Vipra
Vipra Shrivastava
Senior Manager - Content
Updated on Jan 25, 2026 12:49 IST
CMAT Normalization is a practice for comparing scores of the candidates across multi session papers to arrive at CMAT percentiles. Check here how the CMAT exam scores are normalized for preparation of CMAT 2026 result and merit list. Read all about it in the article below.

CMAT Normalization is a practice for comparing scores of the candidates across multi session papers to arrive at CMAT percentiles. Check here how the exam scores will be normalized for preparation of CMAT 2026 result and merit list. 

CMAT normalization

CMAT Score Normalization - CMAT exam is held in 2 sessions - morning and evening. The question paper of both CMAT sessions are different from each. In such a scenario, it may happen that candidates of one exam slot might get the easier set of questions as compared to candidates of another slot.

CMAT 2026 exam was held on January 25 2026 in a single session thus this year there will be no score normalization. However, you can read below and understand the purpose and process of CMAT score normalization in previous year. If the CMAT exam is conducted in more than one session next year, the same normalization formula will apply. 

Latest: CMAT 2026 exam answer key soon - live updates

When the CMAT exam is conducted in two or more sessions, the question paper of one session is slightly tougher than another. Which means candidates of one session stand the risk of scoring lower than candidates of another session. To negate this possibility, there is a need to judge the performance of all the candidates on the same scale.

So, in order to ensure that no candidate has an advantage or disadvantage due to varied difficulty levels of the CMAT question papers, the NTA applies CMAT score normalization procedure for preparing result and merit list. So, let's understand the CMAT score normalisation process. 

Also Read: What is a good score in CMAT 2026?

Table of contents
  • What is CMAT Normalization Process?
  • CMAT Percentile Calculation
  • CMAT Percentile Scores
  • CMAT Normalization: How CMAT Result is Prepared?
  • CMAT Marking Scheme and Number of Good Attempts
  • Preparation of CMAT Result and Merit List 2026

What is CMAT Normalization Process?

CMAT Normalization is a practice for comparing performance of the candidates across multi-session papers. The CMAT normalization process is similar to those being adopted in other national level entrance tests conducted in India. For normalization across sections, NTA shall use the percentile equivalence. To understand CMAT Normalization Process let’s first understand CMAT percentile calculation.

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   How will I know the address of my CMAT exam centre?
A: 
The address of CMAT exam centre will be mentioned in the admit card only, which means candidates will know the address of the CMAT test centre allotted to them only after they download their CMAT admit card. The exam authorities will not share the details of any exam centre before the release of CMAT admit card. The NTA however, releases city intimation slip before the admit card which contains the name of the city in which the test centre has been allotted. The city intimation slip is issued a week before the exam to allow candidates to make arrangements for the exam day. If any student belongs to a rural area and their test centre falls in a city, they can make arrangements beforehand if they know which city they have to go to for appearing in the exam.
Q:   What are the items prohibited at the CMAT exam centre?
A: 
No, any electronic item including the watch, mobile phone, ipad, calculator, watch, smartwatch, etc. Is not allowed inside the CMAT examination centre. Any candidate found carrying such an item inside the exam hall will be disqualified. Candidates can check time on the onscreen timer on their computer systems during the CMAT exam. Apart from electronic items, stationary other than a blue/black ball point pen, metal accessories or metal jewellery and eatables are not allowed. Caps & headgear, goggles, hoodies, shirt with pockets, pants with pockets and closed shoes are also not allowed inside the test centre. Any candidate found carrying any such item or pieces of paper will be disqualified from the exam. Candidates must not carry bags and other valuables, as CMAT exam centres do not have any provision of bag deposit.
Q:   What are important don'ts for CMAT exam day?
A: 
  1. Do not carry prohibited items such as bags, purses, pencil box, beepers, wrist watch, calculators, mobile phones, electronic devices, scanners, cameras, wireless/Bluetooth transmission or any such communication devices.
  2. Don't wear jewellery made of metal, jackets, clothes with pockets, mehendi on palms and closed shoes. Socks are allowed inside it. 
  3. Don't wear goggles, caps & head gears, hoodies or jackets/shirts with pockets 
  4. Don't be late for the exam. The entry gates will be closed 15 minutes before the commencement of exam. So, reach the exam centre as per the reporting time mentioned on the CMAT admit card.
  5. Don't cheat or indulge in mal practices. You will be disqualified if caught indulging in any such ACT.
  6. Don't create a ruckus inside the test lab or disturb other candidates
  7. Don't leave your seat until the exam duration gets over and the invigilator announces exit.
Q:   What are the important dos of CMAT exam day?
A: 

CMAT exam day dos:

  1. Reach exam centre on time.
  2. Carry two copies of the CMAT admit card, one photo ID card and a photo
  3. Carry a blue/black ball point pen for signing attendance sheet
  4. Cooperate with test centre staff 

CMAT Percentile Calculation

CMAT result is prepared in the form of a merit list which contains each candidate’s sectional marks, overall marks, sectional percentiles and overall percentile. Check the image below for example:

CMAT Merit List

CMAT Merit List | courtesy: NTA

Also Read: CMAT answer key 2025/2026

Check CMAT Cut offs and predict calls from colleges accepting CMAT score for admission. Check Fees, Placement Reviews, Admission, Shortlist Criteria and Eligibility of all CMAT participating colleges by clicking the link below:

CMAT College Predictor
Staying updated about the latest educational events is just a click away
Enter Mobile Number

CMAT Percentile Scores

From the image above, you can figure out that CMAT Percentile scores are scores based on the relative performance of all the test takers across exam sessions. Basically, the marks obtained by each candidate are transformed into a scale ranging from 100 to 0 for each session of examinees.

The CMAT Percentile Score indicates the percentage of candidates that have scored EQUAL TO OR BELOW (raw scores) than a particular Percentile in CMAT exam. Therefore, the topper (highest scorers) of each session will get 100 percentile. The marks obtained in between the highest and lowest scores are also converted to appropriate percentiles. The formula of CMAT percentile calculation is:

Number of candidates (in the ‘Session’ with raw score EQUAL TO OR LESS than the candidate) X 100
                            Total number of the candidates who appeared in the ’Session’

The CMAT percentile calculation as explained by the NTA is presented below:

Highest Raw Score and Percentile Score: All the highest raw scores will have a normalized Percentile Score of 100 for their respective session.

CMAT percentile calculation

Highest Raw Score and Percentile Score | Courtesy: NTA

Lowest Raw Score and Percentile Score: Percentile Score of all the lowest raw scores will depend on the total number of candidates who have taken the Examination for their respective session.

CMAT percentile calculation

Lowest Raw Score and Percentile Score | Courtesy: NTA

Also Read:

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   What is the time duration of CMAT exam?
A: 
The CMAT exam is conducted for three hours or 180 minutes. There is no sectional time limit in CMAT unlike in CAT or XAT. No break is given to candidates in between the exam. Extra 30 minutes are granted to PwD candidates for completing the paper. Candidates must manage the three hours in such a way that they get enough time to spend on every section of CMAT exam. Candidates can divide time among all five sections of the CMAT question paper according to their convenience. They must make a time management strategy ahead of the exam so that they are able to solve a good number of questions in each section and reach the sectional cut off. GK is a memory based section and you need to get 8-10 questions correct to get meet the sectional cut off. So attempt it in the end and not spend more than 10 minutes on it.
Q:   In how many cities is ICAI CA exam held?
A: 

CA exams are held in over 150 cities across India and in 8 overseas locations – Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, Kampala, Kathmandu, Kuwait and Muscat. 

Indian cities where the CA exams are held include Port Blair, Anantapur, Eluru, Guntur, Kadapa, Kakinada, Kurnool, Nellore, Ongole, Rajamahendravaram, Srikakulam, Tirupati, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Jorhat, Silchar and Tinsukia, Bilaspur, Durg, Raigarh, Raipur, Rajnandgaon, Chandigarh, Delhi, Mapusa, Margao, Ahmedabad, Anand, Bharuch, Bhavnagar, Bhuj, Gandhidham, Gandhinagar, Himatnagar, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Mehsana, Nadiad, Navsari, Palanpur, Porbandar, Rajkot, Surat, Surendranagar, Vadodara and Vapi, Ambala, Bahadurgarh, Bhiwani, Faridabad, Fatehabad, Gurgaon (Gurugram), Hisar, Jind, Kaithal, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Narnaul, Panipat, Rewari, Rohtak, Sirsa, Sonepat and Yamuna Nagar, Shimla, Jammu, Srinagar, Bokaro Steel City, Deoghar, Dhanbad, Hazaribagh, Jamshedpur, Ramgarh and Ranchi, Bagalkot, Belgaum, Bellary, Bengaluru, Chikkaballapur, Chitradurga, Davangere, Gadag, Hassan, Haveri, Hubli, Kalaburgi (Gulbarga), Kolar, Koppal, Mandya, Mangalore, Mysore, Raichur, Shimoga, Sirsi, Tumakuru, Udupi, Vijayapura, Adoor, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Idukki, Kalpetta, Kannur, Kasaragod, Kollam (Quilon), Kottayam, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad, Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur, Bhopal, Burhanpur, Chhindwara Gwalior, Indore, Jabalpur, Katni, Khandwa, Mandsaur, Neemuch, Ratlam, Rewa, Sagar, Satna and Ujjain, Ahmednagar, Akola, Amravati, Aurangabad, Badlapur, Beed, Bhiwandi, Khamgaon (Buldhana), Chandrapur, Dhule, Gondia, Ichalkaranji, Jalgaon, Jalna, Kolhapur, Latur, Mumbai, Nagpur, Nanded, Nandurbar, Nasik, Navi Mumbai, Palghar, Panvel, Parbhani, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune, Ratnagiri, Sangli, Satara, Sindhudurg, Solapur, Thane, Vasai, Wardha and Yavatmal, Shillong, Balangir, Berhampur (Brahmapur), Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Jharsuguda, Rayagada, Rourkela and Sambalpur, Puducherry, Amritsar, Bathinda, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Mandi Gobindgarh, Pathankot, Patiala, Sangrur, Ajmer, Alwar, Banswara, Beawar, Bharatpur, Bhilwara, Bikaner, Bundi, Chittorgarh, Churu, Jaipur, Jhunjhunu, Jodhpur, Kishangarh, Kota, Nagaur, Pali, Marwar, Rajsamand, Sikar, Sirohi, Sri Ganganagar and Udaipur, Gangtok, Chennai, Coimbatore, Cuddalore, Dharmapuri, Dindigul, Erode, Hosur, Kancheepuram, Karaikudi, Karur, Kumbakonam, Madurai, Nagapattinam, Nagercoil, Namakkal, Pudukkottai, Salem, Sivakasi, Theni, Tiruchirapalli, Tirunelveli, Tirupur, Tiruvallur, Tiruvannamalai, Tuticorin, Vellore and Villupuram, Adilabad, Hyderabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda, Nizamabad and Warangal, Agartala, Agra, Aligarh, Allahabad (Prayagraj), Bareilly, Bulandshahr, Firozabad, Ghaziabad, Gorakhpur, Jhansi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Mathura, Meerut, Moradabad, Muzaffarnagar, Noida, Saharanpur and Varanasi, Dehradun, Haldwani, Haridwar and Kashipur, Asansol, Durgapur, Hooghly, Kharagpur, Kolkata, Raniganj and Siliguri.

Q:   Which are the cities where CMAT exam is held?
A: 

CMAT exam is held in over 100 cities across India. They are Port Blair, Hamirpur, Mumbai, Guntur, Jammu, Nashik, Nellore, Bokaro, Satara, Vijayawada, Dhanbad, Palghar, Kakinada, Hazaribagh, Ulhasnagar, Rajahmundry, Jamshedpur, Shillong, Visakhapatnam, Ranchi, Aizawl, Kurnool, Belagavi (Belgaum), Kohima, Tirupati, Bengaluru, Balasore, Vizianagaram, Hubballi (Hubli), Cuttack, Itanagar, Mysuru (Mysore), Sambalpur, Dibrugarh, Kalaburagi (Gulbarga), Berhampur, Silchar, Shivamogga (Shimoga), Dhenkanal, Guwahati, Dharwad, Bhubaneswar, Tezpur, Mangaluru (Bangalore), Rourkela, Jorhat, Udupi, Puducherry, Aurangabad-Bihar, Kannur, Pathankot, Darbhanga, Ernakulam, Ludhiana, Arrah, Kollam, Amritsar, Muzaffarpur, Kottayam, Bhatinda, Bhagalpur, Kozhikode, Patiala, Patna, Thrissur, Jalandhar, Mohali, Trivandrum, Sangrur, Chandigarh, Bhopal, Ajmer, Bhilai Nagar, Jabalpur, Jaipur, Bilaspur, Ujjain, Sikar, Raipur, Gwalior, Alwar, Delhi, Sagar, Jodhpur, Faridabad, Indore, Udaipur, Gurugram, Satna, Bikaner, Ghaziabad, Bhopal, Kotak, New Delhi, Jabalpur, Madurai, Greater Noida, Ujjain, Chennai, Noida, Gwalior, Salem, Meerut, Sagar, Trichy, Panaji, Indore, Coimbatore, Ahmedabad, Satna, Vellore, Mehsana, Amravati, Tirunelveli, Vadodara, Jalgaon, Hyderabad, Anand, Nagpur, Karimnagar, Rajkot, Pune, Warangal, Gandhinagar, Solapur, Allahabad, Surat, Navi Mumbai, Bareilly, Ambala, Ahmednagar, Kanpur, Hisar, Kolhapur, Muzaffarnagar, Karnal, Nanded, Agra, Kurushetra, Raigad, Gorakhpur, Panipat, Thane, Lucknow, Rohtak, Vasai, Varanasi, Shimla, Aurangabad, Aligarh, Jhansi, Moradabad, Dehradun, Haldwani, Roorkee, Asansol, Durgapur, Bankura, Burdwan, Kolkata, Hooghly, Kalyani, Siliguri, Srinagar and Imphal. 

Q:   How can I select test cities for CMAT exam?
A: 

There will be a page for test city selection in the CMAT application form. You can select your preferred test cities from the dropdown.

Explore colleges based on CMAT

Indore
₹12.50 L
Gurgaon
₹86.00 K
Gurgaon
#9 NIRF
₹8.25 L
Mumbai
#20 NIRF
₹9.50 L

Want better recommendations?

There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.
Chennai
₹9.00 L
Noida
#49 NIRF
₹6.40 L
Rourkela
₹4.00 L
Noida
#41 NIRF
₹14.75 L
Kolkata
#42 NIRF
₹12.08 L
Jalandhar
#44 NIRF
₹5.60 L
Confused about which college or exam to opt for?assitentRcpRhsImage
  • Chat with our counselor
  • Get your personalised list of colleges & exams matching your preferences
View allCollections

CMAT Normalization: How CMAT Result is Prepared?

For preparing CMAT result by Normalization Process, the examination authority divides all the test takers equally into fours sessions. This will ensure that there is no bias in the distribution of candidates who shall take the examination. Further, with a large population of examinees spread over the entire country the possibility of such bias becomes remote.

CMAT results for each session would be prepared in the form of:

  1. Raw Scores
  2. Percentiles Scores of Total raw scores

The percentiles would be calculated for each candidate by the formula given below:

Total Percentile (TP1):

100 X No. of candidates appeared from the session with raw score EQUAL TO OR LESS than T1 score
                                          Total No. of candidates appeared in the session

CMAT Marking Scheme and Number of Good Attempts

CMAT question paper has five sections and each section has got equal weightage. Every question carries 4 marks for correct attempt and -1 mark for incorrect attempt. Candidates are marked 0 for unanswered questions. Check the table below for total number of questions and number of good attempts.

CMAT Sections

Number of questions

Number of good attempts

Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation

20

16-17

Logical Reasoning

20

16-17

Language Comprehension

20

16-17

General Awareness

20

8-10

Innovation & Entrepreneurship

20

7-9

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   What is the validity of CMAT score?
A: 

Validity of CMAT score is one year in most of the colleges. There are a very few and Tier 3 colleges that may accept CMAT score from previous years. So, if they wish to drop a year, they should appear for the exam again in the next session.

Q:   How early should I reach CMAT exam centre?
A: 

Although reporting time is mentioned on every candidate's CMAT admit card, they should reach at least an hour before the exam starting time.

Explore more MBA exams with upcoming dates

MAT May 2026 Registration PBT

1 Apr '26 - 25 May '26

ATMA 2026: Last Date of Fee Pa...

28 Jun '26

Last date for PAT 2026 Registr...

1 Dec '25 - 30 Jun '26

Karnataka PGCET admit card dow...

16 May '26 - 23 May '26

TANCET 2026 result declaration

23 May '26

HPU MAT 2026 application process

11 Apr '26 - 24 May '26

TGICET Preliminary Answer Key ...

29 May '26

PIM-MAT 2026 Registration

23 Apr '26 - 30 May '26

KLMAT 2026 Application

2 Jan '26 - 31 May '26

KMAT 2026: Last date to fill a...

15 Aug '26

Preparation of CMAT Result and Merit List 2026

The CMAT percentile scores for the Total Raw Score for all the shifts would be merged and shall be called the NTA-CMAT scores to be used for preparation of merit list.

In case, CMAT percentiles for the multi-shifts being unequal, the lowest will be the eligibility cut-off for that category for all candidates across all exam sessions.

For Example: If 40 per cent marks correspond to 78 percentile in Shift 1 and 79 in Shift 2, then all those equal to or above 78 percentiles (Percentile score of 100 to 78) in both shifts will become eligible in General Category.

Read More:

Videos you may like
About the Author
author-image
Vipra Shrivastava
Senior Manager - Content

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

Read Full Bio
Download Important Dates for MBA/PGDM Exams

News & Updates

Latest NewsPopular News

Explore Other Exams

Jul '26

XAT 2027 registration dates

Sep '26

XAT 2027 mock test

Aug '26

SNAP 2026 Registration Process

28 Nov '26

SNAP 2026 admit card session 1...

1 Apr '26 -

25 May '26

MAT May 2026 Registration PBT

1 Apr '26 -

8 Jun '26

MAT May 2026 Registration CBT

Aug '26

CAT 2026 application process

Nov '26

CAT 2026 admit card download

Aug '26

NMAT 2026 Registration Window

Aug '26

NMAT 2026 Scheduling Window

Jul '26

IBSAT 2026 Registration

Dec '26

IBSAT 2026 Exam Date

13 May '26

MAH MBA CET 2026 Final Answer ...

9 May '26

MAH MBA CET 2026 (2nd Attempt)

7 May '26 -

30 Jun '26

ATMA registration 2026 (July)

28 Jun '26

ATMA 2026: Last Date of Fee Pa...

17 Oct '24 -

5 Dec '24

IIFT 2025 registration and app...

Mar '25

IRMASAT 2025 Final Result Anno...

Feb '25

IRMASAT Personal Interviews

The list of exams are recommended based on what other exams do the students in your area show interest in
qna

Student Forum

chatAnything you would want to ask experts?
Write here...

Answered Yesterday

Three months may not be enough for CMAT preparation, if you're doing it from scratch. However, if you are preparing for CAT, XAT, NMAT, you can prepare for CMAT in 3 months as you have clear understanding of the syllabus already and you will need exam specific practice only.

A

Anya B

Contributor-Level 7

Answered 2 days ago

No, candidates are not required to appear in CMAT to be eligible for BTech in CSE + MBA integated course at UIT, Karnavati University. For this course, candidates are required to appear in either JEE Mains or GUJCET to qualify for admissions.

S

Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a week ago

If you have appeared for CMAT before and have complete conceptual clarity of topics, you can prepare for CMAT with mock test practice only.

A

Anyam Kalra

Contributor-Level 7

Answered a week ago

For CMAT English preparation, candidates can refer to High School English Grammar by Wren and Martin and Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis. These two will help in building grammar and vocabulary.

M

Manisha Singh

Contributor-Level 7

Answered a week ago

Manorama Year Book, Lucent's General Knowledge will be a good source to prepare static GK for CMAT. Apart from that, you should refer Pratiyogita Darpan and GK Today for current affairs.

A

Anya B

Contributor-Level 7

Answered a week ago

For CMAT English preparation, candidates can refer to High School English Grammar by Wren and Martin and Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis. These two will help in building grammar and vocabulary.

P

Pallavi Gupta

Contributor-Level 7

Answered a week ago

Yes, you should carry a passport size photo along with the CMAT admit card on the exam day. The photo should preferably be the same as uploaded in the application form.

A

Anya B

Contributor-Level 7

Answered a week ago

CMAT 2027 admit card will not be release offline. Candidates will have to download it from the CMAT-NTA website only after logging into their account.

P

Pallavi Gupta

Contributor-Level 7

Answered a week ago

Although reporting time is mentioned on every candidate's CMAT admit card, they should reach at least an hour before the exam starting time.

78439220
Vipra Shrivastava

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a week ago

No, the digital copy of CMAT 2027 admit card will not be acceptable at the test centre. Candidates will have to carry 2 hard copies of the hall ticket on the exam day.

N

Nitesh Vimal

Contributor-Level 7