How to Prepare for NMAT and CAT Simultaneously?
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NMAT and CAT registrations start in the second quarter of the year. Candidates can follow a plan to prepare for NMAT and CAT together.
NMAT & CAT Preparation Simultaneously
NMAT and CAT Preparation Simultaneously: IIM Indore will conduct CAT 2026 on November 29. NMAT 2026 will be conducted over a 45-day test window. Since candidates are allowed to appear for NMAT as per their convenience, planning NMAT and CAT exam prep based on schedule becomes important. Candidates aspiring for both entrance exams can prepare for both CAT and NMAT together. NMAT and CAT share topics in all three sections. Additionally, NMAT and CAT have an identical exam duration of 120 minutes.
CAT is tough compared to NMAT; therefore, candidates preparing to ace CAT 2026 can easily get a good score in NMAT 2026. However, the art of getting a good score in CAT and NMAT can be tricky in terms of taking the exam. Candidates can take NMAT thrice during the testing window. Whereas, candidates get only one attempt for CAT. Scroll down to know more details on how to prepare for CAT and NMAT simultaneously.
Reasons to Prepare for NMAT & CAT Together
Preparing for two competitive exams can be tough considering the planning required to devise a common preparation strategy.
Keeping the difficulties aside, candidates can take both NMAT and CAT in one admission session for the following advantages:
- Additional Admission Opportunities: Nearly 64 institutes offer admissions across India and abroad based on NMAT scores. Additionally, more than 1500 colleges, including IIMs, offer MBA admission based on CAT. With both CAT and NMAT scores, candidates raise their chances of admission.
- Decline in Stress with a Backup Plan: Candidates appearing for two MBA entrance exams will reduce performance anxiety which could, in turn, boost their confidence. This is due to a stable backup plan.
- Identical Syllabus Requires Minimal Effort: Syllabus for NMAT and CAT are similar on most fronts leading to no extra effort for NMAT. The VARC section from the CAT exam is identical to the Language Skills section from NMAT. DILR from CAT has identical questions to the Logical Reasoning of NMAT. Similarly, QA from CAT has identical questions as in the Quantitative Skills section of NMAT.
| CAT Section-Wise Preparation |
NMAT Section-Wise Preparation |
Commonly asked questions
Based on test-taker feedback, the NMAT exam is moderate to tough. It focuses heavily on speed, accuracy, and basic conceptual understanding. Almost all candidates find the NMAT exam easier than CAT, and its difficulty is comparable to SNAP
A list of the best books for the MBA entrance exam is mentioned here;
- How to prepare for Data Interpretation by Arun Sharma
- Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by R. S. Aggarwal
- Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by Abhijit Guha
- Data Interpretation for the CAT by Nishit K. Sinha
- A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning by R. S. Aggarwal
- Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension by Ajay Singh
- Word Power Made Easy Book by Norman Lewis
- Analytical Reasoning by MK Pandey
- High School English Grammar & Composition by Wren & Martin
- Target XAT (Past papers & mock tests) by Odisha experts
- Analytical and Logical Reasoning by Arihant Publications
- Jabbing the XAT (with solved papers) by R. K. Jha
Besides the books mentioned above, candidates can refer to some other important books for MBA exam preparation as well.
NMAT, like any other Amity exam, is a speed-based test. Thus, the entire preparation must be aligned with this thought. Candidates need to follow NMAT preparation strategies, which helps them build speed and the accuracy level to answer questions in the test. To build speed and accuracy, candidates need to catch hold of the best books for NMAT preparation, five years of NMAT sample papers and attempt the mock tests. Keep the following points in mind to prepare for the test:
- Devote three to four months to build conceptual clarity on topics included in the Galgotias syllabus
- Analyse your preparation level by practising NMAT question papers
- Create notes of each topic while studying and revise them from time to time
- Discuss your doubts with peers and mentors to clear them
The table below shows some of the top NMAT accepting MBA colleges in Delhi NCR along with their NIRF ranking:
College Name | NIRF 2023 |
|---|---|
28 | |
81 | |
91 |
To score high in NMAT exam, a candidate must follow an approach to attempt the questions for which he/she knows the answer, and guess the question for which he/she doesn't know the answer. Since there is no negative marking, candidates must attempt all questions in NMAT exam. In the speed-based test, one must aim to answer the questions as soon as possible.
Coming to NMAT exam, a test taker has to answer each question keeping in mind the sectional time limit. Additionally, candidates get to choose the section chronology before the test starts. One can use their analysis from NMAT mock tests to devide a good exam day strategy. Speed and accuracy can also be improved by practising previous years papers and mock tests.
Prepare for NMAT and CAT Simultaneously
Candidates can take the first attempt of NMAT 2026 in the first week of November. Candidates will be able to schedule the second attempt of NMAT 2026 after the exam date of the first attempt. However, there should be a gap of 15 days between two attempts.
How Should I Schedule NMAT 2026?
With CAT 2026 being conducted on November 29, candidates can schedule their first attempt anytime in the first week of November and keep the remaining month to prepare for CAT 2026. Candidates can take the second and third attempt of NMAT after taking CAT.
Planning NMAT Exam Dates Strategically
| Exam and Attempts |
Exam Dates for Best Shot at NMAT and CAT |
|---|---|
| NMAT First Attempt |
First week of November |
| CAT |
Last week of November |
| NMAT Second Attempt | Anytime after CAT 2026 |
| NMAT Third Attempt |
Until 19-Dec-2026 |
NOTE: Candidates who wish for NMIMS admissions via NMAT can only get their first attempt considered. Therefore, NMAT exam must be scheduled once the CAT exam concludes.
Tips to Prepare for NMAT and CAT
Candidates aspiring for admission based on NMAT or CAT must follow the below-mentioned preparation tips:
- Make a study plan by laying out unique and common topics from the CAT and NMAT syllabus.
- Firstly, focus on obtaining conceptual knowledge from topics under QA and VARC.
- Prepare short notes for all the topics that can help in the last-minute preparation for CAT and NMAT.
- Plan out all topics from the NMAT syllabus and CAT syllabus in a single prep strategy. This would help avoid duplication while studying.
- Attempt mock tests and practise previous year’s question papers of NMAT and CAT to get aware of the test patterns of both exams.
- NMAT is a speed-based test; therefore, solving questions within a limited time can help candidates prepare better.
- Solving previous year’s question papers and mock tests can help candidates exponentially.
- Consider attempting mock tests of other MBA entrance exams to get a hold of all types of question papers.
Besides NMAT and CAT, candidates can also appear for MAT, XAT, CMAT, SNAP, among other exams. Almost all MBA entrance exams have a common syllabus with slight changes in the difficulty level.
Benchmark Prep Against the Real CAT Exam
Over 3 Lakh candidates compete annually. The most direct way to pinpoint your performance gaps and prevent surprise pattern shifts is by practising real slot-wise papers.
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Abhishek Dhawan is a content writer and editor with 7+ years of experience in education journalism. He holds a BA degree from the University of Delhi. At Shiksha, Abhishek primarily covers MBA and BBA entrance
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