Everything about CMAT 2026
— updated for this cycle.
Dates, pattern, syllabus, eligibility, and the colleges that accept it. All updated for this admission cycle.
READ ON7 MIN READ
- CONDUCTED BYNTANational Testing Agency
- MODEComputer-basedSingle session · 9 AM-12 PM
- DURATION3 hoursNo sectional time limit
- FREQUENCYOnce a yearLast week of January
- APPLICATION FEE₹2,500₹1,250 · female & reserved
- 012345678901234567890123456789days to goLate Jan 2027
READ ON7 MIN READ
SECTIONS5QTDI · LR · LC · GA · I&E
QUESTIONS10020 per section · all MCQ
TOTAL MARKS400+4 / -1 negative
ASPIRANTS53k'26 registrations · ~46k appeared
IIM SEATSJBIMS + statePremier catch is JBIMS Mumbai
JUMP STRAIGHT TO
01 OVERVIEW
What CMAT actually is.
Background context, in two paragraphs. Skip ahead if you've already taken it before.
CMAT is conducted annually by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for admission to MBA and PGDM programmes at AICTE-approved institutes. Scores are accepted by JBIMS Mumbai, SIMSREE, PUMBA, K J Somaiya, Welingkar, Goa Institute of Management, and over 1,000 other B-schools across India.
CMAT is generally considered less difficult than CAT or XAT, but it's the primary gateway to Maharashtra's top state-quota colleges — JBIMS, SIMSREE, PUMBA. The exam has five sections including a mandatory Innovation & Entrepreneurship section that's unique to CMAT. There are no sectional time limits, which gives you flexibility but also makes time management critical.
THE APPLYO FRAMEOne profile, multiple CMAT-accepting colleges.
That's what Applyo is built for.
That's what Applyo is built for.
02 TIMELINE
Important dates
— 2026 cycle.
Indicative dates, anchored against the 2025 calendar. Notification confirms the actual schedule.
Last year's notification (CMAT 2025)For reference / pattern continuity
Oct 2025
Official notification expectedReleased on cmat.nta.nic.in
Mid Oct 2026
Registration window opensForm, fee, photo, signature, category certificate
~17 Oct 2026
Registration closesForm correction window opens after close
~25 Nov 2026
City intimation slipExam city allotted · admit card follows
Early Jan 2027
Admit card downloadCentre + reporting time · no reschedule
~14 Jan 2027
CMAT 2027 exam dateLast week of January · 9:00 AM-12:00 PM · single session
Sun, 24 Jan 2027
Provisional answer keyWindow to raise objections (₹200/question)
Late Jan 2027
Results & scorecardSectional + overall percentiles
Mid Feb 2027
03 ELIGIBILITY
Eligibility &
exam pattern.
The two questions every aspirant lands on first: am I eligible? and what does the paper look like?
Eligibility · Who can apply
Three conditions. That's it.
- Bachelor's degree in any disciplineThree-year degree minimum · no minimum percentage required to apply
- Final-year students are eligibleProvisional certificate accepted · most colleges expect 50% (45% reserved) at admission
- Indian nationals only · no upper age limitNo cap on number of attempts across years
SEAT RESERVATION AT IIMSPer Ministry of Education policy. Valid category certificate required at registration.
27%NC-OBC
15%SC
7.5%ST
10%EWS
5%PwD
Exam Pattern · Structure
Five sections. Three hours. No sectional limits.
| SECTION | QUES | MARKS | TIME |
|---|---|---|---|
| QTDIQuantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation | 20 | 80 | No sectional limit |
| LRLogical Reasoning | 20 | 80 | No sectional limit |
| LCLanguage Comprehension | 20 | 80 | No sectional limit |
| GAGeneral Awareness | 20 | 80 | No sectional limit |
| I&EInnovation & Entrepreneurship | 20 | 80 | No sectional limit |
| Total | 100 | 400 | 180 min |
Correct+4 marks
Incorrect-1 mark
UnattemptedNo penalty
Section switchFree · no order
04 SYLLABUS
What's actually tested.
Broken down by section, with the topic weights we observed in the last three CAT papers.
QTDI
Quant & DI
Class 10-12 level math. Easier than CAT QA but with broader topic coverage. DI is straightforward graphs and tables.
Arithmetic
~7Q
Algebra
~4Q
Geometry & Mensuration
~3Q
Number System
~2Q
Data Interpretation
~4Q
LR
Logical Reasoning
More puzzle-heavy than CAT DILR. Direct, single-question formats more than caselets.
Analytical reasoning
~6Q
Series & analogies
~4Q
Blood relations & directions
~3Q
Statement-conclusion
~4Q
Coding-decoding
~3Q
LC
Language Comprehension
Easier than CAT VARC. Direct comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar. Less inference-heavy.
Reading Comprehension
~10Q
Vocabulary & idioms
~4Q
Grammar & sentence correction
~3Q
Para-jumbles
~3Q
GA
General Awareness
Static GK + current affairs + business news. Counts toward percentile, unlike XAT GK.
Current affairs
~7Q
Business & economy
~5Q
Static GK & history
~4Q
Science & technology
~2Q
Sports & awards
~2Q
I&E
Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Theoretical questions on entrepreneurship concepts, start-up ecosystem, and innovation frameworks. Mandatory since 2022.
Entrepreneurship concepts
~6Q
Start-up ecosystem & funding
~5Q
Innovation frameworks
~4Q
Govt schemes (Startup India etc.)
~3Q
Famous entrepreneurs & cases
~2Q
05 APPLICATION
How to apply for CMAT 2026.
The CMAT form on cmat.nta.nic.in takes about 20 minutes if your scanned documents are ready and you've decided on test cities.
01
Register on cmat.nta.nic.inEmail and phone number. NTA generates an application number — store it; you'll need it for every login and the admit card download.
02
Fill personal & academic details10th, 12th, graduation marks (or expected). Category, gender, PwD status, and nationality.
03
Upload photograph, signature & documentsJPEG only · photo 10-200 KB · signature 4-30 KB · category and PwD certificates if applicable.
04
Choose your test citiesUp to four cities in order of preference. CMAT runs in 124 cities across India — final allotment depends on capacity.
05
Pay the application fee₹2,500 (General male) or ₹1,250 (female, SC/ST/OBC/EWS/PwD, third gender). UPI, net-banking, debit and credit cards accepted.
06
Form correction window (one-time)NTA opens a single editing window after registration closes. Use it to fix typos in name, category, or photo — the only chance you get.
07
Download admit card (~10-14 days before exam)Verify your name, photo, exam-centre address, and reporting time. Carry a printed copy and a valid government ID to the centre.
06 FAQ
Things aspirants
ask us about CMAT.
Can't find what you're looking for?
Generally yes — CMAT questions are at school-level difficulty across most sections. But the competition for top colleges like JBIMS is tight: you need 99+ percentile, which means very few mistakes across 100 questions.
Still have questions?
Can't find what you're looking for? Please chat to our friendly team.