ATMA Exam Analysis 2026: Get Detailed July Session Paper Analysis & Review

ATMA 2026 Result (Aug)

12 Aug '26

Updated on Jul 30, 2026 16:43 IST

By Shobha pant, Senior executive

ATMA exam analysis 2026: On May 3, 2026, the ATMA exam was conducted. The duration of the exam was three hours and took place in the exam centre in online test mode. ATMA 2026 exam was conducted in the afternoon from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. This ATMA exam analysis includes all key information about the ATMA exam, its difficulty level, ATMA exam pattern, marking scheme, expected cut-off, topic-wise question distribution, etc.

Table of contents

ATMA Analysis 2026: Highlights
ATMA 2026 Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme
ATMA 2026 Exam Analysis
ATMA Exam Analysis (Previous Years)
FAQs Related to ATMA Analysis

ATMA Analysis 2026: Highlights

Key ATMA 2026 exam highlights are mentioned below:

For the August session, the ATMA 2026 exam was conducted from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
There was negative marking in the ATMA exam 2026. (+1 mark for every correct answer and - 0.25 mark for every wrong answer).
The exam duration was 180 minutes.
The ATMA 2026 was moderately difficult.

Commonly asked questions

Q: Is ATMA exam difficult?

ATMA is a speed-based test which is designed to assess a candidate's analytical aptitude, logical reasoning skills, and English comprehension. It may sound tough, but these are the skills which we are taught in school so there is nothing new to learn. What is required is to learn these subjects at an advanced level. All you will need is to brush up on the basics and practice the concepts on advance level problems. Students should solve previous years question papers, attempt an ample number of mock tests and be consistent to score well in the ATMA exam. Having said that, the preparation for the ATMA exam requires focus, dedication, discipline and diligence. If you can do that, despite being an average student, you can crack the ATMA exam. ATMA is one of the easiest MBA entrance exams and a good preparation strategy can help you crack the ATMA exam with a good score. Generally, the toughest section of the ATMA question paper is Quantitative Aptitude. But with daily practice and focusing on understanding the fundamentals, this section of the ATMA exam can be handled easily.

Q: What is a good score in ATMA exam?

ATMA exam has 180 questions and total marks are 180. But, raw scores are scaled and the final marks are awarded out of 800. Knowing what is a good score in ATMA exam is subjective, but, the current trends suggest that the following can be a good score:

Very good score: More than 700

Good score: 650 to 700

Average score: 620 to 650

Low score: Below 550

ATMA 2026 Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme

ATMA question paper 2026 is divided into six sections, i.e. two sections of Analytical Reasoning, two sections of Quantitative Skills and two sections of Verbal Skills. Take a look at the table below to know the time allotted and the number of questions per section.

Also Read: ATMA syllabus

Sections	Number of questions	Time allotted
Analytical Reasoning Skills Part 1	30	30 minutes
Analytical Reasoning Skills Part 2	30	30 minutes
Quantitative Skills Part 1	30	30 minutes
Quantitative Skills Part 2	30	30 minutes
Verbal Skills Part 1	30	30 minutes
Verbal Skills Part 2	30	30 minutes
Total	180	180 minutes

Candidates must know that ATMA will have sectional timings which the candidates must adhere to.

Also Read: ATMA score vs percentile 2026

Commonly asked questions

Q: How can I calculate ATMA scores?

ATMA score is determined on the basis of correct answers marked by students in the ATMA exam. For each correct answer, they are awarded one mark. For an incorrect answer, 0.25 marks are deducted from the total score.

This means that for four incorrect answers, one mark is deducted from the total score. The raw score of students is scaled with reference to the total number of students appearing in the exam.

The ATMA percentile is percentage of students among those who have appeared for the exam and scored below the students in that category. That is, if a student has scored 53 per cent, this means that 53 per cent of students who have appeared in ATMA exam scored below him or her.

Q: Are there subjective-type questions in the ATMA exam?

No, there are no subjective type or long form answer questions in the ATMA exam. The ATMA question paper only has 180 MCQs that are to be solved in three hours or 180 minutes. Students must attempt all the sections, keeping in mind that the exam has negative marking. They must note that each question in the ATMA question paper will have four options. They will be required to choose the correct answer and select the radio button for the answer.

ATMA 2026 Exam Analysis

The difficulty level of the ATMA 2026 exam was moderate. From all the six sections of the exam, the quantitative section was relatively difficult. Many students who appeared for the exam found the quantitative section a bit lengthy and tricky; even the verbal skills section was lengthy compared to previous year question papers. There were more questions related to critical reasoning in the analytical reasoning section. Section-wise difficulty level and good attempts of the ATMA question paper are provided below:

Section	Difficulty level	Good attempts
Analytical Reasoning Skills Part 1	Moderate	22-25
Verbal Skills Part 1	Easy to Moderate	20-22
Quantitative Skills Part 1	Moderate to Difficult	18-22
Analytical Reasoning Skills Part 2	Moderate to Difficult	22-25
Verbal Skills Part 2	Moderate	20-22
Quantitative Skills Part 2	Difficult	18-22
Total	Moderate	135-145

Read More:

Commonly asked questions

Q: Can I appear for the ATMA exam more than once?

AIMS Test for Management Admissions ATMA is held three to five times a year. Applicants can appear more than once and the score of the last exam attempted would be considered for admissions.

Q: What is the medium of the ATMA question paper? What is the structure of the ATMA question paper?

The medium of ATMA question paper is English. The pattern of the ATMA exam has not changed from the past few years. The latest ATMA question paper pattern is as follows:

ATMA exam will be conducted in the CBT test mode.
Duration of the exam is 3 hours.
Exam consists of 180 Multiple Choice Questions carrying one mark each.
Total marks are 180.
Questions are from three sections, i.e. Analytical Reasoning Skills, Verbal Skills, and Quantitative Skills.
There is a negative marking of 0.25 marks for incorrect answers.

ATMA Exam Analysis (Previous Years)

ATMA Exam Analysis 2022 (February)

Analytical Reasoning: According to the students, this section was based on critical reasoning questions. There were about 15 to 18 questions related to critical reasoning. These sections had questions on topics such as Puzzles, Input and Output, Coding and Decoding, etc. The difficulty level of this section was moderate, even though it had some lengthy questions. A good attempt for this section would be 22 to 25 questions.

Verbal Skills: Verbal Skills sections of ATMA question paper were different than the previous year. Earlier the sections used to have a lot of vocabulary based questions which was not the case this time. There were no direct questions on topics such as synonyms and antonyms. The second part of the Verbal Skills section was very long as it contained questions from Comprehension Passages. A good attempt for this section would be 20 to 22 questions.

Also Read:

Quantitative Aptitude This part of the ATMA question paper was the toughest according to students who appeared for the exam. The questions were asked from topics such as number system, algebra, profit and loss, etc. The questions were time consuming and lengthy. The difficulty level of the section was high. A good attempt for this section would be 18 to 22 questions.

FAQs Related to ATMA Analysis

Check out the FAQs on ATMA analysis below:

Q: What should I do after the ATMA result?

After the ATMA result declaration, top colleges which accept the ATMA scores start the shortlisting process. The ATMA scores are accepted in over 750 MBA/PGDM and MCA colleges. After the results, the institutes release ATMA cutoffs category-wise and invite applicants to appear for Written Ability Test, Group Discussion GD and Personal Interview rounds for admissions. Candidates can choose up to five institutes while filling ATMA application form where they need to send their ATMA scores and take part in the ATMA counselling process. The ATMA admission process after the result declaration includes: 1. Applications to be sent out to the institutes where you want to take admission. 2. Participating in the counselling process which includes Written Ability Test (What), Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI). 3. Submitting the required documents to the institutes where you have been shortlisted. 4. Paying the course fee and getting an admission confirmation.

Q: Would I get admission on the basis of ATMA results directly?

No, after the ATMA exam is cleared, candidates will have to go through for further selection procedure conducted by the participating institutes. The ATMA scores are accepted in over 750 management colleges for admission to MBA/PGDM and MCA programmes. Candidates need to meet the cutoff criteria of the participating institutes to take admissions. The admission process includes Written Ability Test (What), Group Discussion (GD), and Personal Interview (PI). Other factors such as academic record, work experience, etc. are also considered for admission to various institutes which accept ATMA scores. ATMA score is only the first parameter on which the candidates are shortlisted for admission. The institutes first shortlist the candidates for What, GD and PI on the basis of their ATMA scores, marks obtained in Class 10, 12 and graduation. For the final selection, the institutes take ATMA scores, performance in GD/PI, What, Class 10 and Class 12 marks, marks obtained in graduation, work experience, academic diversity and gender diversity.