What is CMAT Score Normalization Process 2026?
Common Management Admission Test 2026 ( CMAT )
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
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- 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.
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 | courtesy: NTA
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.
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.
Lowest Raw Score and Percentile Score | Courtesy: NTA
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?
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 |
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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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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.
- 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 city intimation slip is available for download for 2-3 days only. Once the CMAT admit card is released, the city intimation slip is not required as the hall ticket carries complete details of test centre. However, registered candidates must download the city intimation slip once it is released to know the test city and make arrangements for exam day before hand. City intimation is very useful specifically for students from rural and far off areas, who have to come to cities to appear for entrance exams.
For preparation of an exam like CMAT will always be helpful as you will be provided with relevant study material and guidance from industry experts. It will help you in disciplined and focused study as coaching centres have time bound classes, lectures, practice sessions, mock tests, etc. So, if you feel that you will not be able to stay dedicated and motivated enough in self-study to crack CMAT will high scores, join a CMAT coaching institute.
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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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 5 days 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 6
Answered 5 days 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 6
Answered 5 days 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 6
Answered 5 days 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 6
Answered 5 days ago
CMAT 2026 result is expected to be declared by February 14 or 15, 2026. NTA has not shared any official date but if you look at the trend of previous year, CMAT result has always been released within 3 to 4 weeks of exam.
E
Contributor-Level 6
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 a month 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
Answered a month ago
CMAT is one of the important examinations for admission to the MBA course at Biyani Group of Colleges. However, as the MBA course at Biyani Group of Colleges is offered with the affiliation of Rajasthan Technical University. Thus, there are chances that the college can accept the relevant scores of
I
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
CMAT 2026 admit card was available for download until exam day (January 25). Candidates must download CMAT-NTA admit card as soon as it is released and save it.
A
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a month ago
CMAT 2026 admit card was released on January 21, 2026. Candidates had to download it from the CMAT-NTA website, by using their login credentials.
A
Contributor-Level 6