40 marks in CAT percentile roughly translates to a 75-85. A 40 score in the CAT means you are in the top 40% of overall test takers. 40 marks in CAT get candidates into well-known B-schools. IIM Bodhgaya, IIM Shillong, IIM Sirmaur, and IIM Jammu accept reserved candidates with 40 marks.
Scoring 40 in each section can get a 97-98 percentile. Overall, 40 marks in CAT percentile will allow candidates to get admission to over 1300 MBA colleges in India. Sectional difficulty will also determine the overall 40 score.
- In 2024, the same Ross score resulted in a skilled score of ~44.5 to 46.5, and the percentile lowered to 71.5 to 72.8.
- In 2023, a raw score of forty translated to a scaled score of ~47 to 48.5 and yielded a percentile of 83.5 to 85.2
- Depending upon the difficulty level, competition, and section-wise difficulty, a score of 40 can fetch a percentile anywhere between 72-85.
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| Key Points | |
|---|---|
| Raw score | 40 |
| Scaled score range | 45-48 |
| CAT 2024 Percentile | ~71.5-80 |
| CAT 2025 Percentile (Estimated) | ~70th-83rd |
| Number of candidates in this range | ~14000-15000 |
| Rank Range | ~81000-85000 |
| Colleges accepting this score | 1300+ |
| IIM chance for General |
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| IIM chance for Reserved Categories |
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| Other Options |
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40 Marks in CAT Percentile for 2024
| Raw score Range | Approx.Scaled score | 2024 Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| 39-40 | 44.5-46-.5 | 71.5-72.8 |
| 41-42 | 46.5-47.5 | 72.9-73.8 |
| 43-44 | 47.6-48.8 | 74-75.3 |
| 45-46 | 48.9-50.1 | 75.4-76.9 |
| 47-48 | 50.2-51.4 | 77-78.3 |
| 48-49 | 51.5-52.8 | 78.4-80 |
40 Marks in CAT 2023
| Raw score Range | Approx.Scaled score | 2024 Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| 39-40 | 46-47.5 | 83.5-84.5 |
| 41-42 | 47.6-48.8 | 84.6-85.4 |
| 43-44 | 48.9-50 | 85.5-86.8 |
| 45-46 | 50.1-51.2 | 86.9-88 |
| 47-48 | 51.3-52.5 | 88.1-89.1 |
| 48-49 | 52.6-53.8 | 89.2-90.2 |
What does an overall 40 Marks mean in CAT
Scoring 30 marks in the CAT exam can have different implications depending on the exam's difficulty and the number of test takers. In CAT 2023, where over 2.88 students appeared, a 30 score translated to the 76th percentile. In 2024, it was in the 70th-75th range against 2.93 candidates
- A raw score of 40 usually scales to 45-48 and translates to a 77-83 percentile.
- Over 1300 MBA colleges accept candidates in this range, including Baby IIMs.
- Candidates with good academic backgrounds and interview skills can get admitted to top B schools.
- Reserved category students especially benefit from a 40+ score with a strong PI to get into mid-tier and Baby IIMs
- Answering 13-14 questions per section with high accuracy can achieve this mark.
40 marks in CAT vs Percentile
- Candidates scoring 40 marks Fall Around Rank 8285 000 Out of an estimated 3,00,000 test takers.
- This will put them in the top 27-35%
- 13 to 14 correct answers will typically fetch 40 marks.
- Scoring 40 in any one section can give a sectional percentile of around 90 to 98.
| Raw score Range | Approx.Scaled score | 2024 Percentile | Estimated 2025 Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 39-40 | 44.5-46-.5 | ~72.4 | 74.5 |
| 41-42 | 46.5-48.5 | ~74.2 | 96.1 |
| 43-44 | 48.5-50.5 | ~76.3 | 78.3 |
| 45-46 | 50.5-52.5 | ~78.6 | 80.1 |
| 47-48 | 52.5-54.2 | ~80.4 | 82.2 |
| 48-49 | 54.2-55.5 | !81.9 | 83.5 |
40 Marks in VARC Section CAT
- 40 raw marks in VARC scales 45 to 51.
- In 2024, the scaled score of 40 was 50 to 51.5
- In 2023, the same 40 scaled to 52-53.2
- Candidates from a humanities background and who have strong reading habits will generally score high in the VARC section
| VARC score | Approx.Scaled score | 2024 Percentile | Estimated 2025 Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 39-40 | 44-45.5 | 91.8 | 92.5 |
| 41-42 | 45.5-47 | 93.3 | 94.1 |
| 43-44 | 47-48.5 | 94.5 | 95.3 |
| 45-46 | 48.5-50 | 95.8 | 96.3 |
| 47-48 | 50-51.2 | 96.9 | 97.4 |
| 48-49 | 51.2-52.5 | 97.8 | 98.2 |
40 Marks in DILR Section CAT
- 40 Maxine Dilr scale 2:51 to 52.5 in catch 2024 and 52 to 54 in catch 2023.
- The sectional percentile ranges from 98.2 to 99.3 in both years.
- This section usually gives an advantage to engineering, quantitative background, and strong puzzle-solving candidates
| DLR Raw score | Approx. DILR Scaled score | 2024 Percentile | Estimated 2025 Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 39-40 | 43.5-45 | 94.2 | 95 |
| 41-42 | 45-47 | 95.5 | 96.2 |
| 43-44 | 47-49 | 96.7 | 97.5 |
| 45-46 | 49-50.5 | 97.6 | 98.1 |
| 47-48 | 50.5-52 | 98.4 | 98.9 |
| 48-49 | 52-53.5 | 99 | 99.3 |
40 Marks in QA Section CAT
- 40 raw marks in QA scaled to 49.5 to 51.5 in Catch 2024 and gave 96.2 to 97.1 percentile
- The same 40 raw marks scaled to 51.5 to 53 in 2023, giving 97.5 to 98.2 percentile
- Candidates with excellent arithmetic skills, good knowledge of algebra, and most importantly, candidates with time management skills, can score above 40 in this section
| QA Raw score | Approx. QA Scaled score | 2024 Percentile | Estimated 2025 Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 39-40 | 42.5-44 | 91.5 | 92.7 |
| 41-42 | 44-46 | 93.1 | 94.3 |
| 43-44 | 46-48 | 94.7 | 95.8 |
| 45-46 | 48-50 | 96.1 | 97 |
| 47-48 | 50-51.5 | 97.2 | 98 |
| 48-49 | 51.5-53 | 98.1 | 98.7 |
CAT Score vs Percentile
| Percentile | Raw score | Scaled score | Rank (Estimated) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 105-110 | 140-145 | Top 10-50 |
| 99-.9 | 95-104 | 125-139 | Top 300-600 |
| 99.5 | 85-94 | 115-125 | 1200-1600 |
| 99 | 72-84 | 98-14 | 3000-5000 |
| 95 | 50-54 | 75-85 | 12000-15000 |
| 90 | 40-43 | 60-70 | 25000-30000 |
| 85 | 35-38 | 53-58 | 45000-50000 |
| 80 | 32-35 | 48-52 | 60000-65000 |
| 70 | 18-31 | 42-46 | 80000-90000 |
| 60 | 24-27 | 37-41 | 110000-120000 |
| 50 | 20-23 | 32-36 | 140000-150000 |
| 40 | 15-18 | 26-31 | 175000-190000 |
| 30 | 12-14 | 20-25 | 210000-225000 |
| 20 | 8-11 | 14-19 | 240000-260000 |
| 10 | 5-7 | 9-13 | 275000-290000 |
| <5 | 0-4 | 0-8 | 290000-300000 |
Note: These are estimated figures, considering past trends, and estimating 300000 candidates and a high level of difficulty
CAT Section-wise Scaled Score vs Percentile
- Each CAT section, VARC, DILR, and QA, is scaled independently before contributing to the overall percentile.
- Candidates scoring between 40-49 marks out of 198 typically fall within the 70–85 percentile range.
- These scores are often achieved by answering around 10–13 questions correctly across sections, with a few incorrect answers.
- This range keeps candidates eligible for newer IIMs, non-IIM B-schools (like TAPMI, GIM, BIMTECH), and good fallback options if supplemented with a strong academic profile or work experience.
| Percentile | VARC | DILR | QA | Overall score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99.5 | 41-43 | 29-31 | 29-31 | 85-88 |
| 99 | 35-37 | 24-26 | 23-27 | 72-76 |
| 95 | 29-30 | 19-21 | 20-23 | 50-54 |
| 90 | 23-25 | 13-15 | 12-14 | 40-43 |
| 85 | 20-22 | 11-13 | 10-12 | 35-38 |
| 80 | 18-20 | 9-11 | 8-10 | 32-35 |
| 70 | 16-18 | 8-10 | 6-8 | 28-31 |
| 60 | 13-15 | 6-8 | 4-6 | 24-27 |
| 50 | 10-12 | 4-6 | 3-5 | 20-23 |
| 40 | 8-10 | 3-5 | 2-4 | 15-18 |
| 30 | 6-8 | 2-3 | 1-3 | 12-14 |
| 20 | 4-6 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 8-11 |
| 10 | 2-4 | .5-1.5 | .5-1.5 | 5-7 |
Note: These are estimated figures, considering past trends, and estimating 300000 candidates and a high level of difficulty
Category-wise minimum shortlisting percentile at IIMs
| IIMs and Categories | SC | ST | PwD | NCOBC | EWS | General |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IIM Ahmedabad | 70 | 60 | 70 | 60 | 75 | 80 |
| IIM Bangalore | 70 | 60 | 70-60 | 75 | 80 | 80 |
| IIM Calcutta | 70 | 65 | 55 | 75 | 75 | 85 |
| IIM Lucknow | 65 | 60 | 60 | 82 | 82 | 90 |
| IIM Kozhikode | 65 | 55 | 55 | 75 | 75 | 85 |
| IIM Indore | 60 | 45 | 45 | 80 | 90 | 90 |
| IIM Shillong | 60 | 50 | 50 | 60-70 | 75 | 75 |
| IIM Rohtak | 50-60 | 40-50 | 40-50 | 73-83 | 83-93 | 87-97 |
| IIM Ranchi | 54 | 40.1 | 40.7 | 74 | 74 | 93 |
| IIM Raipur | 57.01 -65.05 | 56.69 -72.68 | 48.68 | 47.19 -86.84 | 54.96 -90.02 | 96 |
| IIM Trichy | 66 | 42 | 42 | 81 | 81 | 95 |
| IIM Udaipur | 66 | 42 | 42 | 81 | 81 | 95 |
| IIM Kashipur | 60 | 40 | 40 | 77 | 77 | 94 |
| IIM Nagpur | 60 | 40 | 40 | 77 | 77 | 94 |
| IIM Vishakapattanam | 50 | 40 | 40 | 72 | 72 | 82 |
| IIM Amritsar | 55 | 40 | 40 | 80 | 90 | 90 |
| IIM Bodhgaya | 66 | 42 | 42 | 81 | 81 | 95 |
| IIM Sambalpur | 55 | 40 | 40 | 75 | 80 | 90 |
| IIM Sirmaur | 66 | 42 | 42 | 81 | 81 | 95 |
| IIM Jammu | 52-54 | 30-32 | 30-50 | 72-74 | 72-74 | 89-91 |
Maharashtra MBA Colleges accepting 40 Marks in CAT Percentile
| Institute Name | CAT Cutoff | Type | Categories Accepted |
|---|---|---|---|
| NL Dalmia Institute | 78-80th | Private | General, OBC, SC, ST, PwD |
| IES's Management College and Research Centre, Mumbai | 75th-78 | Private | General, OBC, SC, ST |
| Chetana's Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai | 75th-78 | Private | General, OBC |
| SIES College of Management Studies, Navi Mumbai | 77-80th | Private | General, OBC, SC |
| Balaji Institute of Modern Management Pune | 78 | Private | General |
| MIT School Of Business Pune | 70th-75th | Private | General, OBC |
| PUMBA Pune | 78 | University | General, OBC, SC, ST |
| MET Institute of Management Mumbai | 75th-78 | Private | General |
| Dr. DY Patil B School Pune | 72-76 | Private | General |
| Vishwakarma Institute of Management Pune | 70th-75th | Private | General, OBC |
Karnataka MBA Colleges accepting 40 Marks in CAT Percentile
| Institute Name | CAT Cutoff | Type | Categories Accepted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acharya Bangalore BSchool | 70th-75th | Private | General, OBC |
| AIMS Institutes Bangalore | 75th-78 | Private | General, OBC, SC |
| Kristu Jayanti College, Bangalore | 70th-75th | Private | General |
| Indus Business Academy Bangalore | 78 | Private | General, OBC |
| GIBS Business School Bangalore | 72-75th | Private | General |
| Ramaiah Institute of Management Studies, Bangalore | 78-80th | Private | General, OBC |
| Alliance University Bangalore | 77 | Private | General |
| ISME Bangalore | 70th-73 | Private | General |
| PES University Bangalore MBA | 78 | University | General |
| CMR University | 70th-75th | Private | General |
Tamil Nadu MBA Colleges accepting 40 Marks in CAT Percentile
| Institute Name | CAT Cutoff | Type | Categories Accepted |
|---|---|---|---|
| SRM Institute of Science & Technology | 75th-78 | Private | General |
| VIT Business School | 78 | Private | General, OBC |
| Amrita School of Business Coimbatore | 78-80th | Private | General |
| PSGIM | 78 | Private | General, OBC |
| BIM Trichy | 80th | Government | General, OBC, SC, ST |
| GLIM Chennai | 80th | Private | General, OBC |
Delhi MBA Colleges accepting 40 Marks in CAT Percentile
| Institute Name | CAT Cutoff | Type | Categories Accepted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fortune Institute of International Business, New Delhi | 75th-78 | Private | General |
| JIMS Rohini | 78-80th | Private | General, OBC |
| DSB | 70th-75th | Private | General |
| Tecnia Institute of Advanced Studies, New Delhi | 70th-75th | Private | General, SC |
| JIMS Kalkaji | 75th-78 | Private | General, OBC |
Uttar Pradesh MBA Colleges accepting 40 Marks in CAT Percentile
| College Name | CAT Cutoff (%) | Type of Institute | Categories Accepted |
|---|---|---|---|
| JIM Noida | 75th | Private | General, SC, ST, OBC, EWS |
| IMS Ghaziabad | 75th | Private | General, SC, ST, OBC, EWS |
| GL Bajaj Institute of Management and Research, Greater Noida | 70th | Private | General |
| IILM Academy of Higher Learning Lucknow | 75th | Private | General, SC, ST |
| Sharda University | 70th | Private | General, SC, ST |
| Jaipuria School of Business Ghaziabad | 70th | Private | General, SC, ST |
Madhya Pradesh MBA Colleges accepting 40 Marks in CAT Percentile
| College Name | CAT Cutoff (%) | Type of Institute | Categories Accepted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prestige Institute of Management & Research, Gwalior | 75th | Private | General, SC, ST, OBC |
| Jaipuria Institute of Management Indore | 75th | Private | General, SC, ST, OBC, EWS |
| IIMR | 70th | Private | General |
| ITM University Gwalior | 75th | Private | General |
| SAGE University Indore | 70th | Private | General, SC, ST |
Rajasthan MBA Colleges accepting 40 Marks in CAT Percentile
| College Name | CAT Cutoff (%) | Type of Institute | Categories Accepted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jaipuria Institute of Management | 75th | Private | General, SC, ST, OBC |
| Taxila Business School Jaipur | 75th | Private | General |
| IIS Jaipur | 70th | Private | General |
| NIMS University Jaipur | 70th | Private | General |
| J K Lakshmipat University, Jaipur | 75th | Private | General, SC, ST |
West Bengal MBA Colleges accepting 40 Marks in CAT Percentile
| College Name | CAT Cutoff (%) | Type of Institute | Categories Accepted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Globsyn Business School Kolkata | 75th | Private | General, SC, ST |
| BIBS | 70th | Private | General |
| IMS Business School, Sunstone, Kolkata | 70th | Private | General |
| IISWBM Kolkata | 75th | Government | General, SC, ST, OBC, EWS |
| IEM Kolkata | 75th | Private | General |
Punjab MBA Colleges accepting 40 Marks in CAT Percentile
| College Name | CAT Cutoff (%) | Type of Institute | Categories Accepted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chandigarh University | 75th | Private | General, SC, ST, OBC |
| LM Thapar School of Management, Derabassi, Chandigarh | 75th | Private | General, SC, ST |
| Chitkara University Patiala | 75th | Private | General |
| LPU | 70th | Private | General |
| Amritsar College of Engineering and Technology | 70th | Private | General |
Goa, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Assam MBA Colleges accepting 40 Marks in CAT Percentile
| College Name | State | CAT Cut-off (General) | Category Accepted | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GIM Goa PGDM Healthcare Management | Goa | 75th | Gen, OBC, SC/ST | Private |
| DBS Global University Dehradun | Uttarakhand | 70th | Gen, OBC, SC/ST | Private |
| GEHU Dehradun | Uttarakhand | 70th | Gen, OBC | Private |
| UPES School of Business | Uttarakhand | 75th | Gen, OBC | Private |
| Chitkara University Patiala | Himachal Pradesh | 75th | Gen, OBC, SC/ST | Private |
| ICFAI University Baddi | Himachal Pradesh | 75th | All | Private |
| HNLU Raipur | Chhattisgarh | 70th | Gen, OBC | State Univ. |
| RCET Bhilai | Chhattisgarh | 70th | Gen | Private |
| Assam Institute of Management, Guwahati | Assam | 70th | Gen, SC/ST | Govt. |
| Kaziranga University | Assam | 70th | Gen | Private |
| SMVDU | J&K | 75th | Gen, SC, ST | State Univ. |
| The Business School, University of Jammu | J&K | 70th | All | Govt. |
| CU Jammu | J&K | 75th | Gen, OBC, SC | Central Univ. |
| University of Ladakh | Ladakh | 70th | Gen | Govt. |
| IIM Jammu | J&K | 80th (OBC), 70th (SC) | SC/ST, OBC, SAP | Govt. |
| Tripura University, West Tripura MBA | Tripura | 70th | All | Central Univ. |
| Manipur University Imphal | Manipur | 70th | Gen, SC/ST | Govt. |
| Mizoram University Aizawl | Mizoram | 70th | All | Central Univ. |
| Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology, East Sikkim | Sikkim | 75th | All | Private |
| Arunachal University of Studies Lohit | Arunachal Pradesh | 70th | All | Private |
Read More:
Top MBA Colleges Accepting Low CTA Score40 marks in CAT Percentile FAQs
40 marks in CAT Percentile FAQs
Ques. How much percentile is 40 marks in CAT?
Ans. 40 marks in CAT can fetch you a percentile around 75-85.
- If your paper and slot were difficult, you can expect slightly above the percentile 88.
- 40 marks in CAT places in 80000-85000 rank roughly.
Ques. I got 40 in CAT. What's next?
Ans. With a 40 score in the CAT, you will be in the 75th-85th percentile, and you can start applying to colleges. If your percentile is 40, it is suggested to retake the CAT, analyse weak areas, also build a strong professional profile.
Ques. Which IIM can I get into with a 40?
Ans. 40 as a percentile is not considered in any IIMs, even for reserved candidates.
- If you score 40 marks in CAT, your percentile will be around 75-85. All IIMs shortlist candidates at a minimum of 80-85.
- While it might be difficult to get into the top IIMs for general candidates, reserved categories can get into IIMs.
- Candidates of the reservation category(SC/ST/PwD) have a fair chance to get into Baby IIMs.
Ques. What percentile is a 40 in the CAT?
Ans. 40 marks in CAT can fetch you a percentile around 75-85. If your paper and slot were difficult, you can expect slightly above the percentile 88.
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