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 ON

7 MIN READ

CONDUCTED BY
NTANational Testing Agency
MODE
Computer-basedSingle session · 9 AM-12 PM
DURATION
3 hoursNo sectional time limit
FREQUENCY
Once a yearLast week of January
APPLICATION FEE
₹2,500₹1,250 · female & reserved
012345678901234567890123456789days to go
Late Jan 2027

READ ON

7 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.

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 IIMS

27%NC-OBC

15%SC

7.5%ST

10%EWS

5%PwD

Per Ministry of Education policy. Valid category certificate required at registration.

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

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

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

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.

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.

Fill personal & academic details10th, 12th, graduation marks (or expected). Category, gender, PwD status, and nationality.

Upload photograph, signature & documentsJPEG only · photo 10-200 KB · signature 4-30 KB · category and PwD certificates if applicable.

Choose your test citiesUp to four cities in order of preference. CMAT runs in 124 cities across India — final allotment depends on capacity.

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.

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.

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.

Visit the official CMAT website

Colleges that use
CMAT score.

Where a CMAT score can take you.

XLRI

Jamshedpur, Jharkhand

Total Fees~₹30.6 lakhs

Average CTC₹28.68 LPA

JBIMS

Mumbai, Maharashtra

Total Fees~₹6 lakhs

Average CTC₹26.10 LPA

IMI New Delhi

New Delhi, NCT of Delhi

Total Fees~₹22.0 lakhs

Average CTC₹16.73 LPA

SIMSREE

Mumbai, Maharashtra

Total Fees~₹70k

Average CTC₹15.24 LPA

KJSIM

Mumbai, Maharashtra

Total Fees~₹22.3 lakhs

Average CTC₹12.45 LPA

View All

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.

Get ready for CMAT 2026.
Apply in one click when forms open.

Build your Applyo profile once — academics, work history, documents. The moment CMAT applications open, you're ready.

Everything about CMAT 2026 — updated for this cycle.

What CMAT actually is.

Important dates — 2026 cycle.

Eligibility & exam pattern.

Three conditions. That's it.

Five sections. Three hours. No sectional limits.

What's actually tested.

Quant & DI

Logical Reasoning

Language Comprehension

General Awareness

Innovation & Entrepreneurship

How to apply for CMAT 2026.

Colleges that use CMAT score.

Things aspirants ask us about CMAT.

Still have questions?

Get ready for CMAT 2026.Apply in one click when forms open.

Everything about CMAT 2026
— updated for this cycle.

Important dates
— 2026 cycle.

Eligibility &
exam pattern.

Colleges that use
CMAT score.

Things aspirants
ask us about CMAT.

Get ready for CMAT 2026.
Apply in one click when forms open.