MBA / Management Entrance · Higher study

CMAT

Common Management Admission Test

National-level test accepted by over 1,000 AICTE-approved MBA/PGDM institutes, including JBIMS Mumbai, SIMSREE, K J Somaiya, GLIM Chennai and Goa Institute of Management.

Eligibility

Graduates in any discipline, and final-year students whose results are due before admission, are eligible. There is no minimum percentage for the test, no age limit and no attempt cap. Indian nationals only.

Age limit: No age limit

Exam pattern

Computer-based test of 3 hours in a single shift with 100 MCQs for 400 marks, in five sections of 20 questions each: Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Language Comprehension, General Awareness, and Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Each correct answer earns +4 and each wrong answer costs -1. There are no sectional time limits.

Syllabus at a glance

Quant covers arithmetic, algebra, geometry and DI charts at moderate difficulty. Logical Reasoning covers series, coding-decoding, blood relations, arrangements and syllogisms. Language Comprehension tests RC, grammar, vocabulary and para-jumbles. General Awareness covers current affairs and static GK, and the Innovation and Entrepreneurship section covers startup ecosystem, government schemes, business terminology and entrepreneurship concepts.

Upcoming dates

Event	Date	Status
CMAT 2027 notification and registration opens	Late Oct - Nov 2026	expected
Last date to register	Late Nov - Dec 2026	expected
Admit card release	Mid-Jan 2027	expected
CMAT 2027 exam	Late Jan - early Feb 2027	expected
Result	Feb 2027	expected

Expected dates follow the usual calendar; confirm on the official notification before planning.

Free prep material

Official

CMAT official portal (NTA)

Information bulletin, syllabus, answer keys and past question papers released by NTA.

Official

NTA main website

Public notices, exam calendar and links to NTA mock test platforms.

Previous papers

Cracku CMAT previous papers

Free past CMAT papers with solutions for practising section-wise.

Study material

Startup India

Official source on startup schemes and policy, which is useful for the Innovation and Entrepreneurship section.

Study material

PIB (Press Information Bureau)

Government releases for current-affairs and scheme-based General Awareness questions.

Standard books

Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations - R.S. Aggarwal
A Modern Approach to Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning - R.S. Aggarwal
Word Power Made Easy - Norman Lewis
Manorama Yearbook
The Pearson Guide to CMAT - Pearson (editorial)

How toppers play it

General Awareness and Innovation and Entrepreneurship together carry 160 of 400 marks and can be learnt by rote. Many top scorers gain their edge here, so revise them daily.
With +4/-1 marking, you only need to eliminate one option for a guess to pay off on average. Answer any question where you can rule out one or two choices.
Do the quick sections first (GA and I&E in about 30 minutes), then Language Comprehension and Logical Reasoning, and leave Quant/DI for last.
JBIMS and similar colleges need around 99+ percentile, so accuracy in the easy sections matters more than attempting tough quant questions.