How to check final answer key of CMAT?

CMAT final answer key is released as a downloadable PDF. Candidates can download it by visiting the NTA-CMAT website and simply downloading the document.

Can I raise objection on CMAT final answer key?

Objection cannot be raised against the final answer key of CMAT, as it contains the answers evaluated again after objections by candidates.

What is the purpose of CMAT answer key?

CMAT answer key helps the candidate in checking their performance and it is also a window for NTA to communicate transparency in result preparation number.

How to calculate CMAT percentile?

Since CMAT is usually conducted in two shifts, there are chances of the question paper of one shift being slightly tougher or easier in comparison to the question paper of other shift. In order to negate the possibility of any candidate having an advantage or disadvantage due to this, the exam authorities normalise the CMAT scores before percentile calculation. Once that is done, the authorities use the normalised score for percentile score calculation. CMAT percentile is basically a rank of a candidate vs the total number of candidates who appeared in the exam. Given below is the formula for calculating CMAT percentile prescribed by NTA: Formula to Calculate CMAT Percentile: If 10,000 candidates appeared in CMAT and only 1 candidate scored the highest marks (365/400). Since they have scored the highest in exam, their rank will be 1 and CMAT percentile score will be: 100 x 9999/10,000= 99.99.

What is the CMAT marking scheme?

CMAT marking scheme is straightforward. If they can recall their attempts or have the answer key with them then they can calculate their CMAT raw score by adding and subtracting scores as per correct and incorrect attempts. Check CMAT marking scheme below: 1. For every correct attempt, 4 marks is awarded and for every incorrect answer, 1 mark is deducted. 2. For every unanswered question, the candidate will be marked zero. Given below is the process of calculating the CMAT score with the help of the CMAT answer key. Every section has 20 questions, so suppose in Quantitative Techniques section you got 14 questions right, 2 questions wrong and skipped 4 questions. So, your score will be 54 out of 80. Similarly, calculate the score of other sections. After the add all five to arrive as overall raw score. For example, you scored 54, 44, 75, 60 and 40 in five sections, then your sum total will be 203/400. You can read more about CMAT scoring process here: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/cmat-score-vs-percentile-how-to-calculate-blogId-19977 https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/what-is-cmat-score-normalization-process-blogId-53987.

What is the CMAT answer key objection fee?

The CMAT answer key objection fee per question is INR 200. Candidates have to pay it at the time of filling the objection form.

Is CMAT score valid for IIM?

CMAT score is not valid for admission to IIMs. Candidates who have appeared for CMAT exam can select from over 1300 other MBA colleges in India to pursue the course.

How to select CMAT colleges for admission?

The first criteria is CMAT cut off. Candidates should shortlist all the colleges whose cut off is same or lower than their score. Thereafter, check fees, location, accreditation, curriculum, pedagogy and placement reports to choose one foe themselves.

What is the validity of CMAT score?

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.

What is the CMAT answer key objection fee?

CMAT answer key objection fee is INR 200 per question. The objection will be accepted only if the fee has been paid successfully. Since CMAT objection fee is to be paid per question, it is advised that candidate should raise objection to answer keys of only those which they know are incorrect. Don't raise objection on answer keys that you are not sure of.

Is the CMAT answer key objection fee refundable?

The CMAT answer key objection fee is non-refundable. However, it will be refunded to only those candidates whose objections will be accepted as valid. Thus candidates must raise objection on answer keys only after careful deliberation and discussion with mentors/teachers. The fee amount will be refunded within 5-7 working days.

What is provisional CMAT answer key?

Provisional answer key of CMAT refers to the document released by the NTA indicating answers marked by candidate and correct options. This document tell candidates about how many of their attempts are right.

CMAT Answer Key 2026 (Final OUT): Download Official Answer Key PDF

Updated on Apr 23, 2026 18:25 IST

By Vipra Shrivastava, Senior Manager - Content

Overview

CMAT 2026 provisional answer key was released on January 31 and final answer key was released on February 17. The final answer key is available as PDF and contains question IDs with revised answers. According to the final anwer key PDF, only one question was revised. The CMAT 2026 result was prepared on the basis of final answer key. Read below, all about CMAT response sheet and answer key 2026.

Table of contents

How to Download CMAT 2026 Answer Key
CMAT 2027 Exam Dates & Schedule
CMAT 2026 Answer Key Challenge Process
CMAT 2026 Cut Offs
How to Calculate CMAT score and Percentile?
FAQs Related to CMAT Answer Key 2026

How to Download CMAT 2026 Answer Key

CMAT 2026 answer key will be available through login only. Check below how to download CMAT question paper and answer key:

Open NTA-CMAT website
Click on CMAT 2026 Answer Key tab
Login with Application Number and Password
Answer key and response sheet will be displayed
Click on download and save a copy of CMAT answer key 2026 PDF on your desktop

CMAT FINAL ANNSWER KEY 2026: Download PDF

Details Mentiones on CMAT 2026 Response Sheet cum Answer Key

The following details were mentioned in the CMAT 2026 response sheet of every candidate.

Candidate name
Roll number
Exam date and slot
Section wise questions with answer options
Candidate's response to each question
Correct answer of each question

CMAT 2027 Exam Dates & Schedule

Take a look at the table below for the complete schedule of CMAT 2026 exam

Dates	Upcoming Exam Dates
Feb ' 27	CMAT 2027 result TENTATIVE

CMAT 2026 Answer Key Challenge Process

Check below how to raise objection against provisional CMAT answer key 2026:

Log on to the official NTA-CMAT 2026 website
Click on ‘ Answer Key Challenge for CMAT 2026’ option
Enter your CMAT Application Number and Password and Security Pin and Submit
You will see 100 questions for CMAT Paper IDs in sequential order
The ID next to the question under the column ‘Correct Option’ stands for the correct Answer Key by NTA
To challenge a particular question, use any one or more of the option IDs given in the next four columns by clicking the check box
After clicking your desired option, scroll down, click on ‘Save your Claim’ and move to next screen
You will see a display of all the option IDs you have challenged
To upload supporting documents for challenged questions, select ‘Choose File’ option (all documents to be put in a single pdf file)
Click on ‘Save your Claim Finally’
You will find a screen displaying your challenges
Click on fee payment option – ‘Click here to Pay Fee’
Pay INR 200 per question challenged through Debit/Credit Card/Net Banking

CMAT 2026 Cut Offs

CMAT cut offs are usually high for Tier 1 colleges such as JBIMS, SIMSREE, KJ Sonaiya, etc. Check the below table for CMAT 2026 cut off percentiles on which candidates will be selected for WAT-PI:

Colleges accepting CMAT score	CMAT Cut Off Percentile
JBIMS Mumbai	99.99
SIMSREE Mumbai	99.97
Goa Institute of Management	99.85
K J Somaiya Mumbai	99.20
GLIM, Chennai	99.06
XISS, Ranchi	95
IFIM Business School, Bangalore	85
Asia-Pacific Institute of Management	85
Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida	82
BIMTECH, Greater Noida	75
BIT, Mesra	75
DY Patil School of Management, Pune	75
XIME, Bangalore	75

How to Calculate CMAT score and Percentile?

CMAT answer key contains question-wise correct answers, options chosen by the candidate, marks awarded for correct option and marks deducted for incorrect option. With this information, candidates can calculate their raw CMAT score. Check CMAT marking scheme below to calculate CMAT 2026 score:

For each correct question, 4 marks are awarded and for each incorrect answer, 1 mark is deducted.
No score is awarded or deducted for unanswered questions.

Given below is an example of how to calculate CMAT score with the help of the CMAT answer key.

Suppose in Logical Reasoning (LR) section you attempted 20 questions out 25. Out of 20, 14 answers are right and six are wrong. So, your score in Logical Reasoning section will be 14x4-6 = 50. So out of 100 marks in LR your score is 50.

Calculate the raw score of all the sections in the similar manner and add them to get the overall CMAT score. This overall score is normalised and then converted into percentile to prepare CMAT result.

CMAT Percentile Calculation

CMAT percentile is a candidate's relative performance against rest of the test takers. For example, if a candidate has got 98 percentile, it means his/her performance was better than 98 percent of the candidates.

To explain it further, suppose 10,000 candidates appeared for CMAT exam, and 1 candidate scored the highest marks, so his/her percentile will be: 100 x 9999/10,000= 99.99

The formula of CMAT percentile calculation:

100 x Number of test takers with raw marks equal to or less than the candidate
Total number of candidates appeared

FAQs Related to CMAT Answer Key 2026

Check below Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) related to CMAT answer key 2026:

Q: Which are the top colleges for MBA with CMAT score of 80 to 85 percentile?

If you score between 80 to 85 percentile CMAT you need not worry about admission. There are a large number of MBA colleges that accept candidates with CMAT score in the range of 80 to 85 percentile. A number of government as well as private institutes with good infrastructure and placements are within your reach. Some of those popular colleges include, Welingkar Institute of Management-Mumbai, Welingkar Institute of Management-Bangalore, Indian Institute of Information Technology & Management, IFIM-Bangalore, IFMR- Chennai, NIBM-Pune, NL Dalmiya Institute of Management, IMT Hyderabad, IMT Nagpur, XISS Ranchi, ITM Navi Mumbai, Jaipuria Institute of Management Noida, Xavier Business School-Xavier University, Great Lakes Institute of Management-Gurgaon, BIMTECH-Greater Noida, XIME-Bangalore, ISBM-Pune, Jaipuria Institute of Management Lucknow, KIIT School of Management, IPE Hyderabad, SIES College of Management Studies-Navi Mumbai and Chetana Institute of Management and Research-Mumbai among others.

Q: How can I challenge CMAT answer key?

The NTA will allow each CMAT test-taker to challenge the answer key, if they are unsatisfied with the official answer/s. Upon submission of the objections, the exam authorities will examine them and if any objection is found to be valid, they official answer key will be revised. Given below are step of filling up the online application form for challenging CMAT answer key:

Log on to the official NTA-CMAT website
Click on CMAT Answer Key/Objection tab
Enter your CMAT Application Number and Date of Birth Enter Security Pin and Submit
All 100 questions for CMAT Paper IDs will appear in sequential order.
To challenge a question, use the option IDs given against it by clicking the check box.
Click on Save your Claim and move to next screen.
All option IDs challenged will be displayed.
Now, select Choose File option and upload supporting documents in a single pdf file.
Click on Save your Claim Finally.
Click on fee payment option - Click here to Pay Fee and pay INR 200 per question through Debit/Credit Card/Net Banking.

Q: Can I download CMAT answer key after result has been released?

It is unlikely that the CMAT answer key download link will be available even after the result has been released. The NTA may remove old links from the website after the CMAT result announcement. Thus, it is better to download the CMAT answer key on the day it is released and save a copy of the same.

Q: Till when is provisional CMAT answer key available for download?

The provisional CMAT answer key is usually available for 2-3 days until the objection window is open. Candidates must download their CMAT response sheet and answer key within the objection window duration so that you don't miss the chance of having it, if the link is deactivated later. Post the result declaration, the provisional CMAT answer key may not be available for download.

Q: Is filing objection against the CMAT answer key mandatory for all candidates?

Filing objection against the CMAT answer key is not mandatory for all candidates. Only those candidate who feel a question/s is incorrect and they have proof to support the claim, should raise objection.

Q: How to use CMAT answer key to calculate score?

Candidates can use the CMAT answer key to calculate the score in the following manner:

· Check number of correct attempts

· Check number of incorrect attempts

· Add 4 marks for every correct attempt

· Subtract 1 mark for every incorrect attempt

· Sub total will be CMAT score

Q: Are CMAT response sheet and provisional answer key same?

CMAT response sheet and provisional answer key are same. Since the answer key contains candidate's responses too, it is also called CMAT response sheet.