CMAT Exam Analysis 2026
CMAT 2026 was conducted on January 25, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 noon. This year, there was only one test slot, unlike the two slots in previous years.
TEST OVERVIEW
The structure of the test and estimates of good attempts are as follows:
| Section | No Of Questions | Marks per Question | Maximum Marks | Good Attempts | Overall LOD |
| Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation | 20 | 4 | 80 | 16-17 | Easy |
| Logical Reasoning | 20 | 4 | 80 | 15-16 | Easy |
| Language Comprehension | 20 | 4 | 80 | 14-16 | Easy-Moderate |
| General Awareness | 20 | 4 | 80 | 10-11 | Moderate |
| Innovation and Entrepreneurship | 20 | 4 | 80 | 11-12 | Moderate |
| Total | 100 | 400 | 70-75 |
- The test had no sectional timing.
- Incorrect responses invited negative marks (-)1 for each incorrect response
VERDICT
Overall, the difficulty level of of CMAT 2026 was similar to that of CMAT 2025
As is the case generally with CMAT, this time too, time was not a constraining factor. Some of the questions in the five sections were sitters. However, some questions in both General Awareness and Innovation and Entrepreneurship sections were challenging. They could become the decisive questions and impact the overall percentile. Based on the feedback received from IMS candidates and experts, we expect the following cut-offs in CMAT 2026:
| Score | Percentile |
| 295 – 305 | 99.5+ |
| 275 – 285 | 99 |
| 255 – 265 | 95 |
| 235 – 245 | 90 |
| For B-School cut-offs, see Note ** at the end | |
SECTIONAL ANALYSIS
Quantitative Technique and Data Interpretation:
This section was relatively easy in terms of Level of Difficulty. Out of 20 questions in the section, 3 were on Data Interpretation and the remaining 17 were on Quantitative Technique. A set of 3 questions on Data Interpretation consisted of questions based on Table. These questions on Data Interpretation involved simple calculations.
The questions on Quantitative Techniques were dominated by questions on Arithmetic. Out of 17 questions on Quantitative Techniques, 7 questions were on Arithmetic, which included questions on Time and work, Ratio-Proportion, Profit & Loss, Percentages, Allegations and Mixtures and Clocks. There were 6 questions on Numbers, which includes Surds ,Indices,Fraction, Classification of Numbers, HCF-LCM. There were 3 questions on Geometry, 1 question on Modern Math zero questions on Algebra. Most of the questions on Quantitative Technique were easy.
| Area | No of Questions | Details | |||
| Easy | Medium | Difficult | Total | ||
| Arithmetic | 4 | 3 | 0 | 7 | Time and Work (1),Ratio-Proportion(1),Profit&Loss(2),clock(1), Allegations and Mixtures(1), Percentages(1) |
| Geometry | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | Triangles(1), Mensuration (1), Quadrilateral (1) |
| Modern Math | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Probability(1) |
| Numbers | 4 | 2 | 0 | 6 | Surds(1),indices(1),fraction(1), classification(1), HCF – LCM(1), Misc (1) |
| Algebra | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Data Interpretation | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Table (Set of 3 questions) |
Around 16 – 17 attempts in this section with 80% accuracy would be good.
Logical Reasoning:
Out of the 20 questions in this section, 16 were on Non-Verbal Reasoning and 4 questions were on Verbal Reasoning. All the questions were standalone questions and there were no set based questions.
The questions on Non-Verbal Reasoning were spread across different topics in Logical Reasoning such as Family tree, Directions, Cubes, Counting figures, Linear Arrangements, coding and clocks etc. The questions on Verbal Reasoning included questions such as Assertion Reason, Strong/Weak Arguments, Syllogisms, Analogy.
The questions were not lengthy and many questions were straightforward and very easy to solve.
| Area | No. of Qs. |
| Directions | 1 |
| Cubes | 1 |
| Counting figures | 2 |
| Linear Arrangement | 2 |
| Family tree | 3 |
| Clocks | 1 |
| Numerical Puzzle | 2 |
| Coding | 2 |
| Logical venn diagram | 1 |
| Alpha numeric | 1 |
| Verbal Reasoning | |
| Assertion Reason; Strong/Weak Argument; Syllogisms (3 statements); Analogy | 4 |
Around 15-16 attempts in this section, with 80% accuracy, would be a good attempt.
Language Comprehension:
The Language Comprehension Section consisted of 2 Reading Comprehension questions and 18 Non-RC questions. The passage was easy to read. The non-RC questions were largely easy as well with one or two moderate questions. The non RC questions were dominated by grammar topics such as prepositions, verb forms, compound sentences, in familiar question types like identifying the correct/incorrect sentence, sentence completion, assertion reason, etc.
| Area | No. of Qs. |
| ReadingComprehension – 1 Passage – 150 words Topic: Scientific theories |
2 |
| Cloze Passage (3 blanks) | 3 |
| Jumbled Sentence | 1 |
| Vocabulary (1 meaning of underlined idiom, 1 meaning of a phrase) | 2 |
| Grammar (compound sentence, verb forms, active-passive voice, reported speech, prepositions, degrees of comparison, miscellaneous) | 12 |
Around 14-16 attempts in this section with 80% accuracy would be good.
General Awareness:
Out of the 20 General Awareness questions, 19 were based on Static GK, with only 1 question on current affairs. The majority of questions were based on Indian events. Only a few questions were on international events. The questions were on science, sports, books, famous personalities, institutions, history, among others. Overall, this section was of medium difficulty level.
| Area | No. of Qs | Specifics/Topics |
| Static GK | 19 | Science (2q), Sports (2q), Management (3q), Indian history, awards, art, personalities, (7q), International awards institutions, etc (4q), books and authors, miscellaneous questions (2q) |
| Current Affairs | 1 |
10 to 11 attempts in this section with 80 % accuracy would be a good attempt.
Innovation and Entrepreneurship:
Out of the 20 questions, 17 were based on Business and Entrepreneurship concepts (bootstrapping, venture capital, factors impacting markets, qualities of entrepreneurs, ambidexterity theory, design thinking.). 3 questions were on Business GK. Overall, this section was of medium difficulty level.
11 to 12 attempts in this section with 80 % accuracy would be a good attempt.
**Note:
Approximate Cut-Off for CMAT Based colleges
The following B-School admissions (based on CMAT score) generally close at these percentiles:
MMS Programs – (All India Seats)
JBIMS – 99.99 percentile
Sydenham – 99.95+ percentile
KJ Somaiya – 99.94
Welingkar Institute Of Management- 99.9
PGDM Program
Great Lakes, Chennai – 90 + percentile + profile based
GOA Institute of Management – 95+ percentile
KJ Somaiya – 95 + percentile
IFMR – 85 + percentile
NIBM – 90 + percentile
Welingkar Institute Of Management – 70 + percentile (eligibility) + profile based