CAT rank predictor: A saviour to an MBA aspirant

Shivani Tiwari *

Now that CAT has been conducted, and the results are also out, students are in a better place to see themselves where they stand in this intense competitive scenario.

IIM Kozhikode was the institute which conducted CAT 2019 on behalf of all the IIMs and eminent B schools. To make these results more accessible and more comfortable, various digital platforms have come up with CAT Rank Predictor for all the students. The predictor will assist the candidates in estimating their rank through the normalisation process.

A predictor is a tool by which the candidates can predict or estimate their rank/percentile as soon as they are done with the exam. This medium of calculation is of great importance as it helps to kill the anxiousness of the MBA aspirants.

Various ed-tech portals have their rank predictor’s curated for all the students. Most of them are free of cost to access.

How does the rank predictor work?

Here’s the method to know how this whole process of calculating percentile works. Students can calculate both sectional as well as overall percentile by this one method itself.

Formula: P = (R/N) × 100 where,
* P= Percentile score
* R= Assigned rank based on CAT score in comparison to other students who rank below the respective student
* N= Number of candidates who appeared in CAT 2019 (clubbing both the sessions)

How to use the CAT Rank Predictor?

The rank predictor tool is straightforward to use. You just have to follow a few steps and you will get the expected result.

The steps are as follows:
1. Open the CAT Rank Predictor on any of your browsers.
2. Fill in the necessary details asked by the tool.
3. Mention the expected percentile and click the ‘See Result’ tab.
4. The predicted rank will be flashed on the screen.

Factors on which the CAT Rank Predictor Relies?

There are certain reasons or factors which determine what the rank predictor will show as per the information feed by every candidate.

Some of the prominent factors are as follows:
* Difficulty level/ Type of questions
* Number of questions
* Maximum marks
* Marking scheme
* Total number of applicants

How the equated score is calculated?

How the CAT score is equated or how the raw score is calculated? This is one specific question in the mind of every applicant. So, here is the solution to all your unanswered questions and unnecessary myths.

Raw Score- As the name itself suggests that this score is raw or actual. The marks actually scored by each candidate are termed as raw scores.
Scaled Score- After certain calculations are being performed by IIM’s to make sure that each candidate is measured in respect on every applicant, the score obtained is the scaled score.

There are basic ways to calculate the scaled score.

They are:
* As per the marking scheme; i.e. plus three marks for each correct answer and minus one mark for every wrong answer.
* By the statistical method, raw scores will be calculated. The scores are calculated on the same question asked at varied times and forms.
* Then a common range of marks is prepared, which further helps the authorities to create a range of scores and percentile ranks.

Accuracy of Rank Predictors

All the digital tools available for the calculation of CAT rank are predictors and not accurate. The tool helps the candidate to have an idea around what his or her rank will fall amongst 2.4 (approx.) lakh students. It is advisable for all the students to wait for the official results to be out and then jump on to any decisions further.

So, this was all summing up the Rank Predictor’s working and aspects related to it. All the students must check their expected rank through this tool to get a better picture of their future.

Also, they must check the final results and the cut-off released by the IIMs and other prestigious B-schools to know more about their options and the next following round.