Taking into consideration the popularity of NMAT and the ranking of institutions accepting NMAT scores for MBA admission, Shiksha brings to you eight tips to create a preparation strategy for NMAT exam. Read below.
NMAT 2026 Preparation: The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) conducts NMAT exam every year. NMAT scores are accepted by over 50 b-schools in India and abroad. Candidates targeting MBA admissions via NMAT will need 3-6 months for NMAT preparation, depending upon the subject knowledge. Those who have prior knowledge of topics under NMAT syllabus tend to prepare for the exam within three months. However, candidates starting fresh will need 5-6 months for NMAT preparation.
After NMAT registration, candidates have to choose the exam date while scheduling the exam. Candidates must plan three attempts of the NMAT exam before they proceed to select an exam date. Prior to knowing the strategies for NMAT 2026, candidates must familiarise themselves with the NMAT exam pattern.
Also Read: How to Strategically Plan Three Attempts of NMAT Exam?
NMAT 2026 Exam Pattern
The table below mentions the indicative exam pattern for NMAT 2026:
| NMAT Sections |
No. of Questions in NMAT 2026 |
|---|---|
| Language Skills Section |
36 |
| Logical Reasoning |
36 |
| Quantitative Skills |
36 |
| Total |
108 |
The number of questions has been reduced compared to previous years, whereas the duration has remained the same. Equal weightage has been given to each section; the score ranges from 12 to 120 in each section and 36 to 360 in total.
If you aim to crack the exam, use your time best. To help create a preparation strategy for NMAT 2026, Shiksha brings to you eight tips. Considering the time left and the exam difficulty level, we hope these tips will help you crack NMAT 2026 with a good score.
Commonly asked questions
How hard it is to get admission to the course depends on a variety of factors. These factors are the difficulty level of the entrance exam, the number of applicants, the availability of seats in the selected course/specialisation. etc. Admission to the BTech programme of NMIMS Hyderabad is based on the N-CET scores. Seats are allotted to the candidates who manage to secure the required cut-off for BTech admission at the institute, provided they fulfill the eligibility criteria. The institute's BTech eligibility criteria are not very difficult to meet. A candidate must have passed Class 12 with at least 45% in physics, mathematics, chemistry, or vocational subjects to be eligible for the course. Candidates with 45% in Diploma in engineering can also apply.
No, candidate who are looking for admission at NMIMS Indore need to appear and clear entrance exam as per course requirement. The university conducts multiple entrance exam as per different courses.
In order to get admission for BTech at NMIMS Indore University 2024, students need to furnish multiple documents for the applied course. Students are advised to visit the official website to learn more about document submission. Furthermore, candidates can check the points mentioned below for document requirements to get admission to NMIMS Indore University 2024:
- Valid Mobile no. and Email ID
- Class 10 and Class 12 pass certificate
- Leaving certificate
- Aadhaar card
- Passport-size photo
- Signature
The fee charged by NMIMS Indore for BA LLB (Hons) course is INR 2 lakh. Hostel fee is charged extra. Hostel facility is compulsory for all students who are not residents of Indore.
Eight tips to crack NMAT 2026
- Create a strategy for practice: Practising without any strategy is not worthwhile. Ask questions to yourself like what subject to prepare at what time, how much time to devote to it, when to start revision and so on.
- Convert your weaknesses to strengths and make strong areas stronger: To do this, here’s a four-step strategy:
- Practice and understand solved examples
- Practice unsolved exercises
- Next, move on to NMAT mock tests
- Finally, solve the previous years’ NMAT question papers. Try to practice around 20 questions in each step for each topic.
- Revision should be on the top of your mind in the last few days: The more you are clear about basic concepts, the more confident you are in solving all the questions successfully in the exam. Try to revise the chapters' basics to score high in the exam.
- Work out on shortcuts: If you are confident about any topic or subject, do not practice odd questions. Find out shortcuts to solving a time-consuming question and practice NMAT by GMAC mock tests.
- Time Management. Each section has specific durations assigned for completion, i.e. NMAT will have a sectional time limit. While practising, keep a timer, onscreen or physical, to keep track of the time and ensure that you not only complete the section on time but also there is enough time for revision. The section-wise durations are given in the below table.
| NMAT 2026 Sections |
Sectional Time Limit |
|---|---|
| Language Skills |
28 minutes |
| Logical Reasoning |
40 minutes |
| Quantitative Skills |
52 minutes |
| Total Duration |
120 minutes |
Also Read: NMAT Syllabus 2026
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Practice subjects in an alternate manner: During preparation, ensure that you pick up sections in an alternate manner so that you get equal practice and preparation in all three sections. For example, practice the Quant section on one day (or a few days) and the Language Skills sections on the second. This will help in maintaining the mood for practice. For example, devote Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to the Quant and Logical Reasoning section and Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday to the Language Skills section.
-
Practice individual topics in an alternate manner: Just like you alter between sections, try to alter your topics as well. Do not get stuck on one particular topic for days. Try to switch to a new topic every time you change your section. This is important while revising. If you stick to one topic for too long, you won’t have the time to focus on other topics.
-
Devote last month for revision and practising mock tests: Try to devote the last month of preparation to the basics and focus on practising the NMAT mock tests. Solving NMAT question papers in the final few days is essential. There are chances of repetition of questions from past years.
These are a few suggestions to help you in NMAT exam preparation. The better you prepare, the more the chances of admission in a top B-School will be. NMAT by GMAC scores are accepted by numerous institutes in India and abroad. Remember, hard work is the key to success. If you really work hard, you will definitely crack the test.
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Student Forum
Answered 2 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 2 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 3 weeks 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 a month 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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