CAT 2017 Result: What Is Normalization Of Scores

New Delhi:  CAT 2017 was conducted in two sessions on November 26, 2017.  The results for the CAT exam are expected soon. However, before the results are out one thing that first time CAT appearing students need to understand is the process of 'Normalization of CAT Scores'. The process is followed to ensure fairness and equity in comparison of performances of candidates who appeared in separate sessions of the exam. The scores are scaled across different forms and sections. The scaled scores are then converted to percentile scores. 

According to the official CAT 2017 website, "The Normalization process shall adjust for location and scale differences of score distributions across different forms. After normalization across different forms, the scores shall be further normalized across different sections."
 

CAT 2017 Result: Normalization of Scores

Though IIMs have never revealed the exact process for normalization, there is a wide consensus that the normalization process considers several factors. The necessity of normalization is explained further through the example below:

For example, if 100 students appeared in both the shifts in cities A and B. Now, if the students from city B have had Hindi medium education, they will be at a disadvantage in comparison to students from city A. Also, if the question paper in the second shift was relatively tougher than in first shift then the students in shift two are also at a disadvantage. Again for example, the average score of students in the first shift is 110 and the average score of students in second shift is 100. Also, the average score of students in city A is 120 and city B is 100.

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It is clear from the example given above that comparing the scores of all the students on the same parameter would not be fair. 

So to normalize the scores of the students, the scores are multiplied by a number which is arrived at by careful consideration of multiple factors such as:

• Highest score

• Lowest score

• Top 10 percentile scores

• Lowest 10 percentile scores

• Mean

• Median

• Other deviations (city, educational background etc.)

The CAT score card will have Scaled Scores for each section (Section I: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Section II: Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Section III: Quantitative Ability (QA)) and Total along with the Percentiles.