Updated on Oct 28, 2025 16:50 IST
In the last month before the CMAT 2026 exam, an absolute must for all the aspirants is to take CMAT mock tests regularly and seriously. At least one lakh students across the country are expected to appear for the exam so the competition is high. Prepare well.

CMAT 2026 will be held in January 2026, so the ideal time to start practicing CMAT mock tests regularly and seriously is December 2025 onwards. Ideally, an aspirant should aim for at least 10 full-length mocks during the last month of CMAT preparation.

By Mikin Shah

CMAT exam preparation

Last month preparation strategy for CMAT 2026 - It is exactly one month to go for CMAT 2025 exam. The efforts put in during the last stages of preparation can play a decisive role in determining your CMAT 2026 result. So, what should be the focus areas in this last one month of CMAT exam preparation 2026. In the last one month of CMAT preparation, the focus should be solely on solving practice tests, mock tests and sample questions. Enough practice of official CMAT questions will prepare you to handle any type of question paper- easy, moderate or tough. You can use the experience of CAT, NMAT, XAT exams to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. Apart from that, you need to focus on several other aspects of CMAT preparation 2026 in the last month. Read below.

Table of contents
  • CMAT Mock Tests
  • Strength and Weaknesses
  • Well Defined Routine
  • CMAT is About Aptitude Not Memory
  • CMAT 2026: What to Do in the Last Few Days?

CMAT Mock Tests

At least 70,000 students across the country are expected to appear for CMAT 2026 which will be held in computer based test mode at various exam centres in 124 cities. In the last month of exam preparation, an absolute must for all the aspirants is to take CMAT mock tests regularly and seriously. Ideally, an aspirant should aim for at least 10 full-length mocks during the last month of CMAT 2026 preparation. Considering that the exam is of three hours, one mock test and its analysis should make up one day’s work. I do not recommend taking CMAT mock test on a daily basis. Rather, it should be done on alternate days. The intervening days should be used to refresh some of the weaker areas.

CMAT_Mock_Test_1 CMAT_Mock_Test_1_Solutions
CMAT_Mock_Test_2 CMAT_Mock_Test_2_Solutions

Strength and Weaknesses

Any student who has taken up CMAT 2026 preparation seriously and has devoted the requisite time would definitely know the areas of strengths and weakness by now. Going into the final phases, the idea is to capitalise on your areas of strength while managing your weaknesses. This is especially true while attempting mock tests. The idea should be to first tackle the section which is your strength and then move to weaker areas. You must be absolutely clear in your mind about the sequence in which the sections are to be attempted. This sequence should be followed in each mock test and then at the real CMAT exam.

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Well Defined Routine

For the last few weeks, settling into a well defined routine is a must. Various activities such as CMAT mock tests, revisions, study-breaks and most importantly the sleep timings must follow a set pattern. The aspirants should devote at least one hour daily to reading a national newspaper. Apart from being recreational, this can be of great help in improving comprehension skills as well as adding to the general awareness.

CMAT is About Aptitude Not Memory

It has been observed that some students tend to slog too hard during the last few weeks before the exams. This must be avoided at all costs as it is likely to hurt your performance. The idea is to just peak on the day of CMAT exam. Too much work (anything more than six hours per day) in the last month can cause you to burn out before the exam day. Also, CMAT is about aptitude and not memory, so it makes no sense to cover every possible topic / detail / concept / formulae during the last few days. Moreover, most of the candidates would have already spent more than 100 hours for preparation by then, so there is not much to add during the last few days.

CMAT 2026: What to Do in the Last Few Days?

For the last few days before the CMAT 2026 exam, the following should be kept in mind:

  • It is alright to relax! You have done all the hard-work, and now is the time to harvest it.
  • DO NOT attempt too many mock tests in the final days before CMAT 2026 (Not more than two mock tests during the last four days).
  • Be very sure about the section-wise sequence of attempts. Maximise the attempts in your areas of strength.
  • Try to visit the CMAT test center one or two days before the actual exam as it will help you to avoid last minute hassle of connectivity, traffic, etc.
  • Get a good night’s sleep (at least seven hours) and spend time with family or friends on the day preceding the CMAT exam.

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Last Words

Be very clear about the institutes you want to target and hence the CMAT score that you are trying to achieve. Attempt CMAT 2026 in a manner which best fits your strengths and weaknesses. Just stay confident and everything will fall in place. All the best!

Read More:

About the Author

Mikin Shah is the Founder & Director a popular educational institute which specialises in MBA Entrance & MBA Tuitions. 

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Q:   Which is the lengthiest section in CMAT?
A:

Sectional weightage of CMAT is same. Since the Language Comprehension section of CMAT includes reading comprehension passages, it can be considered a lengthy section. However, any other section can also be lengthier due to nature of the questions.

Q:   What is the CMAT marking scheme?
A:
CMAT marking scheme is straightforward. If they can recall their attempts or have the answer key with them then they can calculate their CMAT raw score by adding and subtracting scores as per correct and incorrect attempts. Check CMAT marking scheme below: 1. For every correct attempt, 4 marks is awarded and for every incorrect answer, 1 mark is deducted. 2. For every unanswered question, the candidate will be marked zero. Given below is the process of calculating the CMAT score with the help of the CMAT answer key. Every section has 20 questions, so suppose in Quantitative Techniques section you got 14 questions right, 2 questions wrong and skipped 4 questions. So, your score will be 54 out of 80. Similarly, calculate the score of other sections. After the add all five to arrive as overall raw score. For example, you scored 54, 44, 75, 60 and 40 in five sections, then your sum total will be 203/400. You can read more about CMAT scoring process here: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/cmat-score-vs-percentile-how-to-calculate-blogId-19977 https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/what-is-cmat-score-normalization-process-blogId-53987.
Q:   Is there any negative marking in CMAT?
A:

Yes, there is a negative marking in CMAT exam. For each wrong answer, 1 mark will be deducted. However, no marks will be deducted for unanswered questions.

Q:   What is the section wise weightage in CMAT?
A:

CMAT has five sections. 

Given below is the sectional break up of CMAT exam:

  1. Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation: 20 questions of 4 marks each
  2. Logical Reasoning: 20 questions of 4 marks each 
  3. Language Comprehension: 20 questions of 4 marks each
  4. General Awareness: 20 questions of 4 marks each
  5. Innovation & Entrepreneurship: 20 questions of 4 marks each. 
Q:   What is the latest CMAT exam pattern?
A:

Latest CMAT exam pattern is given below:

  • Question paper carries 100 MCQs
  • Each section has 20 question
  • Exam duration is 180 minutes
  • Each question carries 4 marks 
  • There is no negative marking
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Answered 3 days ago

CMAT cutoff refers to minimum percentile required for admission to a particular college. Score accepting colleges determine the cut offs individually based on certain parameters. CMAT cut offs for top colleges like JBIMS, SIMSREE, PUMBA are generally 99 percentile and above.

A

Aarushi Hazarika

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 3 days ago

With 82 percentile in CMAT, you stand a chance of getting colleges like Great Lakes Institute of Management Gurgaon, Jaipuria Institute of Management Noida, IPE Hyderabad, FLAME University Pune, Asia Pacific Institute of Management Delhi, Prestige Institute of Management Indore among others.

N

Nishtha Shukla

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 3 days ago

CMAT total marks is 400. It is usually considered that scoring 270 to 300 marks can convert into good percentile, about 99 percentile. Around 200 marks can get you 90 percentile which is also good if you are targeting private colleges.

A

Anya B

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 3 days ago

There is no passing mark in CMAT exam, as admission is based on cut offs determined by colleges. A candidate scoring more than 0 in CMAT is eligible for admission will be selected only if they meet minimum cut off.

A

Anyam Kalra

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 3 days ago

CMAT 2026 result is expected to be declared by February 13, 2026. NTA has not shared any official date but if you look at the trends of previous year, CMAT result has always been released within 3 to 4 weeks of exam.

E

Esha Singh

Contributor-Level 6

Answered a month ago

No, GIM Goa does not accept CMAT scores for its PGDM programs for admissions. It only accepts CAT or XAT exam score. CAT score of previous year is accepted and XAT score of current year is accepted.

J

Jaya Sharma

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

No, CMAT scores are not compulsory for admissions into the MBA course at NSUT. Even CMAT scores are not the first priority of the admission committee to shortlist the students. Because the university considers the scores of CAT/ MAT for selecting the students. If the seats get vacant, then only CMAT

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Indrani Kumar

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

CMAT is one of the important examinations for admission to the MBA course at Biyani Group of Colleges. However, as the MBA course at Biyani Group of Colleges is offered with the affiliation of Rajasthan Technical University. Thus, there are chances that the college can accept the relevant scores of

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I

Indrani Kumar

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

CMAT 2026 admit card was available for download until exam day (January 25).  Candidates must download CMAT-NTA admit card as soon as it is released and save it.

A

Anya B

Contributor-Level 6

Answered a month ago

CMAT 2026 admit card was released on January 21, 2026. Candidates had to download it from the CMAT-NTA website, by using their login credentials. 

A

Anyam Kalra

Contributor-Level 6