CMAT 2026 2026 – Syllabus, Dates, Results

CMAT 2025 is scheduled to be conducted in May 2025. Common Management Aptitude Test is a three-hour aptitude exam for admission to management programmes. The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducts the exam in over 300 cities across India. The examination receives approximately 80,000 applicants each year. In CMAT 2024, a total of 76745 candidates registered for exam out of which 65127 candidates appeared.

CMAT scores are valid for over 1000 AICTE-approved colleges (both government & private), although CMAT scores are not valid for IIMs, only CAT Exam scores are considered. Top colleges that accept CMAT score include JBIMS, KJ Somaiaya, Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research, Great Lakes Institute of Management, etc.

The exam is accepted by over 1000 AICTE approved colleges and universities all over India. In comparison to MAT and ATMA, CMAT is a higher level MBA entrance exams and it is accepted by more colleges in contrast. However, when compared to CAT, it lacks some tier 1 colleges. CAT is accepted by IIMs which is India’s premier management institutes. CMAT is accepted by JBIMS and SIMREE which students refer to as top tier. Other colleges include Welingkar and KJ Somaiya which are considered tier-2.

So, if you’re aiming for top tier colleges, you’re best bet is CAT/XAT as some students have also reported that they were unable to get any top tier colleges even by having a high percentile score.

CMAT Eligibility

Are you eligible?

Criteria	Description
Educational Qualification	Bachelor’s degree in any discipline Students enrolled in the final year of a Bachelor’s degree program in any discipline
Minimum Marks	No minimum aggregate marks are required
Nationality	Any candidate who is applying for CMAT 2024must be an Indian resident
Age Limit	No upper age limit
CMAT Eligible Colleges	1000+

CMAT Dates

Key Dates

Events	Dates
Registration starts	Second week of March 2025
Registration ends	Third week of April 2025
Form correction window	Third week of April 2025
Admit card 2025 release	First week of May 2025
CMAT 2025 Exam	Second week of May 2025
Answer key challenge	One week after the exam
Result declaration	Three weeks after the exam

CMAT Exam Format

Particulars	Details
Mode	Online (Computer Based Test)
Duration	3 hours
Sectional Time Limit	No
Nature of Questions	Objective Type (MCQs)
Number of Choices	Four Choices, out of which only one choice will be correct
Number of Sections	5
Number of Questions	100
Total Marks	400 Marks
Marks Awarded	+4 for every correct answer
Negative Marking	-1 for every wrong answer
Medium	English Only

CMAT Syllabus

All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) releases the CMAT Exam Syllabus on its official website. The CMAT includes topics like- Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Language Comprehension, General Awareness and Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Students need to make themselves familiar with these in order to prepare in a streamlined manner.

In CMAT Syllabus for Quant and DI, Arithmetic and Number System account for about 40% of weightage.
The important topics of CMAT logical reasoning syllabus include blood relations, seating arrangements, sequence & series completion, and verbal reasoning (syllogisms, analogy, assertion-reasoning, etc.).
CMAT syllabus for language comprehension comprises reading comprehension, para jumbles, sentence correction, phrases/ idioms, antonyms/ synonyms, and grammar.
For GK and Innovation & Entrepreneurship Syllabus for CMAT, the more focus is on the static part. The current affairs account for only about 20-25% of the questions in both sections.

Section Name	Important Topics	Number of Questions
Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation	Time speed distance, algebra, geometry, allegation and mixtures, quadratic and linear equation, etc	20
Logical Reasoning	Analytical reasoning, linear arrangements, number series, blood relationship, arrangements	20
Language Comprehension	Reading comprehension, grammar, usage errors, para jumbles,	20
General Awareness	Politics, economy, culture, society, sports, events, current affairs	20
Innovation and Entrepreneurship	Questions in this section will be based on topics related to Innovation, entrepreneurship skills, startups, business developments, etc.	20

CMAT Preparation Strategies

Preparation Strategies: Ace Your Score!

NTA releases the syllabus every year but note that the question paper pattern has not changed much over the years. Hence, the preparation strategies that are available online can be used as a good reference.

Start by understanding the syllabus, exam pattern and the sectional distribution
NTA releases AICTE-approved syllabus every year. To start your preparations, you can refer to previous year syllabus’ PDF.
Now, make a plan for the remaining time you have for the preparation. Note that it is crucial that you make the most of the time you have.
Once you have a plan for your exam preparation time, do a couple of mock tests (see banner below) to understand your level.
Analyse your performance in mocks and work on you weak areas.
In the section below, we have provided the top books you can refer for your preparation

Books to Refer

Subject	Book Name	Author
Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation	Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations	RS Agarwal
	Accredited Guide to Data Interpretation and Data Sufficiency	Ananta Ashisha
	Data Analysis & Interpretation Data Sufficiency	Think Tank of Kiran Prakashan
Logical Reasoning	A modern approach to logical reasoning	RS Agarwal
	How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for the CAT	Arun Sharma
	Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT	Nishit Sinha
Language Comprehension	The Pearson Guide to Verbal Ability	Sujit Kumar
	The Pearson Guide to Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning for the CAT	Nishit K Sinha
	How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension?	Arun Sharma & Meenakshi Upadhyay
	A Modern Approach to Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning	R S Aggarwal
	CAT Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension	Gautam Puri
General Awareness	General Knowledge	Disha Experts
General Awareness	Face To Face MAT With 19 Years (1997-2016)	BS Sijwali

CMAT Statistics

A total of 76,745 candidates registered for CMAT Exam out of which 65127 candidates appeared for the examination. The CMAT exam was conducted on May 15, 2024 in two slots at various CMAT test centres. You can check the full 2024 statistics below:

Gender And Category Wise Number Of Candidates Registered 2024

Gender	General	Gen-EWS	OBC (NCL)	SC	ST	PWD*	Total
Female	19033	3126	9738	2033	542	68	34472
Male	19273	5115	13993	3142	749	133	42272
Third gender	1	-	-	-	-	-	1
Total	38307	8241	23731	5175	1291	201	76745

Gender And Category Wise Number Of Candidates Appeared 2024

Gender	General	Gen- EWS	OBC (NCL)	SC	ST	PWD*	Total
Female	15831	2804	8309	1671	435	53	29050
Male	16434	4549	11995	2548	596	100	36122
Third gender	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Total	32265	7353	20304	4219	1031	153	65172

Key Reasons for the Drop in CMAT Registrations in 2024

Uncertain Exam Dates: The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts CMAT, has a history of delaying the exam and not announcing the dates well in advance. This creates confusion and disrupts students' preparation plans. In 2023 and 2021, NTA caused similar anxiety among applicants by announcing the exam date at the last minute.
Lack of Transparency Compared to Other Exams: Unlike CAT and XAT which announce exam dates along with the notification, NTA withholds this information for CMAT. This puts CMAT at a disadvantage as students prefer exams with a clear schedule.
Impact on Students' Strategy: The delay in CMAT disrupts students' preparation as they are unsure about the exam date and cannot plan their admissions process effectively. This uncertainty makes it difficult for them to explore MBA/PGDM options for the upcoming academic year.
Top B-Schools Not Accepting CMAT Scores: Many prestigious PGDM colleges that consider CMAT scores have deadlines for their admissions process in March/April, with sessions starting in June/July. The delay in the CMAT exam creates a conflict for these institutes, as they cannot wait indefinitely for the results but also need to accept CMAT scores. This disrupts their admissions process and academic calendar.
NTA's Confusing Practices: Frequent changes to the CMAT format and inconsistencies between the official website and notifications add to the confusion for students and institutions. This lack of clarity discourages students from applying and makes it difficult for B-schools to manage admissions.

CMAT vs CAT

CMAT full form is the Common Management Admission Test which is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) whereas CAT Exam or Common Admission Test is conducted by IIMs (Indian Institute of Management). Listed below is the comparison between CMAT vs CAT:

Validity: CMAT Scores are valid for more than 1000 B-Schools across India except for IIMs. CAT Scores are valid for IIMs as well as other B-Schools.
Popularity: Total CAT registrations are 3 times more than that of CMAT registrations. Last year alone over 3.3 Lakhs appeared for CAT, for the same year, CMAT registrations was 70,000.
Difficulty: Owing to its popularity, CAT is more difficult than CMAT. CMAT Exam difficulty level is Easy to Moderate whereas CAT difficulty level is Moderate to Hard
Exam Pattern: CAT Paper consists of 3 Sections with a total of 66 marks each whereas CMAT consists of 5 sections with a total of 100 mark.

CMAT Accepting Colleges

CMAT Accepting Colleges With Their Cut Off and Fees

The top MBA colleges in India accepting CMAT scores are Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai, JBIMS Mumbai, WeSchool Mumbai. There are around 1039 MBA colleges in India accepting CMAT scores out of which 929 are private and 101 are government MBA colleges.

Top Colleges	Cut Off Percentile	Fees
Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies	99.99	6.00 Lakhs
Sydenham Institute of Management Studies And Research And Entrepreneurship Education	99.96	1.36 Lakhs
Great Lakes Institute of Management - GLIM	95	16.45 Lakhs
SIMSR Mumbai: K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies And Research	97	11.93 Lakhs
Institute For Financial Management & Research	90	12 Lakhs
Prin. L. N. Welingkar Institute of Management Development & Research	95	11 Lakhs
Department of Management Sciences University of Pune	95	2.45 Lakhs
Goa Institute of Management	93	9.79 Lakhs
SIES College of Management Studies	84	6.30 Lakhs
Institute of Public Enterprise	80+	8.00 Lakhs

CMAT Score vs Percentile

CMAT Score	CMAT Percentile
340+	100
280-320	99+
260-280	95-99
240-280	90-94
200-240	80-90
160-200	70-80
140-160	60-70
120-140	50-60
Below 120	Less than 50

CMAT Scholarships

Scholarships

Scholarship	Eligibility	Last Date of Application
Merit Cum Means Scholarship for Professional and Technical Courses CS (Minorities)	Minority communities, a technical or professional course at undergraduate or postgraduate level, must have secured at least 50% marks or equivalent grade in the previous final examination, annual family income should not be more than INR 2.50 Lakh from all the sources, admission based on the competitive entrance examination or must have scored at least 50% in Class 12 or graduation (in case of direct admission)	October 31, 2024 (Tentative)
Post Graduate Scholarship for Professional Courses for SC/ST	SC/ST category; The first year of the professional course at the postgraduate level Universities/Institutions/Colleges comes under section 2(f) & and 12(B) of UGC Act Deemed to be Universities included under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, and are eligible to receive grants-in-aid from UGC Universities/Institutions/Colleges funded by Central/State Government Institutes of National Importance	October 31, 2024 (Tentative)
ONGC Scholarship	General category students must be studying in the first year of MBA/Engineering/MBBS/ Master of Geology program, minimum 60% or equivalent CGPA in class 12 and graduation, family income must not exceed INR 2 lakhs per annum, Candidate must not be older than 30 years of age. INR 48,000 per annum	July 08, 2024 (Tentative)
OP Jindal Engineering and Management Scholarships (OPJEMS)	Postgraduate Programme in Management (PGP), 20 students from different B-Schools, and first-year students will be selected based on the entrance exam. Second, third, and fourth-year students will be selected from their previous year’s academic performance.	August 07, 2024 (Tentative)

CMAT 2026

CMAT 2026 — At a Glance

About CMAT 2026