Anisha has done MBA in Marketing from NMIMS And Executive Management(PMNO) from Harvard Business School. She has been instrumental in growing CATKing Digital with her experience with Marico and Henkel in the past.
Differences and similarities? Which one is easier?
So this is the time of the year when not only choosing a college is difficult. But choosing which exams to give is even more complicated. MBA has a wide number of exams like NMAT, SNAP, and CET. Which aims at different colleges which makes it normal to be in a dilemma. A lot of students prefer to give all the exams. But ultimately it complicates your preparations. In this article, we will look at the NMAT VS SNAP, the differences, and the similarities. And the points you shall consider.
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Moreover, your choice of exam should be based on:
- Firstly, your goal
- Secondly, the type of career you want
- After that, the specialization you want to choose
- Most importantly, the college you want to get into
- Once you have all this figured out. Then it’s time to decide the exam you want to give.
Also, check courses specially created by mentors of Top B-schools
NMAT VS SNAP difference: Paper pattern
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NMAT
| Exam Pattern | Details |
| Sections | 1. Language skills 2. Logical reasoning 3. Quantitative skills and data interpretation(DI) |
| No. of questions | 108 |
| Total marks | 360 |
| Medium/Language | English |
| Duration of exam | 120 minutes, i.e 2 hours |
| Mode of examination | Online |
Section-wise distribution of marks:
| Subjects | Total Questions | Time allotted | Score range |
| Language skills | 36 | 28 minutes | 12-120 |
| Logical reasoning | 36 | 40 minutes | 12-120 |
| Quantitative skills and Data Interpretation (DI) | 36 | 52 minutes | 12-120 |
| Total | 108 | 120 | 36-360 |
Also: Click here to take the Free NMAT mock test
SNAP
Check out the Top 10 MBA colleges in Mumbai
| Exam Pattern | Details |
| Sections | 1. General English 2. Analytical & Logical reasoning 3.Quantitative- Data Sufficiency and data interpretation |
| No. of questions | 60 |
| Total marks | 60 |
| Medium/Language | English |
| Duration of exam | 60 minutes, i.e 1 hour |
| Mode of examination | Online |
Section-wise distribution of marks:
| Section | Questions | Marks Per
Correct Answer |
Total Marks |
| General English: Reading Comprehension, Verbal Reasoning, Verbal Ability | 15 | 1 | 15 |
| Analytical & Logical Reasoning | 25 | 1 | 25 |
| Quantitative, Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency | 20 | 1 | 20 |
| Total | 60 | 60 |
Also: For preparation with SNAP Experts join our Courses
SNAP VS NMAT: Difficulty levels:
So both NMAT and SNAP exams are essentially speed-based tests. However, as per the NMAT pattern, test takers get 120 minutes to solve 120 questions. In addition, there is a sectional time limit for the NMAT exam. As a result, candidates do not get a chance to switch between sections. But have to follow a systematic order to answer questions. But there is no negative marking in the NMAT exam.
On the other hand, the SNAP pattern suggests test-takers will get 120 minutes to answer 130 questions. So on average, test takers get around 48 seconds per question to complete answering questions within the stipulated time. Further, unlike NMAT, in the SNAP exam, there is a negative marking. But no sectional timing. Which allows test takers to switch between sections at one’s convenience.
SNAP VS NMAT: Marking scheme
SNAP
General English
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- The marking scheme for normal questions in this section has been increased from 1 to 1.5 therefore the verbal section will have 34 questions making a total of 51 marks for this section (no special questions).
Analytical and Logical Reasoning
- The marking scheme for normal questions in this section has also been increased from 1 to 1.5 so the verbal section will have 36 questions making a total of 54 marks for this section (no special questions).
Quantitative – Data sufficiency and data interpretation (DI)
How to save time in Quants and DI
- This section will have normal questions of 1 mark each and 5 special questions (non-MCQ questions) which will be of 2 marks each.
- These questions are Type in type-out (TITA) based questions that the student has to type.
- Quantitative- DI & DS section will have 35 normal questions and 5 special questions and the total marks will be 45 marks.
In NMAT,
So you will get 3 marks for each correct answer. With 120 questions, you get a total of 360 marks. The marks are also scaled down in NMAT. Which is not the case in SNAP.
Negative marking:
- NMAT has no negative marking for wrong answers which is a blessing! SNAP has a negative 25% marking scheme for every wrong answer (except for TITA questions).
- This is why you can freely mark answers for NMAT and maximize your attempts.
- In SNAP, you have to carefully select your questions and answer them, every mark counts!
- This is a huge difference in SNAP vs NMAT that aspirants need to consider while forming their strategy to crack these exams.
SNAP VS NMAT: Cut-offs
- The colleges accepting the SNAP score take into account the overall score. Which means there is no sectional cut-off as such. In addition, the expected cut-off is between 53-58 marks. That may fetch 93 to 96 percentile for SIBM Pune and SCMHRD Pune.
- However, in the case of the NMAT score, there is a sectional as well as an overall score. The expected score is 240+. out of 360. However, the chances of getting selected are when the score is above 240+.
Colleges accepting the score:
- For NMAT, SVKM’s NMIMS and other 40+ colleges accept the score. Colleges like Xaviers TAPMI and Flame Univ. accept the NMAT score.
- For SNAP 15 participating symbiosis colleges and a few other colleges.
Also read: Everything you need to know about SNAP
The above article also has various Symbiosis institutes with their respective cut-offs.
Mode of exam:
So both exams are conducted once a year through online mode. However, there is a slight difference in the mode of the exam. SNAP is conducted only on one day from 2 pm to 4 pm. The place and time both are predetermined. And you cannot make any changes to that. If you miss the exam, you cannot appear for it for the entire year.
This is however not the case for NMAT. You can give 3 attempts in NMAT, with a 75-day window between the two exams. You can also choose your own place and time for the exam. The NMAT season starts from September – October and goes on till December, within which you can give your three attempts.
Allocation of points considered while selection:
SNAP
| Criteria | Points allotted |
| SNAP exam score | 50 |
| Group Exercise(GE) | 10 |
| Personal Interview (PI) | 30 |
| Written Ability Test (WAT) | 10 |
One thing to take note of is that after the written exams are done, the weightage given to them also differs for both exams. In the case of NMAT, 70% of weightage goes to your NMAT score, while 30% is allocated to your experience, GDPI performance, achievements, etc. This is a massive weightage on your score, so make sure that you give a lot of focus to your NMAT score first. Merely getting through the cut-off will not be enough to get into NMIMS.
Also read: NMAT difficulty level
On the other hand, SNAP, although the criteria of weightage differ from college to college, they usually don’t give too much weightage to the SNAP score once you clear the college’s cut-off. But getting a high score in itself is a task, so don’t ignore your preparations for SNAP. As you can see in the above table, SNAP gives enough and equal weightage to the parts of the selection process.
Competition
So both colleges offer admissions to MBA/PGDM programs with top institutes. However, the number of applicants is more for NMAT as compared to SNAP. Every year nearly 90,000 students apply for NMAT.
The reason is other institutes like IBS, and Xaviers accept NMAT. On the other hand, SNAP has 50,000-60,000 applicants. SNAP score is also accepted by 15 participating Symbiosis institutes. Apart from that few other colleges accept SNAP.
Also read: 10 must-read books for MBA aspirants
So which one is easier?
The answer to this question depends upon your preferences. If you wish to seek admission opportunity in Symbiosis institutes. Then you should appear in SNAP. But if your interest is to do MBA from NMIMS Mumbai, you should appear for NMAT. Also because both the exams are speed-based, it’s up to your preference.
Generally, students appearing for both exams are the same. So you can apply for both and select accordingly. Even though NMAT does not have negative markings. But it is difficult as the portion is more detailed. And also the time allotted by them. However, both exams demand different strategies, planning, and focus, and you need to frame your mindset in that manner when you attempt these papers.
The best way, as we’ve mentioned in all our articles, is to keep giving mocks! That’s the only way you get the required practice and keep making yourself better and better till the actual exam day arrives. Remember, keep practicing, and don’t give up.
Thank you for reading this article. I hope it helps in your selection and preparation.
Happy Learning! All the best!
Related links:
SNAP Papers|SNAP Mocks|SNAP Courses|NMAT Mocks|NMAT Courses
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