CAT Attempts vs Percentile 2025 - How Many Questions to Attempt in CAT 2025

Abhinav Chamoli

Updated On: November 28, 2025 04:14 PM

You can boost your CAT 2025 percentile by prioritising accuracy over attempts, as recent trends show 40-45 quality attempts at 85% accuracy often yield 99+ scores. Balance time wisely to hit the ideal 95-105 raw marks sweet spot without rushing.

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CAT Attempts vs Percentile 2025

To crack CAT 2025, you need to grasp how many questions to attempt for your target percentile, like the elite 99+ mark. With around 66 questions total, trends show you can hit 99 percentile by correctly solving 32 to 35 across sections, assuming 85-90% accuracy, rather than blindly attempting more. Recent data predicts 40-45% overall marks in the CAT 2025 exam suffice for top ranks this year.​

Focus on balance and aim for 13-14 correct in VARC, 11-12 in DILR, and 10-12 in QA, per past analyses. Time your mocks wisely, prioritise precision over volume, and adapt to slot difficulty via CAT 2025 normalisation . This strategy, drawn from 2024 trends where 95 marks fetched 99 percentile, boosts your odds at IIMs.

Also Read:

MBA Colleges Accepting 95-99 Percentile in CAT 2025

List of MBA Colleges Accepting 90-95 Percentile in CAT 2025

List of MBA Colleges Accepting 50-60 Percentile in CAT 2025

List of MBA Colleges Accepting 60-70 Percentile in CAT 2025

List of MBA Colleges Accepting 70-80 Percentile in CAT 2025

List of MBA Colleges Accepting 80-90 Percentile in CAT 2025

How CAT Percentiles Work?

Your CAT percentile reflects your performance in comparison with other aspirants. For instance, scoring in the 99th percentile means you have done better than 99% of those who took the test. Your actual marks are first converted into a scaled score through a normalisation process and then transformed into a percentile to ensure fairness across different exam slots.

For CAT 2025, the exam pattern is expected to remain similar to last year. It will likely have around 68 questions, divided across three key sections as shown below:

Sections

Expected No. of Questions in CAT 2025

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)

24

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)

22

Quantitative Aptitude (QA)

22

Attempts Needed to Achieve Different Percentiles in CAT 2025

To hit top percentiles in CAT 2025, aim for 40 to 45 accurate attempts out of 68 questions, based on moderate difficulty predictions and past trends like 2024's 85 marks for 99%. You'll need around 48 to 55 attempts with 85-90% accuracy for 99+, focusing on balanced sections. These are estimates from recent analyses.

Percentile Range

Approximate Number of Questions to Attempt

Accuracy Needed

99+ percentile

45 to 50

85% to 90%

95 to 99 percentile

35 to 45

80% to 85%

90 to 95 percentile

30 to 35

75% to 80%

Below 90

20 to 30

70%+

Note: To achieve a 99+ percentile in the exam, you should target 45–50 correct attempts out of 68 while keeping errors minimal. Accuracy plays a crucial role, as even a few mistakes can affect your score. Focus on precision, smart question selection, and efficient time management for top performance.

Detailed CAT 2025 Attempts vs Percentile Analysis

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The following CAT attempts vs percentile 2025 analysis provides a rough estimate to the candidates on how many questions they need to attempt to reach their goal. We have considered the previous year's trends and mathematical estimations while creating the analysis. It is also important to note that an error margin of +/- 5 marks must also be included when calculating the CAT 2025 percentile.

CAT Score for 99 Percentile & Above

The table below shows the number of accurate CAT attempts needed to achieve the 99 percentile range and above in CAT 2025:

CAT 2025 Sections

Accuracy Level

Good Attempts

Raw Score

Scaled Score

Expected Percentile Score in CAT 2025

Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)

85

14-16

36-40

45-55

99+

Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)

85

12-14

32-34

44-50

99+

Quantitative Ability (QA)

85

14-16

36-40

46-54

99+

Overall

85

42-48

104-114

135-159

99-99.5

CAT Score for 95-98 Percentile

The table below shows the number of accurate CAT attempts needed to achieve the 95-98 percentile range in CAT 2025:

CAT 2025 Sections

Accuracy Level

Good Attempts

Raw Score

Scaled Score

Expected Percentile Score in CAT 2025

Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)

85

13-15

34-38

40-45

95-98

Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)

3-30

8-10

26-30

32-36

95-98

Quantitative Ability (QA)

85

14-16

35-40

40-44

95-98

Overall

85

35-41

95-100

112-125

95-98

CAT Score for 90-94 Percentile

The table below shows the number of accurate CAT attempts needed to achieve the 90-94 percentile range in CAT 2025:

CAT 2025 Sections

Accuracy Level

Good Attempts

Raw Score

Scaled Score

Expected Percentile Score in CAT 2025

Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)

90

11-13

29-35

36-40

90 - 94

Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)

90

7-9

17-22

22-28

90 - 94

Quantitative Ability (QA)

85

10-12

26-32

32-48

90 – 94

Overall

85

28-34

72-89

90-116

90 - 94

Section-Wise CAT 2025 Attempts vs Percentile

Based on the information given above, here is a section-wise breakdown of the CAT attempts vs percentile 2025 analysis. The analysis for CAT 2025 will also follow a similar pattern. Candidates can use the information below to adjust their examination strategy.

With 70% Accuracy

Target Percentile

No. of Attempts

VARC

DILR

QA

Total

70 %ile

11

9

9

29

80 %ile

15

12

13

40

90 %ile

22

18

20

60

99+ %ile

30

29

29

88

With 80% Accuracy

Target Percentile

No. of Attempts

VARC

DILR

QA

Total

70 %ile

9

7

8

24

80 %ile

12

10

11

33

90 %ile

18

16

17

51

99+ %ile

25

23

24

72

With 90% Accuracy

Target Percentile

No. of Attempts

VARC

DILR

QA

Total

70 %ile

8

6

6

20

80 %ile

10

9

9

28

90 %ile

16

13

14

43

99+ %ile

22

18

20

60

Role of Accuracy in CAT Attempts vs Percentile 2025

Accuracy plays a major role in deciding your percentile based on the number of your attempts. The number of attempts drops drastically with the increase in accuracy. However, one should also keep in mind that the time taken per question also increases to maintain high accuracy.

Accuracy vs Attempts vs Time
For best results, it is important to establish a balance between Accuracy, Attempts, and Time.

After understanding the CAT Attempts vs Percentile 2025, let us find out which is the best college for you based on the CAT 2025 cutoff by using the following tools.

CAT College Predictor 2025

CAT Percentile Predictor 2025

Read More:

100 Percentile in CAT 2025 Means How Many Attempts?

98 Percentile in CAT 2025 Means How Many Attempts?

97 Percentile in CAT 2025 Means How Many Attempts?

96 Percentile in CAT 2025 Means How Many Attempts?

95 Percentile in CAT 2025 Means How Many Attempts?

How Many Questions to Attempt in CAT for 99 Percentile?

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FAQs

DILR attempts needed for 99 percentile in CAT 2025?

To score 99 percentile in CAT 2025 DILR, you should aim to attempt about 16 questions with 90% accuracy. This means solving roughly 14 questions correctly out of 22. Focus on selecting easier sets first and avoid tough or time-consuming ones. Accuracy beats quantity, so pick quality questions to maximise your score and percentile.

How many attempts in VARC for a high CAT 2025 percentile?

For a high 99+ percentile in CAT 2025 VARC, aim to attempt 15 to 18 questions out of 24 with 85-90% accuracy. Toppers from past years nailed this by picking 3 solid RCs fully and smart VA picks like para-jumbles.

Target

Attempts

Correct Needed

99%ile

15-18

13-16

What attempts get 95 percentile in CAT 2025?

To hit 95 percentile in CAT 2025, aim for 23-28 total attempts with 85-90% accuracy, based on past trends like CAT 2024. Focus on balance across sections.​

  • VARC: 14-17 correct 
  • DILR: 9-12 correct
  • QA: 10-12 correct

How many questions for 99+ percentile in CAT 2025?

To hit 99+ percentile in CAT 2025, aim for 36 to 40 correct attempts overall with 90% accuracy. No need to rush all 66 questions. Focus on your strong sections smartly.​

  • VARC (24 Qs): Attempt 14-18, get 12-16 right​
  • DILR (20-22 Qs): Attempt 13+, get 10-12 right​
  • QA (22 Qs): Attempt 16, get 12-14 right

What is the minimum number of questions to attempt in CAT 2025 for 99 percentile?

To score a 99 percentile in CAT 2025, aim to attempt around 48 to 55 questions with about 85 to 90% accuracy. Focus on balanced attempts across all sections, VARC (15-18 questions), DILR (12-15), and QA (14-16). Accuracy matters more than just attempts, so choose questions wisely and avoid careless mistakes to maximise your score.

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