Ten Things to Keep in Mind for NTA CMAT 2023 exam
Common Management Admission Test 2026 ( CMAT )
Registration - 17 Oct '25 - 18 Nov '25
NTA will conduct the CMAT exam for 2023 session on May 4. With just one week left for the exam, candidates need to do the final practice and revision of the important topics. Apart from that, candidates need to also keep in mind a few things that will help them in CMAT 2023.
CMAT 2023 preparation
NTA CMAT 2023 will be held on May 4. It is one of the major MBA entrance exams for 2023 admission session for national level institutes. The CMAT exam will be held in 2 shifts and the admit card is expected to be released soon. Aspirants who have been preparing for the exam, have got one month extra as the exam was delayed from April to May. Now, that the CMAT 2023 exam is finally happening and the date is confirmed, candidates must complete the final practice and revision of the important or tough topics. Apart from that, candidates must also prepare for the CMAT 2023 exam and the test day. Here we have shared ten things to keep in mind for CMAT 2023 which you should know.
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Ten things to keep in mind for CMAT 2023
CMAT 2023 will be held in two shifts
This year, the CMAT exam will be held in two shifts. The first shift will be held from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and the second shift will be held from 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM. The slot name and timing will be mentioned in every candidate’s CMAT admit card 2023. Candidates will be allowed to appear for the exam only in the slot allotted to them.
CMAT is an easy exam. Despite having an extra section, its difficulty level is generally moderate. However, it has been seen previously that some questions in Logical Reasoning and General Awareness sections of CMAT turn out to be more difficult than questions of Quantitative Techniques, Language Comprehension and Innovation and Entrepreneurship. If a candidate can solve about 70-75 of the total questions with about 80 per cent accuracy in each section, they can score well in CMAT. Sectional difficulty in CMAT is as follows: 1. Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation: Moderate 2. Logical Reasoning: Easy to Moderate 3. Language Comprehension: Easy to Moderate 4. General Awareness: Moderate 5. Innovation & Entrepreneurship: Moderate For the latest exam pattern and difficulty level of CMAT click here: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/cmat-exam-analysis.
Since every section of CMAT has 20 questions in total, solving 15 to 18 questions in each section with 80 percent accuracy is considered a good attempt in CMAT, and it can ensure a good percentile in the exam. In the GK section, about 10 to 12 correct attempts will be enough. Out of 100 questions, candidates must try to solve about 70 to 75 questions to achieve a 99 percentile. However, candidates must aim to solve a higher number of questions with maximum accuracy and minimize negative marking. To be able to achieve this target, candidates have to prepare for the CMAT in a disciplined manner. Candidates must set aside about three months to complete the CMAT syllabus, as they have to study five subjects and their numerous topics. If they have appeared for CAT, XAT, and IIFT exams, then they can complete the CMAT syllabus in one month as well. However, it is advised that candidates spend at least three months on CMAT syllabus for complete preparation.
There is no change in the exam pattern
This year, there is no change in the CMAT exam pattern. The question paper will have 100 questions in MCQ format with each of the five sections carrying 20 questions each. Here’s an overview:
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| CMAT Sections |
Number of Questions |
Marks Allotted |
|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation |
20 |
80 |
| Logical Reasoning |
20 |
80 |
| Language Comprehension |
20 |
80 |
| General Awareness |
20 |
80 |
| Innovation & Entrepreneurship |
20 |
80 |
Innovation and Entrepreneurship section will be mandatory
Like last year, the Innovation and Entrepreneurship section will be mandatory this year too. The section will have 20 questions. All of them will be MCQs. There could be a passaged based section in Innovation and Entrepreneurship section.
Also read: Last week CMAT 2023 preparation tips
CMAT 2023 Admit card and photo ID are mandatory
Candidates need to carry two colour print outs of CMAT 2023 admit card in A4 size and a valid photo ID to the examination centre. Candidates must also carry a few copies of passport size photo. Digital copy of any document will not be accepted as valid.
Yes, 6 months are a decent time duration to prepare for CMAT exam, if one does it with dedication and discipline. Candidates who have appeared for CMAT or any other MBA entrance exam before, will find 6 months more than enough to prepare for the exam. Those, who are appearing in CMAT for the first time, can also prepare in 6 months but they will have to give extra time to it. If you plan a CMAT preparation in six months, make a three stage plan. In the first stage, which will be of 3 months, complete the CMAT syllabus, in the second phase, which will be of 2 months, practice sample papers and mock tests. In the third stage, which will be of 1 months, do revision of important topics and gain control over all that you have studied before. Keep in mind to solve enough number of CMAT mock tests (30-35) for better preparation in short time. Read More: CMAT preparation in 6 months
There will be no sectional time limit in CMAT 2023
The CMAT is a three-hour long exam. There is no sectional time limit in the exam so candidates will need to have a time bound strategy for it. They need to decide by themselves as to how much time should they spend in which section, depending on their strength and weakness. The General Awareness section is memory based and will not require more than 10-15 minutes. Candidates should also decide beforehand, how many questions should they solve in each section to arrive at the expected cut off.
There is negative marking in CMAT
There is negative marking of -1 for each incorrect attempt. So, CMAT 2023 aspirants keep this factor in mind while choosing a question to solve. If they cannot solve a question accurately, they must leave it and move to next question. This will save their effort, time and marks. It is not mandatory to solve all 100 questions. It is not possible to solve all the 100 questions in 180 minutes, either.
Also read:
COVID-19 guidelines will be followed
COVID-19 guidelines will be followed at every CMAT 2023 exam centre so candidates must check all the related instructions mentioned on their hall tickets. Candidates will be required to wear mask at the test centre and maintain physical distance from each other. They will also be required to carry their own hand sanitizer and drinking water. There will COVID-19 self declaration form attached to the admit card, which candidates will have to fill and attest.
Also read: COVID-19 Guidelines for CMAT 2023 Exam Day
Electronic items will not be allowed
Like every year, this year too electronic items will not be allowed inside the exam centre premises. Candidate must not carry phone, watch, calculator, IPad or any such electronic item to the exam centre. They should also not carry bags or valuables as there will be no arrangement of bag deposition at the CMAT test centres.
Also read: CMAT 2023 Dos and don'ts
No entry after test centre gates are closer
The exam timings for every slot will be mentioned on the CMAT 2023 admit card. Reporting time as well as gates closing time will also be mentioned in the admit card. Candidates should reach their respective NTA-CMAT test centres as per the reporting time mentioned to avoid hassle. If they reach later than the gate closing time, they will not be allowed entry under any circumstances.
Also read: CMAT 2023 exam day check list
CMAT 2023 answer key will be released 2 days after the exam
The NTA will release the candidate responses sheet and CMAT answer key 2023, most likely within 2-3 days of the exam. So candidates can expect their CMAT response sheet to be available by May 6-7, 2023.
Read more:
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered a month ago
CMAT is one of the top accepted exams for admission to MBA-offering universities, including AURO University. As per official sources, the CMAT exam has already been conducted for the 2025 session. The exam was conducted on Jan 25, 2025 by the National Testing Agency. The exam for the 2026 session i
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
The admissions into MBA courses at Marwadi University have been concluded in the year 2025. Hence, candidates can no longer apply for admissions into the MBA course at Marwadi University in the year 2025. The CMAT exam for the year 2025 has also been concluded for this year. Candidates must now wait
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
No, candidates do not have to mandatorily appear for the CMAT entrance exam for MBA in Business Analytics at Marwadi University. Candidates can apply for MBA admissions through any of the national level entrance exam such as CAT, XAT, ATMA and more. However, during admissions into the MBA in Busines
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Contributor-Level 10
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Yes, it is possible to get an MBA seat at CET Trivandrum with a valid CMAT score. The institute accepts CAT, CMAT, and KMAT scores for MBA admissions. Thus, students who did not appear for CMAT or did not score well can apply via KMAT or CAT scores. Students are selected for the programme after eval
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
No, CMAT scores are not compulsory for admissions to the MBA course at Sabarmati University. Because the university accepts CMAT/ CAT or any other entrance exam accepted by the counselling body. Thus, applicants with CMAT scores can get admission to the MBA course. However, it is not compulsory. App
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No, getting admission into SGSITS MBA courses is not possible without taking CUET. For admission to its MBA courses, the institute only accepts valid CMAT scores. Other than this, it is also essential that students aspiring to enrol into the programme meet the eligibility criteria prescribed by the
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CMAT is one of the top accepted exams for admission to MBA-offering colleges in Indore, including SGSITS. As per official sources, the CMAT exam has already been conducted for the 2025 session. The exam was conducted on Jan 25, 2025 by the National Testing Agency. The exam for the 2026 session is e
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
GK is memory based, so all that you need to do is memorise important events and occurrences. So, candidates may not need a lot of time to prepare for CMAT GK. They can devote one or two months for it. On daily basis, they can read Year Books for one hour to memorise events. Apart from that they can
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Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 months ago
CMAT RC passages are easy. Candidates need not worry about RCs in CMAT because they are short and pretty much straight forward. Questions are fact based and generally require candidates to identify the main argument/theme/idea of the passage. Sometimes, there are a few vocabulary and idiom based que
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Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 months ago
Yes, it is necessary to attempt GK section in CMAT as unlike other MBA entrance exams, scores of GK are included in percentile calculation in CMAT. Total number of GK questions in 20 and attempting 8-10 questions correctly, can get the candidate desired sectional cut off in CMAT. So, while preparing
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Contributor-Level 6