How to Prepare for CMAT 2026 Exam in 1 Month: Check Preparation Tips
Common Management Admission Test 2026 ( CMAT )
Registration - 17 Oct '25 - 18 Nov '25
CMAT preparation in last one month is all about practice and revision. Know here what to study, what to practice and how to prepare for CMAT 2026 in 1 month.
CMAT is similar to other MBA entrance exams so it is not very difficult to prepare for it. But the focus should remain steady even in the last one month. Candidate must take care of the fact that the last month of CMAT preparation is not for studying new topics. They need to work on their strengths in that one month of exam preparation.
If you plan to appear for CMAT exam 2026 you need have a plan for 6-months, 3-months and 1-month. In this article we have shared one month CMAT 2026 preparation plan. In this plan candidates must include quick syllabus coverage and extensive practice. You must also focus on time bound revision and mock test practice.
If you appeared for CAT 2025, SNAP 2025, XAT 2026; all you will need to do in the last one month of CMAT preparation is practice CMAT mock tests and study GK. If you plan to appear for only CMAT exam, then you need to put in four to six hours daily for CMAT preparation, but before that you need to make a one-month CMAT preparation strategy. Read below for detailed CMAT exam strategy for one-month preparation.
- How to prepare for CMAT 2026 in One Month
- Best Books for CMAT Preparation 2026
- One Month Preparation Tips for CMAT 2026
- Points to Keep in Mind for CMAT Exam 2026
- CMAT Mock Test
How to prepare for CMAT 2026 in One Month
To prepare for CMAT 2026 in one month, start with the toughest subject. Since, the time is less, focus on the subject you find toughest. Check CMAT 2026 syllabus and make a list of topics starting from toughest to easiest. Allot time for them accordingly and start the preparation.
CMAT exam pattern is almost similar to other MBA exams, i.e. MCQs on Quantitative Techniques, Reasoning, English and GK so the books and study material will be same. Since the time is less, the candidates must start practicing CMAT mock tests and previous years question papers simultaneously while covering the syllabus.
Download: Previous Year CMAT question papers PDFs
Best Books for CMAT Preparation 2026
Given below is the list of best books for CMAT 2026. You should study for the exam from these books and practice test exercises given:
| CMAT Books |
Author |
|---|---|
| How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT |
Arun Sharma (Mc Graw Hill Education |
| The Pearson Guide to Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning for the CAT |
Nishit K Sinha |
| A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning |
Dr RS Aggarwal |
| Trishna’s Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning for the CAT and Other MBA Examinations |
T.I.M.E. |
| How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT |
Arun Sharma (Mc Graw Hill Education) |
| Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT Common Admission Tests for Admission Into IIMs |
Sarvesh K Verma (Arihant) |
| Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations |
Abhijit Guha (Mc Graw Hill Education) |
| NCERT Mathematics Books for Standard 8, 9 and 10 |
NCERT |
| Quantitative Aptitude |
Dr RS Aggarwal |
| How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for the CAT |
Arun Sharma (Mc Graw Hill Education) |
| Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT |
Nishit K Sinha (Pearson) |
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One Month Preparation Tips for CMAT 2026
Check below a few CMAT 2026 preparation tips for getting high marks in one month:
- CMAT Mock Tests: Practicing previous years’ CMAT question papers and mock tests will help you strengthen your grip on topics and discover short cuts of solving calculation heavy equations. With one month left for CMAT 2026, practice one CMAT mock test on alternate days. Make it a point to analyse the result of each mock test and work upon the gaps.
- Problem Solving Sessions: Participate in problem solving sessions in online study groups to get your doubts cleared. Online mentors and guides will teach you tricks and shortcuts to solve questions faster and more accurately. The online groups are also helpful in boosting the moral and confidence.
- Revision: Start chapter-wise revision 14 days before the exam. No amount of exam preparation will be useful, if you appear for the exam without ample revision. Take out an hour to go through all the concepts and formulae in the last 14 days. This is also the time to revise GK. If you have been following news, current affair will not be an issue. For static GK topics, the best approach is regular revision. Make short notes – write them down in a notebook. Go through the notes a day before the exam.
- Focus on exam day strategy: Make sure you understand the CMAT 2026 exam pattern properly i.e. know the section-wise break up, topic-wise weightage and difficulty level. The choice of questions plays an important role in overall scoring. CMAT exam 2026 will have negative marking and it is better to skip a question instead of answering it incorrectly. Develop the skill of identifying the questions that can be solved with 100 per cent accuracy.
- Time Management: Another aspect of CMAT preparation is that you need to focus on learning time-management. CMAT 2026 will have 100 questions and the duration of the exam is 180 minutes, which means you will get 1.8 minutes for each question, including reading exam related instructions, RC passages, mathematical calculation, etc. So, develop pace and accuracy in solving sample questions in the last one month.
Points to Keep in Mind for CMAT Exam 2026
- CMAT 2026 will have negative marking of minus one mark for wrong answer. There is no negative marking for unanswered questions.
- There will be no sectional time-limit in CMAT 2026. Candidates can choose the chronology of sections to answer as per their convenience.
- Focus on meeting sectional cut offs of CMAT, first. If there’s enough time left, attempt the questions left behind one more time.
- Start with easy questions first and then move to tough questions. Attempt GK section at last as it should not take more than 10-15 minutes.
- The CMAT question paper is generally of moderate difficulty. RC passages in the Language Comprehension section are also often easily understandable.
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- CMAT preparation 2026: Cracking Logical Reasoning
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Cracking Logical Reasoning section of CMAT is all about how well and how quickly you understand the puzzles and patterns. To master this section of CMAT exam, sample questions for practice and sectional mock tests for CMAT are the best resource. You should start practicing Logical Reasoning questions early on in the preparation cycle. Pay attention to the topics from which Logical Reasoning questions are asked in CMAT. Prepare for those type of questions only. For Data Interpretation section of CMAT. You should be well versed with reading tables, graphs and charts correctly. For quick calculation, you should strengthen basic mathematical calculations like multiplication, division, square, square roots, cube, cube roots, etc. This section is all about observation and ability to break down information into pieces, so you need to practice a wide range of data interpretation questions.
The difficulty level of CMAT 2025 exam was overall moderate. Interestingly, the GK questions were not tough as they usually are. Check below section wise CMAT 2025 difficulty level.
CMAT 2025 section | Number of questions | Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|
Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation | 20 | Easy |
Logical Reasoning | 20 | Easy |
Language Comprehension | 20 | Easy |
General Awareness | 20 | Moderate |
Innovation & Entrepreneurship | 20 | Moderate |
CMAT Mock Test
Shiksha offers free CMAT Mock Tests for candidates to practice and prepare for the exam. These CMAT mock tests are prepared on the basis of actual CMAT exams (previous sessions). Candidates can practice for free.
| CMAT_Mock_Test_1 | CMAT_Mock_Test_1_Solutions |
| CMAT_Mock_Test_2 | CMAT_Mock_Test_2_Solutions |
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.
Yes, it is necessary to attempt GK section in CMAT as unlike other MBA entrance exams, scores of GK are included in percentile calculation in CMAT. Total number of GK questions in 20 and attempting 8-10 questions correctly, can get the candidate desired sectional cut off in CMAT. So, while preparing for CMAT exam, do not ignore GK. You can prepare for it in the last couple of months with the help of year books as most of the questions are asked from Static GK.
GK is memory based, so all that you need to do is memorise important events and occurrences. So, candidates may not need a lot of time to prepare for CMAT GK. They can devote one or two months for it. On daily basis, they can read Year Books for one hour to memorise events. Apart from that they can use CMAT question papers to know types of static GK questions asked previously. Candidates can refer to GK books too in free time.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 2 months ago
The admissions into MBA courses at Marwadi University have been concluded in the year 2025. Hence, candidates can no longer apply for admissions into the MBA course at Marwadi University in the year 2025. The CMAT exam for the year 2025 has also been concluded for this year. Candidates must now wait
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
No, candidates do not have to mandatorily appear for the CMAT entrance exam for MBA in Business Analytics at Marwadi University. Candidates can apply for MBA admissions through any of the national level entrance exam such as CAT, XAT, ATMA and more. However, during admissions into the MBA in Busines
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
Yes, it is possible to get an MBA seat at CET Trivandrum with a valid CMAT score. The institute accepts CAT, CMAT, and KMAT scores for MBA admissions. Thus, students who did not appear for CMAT or did not score well can apply via KMAT or CAT scores. Students are selected for the programme after eval
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
No, CMAT scores are not compulsory for admissions to the MBA course at Sabarmati University. Because the university accepts CMAT/ CAT or any other entrance exam accepted by the counselling body. Thus, applicants with CMAT scores can get admission to the MBA course. However, it is not compulsory. App
V
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
No, getting admission into SGSITS MBA courses is not possible without taking CUET. For admission to its MBA courses, the institute only accepts valid CMAT scores. Other than this, it is also essential that students aspiring to enrol into the programme meet the eligibility criteria prescribed by the
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
GK is memory based, so all that you need to do is memorise important events and occurrences. So, candidates may not need a lot of time to prepare for CMAT GK. They can devote one or two months for it. On daily basis, they can read Year Books for one hour to memorise events. Apart from that they can
S
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 months ago
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 que
J
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 months ago
Yes, it is necessary to attempt GK section in CMAT as unlike other MBA entrance exams, scores of GK are included in percentile calculation in CMAT. Total number of GK questions in 20 and attempting 8-10 questions correctly, can get the candidate desired sectional cut off in CMAT. So, while preparing
A
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 months ago
The minimum academic criteria for MBA admission through CMAT is minimum 50% in graduation for General category students and minimum 45% for SC/ST/PwD category students. Even though this eligibility criteria is not mandatory for CMAT, it is the basic requirement for full time MBA as per the AICTE reg
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
For admission to MBA/MMS courses offered by State affiliated universities, Maharashtra State CET cell accepts CAT/MAT/CMAT/XAT/GMAT/ATMA scores too for All India category candidates. If you wish to participate in the MAH MBA CAP round through your CMAT score, you can fill the CAP registration form a
A
Contributor-Level 6
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.