CMAT 2023 Analysis (Shift 1 OUT): Check Difficulty Level of Question Paper

Common Management Admission Test 2026 ( CMAT )

DeskCalelnderRegistration - 17 Oct '25 - 24 Nov '25

Vipra
Vipra Shrivastava
Senior Manager - Content
Updated on May 4, 2023 14:48 IST

CMAT 2023 exam was held in two shifts. Check here CMAT 2023 analysis for shift 1 by experts to know the difficulty level of the exam and number of good attempts per section.

CMAT 2023 exam analysis

CMAT 2023 exam analysis

CMAT 2023 analysis – The NTA conducted the CMAT 2023 exam today. There are two shifts of the exam. The first shift got over at 12 pm and the second shift got over at 5: 30 pm. According to the analysis of CMATT 2023 question paper, the first shift was easy. The detailed analysis of CMAT 2023 has been shared here. The CMAT exam analysis 2023 has in-depth discussion of questions, topics, sectional difficulty level, number of good attempts and expected cut offs. 

The CMAT is usually of moderate difficulty level. Only the Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation section is somewhat tough but other four sections are either easy or moderate. Watch this space for CMAT 2023 exam analysis

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Table of content
  • CMAT 2023 Analysis: Exam Highlights
  • CMAT Exam Analysis 2023: Question Paper Breakup
  • Section wise CMAT 2023 Analysis for Shift 1
  • Expected CMAT 2023 Cut Offs for Admission

CMAT 2023 Analysis: Exam Highlights

  • CMAT 2023 question paper had 100 questions
  • Compared to other MBA entrance exams, CMAT was easy
  • Each section of CMAT question paper has 20 questions carrying four marks each
  • Quantitative Technique and Data Interpretation section was moderate.

  • Logical Reasoning and Language Comprehension sections were easy.

  • Innovation and Entrepreneurship section was moderate.

  • General Awareness section was moderately tough.

Check out: CMAT 2023 Exam Live Updates: Check question paper analysis, answer key, cut offs

CMAT Exam Analysis 2023: Question Paper Breakup

The CMAT 2023 question paper had five sections, each carrying 20 questions and 80 marks. Check the section-wise CMAT difficulty level of different sections of the exam.

Q:   Which are the most important topics to focus for CMAT preparation?
A:
CMAT exam pattern has five main sections: quant, data interpretation, logical reasoning, verbal ability and general knowledge. CMAT syllabus revolves around Basic Mathematics (mostly arithmetic from standard 1 to 10), Reasoning and Reading Comprehension. Mathematics First prepare topics related to basic school arithmetic. Then move on to advanced topics like: Permutation Combination Probability Trigonometry Geometry Progressions Logarithms English Pay attention to the following topics while preparing for CMAT exam: Reading comprehensions Vocabulary building Grammatical concepts Fill in the blanks Jumbled sentences General Knowledge Students are advised to follow the leading newspapers to stay updated on current affairs. A daily habit of spending 30 to 40 minutes on newspapers is a good long-term investment. For static General Knowledge, students can use any good reading material and memorise as much as possible. You can refer to this link for more information about CMAT exam: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/exams/cmat All the best.

CMAT 2023 Sections

Number of Questions

Number of Good Attempts

Difficulty Level

Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation

20

16-17

Easy

Logical Reasoning

20

16-17

Easy to Moderate

Language Comprehension

20

16-17

Easy to Moderate

General Awareness

20

11-12

Moderate

Innovation & Entrepreneurship

20

11-12

Moderate

Total

100

70-75

Easy

Also read:

Section wise CMAT 2023 Analysis for Shift 1

The CMAT 2023 question paper of shift 1 was overall easy. Some of the questions in five sections were sitters. None of the questions were lengthy or time taking. Check below section wise CMAT exam analysis and difficulty level. 

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CMAT 2023 Analysis: Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation

In this section, about 16-17 correct attempts will be considered good. Check the table below for topic wise break-up of the Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation section of CMAT 2023 question paper.

Area

Topics

Total

Arithmetic

Time-speed-distance, Ratio-Proportion, Profit & Loss, SICI, Average,  Partnership

6

Geometry

Triangles

1

Modern Math

Probability

1

Numbers

Surds, HCF LCM

5

Algebra

Quad equations, Quad inequality

2

Data Interpretation

Table (Set of 5 questions)

5

Total

--

20

CMAT 2023 Analysis: Logical Reasoning

In this section of CMAT 2023 shift 1, about 16-17 correct attempts will be considered good. Check the table below for topic wise break-up of the Logical Reasoning section of CMAT 2023 question paper.

Non-Verbal Reasoning

No. of Questions

Family Tree

3

Counting the number of triangles and squares

2

Series Completion

1

Miscellaneous

2

Linear Arrangement

2

Directions

1

Coding

1

Verbal Reasoning

Syllogisms, strong/weak arguments, assertion-reason, analogy, odd one etc.

8

CMAT 2023 Analysis: Language Comprehension

There were three Reading Comprehension passages in the CMAT question paper 2023 of 70-100 words. The passages were easy to comprehend. The topics were - Gandhi’s principles; Opinion on the subject of Poetry; Extract from a story. Verbal Ability questions were also easy. Check below, the table for topic wise distribution of questions in Language Comprehension section of CMAT 2023.

Topics

No. of Questions

Reading Comprehension

5

Vocabulary (Synonym, antonym, FIBs, idioms, match the following)

7

Grammar (Fill in the blanks, Identify the correct statement, direct/indirect speech, classify the sentence, question tag)

7

 Verbal Reasoning – Parajumble ( 4 statements)

1

CMAT 2023 Analysis: General Awareness

The 20 questions of General Awareness section of CMAT 2023 was moderately tough. 16 questions were based on Static GK and 4 questions were based on Current Affairs. Topics from which questions were asked include, history, sports, politics, physics, geography and authors. About 11-12 correct attempts in this section will be considered good.

CMAT 2023 Analysis: Innovation and Entrepreneurship

In this section of the first session of CMAT 2023, there were 20 questions. Out of the 20 questions, 16 were based on nascent entrepreneur; phases of funding; reasons for failure and other such concepts. 4 questions were on business knowledge. About 11-12 correct attempts in this section will be considered good.

Watch: CMAT 2023 Student Reactions and Reviews

 

Expected CMAT 2023 Cut Offs for Admission

Check the below table for expected CMAT cut off percentiles of some of the top MBA colleges across India. These are estimated scores and the final cut offs could be higher.

Colleges Accepting CMAT score

CMAT Expected Cut Off Percentiles

JBIMS, Mumbai

99.9

Goa Institute of Management

95-99

KJ Somaiya Institute of Management

95-99

SIMSREE, Mumbai

99

Great Lakes Institute of Management

95-99

IPE Hyderabad

90-95

University of Pune, Dept of Management Sciences

95-99

Welingkar Institute of Management, Mumbai

85

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

80

XISS Ranchi

80

ITM Navi Mumbai

80

Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida

85

Also Read:

Check CMAT Cut offs and predict calls from colleges accepting CMAT score for admission. Check Fees, Placement Reviews, Admission, Shortlist Criteria and Eligibility of all CMAT participating colleges by clicking the link below:

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