CCAT Scores Explained: Raw Score, Percentiles & Sub-Scores
A CCAT result is three numbers, not one: a raw score, an overall percentile, and three sub-score percentiles. Understanding how they fit together tells you what employers actually see - and how many extra correct answers it takes to change your standing.
Raw score: correct answers out of 50
The raw score is simply how many of the 50 questions you answered correctly. There is no penalty for wrong answers - a blank and a wrong answer are worth the same zero - which is why guessing on anything you can't solve is always the right move. Criteria's published norming data puts the average raw score at 24.2 and the median at 24. Remember that almost nobody finishes: fewer than 1% of candidates answer all 50 in the 15 minutes.
Percentile: where you stand
The percentile compares your raw score to the norming population. Raw 24 = 50th percentile on Criteria's own sample score report. Because scores cluster near the average, the curve is steep in the middle: a handful of extra correct answers near the median moves you a long way.
Around the average, roughly +4 raw points ≈ +16 percentile points. From 24 to 28 takes you from the 50th to about the 68th percentile. The same +4 from 40 to 44 only moves you from the 97th to the 99th. Improvement is worth the most exactly where most candidates sit.
Score-to-percentile table
This is the same mapping used across this site (modeled on Criteria's published norms: mean 24.2, median 24 = 50th percentile, SD 8.58 from the original standardization sample). Treat the values as close estimates rather than official figures - Criteria has re-normed on a larger sample (106,740 test-takers) that keeps the median at 24 with a tighter spread.
| Raw score | Percentile (est.) | Bracket |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | 22nd | Below average |
| 20 | 32nd | Below average |
| 22 | 41st | Around average |
| 24 | 50th | Around average |
| 26 | 59th | Around average |
| 28 | 68th | Above average |
| 30 | 75th | Top 25% |
| 31 | 79th | Top 25% |
| 32 | 82nd | Top 25% |
| 35 | 90th | Top 10% |
| 38 | 94th | Top 10% |
| 40 | 97th | Top 5% |
| 42+ | 98th-99th | Top 5% |
For any score not in the table, use the CCAT percentile calculator - it covers every raw score from 0 to 50.
The three sub-scores
Employers also receive sub-scores for Verbal, Math & Logic, and Spatial Reasoning - and these are percentiles, not raw counts. A sample Criteria report shows a candidate with an overall raw 24 (50th percentile) alongside sub-scores of Spatial 58, Verbal 62, and Math 24. Sub-scores tell an employer where you're strong and where you're weak; a lopsided profile can matter for quantitative roles even when the overall number clears the bar.
What employers do with the numbers
Criteria's score report shows employers your raw score and percentile next to suggested score ranges by position - around 40 job families, each with a suggested minimum (17 for customer service, 20 for software development, 22 for analysts, 24 for data analytics and legal; every range tops out at 50). Some employers publish their own bars instead: Crossover's baseline is 35. The full picture is in what is a good CCAT score?
Raising the number that matters
Because of the steep middle of the curve, going from average to top-quartile is a 6-7 point project, and timed practice in the real format is what closes that gap. Every practice session on CCAT Ready ends with the same numbers an employer would see: raw score, percentile, and the three sub-score percentiles - so you always know where you stand.
See your CCAT percentile now →