Saumya
Saumya Jain
Assistant Manager- Content
Updated on Jan 30, 2026 11:07 IST
ATMA preparation 2026 requires diligence and smartness. Know tips and tricks of how to prepare for the ATMA exam? Also, get section-wise prep tips and ATMA question papers. Get here some key self-study tips for ATMA 2026. The exam preparation needs good books and right guidance. Read more on Shiksha.

ATMA 2026 exam will be conducted on February 22, 2026. Here are a few tips on how to prepare for ATMA 2026.

ATMA Preparation Tips 2026: It is important to understand the ATMA exam in order to have a good ATMA preparation plan. ATMA is a popular national-level management entrance test in the country. Various MBA colleges accept ATMA scores across the country. ATMA is conducted online four to five times a year. The ATMA 2026 exam for the February session will be held on February 22, 2026. Candidates must focus on studying all the topics within a limited time to score better. The best approach to prepare for the ATMA exam is by solving previous years’ question papers and attempting mock tests after completing the syllabus, as much as one can. Candidates should follow a focused approach by covering the important topics and those repeatedly asked in the previous year's papers. Along with this students should refer to the best books for ATMA exam recommended by experts. 

Shiksha brings to you how to prepare for ATMA 2026 which includes subject-wise tips and strategies that can help students to prepare for the exam smartly.

Table of contents
  • Section-wise ATMA Preparation Tips 2026
  • Some General Tips for ATMA Preparation 2026
  • ATMA 2026 Important Topics
  • Books for ATMA Preparation 2026

Section-wise ATMA Preparation Tips 2026

Take a look below to know the section-wise preparation tips for ATMA 2026:

Analytical Reasoning

Questions in this section are moderate in terms of difficulty. This section comprises questions from both Analytical Reasoning and Critical Reasoning. Candidates should understand the concepts and practice previous question papers and mocks. Analytical Reasoning questions test a candidate’s ability to comprehend and analyse the given statement and reach a conclusion based on their understanding. Preparation for Analytical Reasoning section of ATMA 2026 can be done by solving puzzles and riddles.

Quantitative Ability

Quantitative questions are of moderate difficulty. For this section, preparation can be done by solving the questions from NCERT or Secondary and Higher Secondary level Mathematics textbooks. Candidates should learn the shortcut tricks for solving questions quickly. Candidates should also give mock tests and solve the past years’ ATMA question papers.

Verbal Ability

This section is divided between Reading Comprehension and Verbal Ability/English Usage. Questions in the Verbal Ability section are moderate. Candidates must have sound knowledge of grammar and vocabulary. Candidates must read newspapers, magazines and books and also refer to Class 8 and Class 9 grammar books to clear basics and learn the fundamentals.

Also Read: Detailed Verbal Skills preparation strategy for ATMA 2026

Q:   Which are the best books to refer for ATMA exam preparation?
A:

There is a range of books to read for ATMA preparation. Here is a list of section wise best books for the ATMA exam:

Verbal Skills section

  • Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
  • High School English Grammar and Composition by Wren and Martin
  • Objective General English by RS Aggarwal
  • The Pearson Guide to Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning for the CAT

Analytical Reasoning section

  • How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for CAT by Arun Sharma
  • Analytical Reasoning by MK Pandey
  • Multi-Dimensional Reasoning by Mishra Kumar and Dr. Lal
  • Logical and Analytical Reasoning by K Gupta

Quantitative Skills section

  • Quantitative Aptitude by R. S Aggarwal
  • Fast track objective Arithmetic by Rajesh Sharma
  • Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by Abhijit Guha
  • NCERT Mathematics Books for Class 9 and 10 by NCERT publications.
Q:   Which are the best books for the Quantitative Aptitude section for ATMA exam?
A:
The best books for Quantitative Aptitude preparation of ATMA exam are listed below. These are the recommended books by experts. 1. NCERT Mathematics books (Class 9-10) 2. Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by Abhijit Guha 3. Quantitative Aptitude by RS Aggarwal The NCERT Mathematics book is recommended for ATMA preparation because it is the best source of building or revisiting the fundamentals of Algebra Geometry, Trigonometry Mensuration Number Systems and Arithmetic. The NCERT books are extremely helpful to students from non-Engineering background. Quantitative Aptitude books by Arun Sharma, Abhijit Guha, Nishit Sinha and RS Aggarwal are the main books for ATMA preparation as well as other MBA entrance exams such as CAT. These books cover all the topics at intermediate and advanced level. They also have many sample questions of easy, moderate and high difficulty levels for practice.
Q:   Which are the best books to read for the Analytical Reasoning section of ATMA exam?
A:

Analytical Reasoning section is considered one of most difficult sections of ATMA exam. Some recommended books are: 

  1. Guide to Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning by Pearson Publications
  2. A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning by R. S Aggarwal
  3. Logical and Analytical Ability by Ashok Gupta.
  4. Analytical Reasoning by MK Pandey 
  5. A New Approach to Reasoning by BS Sijawali and Sijawali
  6. Multi-dimensional Reasoning by Mishra Kumar and Dr. Lal
  7. Logical and Analytical Reasoning by K Gupta
  8. A Modern Approach to Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning by RS Aggarwal.

Some General Tips for ATMA Preparation 2026

  • Candidates should go through the ATMA exam pattern in order to understand the marking scheme, overall and section-wise duration of exam, distribution of questions and sections.
  • Read thoroughly ATMA syllabus 2026 to know the topics they need to cover for the exam.
  • Identify your strong and weak areas in all the sections.
  • Buy the best study material for ATMA 2026 preparation.
  • Improve your weak areas and monitor their improvement regularly.
  • Solve ATMA question papers or sample papers to improve your question-solving ability.
  • Take ATMA mock tests regularly and analyse your performance after every mock test.
  • Learn the shortcut tricks of solving questions.
  • Note down the new words that you read in the newspaper as it will help in Verbal Ability.
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ATMA 2026 Important Topics

Check out some of the important topics for ATMA 2026 exam.

Sections

Important Topics

Quantitative

Equations, Ratio & Proportion, Variation, Percentage, Profit & Loss, Partnership, Numbers, Simple Interest and Compound Interest, Average, Mixture and Alligation, Time & Distance, Geometry & Mensuration, Time & Work, Number Series, Quantitative Comparison, Permutation & Combination, Probability, Statistics, Pie Charts

Analytical Reasoning

Circular Arrangement, Deduction, Distribution, Data Sufficiency, Input-Output, Coding and Decoding, Statements and Conclusions, Cause & Effect, Strong & Weak Arguments, Course of Action, Cause & Effect, Inference

Verbal Ability

Synonyms, Fill in the blanks, Para Jumbles, Idioms, Error Identification, Sentence Completion

Q:   Why should I use ATMA books for preparation?
A:

Preparing for the ATMA exam from books and study material recommended by experts is important in order to gain an in-depth knowledge on different topics included in the ATMA syllabus. ATMA reference books contain detailed information on each topic of ATMA syllabus and will acquaint the students with ATMA exam pattern and level of difficulty of the questions. 

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Books for ATMA Preparation 2026

Here is a list of the best books to read for ATMA preparation 2026.

Section

Name of the Books

Quantitative Skills

  • Quantitative Aptitude by R.S Aggarwal
  • Fast track objective Arithmetic by Rajesh Sharma

Verbal Skills

  • Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
  • High School English Grammar and Composition by Wren and Martin

Analytical Reasoning

  • How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for CAT by Arun Sharma
  • Analytical Reasoning by MK Pandey

Read More:

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About the Author
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Saumya Jain
Assistant Manager- Content

Saumya Jain is an English Literature graduate from the University of Delhi. She has over 8 years of editorial and content writing experience. At Shiksha.com, she has spent more than six years creating research, stud

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Student Forum

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

Answered a week ago

Yes, PUMBA accepts ATMA scores for MBA admissions. The ATMA cut off for PUMBA is usually high and ranges between 85 to 90 percentile.

R

Rashmi Shukla

Contributor-Level 6

Answered a week ago

Association of Indian Management Schools does not conduct a centralised counselling process for the ATMA exam. Each participating institute releases its ATMA cutoff and students who match it have to appear for GD/PI/WAT rounds. 

78439216
Saumya Jain

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a week ago

JBIMS does not accept ATMA scores anymore for MMS admissions and it accepts CAT, MAH MBA CET, and GMAT scores. 

The ATMA cutoff for PUMBA is usually high and ranges between 95 to 99 percentile. 

M

Mani Malhotra

Contributor-Level 6

Answered a week ago

To crack ATMA in first attempt, students should have a good preparation plan. Along with that, students should know ATMA exam pattern, have strong basics and concepts. Practice using sample papers and mock tests will help students fetch a good score.

M

Mani Malhotra

Contributor-Level 6

Answered a week ago

Preparing for the ATMA exam from books and study material recommended by experts is important in order to gain an in-depth knowledge on different topics included in the ATMA syllabus. ATMA reference books contain detailed information on each topic of ATMA syllabus and will acquaint the students with

...Read more

R

Rohini Bhatnagar

Contributor-Level 6

Answered a week ago

CAT and ATMA are both MBA entrance exams. But, historically, the difficulty level of CAT exam is higher as compared to that of ATMA exam. 

A

Abhishek Kumar

Contributor-Level 6

Answered a week ago

ATMA is a national level entrance exam conducted by Association of Indian Management Schools. ATMA is conducted for admission to MBA, MMS, PGDM programmes at over 700 B Schools in the country.

S

Shruti Tyagi

Contributor-Level 6

Answered a week ago

It is not compulsory but ideal to take the ATMA mock test for preparation. Students will know the type of questions, difficulty level, important topics, etc. through practising mock tests. 

V

Vikram Hazarika

Contributor-Level 6

Answered a week ago

The total score in ATMA exam is 180 marks. There are 180 questions and each question carries one mark. There is a negative marking of -0.25 marks. 

R

Rashmi Chatterjee

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 2 weeks ago

The documents required while filling the ATMA registration form:

  • Scanned copy of photograph
  • Scanned copy of signatures
  • Scanned copy of caste certificate
  • Scanned copy of academic certificates and marksheets

78439156
Saumya Jain

Contributor-Level 10