A 50-mark score in CAT 2026 is expected to fall around the 90 percentile range, based on the overall score trends of the last six CAT exams.
Based on the overall CAT score-versus-percentile trends from 2020 to 2025, 50 marks have broadly fallen in the mid-80s to low-90s percentile range, depending on the paper’s difficulty level.
In 2025, the 90 percentile benchmark was 51 marks, making 50 marks roughly equivalent to around the 89-90 percentile range.
For CAT 2026, IIM Indore will conduct the exam on November 29, 2026, across three sessions.
The test will have 68 questions for 120 minutes, with 24 questions in VARC, 22 in DILR and 22 in QA. Each correct answer carries 3 marks, while an incorrect MCQ attracts a 1-mark penalty. Non-MCQs do not have negative marking.
Read ahead to know 50 marks in CAT exam, what percentile can you expect and previous trends.
50 Marks in CAT: Expected Percentile Based on Past Trends
The table below uses the overall CAT score trends from 2020 to 2025.
Since the available historical benchmarks do not give an exact percentile for 50 marks in every year, the estimate is derived from the nearest reported score-percentile points.
| CAT Year | Score Near 50 | Corresponding Percentile | Estimated Percentile at 50 Marks |
| 2025 | 51 | 90 | Around 89-90 |
| 2024 | 45-57 | 80-90 | Around 84-85 |
| 2023 | 44-55 | 90-95 | Around 92-93 |
| 2022 | 49 | 90 | Around 91 |
| 2021 | 45-60 | 80-90 | Around 91-92 |
| 2020 | 49-65 | 80-90 | Around 90 |
The trend shows that 50 marks have been enough for around 85 to 93 percentile, with the exact outcome changing from year to year.
Why Does 50 Marks Give Different Percentiles Every Year?
CAT percentile is not decided only by your raw score. The relationship between marks and percentile changes with the difficulty level and overall performance of candidates.
The historical numbers show this clearly. In 2024, 57 marks corresponded to the 90 percentile, while in 2025, 51 marks were already around the 90 percentile level.
In 2023, the 90 percentile benchmark was much lower at 44 marks.
This means a 50-mark score can have a different percentile in two consecutive CAT editions. A tougher paper can bring the score required for a particular percentile down. An easier paper can push the required score higher.
CAT 2020 to 2025: How the 90 Percentile Score Changed
The 90 percentile benchmark provides a useful reference for understanding where 50 marks stand.
| CAT Year | Marks for 90 Percentile |
| 2025 | 51 |
| 2024 | 57 |
| 2023 | 44 |
| 2022 | 49 |
| 2021 | 60 |
| 2020 | 65 |
The difference is significant. Candidates needed 57 marks in 2024 to reach the 90 percentile benchmark, compared with just 44 marks in 2023.
Therefore, targeting a fixed percentile by relying on one year’s score alone can be misleading.
For CAT 2026, 50 marks should be viewed as a score around the 90 percentile zone.
What Can 50 Marks Mean in VARC, DILR and QA?
Sectional performance can also be understood from the past score-percentile trends. However, a total score of 50 does not tell you how those marks are distributed across VARC, DILR and QA.
For example, the historical 90 percentile benchmarks have varied across sections:
| Year | VARC | DILR | QA |
| 2025 | 26 | 16 | 14 |
| 2024 | 24 | 22 | 17 |
| 2023 | 23 | 15 | 13 |
| 2022 | 24 | 15 | 17 |
| 2021 | 28 | 20 | 18 |
| 2020 | 27 | 20 | 22 |
These figures show why section-wise scores cannot be judged using one fixed mark-to-percentile formula. A 16 in DILR, for instance, was around the 90 percentile benchmark in 2025, whereas the corresponding benchmark was 22 in 2024.
For CAT 2026, candidates will have 40 minutes per section, and switching between sections will not be permitted during a section.
Therefore, the distribution of the 50 marks across the three sections will matter for sectional percentile performance as well.
CAT 2026: What Should You Target If Your Goal Is 50+ Marks?
CAT 2026 will have 68 questions: 24 in VARC, 22 in DILR and 22 in QA. With 3 marks awarded for a correct response, candidates need to focus on accuracy rather than attempting every question.
A 50-mark score can be created through different combinations of correct and incorrect responses because CAT has negative marking only for incorrect MCQs.
For example, 17 correct answers with no wrong answers give 51 marks. Similarly, the final score can vary depending on the number of correct, incorrect and non-MCQ responses.
Since the historical 90 percentile benchmark has ranged from 44 to 57 marks, scoring above 50 gives a reasonable position to aim for, but it should not be treated as a fixed 90 percentile score.
Is 50 Marks a Good Score in CAT 2026?
Based on the 2020-2025 trend, 50 marks can be considered a competitive score around the 90 percentile range. But the actual CAT 2026 percentile will depend on the difficulty level and candidate performance. The historical range is wide:
- 2023: 50 marks falls between the 90 and 95 percentile benchmarks.
- 2024: 50 marks falls below the 90 percentile benchmark.
- 2025: 50 marks is just below the 90 percentile benchmark.
- 2020, 2021 and 2022: 50 marks were around or slightly above the 90 percentile level.
So, if your target is 90+ percentile, 50 marks can be a useful benchmark. But aiming for a score comfortably above 50 provides more room if CAT 2026 turns out to be easier.
Conclusion
The past six years show that 50 marks has translated to roughly 84-93 percentile, depending on the year. The biggest variation came from the score required for the 90 percentile, which ranged from 44 marks in 2023 to 57 marks in 2024.
For CAT 2026, 50 marks should not be considered a guaranteed percentile score. A score around 50 can place a candidate near the 90 percentile zone.
However, the final percentile will only be known after the exam and the score calculation process.
Candidates preparing for CAT 2026 can use MBA Karo’s CAT Course to build section-wise preparation, practise questions and work on accuracy before the exam.
A structured preparation plan can help convert target scores into consistent mock-test performance.
