NMAT 2026: Should You Take It? NMIMS Mumbai 209 Cutoff, Exam Pattern, Placements and Last 20-Day Strategy

 

 

Why Should You Spend on NMAT for NMIMS Mumbai?

A 62 percentile in CAT will not get you a call from any top institute. In NMAT, a 62 percentile equivalent of 209 gets you an interview call from NMIMS Mumbai. NMIMS stands neck to neck with new IIMs such as IIM Udaipur, Raipur, Ranchi and Trichy. For average package, it is about 24 lakh rupees at NMIMS against about 20 lakh at those IIMs. There is no IIM tag, and the batch is large, but nearly 190 companies come on campus.

You pay about 3,000 rupees for NMAT, plus about 2,900 rupees for the separate NMIMS form. 

What Is the NMAT 2026 Exam Pattern?

NMAT is about LOD 1 in difficulty, though it is a speed-based exam. The exam is 120 minutes with 108 questions.

 

Is there negative marking in NMAT?

There is no negative marking in NMAT, but a pro tip: do not leave any question unattempted. If you leave the last questions of a section blank, your marks will be cut, as in GMAT, which is the parent company that conducts the exam. Choose an answer and mark it for every question before the section ends.

Can you choose the section order and the date?

Yes. Unlike CAT, you can choose the section order, your date and your slot. NMAT is also an adaptive exam: the questions change depending on how you attempt the paper. Toppers from the CATKing family who are now inside NMIMS recommend doing Verbal first, then Logical Reasoning, then Quant.

How Is the NMAT Verbal Section Structured?

The Language Skills section has 36 questions in 28 minutes. It covers analogies, passages, grammar, sentence correction and sentence completion, so the CAT Verbal Ability questions help. You need to read some grammar at a very basic level, such as where the apostrophe s goes and what the present continuous is. Taking the official mock will also help, and the first paper should start with Verbal.

What Does NMAT Logical Reasoning Test?

Logical Reasoning has two halves of 50 percent each.

 

The Critical Reasoning part is a new section for most CAT students. Use the GMAT Official Guide, which has 120 questions. The levels are quite easy, so you do not need all of them: if you finish the first 60 to 70 questions, about 50 percent of your Logical Reasoning is done. NMAT is a preparation-based exam, and even 8 to 10 days of preparation puts you in good shape.

What Does NMAT Quant Cover for Non-Maths Profiles?

• Level: easy, with Number System and the Remainder Theorem.

• Calculator: there is no calculator in NMAT.

• Arithmetic: about 2 questions from Time, Speed and Distance and 2 from Time and Work, and similar topics.

• DI and DS: 10 to 12 questions, with Quant and DI combined into 36 questions.

Because Quant and DI are combined, students whose maths is weaker can still consider NMAT. Learn arithmetic well and you are good to go.

How Should You Plan the Last 20 Days Before NMAT?

• NMAT Maximizer: CATKing students have the NMAT Maximizer book on the dashboard. 

• NMAT mocks 15 to 20: CATKing's team takes the real NMAT and builds these mocks based on the exact paper, so take mocks 15 to 20. Check NMAT mocks- https://courses.catking.in/courses/nmat-mocks

•  CATKing also runs an NMAT and SNAP bootcamp where nmat and snap toppers teach Mon - Fri 9-10 pm. Check catking nmat course- https://courses.catking.in/courses/nmat

• Free mock: a free "NMAT before NMAT" mock is released for everyone, and students take the exam and report back. Check free mocks by CATKing- https://catking.in/mockanalysis

More than 200 CATKing students are studying inside NMIMS Mumbai.

What Are the NMIMS Mumbai Placement Numbers?

 

The recruiters include Goldman Sachs, Nomura, Bank of America, Barclays, Microsoft, Flipkart and Google. CATKing's mentor, who has recruited from NMIMS for the last 15 years, says the placement numbers are all weighted, and the average looks lower only because of the big batch size.

What is the campus like?

It is a  campus with a five-star building and a Bombay exposure. The college is 40 years old. NMIMS Mumbai has a residential hostel with limited seats, and most students stay outside in groups of four or five. CATKing's view is that NMIMS ranks a little higher than BITSoM, which is a relatively newer school.

What Happens After You Cross 209?

You take a short competency test of 30 minutes and a 10 to 12 minute AI-based interview, which is very easy. You need to fill a separate NMIMS form in addition to the NMAT form.

Which Other Colleges Accept NMAT?

• SDA Bocconi: the Ahmedabad of Europe, with one semester abroad.

• TAPMI Manipal: a school with a 40-year legacy.

• Great Lakes: the one-year flagship programme averages around 17 to 18 lakh rupees.

• SOIL Gurgaon and Woxsen University: profile-based schools, worth considering if your score is a little below 209 and your profile is good.

NMAT 2026: Quick-Reference

 

What Should CAT 2026 Aspirants Do Now?

• Register now: NMAT registration closes on October 31, and the NMIMS form is separate.

• Take the free mock and then the NMAT mocks 15 to 20.

• Learn Critical Reasoning from the first 60 to 70 GMAT Official Guide questions.

• Keep CAT in focus: read our 30 days to CAT guide.

Frequently Asked Questions About NMAT 2026 and NMIMS Mumbai

Should you take NMAT 2026?

CATKing's advice is to take it. A 209 NMAT score, which is about a 62 percentile, can get you an interview call from NMIMS Mumbai, whereas a 62 percentile in CAT will not get you a call from any top institute.

What is the NMIMS Mumbai cutoff in NMAT?

209, which is equal to about a 62 percentile in NMAT. Once you cross 209, you get an interview call, and students have converted into the Core, Digital Transformation and HR programmes at 209.

What is the NMAT 2026 exam pattern?

NMAT is a speed-based exam of 108 questions in 120 minutes. Language Skills has 36 questions in 28 minutes, Logical Reasoning 36 questions in 40 minutes, and Quantitative Skills (Quant and DI combined) 36 questions in 52 minutes.

How difficult is NMAT compared with CAT?

CATKing places NMAT at about LOD 1, which is easier than CAT. It is a speed-based and preparation-based exam, so even 8 to 10 days of focused preparation can put you in good shape.

Is there negative marking in NMAT?

No. There is no negative marking in NMAT. But never leave a question unattempted: if you leave questions blank at the end of a section, your marks get cut, as in GMAT. Choose and mark an answer for every question.

Can you choose the section order in NMAT?

Yes. Unlike CAT, you can choose which section to attempt first. Based on toppers from the CATKing family who are now inside NMIMS, the recommended order is Verbal first, then Logical Reasoning, then Quant.

Can you choose your NMAT date and slot?

Yes. You can choose your date and slot. NMAT is also an adaptive exam, which means the questions change depending on how you attempt the paper.

What is tested in the NMAT Language Skills section?

Analogies, cloze passages, grammar, sentence correction and sentence completion. You will need to read a little more grammar, such as where the apostrophe s goes and what the present continuous is, at a very basic level.

What is tested in NMAT Logical Reasoning?

50 percent of the section is Critical Reasoning: assumptions, weakening, strengthening, arguments and course of action. The other 50 percent is Input-Output, Deductions and Venn Diagrams, which you may not have studied for CAT.

How should you prepare for NMAT Critical Reasoning?

Use the GMAT Official Guide, which has 120 questions. You do not need all of them, because the level is easy. If you finish the first 60 to 70 questions, about 50 percent of your Logical Reasoning is done.

What is tested in NMAT Quant?

Number System and the Remainder Theorem, Arithmetic (about 2 questions each from Time, Speed and Distance and Time and Work), and 10 to 12 Data Interpretation and Data Sufficiency questions. There is no on-screen calculator.

What is the average package at NMIMS Mumbai?

The average package is 24.6 lakh rupees and the highest is about 41 lakh rupees. The top 10 percent of the batch averages 31.25 lakh rupees, and the top 30 percent about 27 lakh rupees.

How many seats does NMIMS Mumbai have in 2026?

 600 in Core, 120 in HR, 120 in Analytics, 120 in Pharma and 60 in Digital Transformation.

Which companies recruit at NMIMS Mumbai?

Nearly 190 companies come on campus, including 76 Fortune 500 companies. Goldman Sachs, Nomura, Bank of America, Barclays, Microsoft, Flipkart and Google are among them. About 30 percent of the batch, roughly 300 students, gets a PPO.

What happens after you get an NMIMS Mumbai call?

You take a short competency test of 30 minutes and then a 10 to 12 minute AI-based interview, which  are very easy.

Which other colleges accept NMAT?

SDA Bocconi (with a semester abroad), TAPMI Manipal, Great Lakes (whose one-year flagship programme averages around 17 to 18 lakh rupees), SOIL Gurgaon and Woxsen University. Several of them are profile-based, so they are worth keeping on your radar if your score is slightly below 209.

What is CATKing?

CATKing is a Mumbai-based MBA entrance exam coaching company founded by Sumit Singh, offering preparation for CAT, XAT, NMAT, SNAP, CET, GMAT, and GRE through online and offline classes. Should you apply for NMAT 2026? Many students think NMAT is an expensive exam and that their budget is already over. CATKing's answer is to take it. At NMIMS Mumbai, a 209 NMAT score, equal to about a 62 percentile, can get you an interview call, and NMIMS Mumbai stands neck to neck with the new IIMs on average packages. Here is the exam pattern, the cutoff, the placements and a last-20-day plan.