CCAT score: average, percentiles and what counts as good
A good CCAT score is one that clears the range your employer set for the role; Criteria's suggested ranges by job start between 17 and 24 correct out of 50, and the average is 24. Your score is simply the number of right answers in 15 minutes, compared with Criteria's norm group of 106,740 people (average 24, standard deviation 7).
Updated October 20, 2026 · by TimedPrep
- Raw score: right answers out of 50, in 15 minutes
- Average: 24, standard deviation 7 (norm group of 106,740)
- Finishing: fewer than 1% answer all 50
- Pass mark: none; a suggested or employer-set range per job
- Wrong answers: no penalty, so guess rather than leave a blank
The raw score
Your CCAT score is the number of questions you answer correctly out of 50. A wrong answer and a blank both count zero; Criteria's CCAT prep page says there is no penalty for wrong answers and suggests an educated guess when you are stuck. The same page says fewer than 1% of candidates answer every question, so the score measures speed as much as accuracy: 15 minutes for 50 questions is 18 seconds each.
Average and spread
Criteria's Information Brief gives the norm group as 106,740 people, with a mean of 24 and a standard deviation of 7. In plain terms, about two thirds of people score between 17 and 31, and a score of 31 is roughly one standard deviation above average.
CCAT percentile chart
The employer's report shows your exact percentile against Criteria's norm group. Candidates do not see it, so the chart below is arithmetic on the published average (24) and standard deviation (7), assuming a bell curve. It is the same estimate our practice result shows, and it is our estimate, not a Criteria table.
| Score | Percentile, est. |
|---|---|
| 15 | 10% |
| 17 | 16% |
| 20 | 28% |
| 22 | 39% |
| 24 | 50% |
| 26 | 61% |
| 28 | 72% |
| 31 | 84% |
| 35 | 94% |
| 40 and above | 99% |
Tables published by prep companies differ by a few places (for example, about the 80th percentile for 31 and the 92nd for 36), because they round differently. Near the middle, each extra right answer moves you about five to six percentile places.
Free CCAT practice test. 50 questions on a 15-minute clock, no sign-up. Score, estimated standing and where your time went.
Start the free testWhat score you need for a job
There is no CCAT pass mark. The score report compares you with a suggested range for the job, built by Criteria from more than 700,000 results, and every employer can replace it with its own. In Criteria's sample score report dated January 1, 2026, every range runs up to 50, so the lower number is the one that matters. Some examples:
- 17: customer service, retail sales, sales representative, service technician
- 20: management, accounting, financial services, human resources, software development, sales manager
- 21 to 22: project manager, marketing and product, IT, nursing, analyst, engineering
- 24: data analytics and statistics, legal
All 25 job families are in what score is good for which job. A practical personal target: about five points above the suggested minimum for your role, since selective employers often set the bar higher than Criteria's suggestion.
What the employer sees
According to Criteria's Score Report Guide, the report shows the raw score, an overall percentile, a separate percentile for verbal ability, math and logic, and spatial reasoning, and the comparison with the job's range. If someone moves through the test unusually fast with no errors, the system marks the result invalid, on the assumption that the person has seen that version before.
You will not see the report. Criteria's candidate FAQ says results go directly to the company you applied to and that Criteria's support team cannot access them.
How to raise your score in a few days
- Never leave a blank. With no penalty, a guess beats an empty answer every time.
- Use checkpoints. Question 17 by minute 5, question 33 by minute 10. If you are behind, drop the slow questions sooner; do not rush the easy ones.
- Find your slow question types. One timed run usually shows two or three types that cost most of your time. Ours are listed with worked answers in CCAT sample questions.
More in the pacing guide and the CCAT guide. Our free CCAT-format test shows your raw score, the estimate from the chart above, and which job ranges your score already meets. Our questions are written by us, so a practice score is a guide to your level, not a prediction of Criteria's number.