CMAT Exam 2026: Eligibility, Application Form, Exam Dates, Syllabus, Colleges, Fees, Cut-off, Results
Update: CMAT exam 2026 registrations are currently open. The last date to register for CMAT 2026 is November 18, 2025.
The Common Management Admission Test is one of the most popular MBA entrance exams in the country. Over 70,000 aspirants sit for this highly competitive exam every year, hoping to get into some of the countryโs top B schools. Renowned colleges like JBIMS, SIMSREE, KJ Somaiya, Welingkar, PUMBA, and GIM Goa will accept CMAT exam 2026 scores.
CMAT Exam 2026 Overview
CMAT exam is a three-hour MCQ-format aptitude test conducted by the National Testing Agency. The paper consists of 100 questions from various topics spanning Quantitative Techniques, Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Language Comprehension, General Awareness, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship. The rank obtained here will dictate college admissions for all candidates vying for an MBA/PGDM/PGPM/PGP seat in prestigious management colleges nationwide.
The difficulty level of this paper is considered to be lower than CAT, GMAT, and XAT, which is why many students end up underestimating it. But that belief can seriously hamper your scores. Itโs better to work hard, practise, and do well in the exam. Here, weโve compiled all the necessary information about CMAT, including registration, pattern, syllabus, etc.
CMAT 2026 Exam Dates & Highlights
| Event | Date / Details |
|---|---|
| Online Submission of Application Form | 17 October 2025 to 18 November 2025 (up to 11:50 PM) |
| Last Date of Submission of Application Fees | 18 November 2025 (up to 11:50 PM) |
| Correction in Particulars in Application Form | 20 โ 21 November 2025 |
| Announcement of the City of Examination | To be announced later on the website |
| Downloading of Admit Cards from NTA Website | To be announced later on the website |
| Date of Examination | To be announced later on the website |
| Duration | 180 minutes (03:00 hrs) |
| Timing of Examination | To be announced later on the website |
| Language of the Paper | English Only |
| Websites | https://cmat.nta.nic.inย /ย https://nta.ac.in |
| Exam Conducting Body | National Testing Agency (NTA) |
| Mode of Exam | Online Computer-Based Test |
| Exam Difficulty Level | Easy to Moderate |
| Time Allotted | 180 minutes |
| Total Questions | 100 |
| Marking Scheme | +4 marks for every correct answer
-1 mark for each wrong answer |
CMAT 2026 Syllabus
While the NTA doesn’t release an official syllabus, we’ve compiled the most important topics for you to study based on our analysis of past years’ trends.ย
| LOGICAL REASONINGย | QUANTITATIVE TECHNIQUES AND DATA INTERPRETATION | LANGUAGE COMPREHENSIONย | GENERAL AWARENESS | INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIPย |
| Arrangementsย | Arithmetic | Para jumbles | Static GK | Government intervention and Entrepreneurship |
| Blood relations | Geometry | Fill in the blanks | Recent current affairs | Business and corporate affairs |
| Series | Algebra | Idioms and phrases | Significant national and international events | New investments and schemes |
| Statement conclusions | Number system | Reading comprehension | Business and economics | Policies related to entrepreneurshipย |
| Venn diagrams | Probability and set theory | Grammar | Important personalities | General economy |
| Coding/decoding | Permutation and combination | Language usage and rules | Important awards and their recipients | Adequacy of market |
| True/false statements | Charts and graphs | Vocabulary | Sports | |
| Puzzles | Tables | |||
| Visual reasoning | Venn diagram | |||
| Calendars | Data sufficiency |
Read more about the CMAT 2025 Syllabus here – CMATย 2025 Syllabus – Section-wise important topics
CMAT 2026 Exam Pattern
The CMAT exam pattern is very straightforward. There are five sections, each with 20 MCQ questions, worth 100 marks.ย
Scheme of Examination
Marking scheme:
โข For each correct response, candidate will get 04 (four) marks.
โข For each incorrect response, 01 (one) negative mark.
โข No marks for un-answered/un-attempted questions.
โข To answer a question, the candidate needs to choose one option as correct option.
โข However, after the process of Challenges of the Answer Key, in case there are multiple correct options or change in key, only those candidates who have attempted it correctly as per the revised Answer key will be awarded marks.
โข In case a Question is dropped due to some technical error, full marks shall be given to all the candidates irrespective of the fact who have attempted it or not.
โข Candidates get a total of 3 hours to attempt all the questions. For every correct answer, you’re awarded four marks. And for every wrong one, you lose one mark.
Read more about: CMAT Exam Pattern 2025 โ Check CMAT Paper Pattern, Duration, Marking Scheme
Top Colleges Accepting CMAT Score
| MBA COLLEGES | CITY | AVERAGE PLACEMENT (in lakhs)ย |
| GIM Goa | Sanquelim | 14.3 |
| KJ Somaiya Institute of Managementย | Mumbai | 12.23 |
| Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Managementย | Mumbai | 27.63 |
| BIMTECHย | Greater Noida | 11.00 |
| IFMR Graduate School of Business, Krea University | Sri Cityย | 13.50 |
| Welingkar | Mumbai | 12.25 |
| Amrita School of Businessย | Coimbatoreย | 6.72 |
| SIES | Mumbai | 8.70 |
| Jaipuria Institute of Management | Noida | 11.49 |
| Delhi School of Business | Delhi | 8.25 |
| National Insurance Academy | Pune | 12.50 |
| GITAM | Visakhapatnam | 8.00 |
| Jaipuria Institute of Management | Lucknow | 11.49 |
| Sri Balaji University | Pune | 8.25 |
| IMS | Ghaziabad | 8.25 |
| RV Institute of Management | Bangaloreย | 6.00 |
| Jaypee Business School | Noida | 5.96 |
| Pune Business School | Pune | 5.50 |
CMAT Registration 2026
Let’s watch this video to learn the CMAT registration with the help of our expert mentor:
The registration process for CMAT 2026 has already ended. It’s an online process that can be quickly completed as long as you have the proper documents in hand.ย
- Visit the official website of CMAT NTA and click on the CMAT 2026 Registration.
- Fill in with basic information to get your application number and password.ย
- Log back into the site with the new credentials and complete the application form.ย
- Upload all the necessary documents. Here are the documents you need:
- Scanned JPG/JPEG copy of your photograph between 10kb and 200kb.
- Scanned JPG/JPEG copy of your signature between 4kb and 30kb.
- Scanned JPG/JPEG copy of PwD certificate (if applicable) between 50kb and 300kb.Select a suitable payment option and complete the payment. Wait for the confirmation page to show. If it doesn’t, you might have to make the payment again.
CMAT Eligibility Criteria 2026
There are only two essential criteria that candidates need to fulfil:
- They need to have a valid undergraduate degree from a UGC-recognised college. Final-year students can also apply, but their admission will be subject to furnishing their passing certificate at the college. There is no minimum score requirement to sit for the test.ย
- There is no upper age limit, but the candidate must be at least 20 to sit for the test.ย
Candidates who do not fulfil the eligibility criteria will have their score nullified.ย
CMAT Reservation Policy
In the case of Institutes run by the Central Government, the reservation would be applicable as mentioned below:
i) 15% of the seats for Scheduled Castes (SC) candidates.
ii) 7.5% seats for Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates.
iii) 27% seats for Other Backward Classes (OBC) Non-Creamy Layer (NCL) candidates as per the Central List*.
iv) 10% of the seats for General Economically Weaker Sections (General – EWS) candidates.
v) Persons with Disability/Persons with Benchmark Disability โ 5% seats in each of the GENERAL, GEN-EWS, OBC- NCL, SC and ST category seats.
In the case of the Institutes run/aided/recognized by State Governments, the reservation policy of the respective State Governments shall be applicable.
What is the CMAT Exam Fees for 2026?
| Category/ PwD | Gender | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| General/ UR | Male | โน 2500/- |
| Female/ Third Gender | โน 1250/- | |
| OBC-NCL/ SC/ ST/ Gen-EWS/ PwD/ PwBD | Male | โน 1250/- |
| Female/ Third Gender | โน 1250/- |
Candidates are requested to fill in the Application Form very carefully.No corrections will be permitted once the Application Form is submitted.
CMAT Admit Card 2026
The admit cards will be released in January 2026, a few days after the city intimation slip is released. It is a critical piece of documentation without which you will not even be allowed to enter the exam centre, let alone give the paper. Apart from acting as your identity proof, it also contains all the details that will come in handy on exam day, such as your application number, photo, city, centre, exam time, and reporting time, amongst other information.ย
The admit card can be downloaded from the official website. Once the notification about the admit card is released, all you need to do is log in to cmat.ntaonline.inย using your official credentials. There will be an admit card tab on the home page itself. Download it from there and check for any discrepancies. If there are none, get a printout and carry it with you to the exam centre.
If any details donโt match, contact the concerned authorities and raise a ticket.
- CMAT Helpdesk Number – 011-69227700 / 011-40759000
- Email ID: cmat@nta.ac.in
CMAT Preparation 2026
To get admission into the top colleges with CMAT, you must craft a proper study plan focusing on the basics. Since the paper itself is considered easy, youโll need to score very high to break into top colleges like JBIMS and GIM Goa. Here are a few tips to kickstart your CMAT 2026 preparation.
- Before you begin your prep, give a mock test first. It’ll help you gauge your grasp of the topics.ย
- Based on your analysis of the mock test, identify your weaknesses and strengths.ย
- Create a study plan that focuses on boosting your weaknesses while maintaining hold over your strengths.
- Practise each topic thoroughly. Don’t forget to give mocks at regular intervals to measure your progress.ย
- Buy the right books for practice.ย
- Invest in the right coaching program. IMS has a comprehensive CMAT Test Series that gives you access to over 15 full-length mocks with detailed video solutions and analytics.ย Don’t forget to give as many mock tests as possible. They’ll help you understand the exam pattern, the types of questions, and their difficulty levels. Read more about CMAT Preparation 2025 โ How To Prepare For CMAT Exam? โ Tips, Tricks & Strategy
Watch a Video to Crack CMAT Exam: Expert Mentor Guide
CMAT 2026 Exam Centres
CMAT exam centres are spread across almost every state and union territory of India. Over 124 cities have test centres, making them easily accessible for aspirants from each corner of the country.ย
While filling out your application form, you can choose four centres, one of which will be allotted to you.ย
| State Name | CMAT City-Wise Exam Centres |
| Andaman And Nicobar | Port Blair |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Itanagar/Naharlagun |
| CMAT 2025 exam centres in Andhra Pradesh | Guntur |
| Kurnool | |
| Nellore | |
| Rajahmundry | |
| Tirupathi | |
| Vijayawada | |
| Visakhapatnam | |
| CMAT test centres in Assam |
Dibrugarh |
| Guwahati | |
| Jorhat | |
| CMAT 2025 exam centres in Bihar | Gaya |
| Muzaffarpur | |
| Patna | |
| CMAT exam centres in Chandigarh/Mohali | Chandigarh/Mohali |
| CMAT test cities in Chhattisgarh | Bhilai Nagar/Durg |
| Bilaspur |
|
| Raipur | |
| CMAT exam cities in Delhi | Delhi-NCR |
| CMAT test centres in Goa | Panaji |
| CMAT exam centres in Gujarat | Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar |
| Anand | |
| Bardoli | |
| Bhavnagar | |
| Bhuj | |
| Godhra |
|
| Jamnagar | |
| Junagadh | |
| Mehsana | |
| Modasa | |
| Porbandar | |
| Rajkot | |
| Surat | |
| Vadodara | |
| Valsad/Vapi | |
| CMAT exam centres in Haryana | Faridabad |
| Gurugram | |
| Ambala | |
| CMAT test centres in Himachal Pradesh | Hamirpur (Himachal Pradesh) |
| Shimla | |
| CMAT test cities in Jammu And Kashmir | Jammu |
| Srinagar | |
| Test centre of CMAT in Jharkhand | Dhanbad |
| Jamshedpur | |
| Bokaro | |
| Ranchi | |
| Exam centres of CMAT exam in Karnataka | Bengaluru |
| Dharwad/Hubballi (Hubli) | |
| Gulbarga | |
| Tumkuru | |
| Mangaluru(Mangalore) | |
| Mysuru(Mysore) | |
| CMAT exam cities in Kerala | Ernakulam |
| Alappuzha |
|
| Kannur | |
| Kottayam | |
| Kozhikode | |
| Mallapuram |
|
| Thiruvananthapuram | |
| Thrissur | |
| CMAT test centres in Lakshadweep | Kavaratti |
| CMAT Centres in Leh & Ladakh | Leh |
| CMAT exam centres in MP (Madhya Pradesh) | Bhopal |
| Balaghat |
|
| Betul | |
| Chhindwara | |
| Gwalior | |
| Indore | |
| Jabalpur | |
| Rewa |
|
| Satna | |
| Ujjain | |
| Sagar | |
| CMAT test centres in Maharashtra | Ahmednagar |
| Amravati | |
| Beed | |
| Bhandara | |
| Chandrapur | |
| Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar | |
| Dhule | |
| Gondiya | |
| Jalgaon | |
| Jalna |
|
| Kolhapur | |
| Latur | |
| Mumbai/Navi Mumbai | |
| Nagpur | |
| Nanded | |
| Nashik | |
| Pune | |
| Sangli |
|
| Satara | |
| Solapur | |
| Thane | |
| Yavatmal | |
| CMAT exam centres in Manipur | Imphal |
| CMAT test cities in Meghalaya | Shillong |
| CMAT exam centres in Mizoram | Aizawl |
| CMAT exam city in Nagaland | Dimapur |
| CMAT test cities in Odisha | Berhampur-Ganjam |
| Bhubaneswar | |
| Sambalpur | |
| CMAT exam cities in Puducherry | Puducherry |
| Exam centres of CMAT Punjab | Amritsar |
| Bhatinda | |
| Jalandhar/Phagwara | |
| CMAT test centres in Rajasthan | Jaipur |
| Jodhpur | |
| Kota | |
| Udaipur | |
| CMAT test cities in Tamil Nadu | Chennai |
| Coimbatore | |
| Madurai | |
| Salem | |
| Tiruchirappalli | |
| CMAT exam centres in Telangana | Hyderabad |
| Khammam | |
| Mahabubnagar | |
| Warangal | |
| CMAT test city in Tripura | Agartala |
| CMAT exam centres in Uttar Pradesh | Agra |
| Allahabad/Prayagraj | |
| Bareilly | |
| Gorakhpur | |
| Kanpur | |
| Lucknow | |
| Meerut | |
| Moradabad | |
| Varanasi | |
| CMAT test cities in Uttarakhand | Dehradun |
| Haldwani | |
| CMAT exam centres in West Bengal | Kolkata |
| Durgapur | |
| Siliguri |
| Region | State | City Name |
What are the Benefits of Appearing in CMAT 2026?
With over 70,000 choosing to take the CMAT exam, it is one of the most popular MBA entrances in the country. Candidates choose to take this test because
- This exam’s difficulty level is lower than that of the other premier exams, such as the CAT, XAT, and NMAT. Students can secure good marks on this test with less preparation.
- CMAT scores are accepted by over 1,300+ schools across India, making them accessible to people in tier 2, tier 3, and tier 4 towns as well.ย
- The registration fees for this test are lower than those for the CAT and XAT, making it more affordable for people from lower socioeconomic groups.
- The eligibility criteria to sit for this test are more relaxed. There are no minimum aggregate marks that students require to take the CMAT for their undergraduate degree.
- CMAT makes management education and a promising career accessible for all sections of society, even those who might not conventionally be able to sit for more complex, more expensive tests like the CAT.
CMAT 2026 Results
CMAT results are usually released towards the end of March, a month after the exam. They can be viewed on the official website by logging in. You will be given an absolute score and a percentile score. Rank holders will be informed of their ranks. The scores are only valid for the current academic year. College admissions depend on multiple factors, including the PI, GD, and WAT. Candidates will be given admission based on the overall score and cutoffs for individual colleges.
CMAT 2026 Expected Score vs Percentile
| CMAT Percentileย | CMAT Score |
| 100 | 345 โ 359 |
| 90 โ 99.99 | 296 โ 344 |
| 80 โ 89 | 230 โ 295 |
| 71 โ 79 | 181 โ 229 |
| 61 โ 70 | 131 โ 175 |
| 51 โ 60 | 115 โ 129 |
| 50 and below | Below 114 |
CMAT Cut-off Scores
Getting into the top colleges requires you to be among the top rankers of the exam. You require calibrated effort to crack the 99th percentile and stand any chance of getting into one of the top colleges.ย
| S. No. | College | CMAT Cutoff Percentile |
| 1. | JBIMS, Mumbai | 99.9+ |
| 2. | SIMSREE, Mumbai | 99+ |
| 3. | Goa Institute of Management | 95-99 |
| 4. | KJ Somaiya Institute of Management | 95-99 |
| 5. | The University of Pune, Dept of Management Sciences | 95-99 |
| 6. | Xavier Institute of Social Service, Ranchi | 95 |
Apart from these, you can target many other colleges like Welingkar, IFMR, Jaipuria, and Delhi School of Business with a percentile greater than 80%.
FAQs on CMAT Exam 2026
What is CMAT?
CMAT, or the Common Management Admission Test, is a leading national-level MBA/PGDM/PGPM/PGP admission test.
What is the CMAT eligibility?
Candidates only require an undergraduate degree from a UGC-recognised college to qualify for this test.
What is the age limit for CMAT?
There is no upper age limit for CMAT.
What is the CMAT syllabus?
The CMAT has five sections:
- Quantitative techniques and data interpretationย
- Logical reasoningย
- Language comprehension
- General awarenessย
- Innovation and entrepreneurship
How many attempts can you give for CMAT?
There is no upper limit on the number of attempts you can give.
Is CMAT easy to crack?
The CMAT exam is relatively easier to crack than CAT or XAT.
