Appearing for NMAT exam this year? This article explains how to score 240+ in NMAT with a clear section-wise preparation strategy. Read on to know details on pattern, preparation tips, important topics from QA, LR, and LS, and some key strategies for a better score in NMAT.
How to Score 240+ in NMAT: Graduate Management admission council conducts NMAT exam every year for MBA admission at top b-schools in India. Primary b-schools accepting NMAT scores include SVKMs NMIMS, TAPMI, KJ Somaiya, among others. Top colleges accepting NMAT scores typically close admission process with cutoff score above 240 marks. In order to score above 240 marks in NMAT, candidates must have a good understanding of test structure, effective time management skills, and important topics for NMAT. Scroll down for insights on how to score 240+ in NMAT, along with the section wise NMAT preparation strategy.
- NMAT Exam Pattern
- NMAT Section-Wise Preparation Strategy for 240+ Marks
- NMAT Exam Day Tips for 240+ Score
- Scoring 240+ in NMAT: Common Mistakes to Avoid
NMAT Exam Pattern
NMAT is an adaptive test, where the difficulty level of the question changes with every answer marked by the candidate. Similar to other MBA entrance exams, NMAT comprises three sections, namely Quantitative Skills (QA), Logical Reasoning (LR), and Language Skills (LS). The table below mentions the NMAT exam pattern:
| NMAT Exam Pattern |
Details |
|---|---|
| Exam mode |
Online |
| Total questions |
108 |
| NMAT exam sections |
Language Skills, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Skills |
| Section-wise question weightage |
36 questions in each section |
| Duration of test |
120 minutes |
| NMAT score range |
36 - 360 |
| Sectional timelimit |
Language Skills: 28 minutes Logical Reasoning: 40 minutes Quantitative Skills: 52 minutes |
| Medium |
English |
Commonly asked questions
Yes, questions in each section of NMAT exam are to be answered within a specified time limit. Section wise time limit is as follows:
NMAT Section | NMAT Sectional Time Limit |
|---|---|
Language Skills | 28 minutes |
Logical Reasoning | 40 minutes |
Quantitative Skills | 52 minutes |
Total | 120 minutes |
Yes, all questions of NMAT exam have a similar marking scheme. NMAT exam score is scaled between 36 and 360. There is no negative marking in NMAT exam.
NMAT exam is conducted three times within a specified test window. Candidates can choose the preferred exam date from the available test window. Since the questions attempted by different candidates may have different difficulty level, GMAC scales the scores of each attempt to equalise the performance of all the candidates.
After the exam, the test forms are equated on a common scale to remove any kind of discrepancy in regards with the performance of candidate owing to different difficulty level of each NMAT question paper. All the students have then scored on an equated scale to avoid candidates benfitting from indifferent difficulty standards.
NMAT exam is designed with 108 questions to be answered within 120 minutes. Candidates can appear for NMAT in computer based test mode. 108 questions of NMAT exam is divided equally into three sections, namely Language Skills, Quantitative Skills, and Logical Reasoning.
NMAT Section-Wise Preparation Strategy for 240+ Marks
NMAT exam comprises three sections, including Language Skills, Quantitative Skills and Logical Reasoning. Candidates must devise a separate preparation plan for each section to secure 240+ marks in NMAT. Section-wise NMAT preparation strategy is mentioned below:
NMAT Quantitative Skills Tips for 240+ Marks
After analysing the preparation tips from the past toppers, here are the tips for Quantitative Skills section for 240+ marks in NMAT exam:
- Important Topics
- Arithmetic: Percentages, ratios, averages, allegations, Simple Interest, and Compound Interest.
- Algebra
- Modern Maths: Permutations, combinations, logarithms, and probability
- What to Expect: Sets from Data Sufficiency, and Data Interpretation are calculation-heavy. One might find two DI sets. One may or may not be required to solve all questions from the sets to score 240+ marks.
- How to Tackle Quant in NMAT for 240+ Score: Focus on speed for fast calculations. This helps candidates handle the lengthy questions from Quantitative Skills.
NMAT Logical Reasoning Preparation Tips for 240+ Marks
Candidates find the Logical Reasoning section in NMAT to be on the moderate difficulty level. Some of the key preparation tips of NMAT Logical Reasoning section for 240+ score is as follows:
- Important Topics:
- Decision Making
- Course of Action
- Assumptions and Conclusions
- Input-Output (questions might have two sets; one must not spend more than 4-5 minutes per set)
- Venn diagram-based questions
- What to Expect: Candidates have to answer all the questions within 40 minutes. Therefore, they must plan to solve all 36 questions from LR as soon as possible. The difficulty level is moderate for the LR section, however, most of the questions in the section are scoring.
NMAT Language Skills Preparation for 240+ Marks
The space below mentions the tips for answering questions from Language Skills section to score 240+ marks in NMAT exam:
- Important Topics:
- Vocabulary will be tested via questions from Synonyms, Antonyms, and Word Usage.
- Grammar is tested via fill in the blanks type questions with error detection.
- Parajumbles
- Sentence correction
- What to Expect: Candidates will find easier and straightforward questions in Reading Comprehensions. However, RCs require quick reading. The Language Skills section of NMAT exam is comparatively easier than other MBA exams.
- How to Tackle LS in NMAT for 240+ Marks: Since the section is easiest of all three, candidates must aim to maximise their score here to balance a possible dip of scores in the Quantitative Skills section.
NMAT Exam Day Tips for 240+ Score
Some of the key tips followed by the NMAT toppers to secure 240+ marks is mentioned below:
- Try to attempt all the questions, even if it requires guessing the answer.
- Do not spend more than 15-20 seconds on a question which appears unsolvable.
- Practise using official mock tests. This helps familiarise oneself with the question style and topics for the actual exam.
- While attempting consecutive questions, maintain accuracy as the adaptive nature of the test provides additional score for consistent correct responses.
- Use the exam’s easier sections to balance scores in more calculation-heavy sections.
Commonly asked questions
A total of 108 questions appear in NMAT exam. Each section of NMAT exam has 36 questions. All three sections have equal weightage in NMAT exam.
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.
NMAT mock test and the actual exam are identical in terms of the exam structure and overall difficulty standards of the exam. The user interface of the NMAT mock test may vary across service providers. However, candidates practising using the official NMAT mock test will get taste of the actual exam user interface.
NMAT mock test released by GMAC is a simulation of the actual exam. Questions, pattern, syllabus, and test structure are similar to the actual exam. However, the score of the NMAT mock test will not affect the admission process at the NMAT participating colleges. Mock test only helps in practicing and revision of the questions.
The conducting body of NMAT, Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), releases the NMAT preparation material. Candidates can buy the NMAT prep material online from Amazon or Flipkart. The online purchase of the NMAT guidebook will provide access to 264 questions from the past exam session, along with 173 new questions in line with the difficulty standards. Candidates also get access to the answers and solutions for these questions. Additionally, candidates get access a total of 475 questions with answer keys and explanations.
Besides the questions from the official guidebook, candidates applying for NMAT get access to one practise paper with 108 questions. Additionally, candidates can purchase two NMAT practise papers designed by GMAC for exam preparation.
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Scoring 240+ in NMAT: Common Mistakes to Avoid
To score more than 240 marks in NMAT exam, candidates must avoid leaving any question unanswered. Additionally, one must not spend excessive time on lengthy questions, such as Input-Output sets, DI problems, etc.
Arithmetic questions dominate the Quant section of NMAT. Therefore, one must focus on the topics from Arithmetic while preparing to get a notch above other candidates. Besides Arithmetic questions, Modern Math topics also dominate the NMAT Quant section.
How to Score 240+ in NMAT?
Candidates must practice timed mock tests to increase their speed as well as accuracy. Practice official mock tests at least twice to familiarise with the difficulty level and type of questions. While appearing for mocks, candidates must target a sectional score of 72+ and a total score more than 240. Additionally, NMAT preparation must have a balance across all three sections instead of relying on one area as most of the NMAT participating colleges will have a sectional cutoff score.
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Student Forum
Answered 3 weeks ago
The NMAT registration is generally open from August to October. Students have to apply for the exam through its official website. The exam results are announced around November/December. Students can check the results on official website by logging in with their registration number. Selected applica
B
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 weeks ago
CAT is widely accepted across most the top-tier private MBA colleges in India besides all the top IIMs, but the scores alone are not enough, especially in institutes like Management Development Institute, SPJIMR, MICA, etc. There are interview rounds and candidate profile selections to go through af
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
Yes, students have to apply separately for NMIMS Navi Mumbai MBA admission after NMAT results are out. Students must go to the NMIMS website and register online. To submit the form, candidates have to provide documents and application fees.
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
No, you cannot join Jindal Global Business School without an entrance exam if you want admission to the MBA course. For admission to the management courses, the institute accepts various national-level exams, like
- CAT
- MAT
- ATMA
- GMAT
- NMAT
- XAT
- CMAT
Students who attain qualifying percentiles for these exams are
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
No, you cannot join UPES Dehradun for its MBA programme without appearing for the accepted entrance examination. To gain admission to this institute, students would need to take one of the following exams after they clear the basic eligibility rules.
- NMAT, XAT and MAT
Students who attempt the previou
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
| Parameter | Your Score | Impact |
| CAT | 72.33%ile | Tier-2/3 Eligibility |
| NMAT | 187 | Target non-Mumbai NMIMS campuses |
| 10th/12th | 72.6% / 65.4% | Average; may limit "Old IIMs" even if scores were higher |
| BE | 77.6% | Strong Point helps in engineering-preferred pools |
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
Candidates need to score 160 or above in NMAT in order to apply for Jain University MBA admissions. If the candidates scores the aforementioned marks, they get to skip JET and proceed to the essay writing and personal interview round. However, candidates who scored below the aforementioned limit nee
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
No, NMAT is not mandatory for admission to the MBA+PGPM programme at Amity Global Business School (AGBS), Ahmedabad. While NMAT scores are accepted, the school offers multiple pathways for admission, and the exam is not the sole requirement.
J
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
Yes, students have to apply separately for NMIMS MBA admission after NMAT results are out. Students must go to the NMIMS website and register online. To submit the form, candidates have to provide documents and application fees.
N
Contributor-Level 10

Abhishek is a content writer and editor with 7+ years of experience in education journalism. He completed his graduation from University of Delhi with a BA Degree. At Shiksha.com, he handles content for MBA, BBA, an
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