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    CAT 2026 Total Marks: Section-Wise Marks, Cutoff Scores & Selection Criteria

    CAT 2026 Total Marks: Section-Wise Marks, Cutoff Scores & Selection Criteria

    Himanshu ShekharUpdated on 07 Oct 2026, 05:33 PM IST

    The CAT total marks for 2026 are 204 for all the CAT sections, with a total of 68 questions. The CAT 2026 total marks will be divided into three different sections, which are 24, 22, and 22 across the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA), respectively. The total time duration for the CAT exam is 120 minutes, with 40 minutes for each section. For every correct answer, 3 marks are given. For each wrong answer, 1 mark is deducted as per the CAT negative marking scheme. This year, IIM Kozhikode will conduct the CAT 2026 on November 29, 2026. The result for CAT 2026 is expected to be announced around December 19-20.

    This Story also Contains

    1. CAT 2026 Total Marks for Eligibility
    2. How to Calculate Your Score from CAT Total Marks 2026?
    3. CAT Total Marks for Cutoff
    4. CAT 2026 Total Marks for Selection Process
    CAT 2026 Total Marks: Section-Wise Marks, Cutoff Scores & Selection Criteria
    CAT Total Marks 2026

    CAT 2026 Total Marks for Eligibility

    As per the CAT 2026 eligibility criteria, a candidate needs to have at least 50% marks or an equivalent CGPA (45% for reserved category candidates) in the Bachelor’s Degree. Only the candidates with the above-stated marks are eligible to apply for the CAT exam. Apart from these, the marks of the 10th and 12th standards. IIMs and other colleges give weightage to the marks of the 10th and 12th standards for the final selection process.

    How to Calculate Your Score from CAT Total Marks 2026?

    To calculate your CAT 2026 score or total mark, you must follow the steps given below:

    • You will need to begin with raw score calculation, which will be based on the marking scheme.
    • Since the CAT 2026 exam will be conducted in slots, the difficulty level might vary. Therefore, to ensure fairness, the process of 'normalisation' or 'scaling' will be used by the exam authorities.
    • Your percentile score will indicate your performance relative to all other candidates who will take the exam.
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    CAT Total Marks for Cutoff

    The CAT total marks for cutoff are the marks required for the candidate to apply for different colleges for admission to their MBA/PGDM courses. The CAT total marks for the CAT cutoff depend on certain factors like the CAT difficulty level, the number of appearing candidates, the normalisation process, etc. The expected CAT 2026 total marks for different percentile cutoffs are provided in the table below.

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    CAT percentile

    Score VARC

    Score DILR

    Score QA

    CAT Total Marks

    99.5

    42

    30

    30

    86

    99

    36

    25

    25

    74

    95

    30

    20

    22

    52

    90

    24

    14

    13

    42

    80

    20

    11

    9

    35

    70

    18

    9

    7

    30

    CAT 2026 Total Marks for Selection Process

    The CAT total marks for the selection process will be released after the 2026 CAT results are declared. The candidates having enough scores will have the CAT total marks for the selection process at IIMs and other top B schools. The CAT total marks for the selection process will be released by different colleges for shortlisting candidates to their respective MBA/PGDM programs. The CAT total marks for the selection process across IIMs and other colleges are given in the table below.

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    Q: What are the total marks of the CAT exam?
    A:

    The total marks for the Common Admission Test (CAT) exam are 204. The time duration of the CAT exam is 120 minutes (2 hours). The three sections have 24, 22, and 22 questions, respectively. Each question carries three marks. It also has a negative mark, with 1 mark being deducted for every wrong answer.

    Q: What is a good score for CAT?
    A:

    A good CAT score will depend on the college that a candidate aims for. If the goal is to pursue an MBA from IIMs then a good score would be percentile between 98-99.9. Other than IIMs a percentile between 90-99 would be considered good enough.

    Q: What is a good attempt in CAT?
    A:

    A good number of attempts in CAT would be different for each section and would depend on the accuracy with which a candidate attempts each section. With an estimated accuracy of 90% a good number of attempts would be somewhere between 40-55. Difficulty level of the exam should also be considered.

    Q: Does CAT have a negative marking?
    A:

    Yes. The CAT exam has negative marking. For every answer marked wrongly by a candidate, 1 mark will be deducted. For every correct answer, 3 marks are awarded. No marks are deducted for questions left unattempted by the candidate.

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    Questions related to CAT

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    Hey there,

    For a B.Sc. with Chemistry, Botany and Zoology (CBZ), if the CAT application asks separately for:

    • Degree Name: B.Sc.
    • Graduation Stream: Science
    • Discipline: enter/select Science if that is an available option.

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    Hey there,

    Yes. With 2 years of work experience, you are eligible to target the regular 2-year MBA at IIM Calcutta as long as you have a bachelor's degree with at least 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD). Work experience is not required for eligibility.

    Which exam do you need?

    For