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Exams

The Common Admission Test (CAT) is a prestigious national entrance exam conducted annually by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) for admission into their MBA programs. Held on the last Sunday of November, the exam is administered in three time slots across more than 170 cities. There are 21 IIMs in total, comprising 7 established IIMs and 14 newer or "baby" IIMs. While the older IIMs use the CAT application form as both an exam and admission application, the newer and baby IIMs follow the Common Admission Process (CAP) to shortlist candidates for admission.

Exam Illustration

Overview

The three-hour online test is given in a single sitting and is designed to gauge a candidate's proficiency in a variety of areas, including quantitative technique, logical reasoning, language comprehension, innovation & entrepreneurship and general awareness. Every AICTE-Approved Institution, Department of a University, Constituent College, and Affiliated College accepts the CMAT score. Around 1,300 B-schools in India, including both public and private institutions like Great Lakes Institute of Management, JBIMS, SIMSREE, K J Somaiya, Welingkar, and PUMBA, accept the CMAT result.

Students who pass the exam can be assured of admission to a government-recognized institute that provides management programs. The Postgraduate Common Entrance Test (PGCET), which is administered by the state in thirteen states, is less likely than authorized government and private colleges, as well as prestigious business schools, to accept scores as the entrance to MBA admissions under the government quota. The following states: Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Nagaland, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Himachal Pradesh will recognize test results. With the creation of the National Testing Agency (NTA), it is anticipated that a greater number of accredited B-schools would accept scores.

 

Particulars

Details

Conducting Body

National Testing Agency

CMAT 2023 exam date

4th May 2023

Exam Level

National

Exam Frequency

Once a year

Exam Mode

Online

Exam Duration

3 hours

Exam Syllabus

Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation

Logical Reasoning

Language Comprehension & Verbal Ability

General Awareness

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Exam Pattern

100 questions in MCQ format

Language

English

CMAT Exam Fees

INR 2,000 (General category male)

INR 1,000 (General category female/reserved category students)

Exam Purpose

Admission to 1,300 MBA colleges

Course Offered

MBA/PGDM

No. of Test Cities

124

No. of applicants

70,000 (approx.)

 

CMAT Exam Strategy  

There are five sections in CMAT exam: 

1. Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation 

2. Logical Reasoning 

3. Language Comprehension 

4. General Awareness 

5. Innovation and entrepreunership

 

1. Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation 

i. Build the foundation: Understand the fundamentals of all topics like arithmetic,  algebra, and geometry (cover all the sub-topics). You should practice questions to  improve your speed and accuracy. This is imperative to solve the puzzles that appear  in the exam.  

ii. Shortcuts: Learn shortcuts and tips & tricks to solve problems quickly. This will  increase speed and save crucial time. 

iii. Practice the art of letting go: If you get stuck while solving the issue, skip to the next  question and try again later. It is better to skip the question than answering it  incorrectly. 

iv. Data Analysis: The capacity to analyze data provided in tables, graphs, and charts is  the goal of the data interpretation section. It entails analyzing or making decisions  based on mathematical data. Practice as many questions as possible through books and mocks to increase accuracy.

2. Logical Reasoning 

i. Topics: Statement and argument, blood connection, statement and conclusion,  coding and decoding, statement and assumptions, number series, and analogies ii. Candidates must answer a variety of issues of varying degrees of complexity with  speed and precision. 

3. Language Comprehension 

i. Topics: Para jumbles, reading comprehension, sentence completion, idioms and  phrases, one-word replacement, and synonym and antonym  

ii. So, in order to keep up with all of these types of questions on a regular basis, one  must read a variety of articles, novels, and books that are of personal interest and  choice. 

4. General Awareness

i. Take a brief glance at current government plans in the areas of the economy, the  environment, financial news, sports, politics, social concerns, significant business  events, well-known awards, world records, and foreign news.

ii. Concentrate solely on well-known and popular themes, as the majority of questions  are based on recent news or updates. So, every day, devote some time to reading  the newspaper or watching news or movies that will be remembered for a long time.

Eligibility criteria

The eligibility criteria for CMAT are:
1. The aspirant should be a graduate of any discipline.
2. Final year students of graduate courses (10+2+3) are also eligible for CMAT, provided the results are declared before the commencement of admission.
3. There’s no age limit for CMAT.
4. The candidate must be a citizen of India.

Answer key of the official NTA CMAT exam:

The NTA posts the CMAT answer key on the exam website a week before the results are announced. The CMAT answer key includes the CMAT question paper as well as the response sheet. Using their login credentials, test takers can obtain the CMAT 2023 answer key from the exam website. The following is the procedure for downloading the CMAT answer key 2023:

  • Visit the CMAT-NTA website.

  • Click the 'CMAT 2023 Answer Key Download' button.

  • Enter your application number, date of birth, and password.

  • On the dashboard, click the 'Answer Key' option.

  • Get the CMAT answer key there.

The NTA also provides the option to contest the official answer key. Under this clause, any candidate may challenge the official answer key by completing an online form and submitting supporting documentation. If the claim is validated, the CMAT answer key will be updated. After reviewing the objections filed, the CMAT 2023 result and final answer key will be prepared.

CMAT Cut-off

Nearly 1,300 B-Schools in India accept the CMAT test result for admission to various  MBA/PGDM programmes. Some of the most well-known MBA institutions that accept CMAT  results are listed below. 

Colleges Accepting CMAT Score

CMAT Expected Cut-Off Percentiles

JBIMS, Mumbai

99.9+

Goa Institute of Management

99.8

KJ Somaiya Institute of Management

99.20

SIMSREE, Mumbai

99+

Great Lakes Institute of Management

95-99

University of Pune, Dept of Management Sciences

96.42

Xavier Institute of Social Service, Ranchi

95

Welingkar Institute of Management, Mumbai

80+

Welingkar Institute of Management, Bangalore

80

Indian Institute of Information Technology & Management

85

IFIM, Bangalore

85

IFMR, Chennai

85

NIBM, Pune

85

NL Dalmiya Institute of Management

85

IMT Hyderabad

80

IMT Nagpur

85+

XISS Ranchi

80

ITM, Navi Mumbai

80

Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida

85

Xavier Business School, Xavier University

85

Great Lakes Institute of Management, Gurgaon

85

BIMTECH, Greater Noida

80

XIME, Bangalore

75+

ISBM, Pune

80

Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow

80

KIIT School of Management

80

IPE Hyderabad

80

SIES College of Management Studies, Navi Mumbai

80

Chetana Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai

80

 

 

The CMAT exam is divided into four sections: quantitative techniques and data interpretation, logical reasoning, language comprehension, and general awareness. Last year, an extra section called Innovation and Entrepreneurship was added. The following are essential CMAT syllabus topics:

Sections

Important Topics

Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation

Algebra, Geometry, Time-Speed-Distance, Allegation & Mixtures, Graph, Quadratic Equation, Linear Equations, Differential Equations

Logical Reasoning

Analytical Reasoning, Linear Arrangements, Number Series, Matrix Arrangements, Blood Relationship Tests

Language Comprehension

Reading Comprehension, Para–jumbles, Grammar, English Usage Errors

General Awareness

Current affairs, Economy, Business, World, Politics, Sports, Culture, Society

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Fundamental Concepts of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

 

CMAT Syllabus with Section Wise Weightage

The weightage of subjects included in the CMAT syllabus is equal in each section. CMAT exam paper 2023 will have 100 MCQs distributed evenly across all sections. Four marks will be awarded for each correct try, and one mark will be deducted for each incorrect attempt. The CMAT question paper breakdown is as follows:

 

Sections

Number of Questions

Marks Allotted

Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation

20

80

Logical Reasoning

20

80

Language Comprehension

20

80

General Awareness

20

80

Innovation & Entrepreneurship

20

80

 

CMAT Exam Pattern

The CMAT exam consists of MCQs, with no time restriction per section. Candidates have the  flexibility to move between the sections. Additionally, the applicants can choose between  two options: 

1. 4-section exam – 3 hours 

2. 5-section exam – 3.5 hours 

The merit score and % is calculated using only the first four parts. The CMAT scorecard  shows the actual score out of 400/500, the sectional score, and the sectional and overall  percentiles in the exam.

 

Exam Sections 

No. of Qs 

Max Marks 

Marks per Q 

Penalty per Q

Language  

Comprehension 

25 

100 

+4 

-1

Quantitative  

Techniques and Data  Interpretation

25 

100 

+4 

-1

Logical Reasoning 

25 

100 

+4 

-1

General Awareness 

25 

100 

+4 

-1

Innovation and  

Entrepreneurship 

(Included only in 5- 

section exam)

25 

100 

+4 

-1

Total 

125 

500 

-

Marking scheme

According to the CMAT 2023 marking scheme:

  • A candidate will be awarded +4 marks for each right answer.

  • A -1 mark will be deducted for each wrong response.

  • Unanswered/unattempted questions will receive no credit.

  • If a question is ignored or dropped, all students will receive a +4, regardless of whether the question was answered correctly or not.

 
 
Admit Card

The CMAT 2023 admit card will be available on the exam's official website. Candidates who have successfully registered will be able to download their CMAT admission card. The following is the procedure for downloading the CMAT admission card from the NTA website:

  • Go to the official website

  • Click on admit card section

  • Enter your email ID and password

  • Download admit card

  • The CMAT admit card has the following details:

1. Photo

2. Name and signature of the candidate

3. CMAT Roll number

4. Test date

5. Time

6. Reporting time at the venue

7. Venue name

8. Venue address

9. Brief instructions for the candidate

 The candidates are advised to check the details and take two printouts of the CMAT admit card. In case of any discrepancy or inability to take a printout, the candidates must contact the CMAT helpdesk at the following phone number:  011-69227700, 011-40759000

It is mandatory to carry a copy of the admit card to the exam center. Candidates not carrying their admit cards will not be allowed to appear in the exam. Thus, they must download their admit cards as hard copies of the same will not be sent to anyone.

The candidates are advised to keep their admit cards safely with them till the admission process is over.

Process

CMAT comprises these steps:

STEP 1: Application process
To apply for CMAT, candidates need to register on the official CMAT website as new users. On successful registration, a login ID will be shared which can be used for all login purposes.

STEP 2: Admit Card
CMAT admit cards will be available for download on the official website, as per the schedule. Registered candidates can download their admit cards till the day before the exam.