CMAT Exam 2024: Eligibility, Application Form, Exam Dates, Syllabus, Colleges, Fees, Cut-off, Results

CMAT, or the Common Management Admission Test, is one of the most popular MBA entrance exams in the country. Over 70,000 aspirants sit for this highly competitive exam every year, hoping to get into some of the country’s top B schools. Renowned colleges like JBIMS, SIMSREE, KJ Somaiya, Welingkar, PUMBA, and GIM Goa will accept CMAT exam 2025 scores. 

CMAT 2025 Overview

CMAT 2025 is a three-hour MCQ-format aptitude test conducted by the National Testing Agency. The paper consists of 100 questions from various topics spanning Quantitative Techniques, Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Language Comprehension, General Awareness, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship. The rank obtained here will dictate college admissions for all candidates vying for an MBA/PGDM/PGPM/PGP seat in prestigious management colleges nationwide.

The difficulty level of this paper is considered to be lower than CAT, GMAT, and XAT, which is why many students end up underestimating it. But that belief can seriously hamper your scores. It’s better to work hard, practise, and do well in the exam. Here, we’ve compiled all the necessary information about CMAT, including registration, pattern, syllabus, etc.

CMAT 2025 Exam Dates

CMAT Highlights 2025

Top Colleges Accepting CMAT Score

Eligibility Criteria 2025

There are only two essential criteria that candidates need to fulfil:

1. They need to have a valid undergraduate degree from a UGC-recognised college. Final-year students can also apply, but their admission will be subject to furnishing their passing certificate at the college. There is no minimum score requirement to sit for the test. 
2. There is no upper age limit, but the candidate must be at least 20 to sit for the test. 

Candidates who do not fulfil the eligibility criteria will have their score nullified. 

CMAT Registration 2025

The registration process for CMAT 2025 has already ended. It’s an online process that can be quickly completed as long as you have the proper documents in hand. 

1. Register on the official website cmat.ntaonline.in with basic information to get your application number and password. 
2. Log back into the site with the new credentials and complete the application form. 
3. Upload all the necessary documents. Here are the documents you need:

• Scanned JPG/JPEG copy of your photograph between 10kb and 200kb.
• Scanned JPG/JPEG copy of your signature between 4kb and 30kb.
• Scanned JPG/JPEG copy of PwD certificate (if applicable) between 50kb and 300kb.

  Select a suitable payment option and complete the payment. Wait for the confirmation page to show. If it doesn’t, you might have to make the payment again.
   

CMAT Exam Fees 2025

The application fee is as follows:

1. General Male – Rs. 2500
2. General Female – Rs. 1250
3. EWS/OBC/SC/ST/PwD – Rs. 1250
4. Transgender – Rs. 1250

CMAT 2025 Syllabus

While the NTA doesn’t release an official syllabus, we’ve compiled the most important topics for you to study based on our analysis of past years’ trends. 

Read more about the CMAT 2025 Syllabus here – CMAT  2025 Syllabus – Section-wise important topics.

CMAT 2025 Exam Centres

CMAT exam centres are spread across almost every state and union territory of India. Over 124 cities have test centres, making them easily accessible for aspirants from each corner of the country. 

While filling out your application form, you can choose four centres, one of which will be allotted to you. 

CMAT 2025 Exam Pattern

The CMAT exam pattern is very straightforward. There are five sections, each with 20 MCQ questions, worth 100 marks. 

• Quantitative techniques and data interpretation 
• Logical reasoning 
• Language comprehension
• General Awareness 
• Innovation and entrepreneurship 

Candidates get a total of 3 hours to attempt all the questions. For every correct answer, you’re awarded four marks. And for every wrong one, you lose one mark.

Read more about CMAT Exam Pattern 2025 – Check CMAT Paper Pattern, Duration, Marking Scheme

CMAT Preparation 2025

To get admission into the top colleges with CMAT, you must craft a proper study plan focusing on the basics. Since the paper itself is considered easy, you’ll need to score very high to break into top colleges like JBIMS and GIM Goa. Here are a few tips to kickstart your CMAT 2025 preparation.

1. Before you begin your prep, give a mock test first. It’ll help you gauge your grasp of the topics. 
2. Based on your analysis of the mock test, identify your weaknesses and strengths. 
3. Create a study plan that focuses on boosting your weaknesses while maintaining hold over your strengths.
4. Practise each topic thoroughly. Don’t forget to give mocks at regular intervals to measure your progress. 
5. Buy the right books for practice. 
6. Invest in the right coaching program. IMS has a comprehensive CMAT Test Series that gives you access to over 15 full-length mocks with detailed video solutions and analytics. Don’t forget to give as many mock tests as possible. They’ll help you understand the exam pattern, the types of questions, and their difficulty levels.

   Read more about CMAT Preparation 2025 – How To Prepare For CMAT Exam? – (Tips, Tricks & Strategy)

CMAT Admit Card 2025

The admit cards will be released on January 20th 2025, a few days after the city intimation slip is released. It is a critical piece of document without which you will not even be allowed to enter the exam centre, let alone give the paper. Apart from acting as your identity proof, it also contains all the details that will come in handy on exam day, such as your application number, photo, city, centre, exam time, and reporting time, amongst other information. 

The admit card can be downloaded from the official website. Once the notification about the admit card is released, all you need to do is log in to cmat.ntaonline.in using your official credentials. There will be an admit card tab on the home page itself. Download it from there and check for any discrepancies. If there are none, get a printout and carry it with you to the exam centre.

If any details don’t match, contact the concerned authorities and raise a ticket.

• CMAT Helpdesk Number – 011-69227700 / 011-40759000

• Email ID: cmat@nta.ac.in

What are the Benefits of Appearing in CMAT 2025?

With over 70,000 choosing to take the CMAT exam, it is one of the most popular MBA entrances in the country. Candidates choose to take this test because

1. The difficulty level of this exam is lower than the other premier exams, such as CAT, XAT, and NMAT. Students can secure good marks on this test with less preparation.
2. CMAT scores are accepted by over 1300+ schools across the length and breadth of India. This makes it accessible for people in tier 2, tier 3, and tier 4 towns as well. 
3. The registration fees for this test are lower than those for CAT and XAT. It is more affordable for people who come from lower sections of society.
4. The eligibility criteria to sit for this test are more relaxed. There are no minimum aggregate marks that students require in their undergraduate degree to take the CMAT.
5. CMAT makes management education and a promising career accessible for all sections of society, even those who might not conventionally be able to sit for more complex, more expensive tests like the CAT.

CMAT 2025 Results

CMAT results are usually released towards the end of March, a month after the exam. They can be viewed on the official website by logging in. You will be given an absolute score and a percentile score. Rank holders will be informed of their ranks. The scores are only valid for the current academic year. College admissions depend on multiple factors, including the PI, GD, and WAT. Candidates will be given admissions based on the overall score and cutoffs for individual colleges.

CMAT 2025 Expected Score vs Percentile

CMAT 2025 Cut-off Score

Getting into the top colleges requires you to be amongst the top rankers of the exam. You require calibrated effort to crack the 99th percentile and stand any chance of getting into one of the top colleges. 

Apart from these, you can target many other colleges like Welingkar, IFMR, Jaipuria, and Delhi School of Business with a percentile greater than 80%.

FAQs on CMAT 2025

1. What is CMAT?

CMAT, or the Common Management Admission Test, is a leading national-level MBA/PGDM/PGPM/PGP admission test.

2. What is the CMAT eligibility?

Candidates only require an undergraduate degree from a UGC-recognised college to qualify for this test.

3. What is the age limit for CMAT?

There is no upper age limit for CMAT.

4. What is the CMAT syllabus?

The CMAT has five sections:

• Quantitative techniques and data interpretation 
• Logical reasoning 
• Language comprehension
• General awareness 
• Innovation and entrepreneurship

5. How many attempts can you give for CMAT?

There is no upper limit on the number of attempts you can give.

6. Is CMAT easy to crack?

The CMAT exam is relatively easier to crack than CAT or XAT.