Vipra
Vipra Shrivastava
Senior Manager - Content
Updated on Jan 20, 2025 17:59 IST
Since we all know that good result is the outcome of not how much you know but how well you use the knowledge on the exam day. Check out important CMAT exam day tips, guidelines and strategies to crack the test. Also know how to prepare for CMAT 2025 exam day.

Scoring high in a speed based exam requires quick action and eye for detail. Take a look at CMAT 2025 preparation and exam day tips to optimise your performance on the CMAT exam day. 

CMAT exam day preparation

CMAT is a three-hour test wherein candidates have to read 100 questions and solve about 70-75 questions accurately. This process can be mentally and physically tiring. Candidates must devise an exam day strategy before hand so that they can optimise their performance in the given time frame. For making a CMAT exam day strategy, ensure that you complete the revision of CMAT syllabus much before and shift your focus to revision of important concepts and formulae. Revise concepts and formulae from Quantitative Techniques and Logical Reasoning, make notes for Language Comprehension and memorise static GK for General Awareness section of CMAT exam.

CMAT 2025 will be held on January 25 in two shifts. Since we all know that good result is the outcome of not only how much you know but how well you use that knowledge. A day before the exam, you should prepare a strategy on how to handle those crucial three hours when you will be writing the CMAT 2025 exam. It’s not the big errors but silly mistakes that affect performance. Thus there’s a need to pay attention to all the aspects of the exam. So, let’s take a look at some CMAT exam day tips that will complement your CMAT 2025 preparation.

Explore colleges based on CMAT

Indore
₹12.50 L
Gurgaon
₹86.00 K
Gurgaon
#9 NIRF
₹8.25 L
Mumbai
#20 NIRF
₹9.50 L

Want better recommendations?

There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.
Vellore
₹6.97 L
Chennai
₹9.00 L
Noida
#49 NIRF
₹6.40 L
Rourkela
₹4.00 L
Noida
#41 NIRF
₹1.50 L
Jalandhar
#44 NIRF
₹5.60 L
Confused about which college or exam to opt for?assitentRcpRhsImage
  • Chat with our counselor
  • Get your personalised list of colleges & exams matching your preferences
View allCollections

Also read: Best books for CMAT preparation 2025

CMAT 2025: Preparing for the Exam Day

First of all, you should thoroughly read the CMAT exam day guide issued by NTA. For a hassle free exam, you need to know the dos and don’ts. It is very important that you not only read the instructions carefully but also understand and remember them on the exam day.

Q:   Which is the lengthiest section in CMAT?
A:

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.

Q:   What is the CMAT marking scheme?
A:
CMAT marking scheme is straightforward. If they can recall their attempts or have the answer key with them then they can calculate their CMAT raw score by adding and subtracting scores as per correct and incorrect attempts. Check CMAT marking scheme below: 1. For every correct attempt, 4 marks is awarded and for every incorrect answer, 1 mark is deducted. 2. For every unanswered question, the candidate will be marked zero. Given below is the process of calculating the CMAT score with the help of the CMAT answer key. Every section has 20 questions, so suppose in Quantitative Techniques section you got 14 questions right, 2 questions wrong and skipped 4 questions. So, your score will be 54 out of 80. Similarly, calculate the score of other sections. After the add all five to arrive as overall raw score. For example, you scored 54, 44, 75, 60 and 40 in five sections, then your sum total will be 203/400. You can read more about CMAT scoring process here: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/cmat-score-vs-percentile-how-to-calculate-blogId-19977 https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/what-is-cmat-score-normalization-process-blogId-53987.
Q:   Is there any negative marking in CMAT?
A:

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.

Explore more MBA exams with upcoming dates

IBSAT 2025 Exam Date

27 Dec '25 - 28 Dec '25

XGMT registration

30 Sep '25 - 30 Dec '25

JAGMAT admit card issuance

30 Dec '25

XAT 2026 Exam

4 Jan '26

SNAP 2025 result announcement

9 Jan '26

NMAT 2025 Registration (Additi...

5 Jan '26 - 10 Jan '26

MU BAAT 2026 Round 3 Registration

29 Nov '25 - 11 Jan '26

BET 2026 Round 2 Submission De...

13 Jan '26

SP JAT 2026 Registration

22 Jan '26

JET 2026 exam

23 Jan '26

Listed below are some important CMAT preparation and exam day tips:

  • The first thing to do is to read the instructions given on the CMAT question paper thoroughly and understand them clearly. Don't rush to the questions, the test screen will anyway not move to questions until it's time.
  • CMAT is a computer based test, and you will have to use the computer mouse to punch in your answer. Attempt the official CMAT mock test before the exam day to have an experience of it.
  • Only one question will appear on screen at a time. This is a helpful feature as the candidate's focus will be drawn towards only one question at a given time.
  • There is no sectional time-limit in CMAT, thus you will be at complete freedom of choosing the order of sections in CMAT 2025. Start with solving the section which is your strength area.
  • Keep a close look at the timer. The CMAT exam timer will start the moment you will click on 'Start Test' button. The test will automatically stop once the time is up. Divide three hours in such a way that you get enough time to spend on all five sections of CMAT. 
  • Unlike several other top MBA entrance exams, CMAT provides the students with the flexibility to review later. If you want to attempt or review a question later, choose the 'flag' button.
  • In CMAT, you can even edit your answer at any point of time. To deselect the answers marked, click on 'deselect' button. Be careful in using these features and submit/save your final answer within the time limit.
Q:   Was there any surprise element in CMAT 2025 exam?
A:

There was no surprise element in CMAT 2025 exam. The question paper was structured as per the exam pattern announced by the NTA. There were five sections and each section had 20 questions. The questions asked also belonged to the syllabus. No question was erroneous or from outside the CMAT syllabus.  

CMAT 2025: Exam Day Guidelines

  • CMAT 2025 will be held in two shifts, from 9:00 AM to 12:00, and 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Reporting time will be mentioned in the CMAT 2025 admit card. Candidates must visit their test centre as per the reporting time mentioned. 
  • No stationary other than a blue/black ball point pen will be allowed inside the test hall. Blank paper for rough work will be provided by the invigilator.
  • Cell phones, calculators, log tables, book, paper, documents, picture, bag, waist pouch, ear phones, etc. are not allowed inside the exam centre.
  • CMAT is conducted under CCTV surveillance so don’t resort to illegal means or malpractices like cheating.
  • No additional time will be given to candidates so they must ensure they don't waste the time and complete the paper within three hours.
  • Do carry two copies of your CMAT 2025 admit card to the exam centre. Affix the same passport size photo as uploaded in the application form.
  • CMAT admit card is a mandatory document to be carried to exam hall. You will not be allowed to enter the CMAT exam hall without the admit card.
  • It is also necessary for each CMAT 2025 candidate to carry a copy of their photo ID proof issued by Government of India or any other competent authority.
Videos you may like
About the Author
author-image
Vipra Shrivastava
Senior Manager - Content

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

Read Full Bio
Download Important Dates for MBA/PGDM Exams

News & Updates

Latest NewsPopular News

Explore Other Exams

4 Jan '26

XAT 2026 Exam

Jan '26

XAT 2026 answer key out

9 Jan '26

SNAP 2025 result announcement

20 Dec '25

SNAP 2025 session 3

23 Feb '26

MAT Feb 2026 PBT Registration ...

26 Feb '26

MAT Feb 2026 PBT admit card

24 Dec '25

CAT 2025 result announcement

8 Dec '25 -

10 Dec '25

CAT 2025 answer key challenge

5 Jan '26 -

10 Jan '26

NMAT 2025 Scheduling (Addition...

5 Jan '26 -

10 Jan '26

NMAT 2025 Registration (Additi...

27 Dec '25 -

28 Dec '25

IBSAT 2025 Exam Date

14 Feb '26 -

22 Feb '26

IBSAT 2025 Selection Process

16 Apr '26 -

18 Apr '26

MAH MBA CET 2026 exam

9 May '26

MAH MBA CET 2026 exam 2

1 Dec '25 -

10 Feb '26

ATMA registration 2026 (Feb)

9 Feb '26

ATMA 2026: Last Date of Fee Pa...

17 Oct '24 -

5 Dec '24

IIFT 2025 registration and app...

Mar '25

IRMASAT 2025 Final Result Anno...

Feb '25

IRMASAT Personal Interviews

The list of exams are recommended based on what other exams do the students in your area show interest in
qna

Student Forum

chatAnything you would want to ask experts?
Write here...

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

...Read more

A

Ahmedbasha

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

Rohini Bisht

Beginner-Level 5

Answered a week 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

Esha Singh

Contributor-Level 6

Answered a week 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

Manisha Singh

Contributor-Level 6

Answered a week 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

Pallavi Gupta

Contributor-Level 6

Answered a week 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

Nitesh Vimal

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

ExamType / Level
CAT – Common Admission TestNational-level MBA entrance exam
XAT – Xavier Aptitude TestNational-level MBA entrance exam
MAT – Management Aptitude TestNational-level MBA entrance exam
CMAT – Common Management Admission TestNational-level MBA entrance exam
GMAT – Graduate Management Admission TestInternational / National-level MBA entrance exam
ATMA – AIMS Test for Management AdmissionsNational-level MBA entrance exam
State CET (e.g., Karnataka PGCET)State-level MBA entrance exam for Karnataka candidates

h

heena agrawal

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

...Read more

A

ABHINAV SRIVASTAVA

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

...Read more

N

Neerja Rohatgi

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

According to the NIA Pune expected CMAT Cutoff, the overall percentile required for admission to NIA Pune MBA course was 95 for the students belonging to the General All India category. For more information, click here

 

N

Neerja Rohatgi

Contributor-Level 10