CUET Marks v/s Percentile: How to Calculate Percentile, Marks and Cut-Off
by ago 57 views0
It is important for CUET candidates to know the difference between CUET Marks v/s Percentile. While total marks are the raw scores calculated on the basis of correct and incorrect answers opted by the students, percentile is considered as the relative performance as compared to the other candidates who appeared in the same session.
Though marks and percentile might seem similar at the first glance to most of the students, each serves a distinct purpose and conveys different insights about the performance of students. In this blog, students can learn the difference between CUET Marks v/s Percentile, the factors affecting it, importance, how to calculate CUET percentile & so on.
Contents
What are CUET Marks?
To be able to differentiate between CUET Marks v/s Percentile, students should first know what is meant by CUET marks. It is the aggregate of marks obtained by the students in an examination. The total marks of candidates are calculated by considering the total of correct and incorrect responses given by the students in respect to the respective marking scheme. This total makes up the raw score obtained by the students out of the maximum score.
CUET UG Marking Scheme
Below-given is an overview of the CUET UG marking scheme released by the National Testing Agency – NTA (exam conducting authority):
| Types of Responses | Marks Allotted |
| Each Correct Response | 5 Marks |
| Each Incorrect Response | -1 Mark |
*For questions left unanswered, no marks will be granted / deducted.
How to Calculate the Maximum Score Obtained by Students?
Here is a simple breakdown outlining the maximum marks that can be obtained by students based on the number of subjects chosen by them:
| Subjects Chosen | Maximum Marks |
| 5 Subjects | 1250 Marks |
| 4 Subjects | 1000 Marks |
| 3 Subjects | 750 Marks |
The maximum score can be calculated using the below-given formula:
Maximum Score = Number of Subjects Chosen × 250 (total marks per subject)
Students can calculate their individual CUET raw score by using the following formula:
Total Marks = (5 * Number of Correct Answers) – (1 * Number of Incorrect Answers)
Note: It is to be noted that the raw score obtained by each candidate is further converted into NTA score (Percentile score and Normalised score).
What is the CUET Percentile?
Many students get confused to spot the difference between percentile scores and percentage. They should be aware that both of these convey different insights about the students’ performance in the exam.
Percentile score is a statistical measure that determines the performance of a student in comparison to the other test-takers in the same shift. For instance, an 80 percentile score denotes that the student is above the 80% test-takers who appeared in the same shift. On the other hand, percentage indicates the part of marks that the student has obtained out of the total possible. For example, if a student has obtained 75% marks, this means they have secured 75 marks out of a total of 100 marks.
Furthermore, there are many factors that can affect the CUET Marks v/s Percentile ranks of students like number of students in a shift, difficulty level of exam, total CUET registrations, etc.
How to Calculate Percentile in CUET?
The CUET exam is conducted in various shifts, with some of them being more difficult than others. To ensure a fair measure, NTA adopted a normalization process to balance the scores on a fair & standard basis.
The basic procedure followed to calculate CUET Percentile score is as follows:
- The number of total test-takers is identified (in a particular shift). Let this number be ‘N’.
- Scores are then arranged in descending order on the basis of the raw marks obtained by the
- Let the raw scores of each student be ‘T’, and the number of students having less than or equal to the raw score of the student be denoted by ‘M’.
Now, Percentile score is determined by using the formula given below:
P = (M * 100) / N
i.e., Percentile Score = (Number of test-takers who secured equal to or lower than a candidate’s raw score * 100) / Total number of test-takers
For instance, suppose 60,000 candidates appeared for a particular subject and one of them secured better than 54,000 students, then the percentile rank of that candidate would be:
(54,000 *100) / 60,000 = 90 Percentile
Thus, the candidate’s percentile score i.e., 90 implies that they have performed better than the 90% of the test-takers of their respective shifts.
Overview of CUET Marks v/s Percentile Scores
Below-mentioned are the key differences between CUET Percentile v/s Marks:
| Aspect | CUET Marks | Percentile Score |
| Definition | The total score obtained by a test-taker. | Relative performance of a student in comparison to others of the same shift. |
| Type of Score | Aggregate score | Relative score |
| Affected by Other Factors | Not affected | Yes. It crucially depends on the other students’ scores, exam difficulty, and the total registrations. |
| Used for | Determining the individual performance of the candidates. | Ranking the candidates. |
| Basis of Calculation | Correct and incorrect responses. | Number of students securing less or equal score, and total number of test-takers. |
CUET Marks v/s Percentile
Below-given is the expected CUET Percentile 2025 for the respective marks range:
| CUET Marks (out of 250) | CUET Percentile |
| 250-235 | 100 |
| 234-213 | 99 |
| 212-188 | 98-97 |
| 187-163 | 96-95 |
| 162-138 | 94-93 |
| 137-113 | 92-90 |
| 112-100 | 89-84 |
| 99-88 | 83-80 |
| 87-75 | 79-75 |
| 74-63 | 74-70 |
| 62-50 | 69-55 |
| 49-25 | 54-30 |
What is CUET Cut-Off?
The cut-off marks are simply the minimum ranks or qualifying marks that are required to secure admission in the desired College / Institute / University. The concept of CUET Marks v/s Percentile is generally observed in educational Institutions accepting CUET scores like Delhi University (DU), Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), etc.
Students need to score higher than the cut-off marks to become eligible for admission to their preferred course at their desired Institution / College / University.
How to Check CUET Cut-Off Marks
Below-listed are some easy steps students can follow to check the cut-off scores after getting their CUET Marks v/s Percentile scores:
- Visit the official website of the desired College / University / Institution.
- Navigate the link highlighting CUET UG cut-off 2025.
- Download the CUET UG cut-off PDF and find the preferred program to check the cut-off score.
CUET Expected Cut-Off Percentile 2025
Each year, the cut-off marks change based on the CUET Marks v/s Percentile obtained by students and several other factors.
Below-given is a general College-wise estimation of the expected cut-off percentiles based on past record:
| Type of Educational Institutions | Expected Percentile Score |
| Top Universities like Delhi University (DU), Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) |
98-100 Percentile |
| Mid-Range State and Central Universities | 90-95 Percentile |
| Other State / Private Universities | 70-85 Percentile |
Factors Affecting CUET UG Cut-Off
The cut-off range highly depends on the CUET Marks v/s Percentile obtained by the students in the respective academic year; however, the main factors influencing the same are:
- The more difficult the exam is, the higher are the chances of lower cut-offs and vice versa.
- If the number of candidates appearing for the exam is high, it is likely possible that the cut-offs will be high due to increased competition.
- The number of seats available can impact the cut-off scores, higher cut-offs are expected when the availability of seats is low.
Also Check: Top Delhi University Affiliated Colleges
Tips to Obtain a Good Score in CUET
Students can follow the below-given tips to secure good CUET Marks:
- To obtain a good CUET Marks v/s Percentile score, students are advised to well-aquaint with the exam pattern and go through previous year question papers. This will give them an idea of the difficulty level of the entrance test & the types of questions asked.
- Students can create a structured & practical study plan to complete the vast syllabus on time.
- Students are advised to study dedicatedly, and use reliable & limited study material to boost their chance of securing the desired results.
Common Queries
Below-mentioned are some frequently asked questions about CUET Marks v/s Percentile:
What is the key difference between CUET Marks v/s Percentile?
The CUET marks are the aggregate score obtained by a student. On the other hand, percentile score is the relative score that is determined in comparison to the performance of others in the same shift.
What is a good percentile score in CUET?
A percentile score ranging from 90-99 can be considered good enough to secure admission in top educational Institutions.
What is the marking scheme for CUET?
For every correct answer, the student is awarded with 5 marks. A deduction of -1 mark is done for each incorrect answer. No marks are reduced for un-attempted questions.
How are percentile scores calculated in CUET?
The basic formula used by NTA to determine percentile of students is (Number of test-takers who secured equal to or lower than the candidate’s raw score * 100) ÷ Total number of test-takers.
Conclusion
To eliminate the differences caused by the varying difficulties of different shifts, NTA has adopted the process of Normalization, through which raw scores obtained by students are converted into percentile scores based on a common scale. These scores indicate the relative performance of the candidates while ensuring fairness of the system. Therefore, it becomes highly important for the students to know the difference between CUET Marks v/s Percentile scores.
After the results are released on the official website of NTA, educational Institutions start releasing the required cut-off scores for admission to various programs. However, for getting admission into the top educational Institutions, students need to get a good CUET Marks v/s Percentile score. To do so, students can follow tips like understanding the exam pattern, using a structured study plan and reliable study material that will help boost their confidence and increase their success rate.
