Vipra
Vipra Shrivastava
Senior Manager - Content
Updated on Jan 20, 2025 17:21 IST

CMAT 2025 exam is a speed based test and a lot depends how you handle the pressure on exam day. It is critical to use all of 180 minutes judiciously so that you make maximum correct attempts for an optimum performance. 

CMAT 2025 preparation

CMAT 2025 exam will be held on January 25, 2025 and it is time now for the final preparation. You need to be thorough with the CMAT dos and don'ts for exam day because at times not big but small mistakes that cost a lot. CMAT experts recommend that you should not study too much just before the exam. The important thing to do is free your mind from stress. Take a break so that you can perform with a relaxed mind in the CMAT exam. However, do not ignore the last few tasks. There are few things that can help candidates perform better in CMAT exam 2025. Take a look at some CMAT last minute tips below.

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1. Revise from short notes

Do not overload your brain before the CMAT exam with heavy notes. Do not start studying a new topic or try new questions at this time. Revise concepts, theorems, formulae, shortcuts and tricks from your notes prepared earlier. Assimilate all you have studied in last few months of CMAT preparation 2025.

Also Read: How to Prepare for CMAT 2025

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.

2. Accuracy and time management

You have to keep a tab on the time while solving the CMAT exam paper. There are 100 questions in CMAT, to be attempted in 180 minutes. Even though, you don't have to solve all the questions, maintain a fair ratio of correct attempts in all the sections of CMAT exam to ensure good sectional as well as overall scores. A judicious approach towards the CMAT question paper and a perfect exam strategy can help accomplish the goal. For example, the GK section is memory based and 8-10 correct attempts will be enough so you will not need more than 10 minutes to solve it. Keep an eye on the onscreen timer.

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3. Learn from your mistakes

Those who are appearing for the first time in CMAT, must take a look at their performance in CMAT mock tests. Make sure not to repeat the mistakes of mock tests in the exam. Aspirants appearing in CMAT for the second time must recollect all the mistakes made earlier and make sure not to make the same errors this time. This is the chance to improve the score for admission to the desired B-school. Attempt a CMAT mock test at the same time as your CMAT 2025 slot to get an experience of working on a rigorous test which includes diverse subjects.

Check out free CMAT mock test by Shiksha

CMAT_Mock_Test_1 CMAT_Mock_Test_1_Solutions
CMAT_Mock_Test_2 CMAT_Mock_Test_2_Solutions

4. Set a defined strategy

Do not get caught up in 'how to do it'. You must have a clear vision on how to attempt CMAT 2025 question paper. Finalise an exam strategy. Attempt your exam with that strategy. Focus on the questions you can solve with maximum accuracy. Do not spend too much time on questions that don't come to you naturally or select questions from your strong areas to solve. Focus on achieving sectional cut offs first and then capitalise on it if time permits. Also, save some time for revision before submitting the test.

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 expert Mikin Shah suggests “have a clearly defined strategy and sequence of attempts. My recommendation is to go for GK, Verbal, Maths and Reasoning. The General Knowledge (GK) section can easily be tackled in 10 minutes and the Verbal section can be allotted a time of about 40 minutes. This would leave the candidates with two hours to solve the Maths and Reasoning sections.”

5. Do not mug up for GK

Mugging up facts, dates and names for General knowledge section a day before the exam is of no use. You won’t be able to retain the information for long. It’s better to revise notes made on static GK and current affairs.

6. Have a fair idea of number of attempts for each section

It is important for you to have a fair idea of number of minimum questions to be attempted in each section of CMAT. You have to devote a specific amount of time to each section to score well in the exam. CMAT 2024 will have 20 questions each in all five sections so the target should be 15-17 correct attempts. Practice: CMAT Question Papers of Previous Years

7. Sort everything well in advance

Surely, you don't want to commit any blunder on the CMAT exam day. Nothing can be worst than reaching your CMAT exam centre late. The entry gates will close 30 minutes before commencement of the exam. You will not get the entry if the gates have been closed already. Arrange transportation well in advance before the exam day. You can also visit the test centre a day before to see the location. Remember to get a print out of your CMAT 2025 admit card before the exam day. Also, remember to carry a photo ID such as Aadhaar Card, Passport, Voter ID, Driving License, Ration Card, PAN Card, etc.

Read More:

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Vipra Shrivastava
Senior Manager - Content
Vipra is a massive Breaking Bad fan. When not watching crime drama series, she spends time in updating the list of places she wants to visit and people she wants to meet, but she is happiest in the company of dogs. Read Full Bio
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