Common Management Admission Test 2026 ( CMAT )
Exam On - 25 Jan '26
CMAT 2026 exam registration is over. The NTA has announced CMAT 2026 exam date as January 25, 2026. Check here all about CMAT 2026, including dates, application, syllabus, pattern, question papers, preparation, cut offs, top colleges, etc.
CMAT 2026 exam
CMAT 2026 exam will be held on January 25, 2026. Registration process for the same is over. The application window opened on October 17 and ended on October 24, 2025. The exam will be conducted in 120+ cities in computer based mode. The test duration will be 180 minutes or 3 hours. NTA is expected to release the CMAT 2026 admit card between January 18 to 21, 2026.
Over 1300 MBA Colleges in India accept CMAT score for admission to MBA/PGDM courses. Some of the top CMAT score accepting colleges include JBIMS, KJ Somaiaya, Prin LN Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research, Great Lakes Institute of Management, KIIT School of Management, Amity University, BIMTECH, Goa Institute of Management, Xavier Institute of Management and Research, Gitam School of Management. Read below all about CMAT 2026 exam including dates, syllabus, pattern, registration process, application fees, cut offs and list of MBA colleges accepting CMAT exam score for admission.
For the past few years, the CMAT has been conducted on April-May, however, in 2025, the exam was conducted in January. In 2026 too, it will be conducted in January. Check below CMAT exam date.
| CMAT 2026 Events |
CMAT 2026 Dates |
|---|---|
| CMAT 2026 registration starts |
17-Oct-2025 |
| Registration ends |
17-Nov-2025 24-Nov-2025 |
| Fee payment window closing |
18-Nov-2025 25-Nov-2025 |
| Form correction window |
20-Nov-2025 to 21-Nov-2025 26-Nov-2025 to 28-Nov-2025 |
| Announcement of city intimation |
To be announced |
| CMAT admit card 2026 release |
To be announced |
| CMAT 2026 exam |
25-Jan-2026 |
| CMAT 2026 answer key challenge |
To be announced |
| CMAT 2026 result declaration |
To be announced |
CMAT exam pattern is prepared on the basis of AICTE guidelines for MBA entrance exams. It is an MCQ based test. Check the table below for the latest CMAT exam pattern:
| CMAT Exam Pattern |
Details |
|---|---|
| Number of sections |
Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation Logical Reasoning Language Comprehension General Awareness Innovation & Entrepreneurship |
| Mode of examination |
Computer based test |
| Duration of exam |
180 minutes (no sectional time limit) |
| Number of questions |
100 |
| Number of questions per section |
20 |
| Number of answer choices |
4 |
| CMAT Marking scheme |
4 marks for correct answer -1 mark for incorrect answer |
| Total Marks |
400 |
Download: CMAT question paper PDFs
CMAT syllabus is prescribed by the AICTE for NTA and includes important topics from Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Language Comprehension, General Awareness and Innovation & Entrepreneurship. Check below section wise important topics included in the CMAT exam syllabus 2026.
| CMAT Syllabus |
Important Topics |
|---|---|
| Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation |
Algebra, Time-Speed-Distance, Alligation & Mixtures, Geometry, Graph, Quadratic and Linear Equations, etc. |
| Logical Reasoning |
Analytical Reasoning, Linear Arrangements, Number Series, Matrix Arrangements, Blood Relationship Tests, etc. |
| Language Comprehension |
Reading Comprehension, Grammar, English Usage Errors, Parajumbles, etc. |
| General Awareness |
Economy, Business, World, Politics, Sports, Culture, Society |
| Innovation & Entrepreneurship |
Questions related to innovation, entrepreneurship and start up business |
CMAT 2026 preparation will require at least 6 months. So, aspirants should start preparing from August/September onwards. The CMAT preparation plan should include syllabus coverage and practice of CMAT mock tests.
Check below, some useful CMAT 2025 preparation articles:
CMAT admit card 2026 will be released at the CMAT-NTA website. Candidates will have to download it and carry to the examination centre on the exam day. To download the CMAT 2026 admit card, the below given process is to be followed:
CMAT answer key 2026 will be released 3-5 days after the exam. It will be released along with the candidate response sheet Check below steps to download CMAT 2026 answer key and response sheet.
NTA will give candidates the option to challenge the provisional CMAT answer key 2026, if they feel any answer given by the authority is incorrect. They will be able to raise objection against the CMAT answer key by filling an online form and paying INR 200 per question as fees. The objections will be analysed and if any of them are found to be valid, the provisional CMAT answer key will be revised.
Also Read:
CMAT result 2026 will be declared about 10 days after the release of provisional answer key. Test takers will be able to download their CMAT 2026 result cum scorecard from the official website by using their login credentials. Given below are the steps to download the CMAT result 2026:
Also Read:
MBA admission through CMAT is based on cut offs. Here is a list of CMAT cut off score accepting colleges in the range of 85 to 99 percentile.
| Colleges Accepting CMAT score |
CMAT Cut Off Percentiles |
|---|---|
| 99.9 |
|
| 95-99 |
|
| 95-99 |
|
| 99 |
|
| 95-99 |
|
| 95-99 |
|
| 95 |
|
| 85 |
|
| 80 |
|
| 85 |
|
| 85 |
|
| 85 |
|
| 85 |
|
| 85 |
Also Read: Institute-wise CMAT cut offs
Check out some of the popular MBA colleges in India which accept CMAT score for admission:
CMAT is a postgraduation entrance exam, so candidates must have graduation degree. Check below CMAT eligibility criteria 2026.
Note: The CMAT accepting colleges may have minimum score requirement of 50 percent (45 percent) in graduation.
Also Read: CMAT Eligibility Criteria 2026
CMAT registration and application form was available in online mode and was to be submitted by November 24, 2025. Given below is the CMAT 2026 application process:
Also Read: List of CMAT test cities
Given below is the fee amount to be paid at the time of CMAT 2026 form submission:
Candidates must note that the fee in non-refundable and if they make an error in their form and have to fill it again, they will need to pay the fee again.
5 Nov '25 - 27 Dec '25
30 Sep '25 - 30 Dec '25
30 Dec '25
4 Jan '26
9 Jan '26
5 Jan '26 - 10 Jan '26
29 Nov '25 - 11 Jan '26
13 Jan '26
22 Jan '26
23 Jan '26
Sectional weightage of CMAT is same. Since the Language Comprehension section of CMAT includes reading comprehension passages, it can be considered a lengthy section. However, any other section can also be lengthier due to nature of the questions.
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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Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered Yesterday
GIBS accepts scores from all major management entrance exams, including:
CAT
XAT
MAT
CMAT
GMAT
ATMA
State CET
This gives students multiple options to apply. Along with entrance exam scores, GIBS also looks at the overall profile, communication skills, and interest in management, which makes the admission pr
A
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 6 days ago
With the release of the CMA June 2025 results, 5,491 candidates completed Intermediate Course of the Institute. Such candidates were marked eligible for the practical training.
R
Beginner-Level 5
Answered 6 days ago
According to Shiksha, CMAT score is accepted by over 1600 MBA colleges in India. These include, government, government aided and private institutions. So, you can select any college based on its cut offs, ranking, location, fees, placements and infrastructure.
E
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 6 days ago
There is no provision of result evaluation in CMAT. The scores mentioned on result will be final and cannot be challenged. Candidates can only challenge the provisional answer key which is released before CMAT result.
M
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 6 days ago
No the CMAT scorecard is not sent to any candidate by post. The result is released in online mode only and has to be downloaded from the CMAT-NTA website only.
P
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 6 days ago
CMAT 2026 result will be available at the CMAT-NTA website. Candidates will have to log in and check their scorecard. Result will not be accessible without login or in offline mode.
N
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 weeks ago
Hi.
For PGDM and MBA admissions at GIBS Business School, Bangalore, the following entrance exams are accepted:
Accepted Entrance Exams
| Exam | Type / Level |
|---|---|
| CAT – Common Admission Test | National-level MBA entrance exam |
| XAT – Xavier Aptitude Test | National-level MBA entrance exam |
| MAT – Management Aptitude Test | National-level MBA entrance exam |
| CMAT – Common Management Admission Test | National-level MBA entrance exam |
| GMAT – Graduate Management Admission Test | International / National-level MBA entrance exam |
| ATMA – AIMS Test for Management Admissions | National-level MBA entrance exam |
| State CET (e.g., Karnataka PGCET) | State-level MBA entrance exam for Karnataka candidates |
h
Scholar-Level 18
Answered 2 weeks ago
Marvadi University's MBA Programme involves a total course fee of approximately Rs. 2.5 Lacs over the duration of your two years. The fee for first-year students is approximately Rs. 1.3 lakh. While hostel fees are different depending on whether you're male or female, they are billed separately. Mar
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 weeks ago
GGSIPU CMAT cutoff 2026 is expected to be around in the range of 95 to 99 percentile according to the previous years cutoff data. For admission to the MBA programmes at GGSIPU, candidates are expected to appear for the CMAT exam and clear the selection round of their chosen college. For more details
N
Contributor-Level 10
Yes, there is a negative marking in CMAT exam. For each wrong answer, 1 mark will be deducted. However, no marks will be deducted for unanswered questions.