How to Prepare for CMAT 2026 Exam in 3 Months? Section Wise Tips & Strategy
Common Management Admission Test 2026 ( CMAT )
A three-month CMAT 2026 preparation plan must be quick yet comprehensive. Read this article to know how to prepare for CMAT exam in three months.
CMAT preparation in 3 months is very much possible. For those who are also preparing for other MBA entrance exams such as CAT, XAT or SNAP, three months are enough to prepare for CMAT. Those who will be appearing for CMAT 2026 exam only, can also prepare within three months, provided they have a perfect plan. CMAT 2026 exam will be held in January 2026 so the right time to implement the 3-month CMAT preparation plan is October 2025.. By January, you'll also be free from CAT, XAT, SNAP and NMAT exams, so you will need to do only basic revision for CMAT.
- How to Prepare for CMAT 2026 in Three Months
- Three-Month CMAT 2026 Exam Preparation Plan: Highlights
- Month-Wise Plan for CMAT Preparation 2026
- Phase 1: Complete the CMAT Syllabus 2026
- Phase 2: Practice CMAT Question Papers and Mock Tests
- Shiksha CMAT Mock Test
- Phase 3: Revise all the CMAT Concepts and Formulae
How to Prepare for CMAT 2026 in Three Months
To make an effective three-month CMAT 2026 preparation plan, knowing your strength and weakness is very important. Take a look at the CMAT syllabus 2026, go through the topics one by one and assess your knowledge of each one of them. In the English, Reasoning, Quant and General Awareness sections, you will find many familiar topics. All you need is to brush up the knowledge.
The second step in making a three-month preparation plan is to get hold of right CMAT books and study material. You can avail study material and books from either a coaching centre or collect them separately from online or offline sources.
Three-Month CMAT 2026 Exam Preparation Plan: Highlights
After collecting the study material, do the following to prepare for CMAT 2026 in three months:
- The first one and a half month should be spent on covering the CMAT syllabus, the next one month in practising CMAT mock tests and the last 15 days in revision of important chapters
- Join online study groups where you can interact with other candidates, experts and mentors. There you can discuss with each other problems and solutions, sums and theorems and learn tricks and shortcuts of solving calculation heavy problems.
- Download MBA preparation apps on your phone for 24x7 assistance in studies. These apps offer extra study material, QnA platform, audio-visual guidance and other aides in exam preparation.
- Understand the CMAT exam pattern 2026 thoroughly, as the key to perform well in any exam is to know how to handle a certain number of questions in a certain time-limit
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Month-Wise Plan for CMAT Preparation 2026
Divide the three months in three phases for more organised preparation and better output from the hard work put in. Given below is the month-wise plan to prepare for CMAT in three months:
| CMAT Preparation Phases |
Tasks |
|---|---|
| First 45 days |
Completing the CMAT syllabus |
| Next 30 days |
Practicing CMAT question papers and mock tests |
| Last 15 days |
Revision and finalising exam strategy |
Phase 1: Complete the CMAT Syllabus 2026
CMAT syllabus consists of various topics from the following subjects:
Start with the topic you find the toughest. Study it thoroughly and solve practice questions to understand the applications. If you were good at Maths in school, you might not face problems in the Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation section. Brush up all the Algebraic formulae and Geometry theorems and go through Mensuration and other Arithmetic formulae.
To tackle the Reading Comprehension (RC) questions in CMAT Language Comprehension & Verbal Ability, develop the habit of reading business-related blogs, newspapers and current affair magazines. Work on your comprehension skills as sometimes RC passages can be data heavy or abstract in nature. Reading dense paragraphs in less time increases the chances of silly mistakes, so practice reading. For Verbal Ability strengthen your Grammar and practice sample questions.
Logical Reasoning section of the CMAT, like all other MBA entrance exams is logic based and all that matters in this section the deep understanding of patterns. So, be thorough with the formulae and practice a variety of logical reasoning sections.
General Awareness should be the last part of your phase-I plan. Prepare static GK from Manorama Year Book and study Current Affairs by reading newspaper/watching news daily.
Also Read: CMAT preparation tips and tricks; how to ace the exam
Phase 2: Practice CMAT Question Papers and Mock Tests
CMAT preparation is incomplete without practicing sample questions and attempting mock tests. No amount of preparation viz. the CMAT syllabus will get you the desired result, if you haven’t practiced CMAT questions. Solving previous year’s CMAT question paper will not only help you understand the pattern of the exam, but also the trend of types of questions asked and their difficulty levels. Similarly, CMAT mock tests will prepare you for the actual exam. A CMAT mock test is a replica of the actual exam, so the more mock tests you attempt the better you get at handling the CMAT 2026 exam paper.
So, give yourself a month to solve all types of CMAT questions. And analyse your performance after each mock test. The motive of solving CMAT sample questions is to improve the performance. Listed below are benefits of practicing CMAT mock tests:
- It will improve your speed and accuracy in solving the questions.
- It will help you to assess your preparation level, your strengths & weakness and area of improvement.
- It will help you to develop shortcuts and tricks of solving calculation heavy questions.
- It will give you enough practice of application of formulae and theorems.
- It will help you to develop the art of choosing the right question. Since, there is negative marking in CMAT, you can’t afford wrong selection of questions to attempt.
- Practising previous year CMAT question papers will instill confidence in you, which is very important to perform in a speed based test.
- Do not fret if you perform badly initially. Keep practicing and you will improve.
Shiksha CMAT Mock Test
Shiksha has prepared free CMAT mock test for candidates to take and see their preparation level. Click on the links below for Shiksha CMAT mock test and solutions.
| CMAT_Mock_Test_1 | CMAT_Mock_Test_1_Solutions |
| CMAT_Mock_Test_2 | CMAT_Mock_Test_2_Solutions |
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Phase 3: Revise all the CMAT Concepts and Formulae
The last 15 days of CMAT 2026 preparation should be spent in catching up with what was missed in the first phase. Go back to the topics, one by one. Revise them and assess which of them are still your pain points. Work on them. Go through all the formulae and theorems of Quant and Logical Reasoning. Revise GK and English Grammar.
Previous Years CMAT Question Paper PDFs Download
In the last three months of preparation the focus should be on practicing CMAT question papers aswell to get familiar with the actual questions. Download free CMAT question paper PDFs of previous years.
Our advice:
Every candidate is different from another. So, it is very important to understand yourself and make a preparation plan accordingly.
All the best!
Yes, 6 months are a decent time duration to prepare for CMAT exam, if one does it with dedication and discipline. Candidates who have appeared for CMAT or any other MBA entrance exam before, will find 6 months more than enough to prepare for the exam. Those, who are appearing in CMAT for the first time, can also prepare in 6 months but they will have to give extra time to it. If you plan a CMAT preparation in six months, make a three stage plan. In the first stage, which will be of 3 months, complete the CMAT syllabus, in the second phase, which will be of 2 months, practice sample papers and mock tests. In the third stage, which will be of 1 months, do revision of important topics and gain control over all that you have studied before. Keep in mind to solve enough number of CMAT mock tests (30-35) for better preparation in short time. Read More: CMAT preparation in 6 months
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.
Yes, one can prepare for CMAT with mock tests only, if they are already familiar with the English, Quantitative Ability, Logical Reasoning, GK and Innovation & Entrepreneurship topics. Any candidate who has appeared for CMAT once can crack the exam with mock tests practice only. But those who are appearing for the exam for the first time will need to study the topics before practicing mock tests.
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.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered a month ago
CMAT is one of the top accepted exams for admission to MBA-offering universities, including AURO University. As per official sources, the CMAT exam has already been conducted for the 2025 session. The exam was conducted on Jan 25, 2025 by the National Testing Agency. The exam for the 2026 session i
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month 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 a month 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 a month 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 a month 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 a month 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 a month ago
CMAT is one of the top accepted exams for admission to MBA-offering colleges in Indore, including SGSITS. As per official sources, the CMAT exam has already been conducted for the 2025 session. The exam was conducted on Jan 25, 2025 by the National Testing Agency. The exam for the 2026 session is e
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month 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 a month 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 a month 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
Since every section of CMAT has 20 questions in total, solving 15-18 questions in each section with 80 percent accuracy is considered a good attempt in CMAT, and it can ensure a good percentile in the exam. In the GK section, about 10-12 correct attempts will be enough. Out of 100 questions, candidates must try to solve about 70-75 questions to achieve a 99 percentile. However, candidates must aim to solve a higher number of questions with maximum accuracy and minimize negative marking. To be able to achieve this target, candidates need to prepare for the CMAT in a dedicated and disciplined manner. Candidates must set aside a minimum of three months to complete the CMAT syllabus, as they have to study five subjects and their numerous topics. If they have appeared for the CAT, XAT, and IIFT exams, then they can complete the CMAT syllabus in one month as well. However, it is advised that candidates spend at least three months on the CMAT syllabus for complete preparation.