CMAT is a pan India exam and nearly 75000 candidates appear for it every year. CMAT cut off percentiles of top colleges is in the higher range and it is tough to get through if you haven’t scored enough. So, as you prepare to appear for CMAT 2026, check what is a good score in the exam.
What is a good score in CMAT?
CMAT exam score is accepted by over 1300 MBA colleges in India. It includes all AICTE approved institutions, including top B Schools such as JBMIS, SIMSREE, PUMBA, Welingkar, Great Lakes, NL Dalmia, IMT among others. CMAT cut offs for admission are on the higher side in these institutes. So, you will need a minimum of 99.99 percentile, if your target college is one of these three. But, not everyone can score 99 percentile. About 53453 candidates appeared for the CMAT this year and only a handful will score 99 percentile. So, what is a good score in CMAT 2026? Looking at the overall cut off trends over the year, scoring above 85 percentile will keep you safe, if you are okay with a Tier 2 college.
In the CMAT exam, candidates are marked per questions, but the result is announced in percentile. So, another question that needs to be answered is what is a good score in CMAT for 99 percentile? Let’s understand this step by step.
Latest: CMAT 2026 result - live updates
- What is CMAT Score?
- How to Calculate CMAT Score?
- What is a Good Score in CMAT 2026?
- CMAT score vs percentile: Previous years’ Trend
- CMAT 2026 Cut Offs (Expected): Top B-Schools
What is CMAT Score?
CMAT score is referred to as the raw marks obtained by a candidate in the exam, i.e. the sum total of their correct and incorrect attempt. CMAT is of 400 marks so a decent score should be somewhere between 200- 250.
Also Read: 200 marks in CMAT
Commonly asked questions
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 questions too, but mostly from familiar areas and topics. The length is about 200-500 words.
One should dedicate about 4 to 5 hour in a day for CMAT preparation. If you have started CMAT preparation six months before 4 to 5 hours daily will be good. But if you start preparation 3 months before CMAT exam, you will need to dedicate about 7 hours to exam preparation as you will have to cover a lot in less time.
Cracking Logical Reasoning section of CMAT is all about how well and how quickly you understand the puzzles and patterns. To master this section of CMAT exam, sample questions for practice and sectional mock tests for CMAT are the best resource. You should start practicing Logical Reasoning questions early on in the preparation cycle. Pay attention to the topics from which Logical Reasoning questions are asked in CMAT. Prepare for those type of questions only. For Data Interpretation section of CMAT. You should be well versed with reading tables, graphs and charts correctly. For quick calculation, you should strengthen basic mathematical calculations like multiplication, division, square, square roots, cube, cube roots, etc. This section is all about observation and ability to break down information into pieces, so you need to practice a wide range of data interpretation questions.
How to Calculate CMAT Score?
For every correct answer, 4 marks are awarded and for every incorrect answer, 1 mark is deducted. So, let’s calculate CMAT score with an example.
- There are 100 questions in CMAT and you attempted 75.
- 60 were correct and 10 were incorrect
- So your CMAT score will be: 75x4 - 10 = 290
Now, lets come to the question, what is a good score in CMAT?
The CMAT score of a candidate is converted into percentile for result preparation. This percentile is the key to getting the B-School of your choice. CMAT percentile is essentially a candidate’s rank in comparison to rest of the test takers. For example, candidate who has scored the highest and he/she is the only one to score the highest, his/her percentile will be 100. The CMAT percentile calculation formula is:
Percentile P = 100 x Number of candidates appeared in the examination with raw marks equal to or less than the candidate/Total number of candidates appeared.
Also Read:
What is a Good Score in CMAT 2026?
CMAT 2026 exam was held in a single shift so there will be no score normalization. The percentiles will be calculated from candidate’s raw scores. Check below an estimation of CMAT score vs percentile 2026.
| CMAT Score |
CMAT Percentile |
|---|---|
| 350+ |
100.00 |
| 340 |
99.99 |
| 330 |
99.70 |
| 300 |
99.55 |
| 270 |
99 |
| 265 |
97 |
| 245 |
95 |
| 205 |
90 |
| 180 |
80 |
| 175 |
70 |
Also Read:
Commonly asked questions
Innovation and Entrepreneurship syllabus of CMAT is not a very difficult section. The syllabus pertains to business studies, economy and entrepreneurship. So, it will not require must time to cover the syllabus. Candidate can dedicate one month to this section towards the end, while preparing for other sections. You can refer to books - Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Peter F. Drucker and Entrepreneurship & Innovation Management by R. Gopal, Entrepreneurship by Robert D. Hisrich and Manorama Year Book by Mammen Mathew.
The difficulty level of CMAT 2025 exam was overall moderate. Interestingly, the GK questions were not tough as they usually are. Check below section wise CMAT 2025 difficulty level.
CMAT 2025 section | Number of questions | Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|
Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation | 20 | Easy |
Logical Reasoning | 20 | Easy |
Language Comprehension | 20 | Easy |
General Awareness | 20 | Moderate |
Innovation & Entrepreneurship | 20 | Moderate |
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.
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CMAT score vs percentile: Previous years’ Trend
CMAT score vs percentile fluctuates, due to difference in difficulty level of the paper and number of test takers every year. Check below the trend of CMAT score and percentile, in the last four years.
| CMAT Percentile |
CMAT Score |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 |
2024 |
2023 |
2022 |
|
| 99.99 |
340+ |
340+ |
350 |
360 |
| 99.70 |
330 |
326 |
335 |
330 |
| 99.5 |
300 |
310 |
306 |
303 |
| 99 |
270 |
280 |
296 |
293 |
| 95 |
245 |
250 |
265 |
260 |
| 90 |
205 |
225 |
250 |
240 |
| 80 |
180 |
195 |
220 |
211 |
| 70 |
175 |
190 |
190 |
180 |
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CMAT 2026 Cut Offs (Expected): Top B-Schools
Check below expected cut off percentiles for top CMAT accepting colleges. These are estimations should be taken as reference only.
| Colleges accepting CMAT score |
CMAT Cut Off (percentile) |
|---|---|
| 99.92 |
|
| 99.85 |
|
| 99.20 |
|
| 99.06 |
|
| 95 |
|
| 85 |
|
| 85 |
|
| 82 |
|
| 80 |
|
| 80 |
|
| 80 |
|
| 75 |
|
| 75 |
|
| 75 |
|
| 75 |
|
| 75 |
|
| 70 |
|
| 70 |
|
| 70 |
|
| 70 |
|
| 70 |
|
| 70 |
|
| 70 |
|
| 70 |
|
| 70 |
|
| 70 |
|
| 70 |
|
| SSN School of Management (SSN SOM) |
75 |
| 60 |
|
| 60 |
|
| 60 |
Read More:
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered a week ago
At GIBS Business School Bangalore, students are trained for interviews and corporate readiness through:
Regular mock interviews and group discussions to practice real-life scenarios.
Focus on developing soft skills, like communication and leadership.
Exposure to the corporate world through guest lectur
M
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
While CMAT is the primary route, RGPV may occasionally admit based on merit in graduation if seats remain vacant after all CMAT-qualified candidates are placed through College Level Counselling.
R
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 3 weeks ago
MAT and CMAT both are moderately difficulty exam, but have their own challenges. While, CMAT has one extra section Innovation and Entrepreneurship, MAT has a separate section for Data Interpretation having 30 questions. With focused preparation, you can crack either of the two that you choose.
S
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 weeks 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
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 weeks 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
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 weeks 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
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 weeks 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
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 weeks ago
CMAT 2026 result was declared by February 17, 2026. NTA released the scorecard late night at the official website. Candidates can download their scorecard through login.
E
Contributor-Level 7
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
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months 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
I
Contributor-Level 10
Vipra Shrivastava is MA in English Literature from Delhi University with extensive experience in content writing of over 14 years. She has been handling content for Management, Accounting and Commerce streams for 8
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