Students' Speak: Check out the differences between CMAT, CAT & MAT
By: Aarushi Aagrwal
Aarushi Aagrwal explains the key differences between some of the major management entrance examinations.
CMAT is the abbreviation of the Common Management Admission Test for admissions in B-school for MBA/PGDM courses in the country. The exam is taken online which has a duration of three hours. The exam has four sections each having 25 questions making it to 100 in total. The sections are Quantitative Aptitude and DI, General Awareness, Logical Reasoning, Language Comprehension. Every correct answer brings four marks whereas a wrong answer gives a negative mark.
CAT or Common Admission Test is conducted by IIM for MBA/PGDM courses. The exam is taken online with a time limit of three hours. There are 100 questions in total divided into 3 sections that are: VARC of 34 questions, DILR of 32 questions and quantitative aptitude of 34 questions. The marking scheme is 3 marks for every correct answer and negative 1 mark for every wrong answer. The candidate is not allowed to skip the section before the allotted time is over.
Explore colleges based on CMAT
Want better recommendations?
There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.
- Chat with our counselor
- Get your personalised list of colleges & exams matching your preferences
MAT or Management Aptitude Test is conducted by the All India Management Association (AIMA) for admission in B-schools of the country. The exam is of 2 hours and 30 minutes with 5 sections to be solved. Total number of questions asked are 200 divided into the following sections: Language Comprehension (30 minutes), Intelligence and Critical Reasoning (30 minutes), Data Analysis and Sufficiency (35 minutes), Mathematical Skills (40 minutes), Indian and Global Environment (15 minutes). The marking scheme is positive 1 for every correct answer and negative 0.5 for a wrong answer.
The differences among CMAT, CAT and MAT are as follows:
| BASIS |
CMAT |
CAT |
MAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sectional time limit |
●Data interpretation ●General awareness ●Logical reasoning ●Language comprehension No sectional time limit |
●Verbal ability and reading comprehension- 1 hour ●Data interpretation and logical reasoning- 1 hour ●Quantitative aptitude- 1 hour |
●Language Comprehension- 30 minutes ●Mathematical Skills- 40 minutes ●Data Analysis and Sufficiency- 35 minutes ●Intelligence and Critical Reasoning- 30 minutes ●Indian and global environment- 15 minutes |
| Question type |
Only MCQs |
MCQ and type in question |
Only MCQs |
| Total marks |
400 marks |
300 marks |
200 marks |
| Marking scheme |
+4/-1 |
+3/-1 |
+1/-0.25 |
| Syllabus |
●Quants- algebra, TSD, allegation and mixture, geometry, quadratic and linear equation. ●LR- Analytical reasoning, number sets, matrix arrangement, blood relation etc ●Language- RC, Grammar, para jumbles, etc. ●General awareness- Economy, business, sports, culture, society |
●VARC- Para jumbles, CR, vocabulary, RC ●DILR- direction, puzzle, binary logic, Venn diagram, seating arrangement, sets, tables, bar, pie, line graphs ●Quantitative aptitude- trigonometry, mensuration, ratio proportion, numbers, TSD, time and work, inequalities, circle, triangle |
●Language- grammar, idiom phrases, RC, vocab, para jumbles, fill in the blanks. ●Mathematics, data sufficiency and analysis- TSD, ratio proportion, average, numbers, time work, profit loss, percentage. ●Intelligence and CR- family tree, pie chart, calendars, puzzle, blood relation, coding decoding, syllogism etc ●Indian and global environment- current affairs, sports, science, history, finance, entertainment, sports, etc. |
| Order of sections |
Candidates can solve question from any section |
Candidates are not allowed to skip in between the sections |
Candidates can solve question from any section |
| Exam mode |
Computer-based test |
Computer-based test |
Compute- based and paper-based test |
About the Author:
Aarushi Aagrwal is pursuing BBA from National Post Graduate College. She is highly driven and goal-oriented. She is intrigued by different cultures is always eager to know more about them. Aarushi is also a keen reader and a photography enthusiast.
Explore more MBA exams with upcoming dates
4 Jan '26
9 Jan '26
30 Sep '25 - 10 Jan '26
5 Jan '26 - 10 Jan '26
29 Nov '25 - 11 Jan '26
13 Jan '26
22 Jan '26
15 Dec '25 - 23 Jan '26
23 Jan '26
