT Exam 2026?

Here is how you can calculate your scaled score in the CAT exam 2026 step-wise:

Step 1: Calculate the Mean and Standard Deviation

First, find the mean (A) and standard deviation (B) for the raw scores of all candidates for each of the three slots. The values are represented as follows:

CAT Exam Slots	Factors	Value	Sign
CAT Exam Slot 1	Mean	A 1	A1
	Standard Deviation	B 1	B1
	Combined Value	C1 = A1 + B1	C1
CAT Exam Slot 2	Mean	A 2	A2
	Standard Deviation	B 2	B2
	Combined Value	C2 = A2 + B2	C2
Mean	A 3	A3
CAT Exam Slot 3	Standard Deviation	B 3	B3
Combined Value	C3= A3 + B3	C 3

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Step 2: Combine Scores from All Sessions

Next, combine the raw scores from all sessions (morning, afternoon, and evening) to find the overall Mean and Standard Deviation:

Mean = A
Standard Deviation = B
Combined Value = C = A+ B

Also Read | How to Get Good Score in CAT Exam

Step 3: Calculate Average Raw Score for the Top 0.1% of Candidates

Now, calculate the average raw score of the top 0.1% of candidates in each slot using this formula:

CAT Exam Slots	Value	Sign
Slot 1	Mean of the top 0.1%	A10.1
Slot 2	Mean of the top 0.1%	A20.1
Slot 3	Mean of the top 0.1%	A30.1

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Step 4: Find the Combined Mean of Top Candidates

Then, find the combined mean of the top 0.1% of candidates across all slots:

Combined Mean = A0.1

Step 5: Calculate Final Scaled Score

Finally, using the candidate’s CAT’s raw score (CR), calculate their CAT’s scaled score (CS) with these formulas:

CAT Slots	Scaled Score Formula
Slot 1	CS = (C + CR - C1) × (A0.1 - C) / (A10.1 - C1)
Slot 2	CS = (C + CR - C2) × (A0.1 - C) / (A20.1 - C2)
Slot 3	CS = (C + CR - C3) × (A0.1 - C) / (A30.1 - C3)

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Difference Between Scaled Score And Raw Score In CAT Exam 2026

After knowing “what is scaled score in CAT exam is,” let's compare the raw score in the CAT to the scaled score in the CAT.

Raw Score in CAT exam	Scaled Score In the CAT exam
This is the initial score obtained by adding up the marks for each correct answer in the CAT exam.	What is a scaled score in CAT, It means a standardised score that considers the difficulty level of the specific exam.
Your raw score reflects only your performance in that particular test and does not consider the difficulty level compared to other CAT exams.	It allows for a more accurate comparison of performance across different test sessions.
Your raw score is not provided on your CAT scorecard. The official results only display your scaled scores.	This is the official score reported by the CAT authorities and is used for MBA admissions.
Due to slight variations in the difficulty level of the CAT between test sessions, a raw score of 70 in one year may represent a different level of performance compared to a 70 in another year.	This addresses the issue of varying difficulty by applying a statistical process to adjust raw scores based on the overall performance of all test-takers in that particular session.
You cannot directly calculate your percentile rank based on your raw score.	Your scaled score is the primary factor determining your percentile rank, indicating how you performed compared to other test-takers.

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Conclusion

Understanding what is scaled score in CAT exam and how it differs from the raw score, and the difference between raw score vs scaled score CAT helps you evaluate your performance.

Knowing how the scaled score is calculated lets you check your overall score.

Since the CAT is the toughest MBA entrance exam, understanding the marking scheme and the relationship between score and percentile can help you prepare.

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