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 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
- CMAT 2026 answer key PDF
- CMAT 2026 response sheet PDF
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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?
- 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.
Commonly asked questions
- 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.
- Don't wear jewellery made of metal, jackets, clothes with pockets, mehendi on palms and closed shoes. Socks are allowed inside it.
- Don't wear goggles, caps & head gears, hoodies or jackets/shirts with pockets
- 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.
- Don't cheat or indulge in mal practices. You will be disqualified if caught indulging in any such ACT.
- Don't create a ruckus inside the test lab or disturb other candidates
- Don't leave your seat until the exam duration gets over and the invigilator announces exit.
CMAT exam day dos:
- Reach exam centre on time.
- Carry two copies of the CMAT admit card, one photo ID card and a photo
- Carry a blue/black ball point pen for signing attendance sheet
- 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:
Also Read: CMAT answer key 2025/2026
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.
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.
Also Read:
- CMAT 2026 score vs percentile: How to calculate?
- CMAT 2026 result and scorecard download
- Institute-wise CMAT cut offs 2026
- What after CMAT result 2026?
Commonly asked questions
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.
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.
There will be a page for test city selection in the CMAT application form. You can select your preferred test cities from the dropdown.
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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:
- Raw Scores
- 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 |
Commonly asked questions
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.
Although reporting time is mentioned on every candidate's CMAT admit card, they should reach at least an hour before the exam starting time.
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.
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Student Forum
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Contributor-Level 7
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
Contributor-Level 7
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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