CMAT 2026 analysis is out. The question paper of CMAT exam held today was moderate. Check below detailed CMAT exam analysis.
CMAT 2026 paper analysis
CMAT 2026 analysis – NTA conducted the CMAT exam today across India from 9 am to 12 pm. According to early reviews, the CMAT 2026 question paper was of moderate difficulty level. Detailed CMAT 2026 exam analysis has been shared below. This year, there was only one RC question in English and in GK, 19 out of 20 questions were from static GK. Quant was dominated by Arithmetic as always. The question paper analysis has section wise CMAT difficulty level, topic wise weightage, number of good attempts and expected cut offs.
- CMAT 2026 Analysis: Highlights
- CMAT 2026 Analysis – Sectional Difficulty Level and Number of Good Attempts
- CMAT Exam Analysis 2026: Section Wise
- Expected CMAT 2026 Cut Offs: Top Colleges
CMAT 2026 Analysis: Highlights
This year CMAT exam has been conducted in single shift, so there will be no marks normalization. Check below key highlights of the CMAT paper analysis.
- CMAT 2026 had 100 questions in MCQ format
- Each section of CMAT 2026 question paper had 20 questions.
- Quantitative Technique and Data Interpretation section was easy.
- Language Comprehension and Logical Reasoning sections were easy.
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship section was moderate.
- General Awareness section was moderate, as usual having questions from recent events.
Commonly asked questions
CMAT RC passages are easy. Candidates need not worry about RCs in CMAT because they are short and pretty much straight forward. Questions are fact based and generally require candidates to identify the main argument/theme/idea of the passage. Sometimes, there are a few vocabulary and idiom based questions too, but mostly from familiar areas and topics. The length is about 200-500 words.
One should dedicate about 4 to 5 hour in a day for CMAT preparation. If you have started CMAT preparation six months before 4 to 5 hours daily will be good. But if you start preparation 3 months before CMAT exam, you will need to dedicate about 7 hours to exam preparation as you will have to cover a lot in less time.
Innovation and Entrepreneurship syllabus of CMAT is not a very difficult section. The syllabus pertains to business studies, economy and entrepreneurship. So, it will not require must time to cover the syllabus. Candidate can dedicate one month to this section towards the end, while preparing for other sections. You can refer to books - Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Peter F. Drucker and Entrepreneurship & Innovation Management by R. Gopal, Entrepreneurship by Robert D. Hisrich and Manorama Year Book by Mammen Mathew.
CMAT 2026 Analysis – Sectional Difficulty Level and Number of Good Attempts
CMAT 2026 question paper had questions from usual topics. Most of the questions were straightforward and doable. Check below CMAT difficulty level and number of good attempts.
| CMAT 2026 Sections |
Number of Questions |
Number of Good Attempts |
Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation |
20 |
16-17 |
Easy |
| Logical Reasoning |
20 |
15-16 |
Easy |
| Language Comprehension |
20 |
15-16 |
Easy |
| General Awareness |
20 |
10-11 |
Moderate |
| Innovation & Entrepreneurship |
20 |
11-12 |
Moderate |
| Total |
100 |
70-75 |
Easy |
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CMAT Exam Analysis 2026: Section Wise
CMAT 2026 Analysis: Quantitative Technique and Data Interpretation
CMAT paper analysis of Quantitative Aptitude section reveals maximum questions were asked from Arithmetic. Check below topic wise break up of the section.
| Quants topic |
Total |
Sub topics |
|---|---|---|
| Arithmetic |
7 |
Time and Work (1), Ratio-Proportion(1), Profit & Loss (2), Clock (1), Allegations and Mixtures (1), Percentages (1) |
| Geometry |
3 |
Triangles(1), Mensuration (1), Quadrilateral (1) |
| Modern Math |
1 |
Probability (1) |
| Numbers |
6 |
Surds(1), Indices (1), Fraction(1), Classification (1), HCF – LCM (1), Misc (1) |
| Data Interpretation |
3 |
1 Set of 3 questions (Table) |
CMAT 2026 Analysis: Logical Reasoning
Logical Reasoning section of today’s CMAT exam was easy. As per the CMAT 2026 paper analysis, about 15 to 16 attempts with 80% accuracy can be considered good.
| Non Verbal Reasoning |
Number of Questions |
|---|---|
| Directions |
1 |
| Cubes |
2 |
| Counting the number of squares |
1 |
| Linear Arrangement |
1 |
| Family tree |
1 |
| Clocks |
1 |
| Numerical Puzzle |
1 |
| Misc |
1 |
| Logical venn diagram |
1 |
| Set theory |
1 |
| Number Series |
1 |
| Analogy based sequence |
1 |
| Word based Analogy |
1 |
| Odd one out |
1 |
| Alpha numeric |
1 |
| Verbal Reasoning |
Number of Questions |
| Assertion Reason; Strong/Weak Argument; Assumption; Conclusion |
4 |
CMAT 2026 Analysis: Language Comprehension
There was only on RC passage of 150 words. It had 2 questions. Out of 20 questions were grammar bases. Check the table below for topic wise composition of Language Comprehension section of CMAT 2026 question paper:
| Area |
No. of Questions |
|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension: Scientific theories |
2 |
| Cloze Passage (3 blanks) |
3 |
| Jumbled Sentence |
1 |
| Vocabulary (1 meaning of underlined idiom, 1 meaning of a phrase) |
2 |
| Grammar (compound sentence, verb forms, active-passive voice, reported speech, prepositions, degrees of comparison, miscellaneous) |
12 |
CMAT 2026 Analysis: General Awareness
In GK section this year, there was a major change. Out of 20 questions, 19 were from Static GK and 1 was from Current Affairs. Questions belonged to fields such as science, sports, management, history, awards, art, personalities, authors and business.
CMAT 2026 Analysis: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Innovation & Entrepreneur section had the regular concept based questions (bootstrapping, venture capital, factors impacting markets, qualities of entrepreneurs, ambidexterity theory, design thinking. Out of 20 questions, only 3 were from Business GK.
Also Read:
- What is a Good Score in CMAT 2026?
- CMAT Score vs Percentile: How to Calculate?
- What is CMAT Score Normalization Process?
- Top Colleges in India Accepting CMAT score
- Top MBA Colleges Accepting CMAT Score 80-90 Percentile
- Top MBA Colleges Accepting CMAT Score 70-80 Percentile
- Top MBA Colleges Accepting CMAT Score 60-70 Percentile
Expected CMAT 2026 Cut Offs: Top Colleges
The CMAT 2026 cut offs will be determined by the college individually. Check below expected CMAT cut offs 2026.
| Colleges Accepting CMAT score |
CMAT Expected Cut Off Percentiles |
|---|---|
| 99.9 |
|
| 95-99 |
|
| 95-99 |
|
| 99 |
|
| 95-99 |
|
| 90-95 |
|
| 95-99 |
|
| 85 |
|
| 80 |
|
| 85 |
|
| 85 |
|
| 85 |
|
| 85 |
|
| 85 |
|
| 80 |
|
| 80 |
|
| 80 |
|
| 80 |
|
| 85 |
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered Yesterday
CMAT response sheet and provisional answer key are same. Since the answer key contains candidate's responses too, it is also called CMAT response sheet.
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
Candidates can use the CMAT answer key to calculate the score in the following manner:
· Check number of correct attempts
· Check number of incorrect attempts
· Add 4 marks for every correct attempt
· Subtract 1 mark for every incorrect attempt
· Sub total will be CMAT score
J
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
Filing objection against the CMAT answer key is not mandatory for all candidates. Only those candidate who feel a question/s is incorrect and they have proof to support the claim, should raise objection.
N
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
The CMAT answer key objection fee per question is INR 200. Candidates have to pay it at the time of filling the objection form.
E
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
CMAT answer key helps the candidate in checking their performance and it is also a window for NTA to communicate transparency in result preparation number.
M
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
Objection cannot be raised against the final answer key of CMAT, as it contains the answers evaluated again after objections by candidates.
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
CMAT final answer key is released as a downloadable PDF. Candidates can download it by visiting the NTA-CMAT website and simply downloading the document.
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
Provisional answer key of CMAT refers to the document released by the NTA indicating answers marked by candidate and correct options. This document tell candidates about how many of their attempts are right.
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Validity of CMAT score is one year in most of the colleges. There are a very few and Tier 3 colleges that may accept CMAT score from previous years. So, if they wish to drop a year, they should appear for the exam again in the next session.
P
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
The first criteria is CMAT cut off. Candidates should shortlist all the colleges whose cut off is same or lower than their score. Thereafter, check fees, location, accreditation, curriculum, pedagogy and placement reports to choose one foe themselves.
N
Contributor-Level 7
Vipra Shrivastava is MA in English Literature from Delhi University with extensive experience in content writing of over 14 years. She has been handling content for Management, Accounting and Commerce streams for 8
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