CMAT 2024: Exam Date, Registration, Syllabus and Pattern

CMAT 2024 is an important national level MBA entrance exam for admission to MBA/PGDM 2024-26 batch in the AICTE approved management institutes. CMAT 2024 exam score will be accepted by about 1000 MBA/PGDM colleges in India. CMAT 2024 exam will be conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA) on behalf of AICTE as computer based test of three hours duration. During last few years, many changes in CMAT exam pattern and syllabus have been introduced by NTA. The registration process and CMAT 2024 Application Form is expected to open from November 2023

Latest Updates:

• CMAT Exam Date 2024: Expected on February 25, 2023 in 2 Slots
• CMAT Registration: Process to Begin in Nov 2023 second week
• Exam Pattern: 100 Questions Divided in 5 Sections with 20 Qs in Each
• 5 Sections are: QT, Reasoning, Comprehension, GK, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• Top CMAT Colleges: K J Somaiya, GIM Goa, PUMBA, Great Lakes, BIMTECH

CMAT: A Moderate Difficulty Exam

The three hour computer based online CMAT 2024 is a moderate difficulty exam. It will be divided in five sections and will evaluate a candidate’s ability in Quantitative Technique, Logical Reasoning, Language Comprehension, General Awareness and Innovation and Entrepreneurship areas. The CMAT previous paper analysis reveals that you may get a high percentile at a moderate score. Check CMAT Exam Analysis for previous year papers.

 

Read this comprehensive article, prepared by MBA Exam experts, to know more about Key Facts like CMAT 2024 eligibility, registration process, CMAT 2024 exam pattern & syllabus, Key changes in exam, how to prepare for CMAT 2024, CMAT 2024 score accepting colleges, CMAT cut offs in various MBA colleges among other key details.

Table of Contents

1. What is CMAT?
2. CMAT 2024 Highlights
3. Why to Appear in CMAT 2024 Exam? Check Key Benefits
4. CMAT 2024 Important Dates
5. CMAT 2024 Exam Cities
6. CMAT 2024 Exam Pattern: Duration, Sectional Composition & Scoring pattern
7. How to Prepare for CMAT 2024 Exam?
8. CMAT 2024 Syllabus: At par with other MBA entrance exams
9. MBA Colleges Accepting CMAT 2024 Exam Score
10. MBA Admission Process with CMAT 2024
11. CMAT 2024 Registration Process
12. CMAT 2024 Admit Card Download     
13. CMAT Exam Difficulty Level
14. CMAT Result Declaration
15. CMAT Cut off Score for Top MBA colleges
16. JBIMS, PUMBA among 330+ Maharashtra MBA Colleges to Accept CMAT Exam
17. National Testing Agency: CMAT Conducting Body
18. AICTE Approved MBA/PGDM Colleges to Accept CMAT Score
19. CMAT Exam Training
20. Important Changes in CMAT exam
21. CMAT-2024 Exam day Guidelines 
22. CMAT 2024 FAQs

1. What is CMAT?

CMAT exam full form is Common Management Admission Test (CMAT). It is a government organized computer based national level MBA entrance examination for entry into 1000 AICTE approved management programmes (MBA/PGDM) all over India. Till 2018, CMAT was conducted by AICTE, now the Test is conducted by the National Testing Authority (NTA) constituted by Government of India. More than 70,000 candidates apply for CMAT every year. CMAT offers unique opportunity to all the test takers as none of them is disqualified in its result. 

Alert! MBA Admissions 2024 Open for Exams and Top Colleges | Register Now
NMAT 2023 Exam Registration Open- Register Now	XAT 2024 Exam Registration Open- Register Now
SPJIMR Mumbai Admission 2024 Open - Apply Now	MDI Gurgaon Admission 2024 Open | Apply Now
XLRI Jamshedpur Admission 2024 Open - Apply Now	MICA PGP (PGDM/PGDM-C) Admission Open- Apply Now
GREAT LAKES PGPM & PGDM Admission 2024 Open	XLRI-PGDM in Logistics & Supply Chain Management
K J Somaiya MBA Admission 2024 Open | Apply Now	NMIMS MBA Admission 2024 Open- Apply Now
Woxsen University MBA Admission 2024 Open	BIMTECH PGDM Admission 2024 Opne | Apply Now
IBSAT 2023 Exam Registration Open- Register Now	XIM University MBA Admission 2024 Open- Apply Now

 

1.1 CMAT Test Takers Last Year

The CMAT Examination 2023 was conducted by NTA on 04 May 2023 in 126 Cities at 248 Centres. A total number of 75209 candidates had registered for the exam and out of them 58035 Candidates appeared in CMAT 2023 marking a sharp increase in number of applicants and test takers over previous year

CMAT Exam Year	CMAT 2023	CMAT 2022
Total Applicants	75,209	58,956
No. of Test Takers	58,035	51,144

2. CMAT 2024 Highlights

CMAT 2024 exam offers MBA admission opportunity in more than 1000 MBA colleges in India and among them are some of the prominent management institutes. It is an important but an easier MBA entrance exam. Following are the key CMAT Exam 2024 highlights and other important details:

CMAT Exam Conducting Body	National testing Agency (NTA)
CMAT Full Form	Common Management Admission Test
Number of MBA colleges under the Exam	1000+
CMAT Exam Date 2024	February 25, 2024 (Expected)
Exam Slots	Two Slot Exam of 3 Hrs Duration for each slot
Mode of CMAT Entrance exam 2024	Online Computer Based Test
CMAT Entrance exam full form	Common Management Admission Test
CMAT 2024 Score Validity for MBA Admission	2024-2026 academic session
Total Questions in CMAT Entrance Exam	100
Sectional Division of Questions	5 Sections with 20 Questions in Each Section
Exam sections in CMAT 2024	Quantitative Technique; Logical Reasoning; Language Comprehension; General Awareness; Innovation and Entrepreneurship
CMAT 2024 Medium of Question Paper	English
Exam Difficulty Level	Easy to Moderate
CMAT 2024 Marking Scheme for Right Answers	+ 4 Marks for each right answer
CMAT 2024 Marking Scheme: Maximum Score	400 Marks for 100 questions
Negative Marking in CMAT 2024 Marking Scheme	- 1 mark for each wrong answer
CMAT Percentile Calculation	CMAT score card displays the following scores: Displays CMAT Overall Percentile Score Displays CMAT Percentile Score Displays All India Rank CMAT Score Card does not Display the following Does not display your Raw score in CMAT Exam out of 400 Marks
Importance of Taking the exam	Top MBA colleges like JBIMS, SIMSREE, K J Somaiya, GIM Goa, PUMBA, Great Lakes, BIMTECH, Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab, among others accept CMAT score
Application process	Online
Exam Application Fee for Boys	Rs.2000/-
Application Fee for Girls	Rs.1000/-
Application Fee for EWS/OBC-NCL	Rs.1000/-
Application Fee for SC/ST/PwD	Rs.1000/-

3. Why to Appear in CMAT 2024 Exam? Check Key Benefits

MBA aspirants find so many MBA entrance exams which are conducted at national, state and institute level and get confused which MBA entrance exam they should apply and appear. While the comparison among top MBA entrance exams with CMAT is shared at the end of this article, the key USPs of CMAT exam below will guide you why you should appear in CMAT 2024

• Moderate difficulty MBA entrance exam
• No test taker is disqualified in CMAT exam even if he/she scores zero marks
• CMAT offers MBA/PGDM admission opportunity in AICTE approved management Institutes
• By the time CMAT is conducted, you will have already appeared in other top MBA entrance exams like CAT;  XAT; NMAT; SNAP among others. So, no extra efforts to prepare for CMAT are required as CMAT exam has same sectional composition and has lower difficulty level
• Most of the top MBA/PGDM colleges in India accept CMAT score for admission. They include K J Somaiya, Welingkar, PUMBA, Great Lakes, GIM Goa, IMT Nagpur, BIMTECH Greater Noida and 330 MBA/MMS colleges in Maharashtra, among others. Check the complete list of top MBA colleges accepting CMAT score

CMAT 2024 score will be accepted by all AICTE-Approved Institutions/University Departments/ Constituent Colleges/Affiliated Colleges for admission 2024.    

 

4. CMAT 2024 Important Dates

CMAT 2024 exam date will be announced by the NTA in November/December 2023. Check the table below for tentative CMAT exam 2024 schedule.

Exam Activity	CMAT 2024	Remarks
CMAT Notification 2024 Release	November 10, 2023 (Expected)	Release on official NTA-CMAT website
Exam Registration starts	November 10, 2023 (Expected)	Online Process
Last date to apply	January 2024 first week (Expected)	Application form submission closes at midnight
Last date of successful transaction of fee through Credit/Debit Card/NetBanking/UPI / Paytm Wallet	January 2024 first week	Upto 11.50 PM
Correction in Particulars of Application Form on the website only	Second week of January 2024	Upto 5 PM
CMAT 2024 Admit Card Download start date	Last week of January 2024	No Hard copy of the Admit Card will be sent
CMAT Exam Date	February 25, 2024 (Expected)	In 2 Shifts on same day
Exam Duration	3 Hours	In two slots of 3 hrs duration each
Result Date	Three weeks after the exam	Score card download starts in afternoon

5. CMAT 2024 Exam Cities

CMAT 2024 exam will be held in two slots in 126 cities all over India as online computer based test. CMAT 2024 Exam will have 100 questions equally divided into 5 sections of 20 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) in each section. Check details below

6. CMAT 2024 Exam Pattern: Duration, Sectional Composition & Scoring pattern

• CMAT 2024 test paper has time duration of 3 hours and consists of 5 sections
• The Exam is divided in 5 sections with 20 questions in each section. The sections are Quantitative Technique, Logical Reasoning, Language Comprehension, General Awareness and Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• There will be 100 questions for 3 hours exam
• All questions are of objective type in MCQs form.
• Question difficulty level is easy to moderate
• Each correct answer is awarded +4 Mark
• Each wrong answer is penalized with negative marking of -1 mark
• No Individual Time limit to attempt question paper. Candidates can attempt any question from any section within the overall CMAT exam time limit
• Overall and sectional percentile with All India Merit is calculated on the basis of all the sections.
• CMAT score card displays percentile scores and all India rank but no Raw score out of 400 Marks

6.1 CMAT Exam 2024 Pattern: Sectional Composition

CMAT exam during last four years has gone through many key changes. The updated CMAT 2024 pattern with sectional composition is as below:

CMAT 2024 Exam Sections	Number of Questions	Maximum Marks Section-wise
Language Comprehension	20	80
Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation	20	80
Logical Reasoning	20	80
General Awareness	20	80
Innovation and Entrepreneurship	20	80
Total: Sections-5	100	400

Read More

7. How to Prepare for CMAT 2024 Exam? CMAT 2024 Preparation Strategies

During the past few years, CMAT exam pattern and syllabus has changed. However, the CMAT 2024 preparation strategies for the exam is not very difficult. Reading good CMAT preparation books, practicing with sample papers and CMAT previous year papers with solutions constitute good CMAT 2024 preparation strategies.

 

CMAT 2024 exam Preparation in right direction can get you admission to MBA 2024 in good MBA colleges. It is high time that CMAT exam preparation must be started without any further delay as per the exam pattern. 

7.1 Differentiating Point in CMAT 2024 Preparation 

With the following important changes introduced recently in CMAT exam, there are some differentiating points also in CMAT exam preparation as below:

• Apart from the recently introduced 5^th section on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, one of the important points which differentiate CMAT exam preparation from other exams is the reduction in number of questions to 100 from 125
• There is a separate section with 20 questions on ‘Logical Reasoning’ which has questions based on reasoning only. The LR Preparation for the exam and the strategy to prepare for this important section is to be properly planned and followed to score high
• The new section with 20 questions on Innovation and Entrepreneurship is also a compulsory section and carries equal weightage like other sections. Earlier it was optional section. You need to prepare for it as you prepare for other sections. Read More

7.2 CMAT Preparation Strategy

The CMAT 2024 exam preparation strategy needs more focus on all the five sections. It requires your focus on following:

• When to Start exam Preparation?
• How to prepare?
• Which are the best Preparation Books?
• What is the best preparation material available apart from the books?
• Preparation Tips by CMAT Toppers
• Whether to Prepare with Coaching or Self prepare - which is better?
• If time is short, How to prepare for CMAT Online?
• Exam Taking Strategy - how to crack the Exam with High score?

Read More How to Prepare for CMAT Exam

8. CMAT 2024 Syllabus: At par with other MBA entrance exams

The exam Syllabus contains all the topics on which questions are asked in other national level MBA entrance exams. Past question papers and the exam pattern reveal that CMAT syllabus does not throw tough questions in the exam, although the syllabus topics are same.

 

The syllabus is based on past exam patterns and types of questions that appear in the exam. The best way to get hands-on feel and practice on question topics covered in CMAT syllabus, is to go through the previous exam papers and attempt CMAT Mock tests. Read More

9. MBA Colleges Accepting CMAT 2024 Exam Score

The list of CMAT 2024 participating colleges is released by AICTE as well as National Testing Agency. There are around 1000 CMAT 2024 participating colleges who accept the CMAT exam score for admission. Below are some of the best MBA colleges accepting CMAT exam score in India and in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune and Hyderabad 

9.1 MBA Colleges in Delhi Accepting CMAT

• School of Inspired Leadership - SOIL Gurgaon
• Jagan Institute of Management Studies (JIMS) Rohini Delhi
• New Delhi Institute of Management (NDIM) New Delhi
• Jaipuria Institute of Management (Jaipuria) Noida
• IMS Ghaziabad
• O P Jindal University, Sonepat (Delhi NCR)
• VIPS-TC-Delhi School of Business Delhi
• Fortune Institute of International Business (FIIB) New Delhi 
• Delhi School of Business (DSB) New Delhi
• J K Business School Gurgaon

Read complete List of AICTE/UGC approved MBA colleges accepting CMAT in Delhi

9.2 MBA Colleges in Mumbai Accepting CMAT

• Prin. L. N. Welingkar WE School Mumbai
• SIESCOMS Navi Mumbai
• Chetna CIMR
• ITM Group of Institutions
• SDA Bocconi Mumbai
• IES Management IES MCRC Mumbai
• DSIMS Mumbai
• Vivekanand Education VESIM Mumbai
• Guru Nanak GNMIMS Mumbai
• Bharati Vidyapeeth`s BVIMSR Mumbai

Read complete List of AICTE/UGC approved MBA colleges accepting CMAT in Mumbai

9.3 MBA Colleges in Bangalore Accepting CMAT

• Christ University Bengaluru
• XIME Bangalore
• SDMIMD Mysore
• Indus Business Academy (IBA) Bangalore
• AIMS School of Business (AIMS) Bangalore
• Kristu Jayanti College (KJC) Bangalore
• PES University, Bangalore
• M S Ramaiah MSRIM Bangalore
• Acharya Bangalore B-School (ABBS) Bangalore
• St. Joseph Institute of Management, Bangalore

Read complete List of AICTE/UGC approved MBA colleges accepting CMAT in Bangalore 

9.4 MBA Colleges in Pune Accepting CMAT

• Balaji Institute Of Modern Management (BIMM) Pune
• International School of Business & Media (ISB&M) Pune
• FLAME University School of Business (FLAME) Pune
• National Insurance Academy (NIA) Pune
• National Institute of Bank Management (NIBM) Pune
• Balaji Institute of International Business (BIIB) Pune
• MIT School of Telecom Management (MITSOT) Pune
• International Institute of Management Studies (IIMS) Pune
• Lexicon Management Institute of Leadership and Excellence (MILE) Pune
• Suryadatta Institutes of Management Pune

Read complete List of AICTE/UGC approved MBA colleges accepting CMAT in Pune

 

9.5 MBA Colleges in Hyderabad Accepting CMAT

• IBS Hyderabad: ICFAI Business School
• IPE Hyderabad: Institute of Public Enterprise
• Vignana Jyothi Institute of Management - VJIM Hyderabad
• GITAM Hyderabad Business School (GHBS)
• Siva Sivani Institute of Management (SSIM) Secunderabad
• Vishwa Vishwani Institute of Systems and Management Hyderabad
• Gitam School of International Business (GSIB) Visakhapatnam
• ICBM-School of Business Excellence (ICBM SBE) Hyderabad

Read complete List of AICTE/UGC approved MBA colleges accepting CMAT in Hyderabad

 

10. MBA Admission Process with CMAT 2024

CMAT 2024 selection process will be conducted by each CMAT score accepting college separately. There is no common CMAT 2024 selection process through any common CMAT 2024 counselling as is conducted in MAH CET or Karnataka PGCET nor there is any CMAT 2024 selection process on the lines of IIM CAP round which is conducted for 9 IIMs jointly. Read below the MBA admission process through CMAT 2024 in B-schools:

11. CMAT 2024 Registration Process

The Registration & Application process for CMAT 2024 is online and remains open for more than a month from the start date of CMAT registration at NTA website. CMAT registration will close at 11.50 PM on the last date to apply.

11.1 Registration Process: 5 Steps

CMAT Exam Registration process is online. It can be completed in five simple steps as below:

• Step-1: Create login at CMAT.NTA website
• Step 2: Fill the CMAT Registration 2024 Form 
• Step 3: Upload Images on Registration Form 2024
• Step 4: Make Payment of Registration Fee
• Step 5: View Registration summary, Save the filled in Form.. Read More

12. CMAT 2024 Admit Card Download: Available after last date to Apply is Over 

The CMAT admit card 2024 is available for download after a week from the last date to apply for CMAT is over. All provisionally registered candidates can download their CMAT Admit Card 2024 from CMAT.NTA website. No admit card is now sent as hard copy to the candidate’s registered address.. Read More

13. CMAT Exam 2024 Difficulty Level 

The CMAT exam difficulty level is not very high. Candidates are awarded 99+ percentile at a moderate score of 200 to 210. Besides, CMAT colleges cut offs in MBA admission are also not very high although the question paper and scoring pattern award liberal marks to exam takers. The cut offs especially among top 20 colleges are slightly higher as compared to other MBA colleges, since the merit position in top 20 colleges is based on little higher cut offs. 

14. CMAT 2024 Result Declaration: Download Score Card from NTA Website

CMAT result is declared within 7 to 10 days from the date of exam. Usually the result is declared in the afternoon. The Result will be available for download on NTA CMAT official Website and no score card will be sent by post or E-mail.

14.1 CMAT 2024 Cut off Score Vs Rank 

Shared below are the likely CMAT 2024 cut off  Score range for the All India Ranks awarded

CMAT Rank 2024	CMAT 2024 Score Range
Rank 1-100	350-316
Rank 100 to 1000	315-275
Rank 1001 to 3000	274-241
Rank 3001 to 5000 and below	240-220 and below

 Read More

15. CMAT 2024 Cut off Score for Top MBA colleges

‘How much CMAT score 2024 is required to get admission in one of the top MBA colleges?’ Cut offs in these MBA colleges vary from institute to institute. Apart from the overall score, many colleges also consider CMAT sectional score. Most of these MBA colleges are autonomous, University B-schools offering MBA degree, private PGDM colleges. The cut off in good MBA colleges go in the range of 230 to 250 score.

 

To help MBA aspirants searching for top MBA colleges accepting CMAT scores, MBAUniverse.com has prepared a list of MBA colleges with their expected cut off. Read More 

16. JBIMS, PUMBA among 330+ MBA Colleges in Maharashtra to Accept CMAT Exam Score

The Higher and Technical Education Department, Directorate of Technical Education, Government of Maharashtra has clarified that CMAT score will be accepted for MBA/MMS admission 2024 in all the 330+ MBA colleges in Maharashtra which offer admission through Centralized Admission Process. While determining the entrance exam eligibility of All India category candidates for MBA/MMS admission process in Government, University affiliated, private aided and unaided Maharashtra MBA colleges, the CET cell has clarified that All India category Candidate, Jammu and Kashmir Migrant Candidates will be considered for MBA/MMS admission on the basis of obtaining non zero positive score in CET conducted by the Competent Authority; CAT -conducted by Indian Institute of Management; CMAT; GMAT among others.  

17. National Testing Agency: CMAT Conducting Body

NTA, a newly created test conducting body, is conducting the entire CMAT 2024 exam alongwith other exams which were conducted by other agencies earlier. NTA will use highly secured IT software and encryption to ensure delivery of tests just in time. This will ensure no leakages and other malpractices. National Testing Agency (NTA) has been established by Government of India as a testing organization to conduct entrance examinations for admission/fellowship in higher educational institutions. NTA has replaced AICTE as exam conducting authority. AICTE conducted CMAT exam till 2018. CMAT is now known as NTA CMAT instead of AICTE-CMAT. From 2019 onwards, National Testing Agency has been assigned to conduct the CMAT exam.

 

The revised CMAT exam is similar to past exam pattern. It is a three hour computer based online test, which evaluates the candidate’s ability across five sections namely Quantitative Technique, Logical Reasoning, Language Comprehension, General Awareness and Innovation and Entrepreneurship

18. AICTE Approved MBA/PGDM Colleges to Accept CMAT Score

All the top colleges accepting CMAT 2024 exam score are the ones offering AICTE approved MBA/PGDM programmes. They include top MBA colleges like JBIMS, SIMSREE, K J Somaiya, GIM, Great Lakes, BIMTECH among others. According to AICTE, ‘All AICTE approved Institutes / Departments / Constituent Colleges / Affiliated Colleges of Universities are expected to accept CMAT scores. The specific notifications issued by Universities and State Governments are available at CMAT website.’

 

CMAT is one of the largest National Level MBA/PGDM entrance examinations and is conducted once a year, as per the directions of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India.

 

Universities in 13 states including Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka among others accept CMAT exam scores alongwith CAT for admission to their MBA programmes. The governments have officially notified CMAT as their official test. In addition, many B-schools offering AICTE approved PGDM programs will be using the CMAT  scores. More than 1000 B schools running AICTE approved management programmes in India accept the CMAT score. It is the 2nd largest MBA/PGDM entrance test after CAT in the country.

 

If you don’t get good scores in CAT/XAT/SNAP, the Common Management Admission Test (CMAT) is the answer to your MBA/PGDM needs leading to 1000+ AICTE approved B-schools across the country. The exam will be conducted in 126 test cities. With effect from 2016, CMAT has become a yearly exam as against twice a year exam.  Earlier till 2015, there used to be 2 CMAT exams in one year. The first CMAT was held in the month of September while the second followed in the month of coming February. 

19. CMAT Exam Training

NTA opens centres across India after releasing CMAT exam notification, to make candidates understand about the revised CMAT exam pattern, navigation process during the exam, test taking strategy among other details.   The test training will help the candidates to understand all about the revised CMAT exam pattern.

20. Important Changes in CMAT exam

The key changes in the exam are:

• Number of sections increased to 5 from earlier 4
• Number of questions in each section reduced to 20 from earlier 25
• No display of Raw score since 2023. Only percentile score and rank is displayed in score card
• B-schools will announce CMAT percentile cut off Or Rank Cut off or Both instead of CMAT score cut off

CMAT Components	CMAT 2023	CMAT 2022	CMAT 2021
No. of Sections	5 Section Exam with compulsory 5th Section on Innovation & Entrepreneurship	5 Section Exam with compulsory 5th Section on Innovation & Entrepreneurship	Both 4 & 5 Section Exam with Optional 5th Section on Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Duration	Fixed to 3 Hours	CMAT Time Duration Reduced & Fixed to 3 Hours	Option to attempt CMAT in Time duration of 3 hours or 3½ Hours
No. of Questions	100 Questions	Total Questions Reduced to 100	Total Questions were 125 (Option to attempt 100 or 125 questions)
Additional Time	No additional Time	No additional time for 5th Section	30 Minutes additional time for 5th section
Score Calculation	5th section Score counted for Percentile calculation to prepare merit list	5th section Score counted for Percentile calculation to prepare merit list	5th section Score Not counted for Percentile calculation to prepare merit list
Sectional no. of Questions	20 Questions in Each of the five Sections	20 Questions in Each of the five Sections	25 Questions in Each of the five Sections
Sectional Time limit	No sectional time limit	No sectional time limit and candidates can attempt any question in any section within time limit of 3 hours	No sectional time limit and candidates can attempt any question in any section within time limit of 3½ hours
Application for New Separate section	Candidates need not apply for the new course	Candidates need not apply for the new course of  Innovation & Entrepreneurship	Candidates had to apply for the new course of Innovation & Entrepreneurship
CMAT Exam Cities	Number of CMAT Test cities are 126	Number of CMAT Test cities are 124	Number of CMAT exam cities were 153

21. CMAT-2024 Exam day Guidelines

Below are the important exam day guidelines, do’s and don’ts for the exam day

21.1 Check Points for CMAT exam Day

• Download your Admit Card from the NTA’s website cmat.nta.nic.in
• Check details as indicated on the Admit Card:
• Check Reporting Time at Centre
• Check Gate Closing time of test Centre 
• Check Date of Examination 
• Check Test Timings 
• Check Venue of Test. You should visit the Examination Centre, a day before the examination and familiarize yourself with the location and means of reaching the venue of the Test on time
• Reach the venue of the Test at the Reporting Time mentioned in the Admit Card. If you report beyond the Gate Closing time of Centre, you will not be allowed to enter in the Test venue. 

21.2 Items You Should Carry at Exam Centre: CMAT Exam day Do’s

Carry with you only following items:

• Admit Card on a clear colour printout on A4 size paper
• One Passport size photograph (same as uploaded with the Online Application Form) to be pasted on the Attendance Sheet at the Centre
• A valid Photo ID Proof in ORIGINAL (PAN card/ Driving License/ Voter ID/ Passport/ Aadhaar Card (With photograph)/E- Aadhaar/Ration Card/ Bank Passbook with Photograph). 
• Please note that ID Cards issued by Schools/ Colleges/ Universities/ Coaching Centres, AADHAR enrollment receipt without AADHAR NUMBER and PHOTOCOPIES OR Images Stored in mobile phones etc will NOT be accepted
• No Candidate would be allowed to enter the Examination Centre, without identity verification
• PwD certificate issued by the Competent Authority, if claiming the relaxation under PwD category. 

21.3 Don't Carry the following

Candidates are NOT allowed to carry Instrument/ Geometry/ Pencil box, Handbag, Purse, any kind of Paper/ Stationery/ Textual material (printed or written material), Eatables and Water (loose or packed), Mobile Phone/ Ear Phone/ Microphone/ Pager, Calculator, DocuPen, Slide Rules, Log Tables, Camera, Tape Recorder, to wear/carry any type of watch including Electronic Watches with facilities of calculator, any metallic item or electronic gadgets/ devices in the Examination Hall/Room There may not be any provision for safe keeping of valuables at the Centre.  

21.4 Inside the Examination Hall

• Pen/ Pencil and blank paper sheets for rough work will be provided in the examination Hall/Room. 
• Write Your name and Roll Number at the top of the sheet and must return the sheets and Admit Card to the Invigilator, before leaving the examination Hall/Room.
• Enter required details in the Attendance Sheet in legible handwriting, put your signature, Left Hand Thumb Impression and paste the Photograph at the appropriate place. Ensure that Your Left Hand Thumb Impression is clear and not smudged. 
• No Candidate should adopt any unfair means or indulge in any unfair examination practices. The candidature of candidates in case of impersonation will be automatically cancelled without any notice  

22. CMAT 2024 FAQs

CMAT 2024 FAQs shared below give you clear idea about CMAT and other exams, difficulty level, important dates, exam pattern, top colleges among other CMAT exam details

Q: How CMAT compares with CAT exam

A: Below is a brief comparison at a glance between CMAT Vs CAT. This will help you understand key features of CMAT Vs CAT

CMAT 2024 Vs IIM CAT 2023

A brief comparison between AICTE CMAT exam details and IIM CAT exam is given below:

Component	CMAT 2024	IIM- CAT 2023
Total questions	100	66
Overall time limit to attempt the exam	3 hours	2 hours
Type of questions	All MCQs	48 questions are MCQs, rest 18 Non-MCQs
Answer options for MCQs	4	4
Marks awarded for each correct answer	4	3
Negative marking	-1	MCQs with 1/3 negative marking; No negative marking for Non-MCQs
Exam difficulty level	Moderate	Comparatively high
Number of sections	5	3
Name of section-1 with number of questions	Language Comprehension-20	Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension- 24
Name of Section-2 with number of questions	Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation-20	Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning -20
Name of Section-3 with number of questions	Logical Reasoning-20	Quantitative Ability-22
Name of Section-4 with number of questions	General Awareness-20	NA
Name of Section-4 with number of questions	Innovation and Entrepreneurship-20	NA
Facility to choose order of sections	Any section from the question paper	No, has to follow pre specified sectional order
Individual Sectional time limit	No	Each section with 40 minutes time limit
Top MBA colleges accepting exam score	K J Somaiya, GIM, Great Lakes, BIMTECH, IFMR GSB	21 IIMs, FMS, MDI, SPJIMR, IMI, IITs, XIMB

Q: How CMAT compares with XAT exam

A: Below is a brief comparison at a glance between CMAT exam details Vs XAT. This will help you understand key features of CMAT Vs XAT:

Component	CMAT 2024	XAT 2024
Total questions	100	101
Overall time limit to attempt the exam	3 hours	3 hours 10 minutes
Type of questions	All MCQs	MCQs + Essay Writing Test
Answer options for MCQs	4	5
Marks awarded for each correct answer	4	1
Negative marking	-1	75 MCQs with 1/4 negative marking; No negative marking for 25 MCQs on GK and Essay Writing Test
Exam difficulty level	Moderate	Comparatively high
Number of sections	5	5 Sections with 3 (Main sections) and 2 (GK & Essay; score not counted)
Name of section-1 with number of questions	Language Comprehension-20	English Language & Logical Reasoning- 26
Name of Section-2 with number of questions	Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation-20	Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation- 28
Name of Section-3 with number of questions	Logical Reasoning-20	Decision Making-21
Name of Section-4 with number of questions	General Awareness-20	General Awareness-25 MCQs
Name of Section-4 with number of questions	Innovation and Entrepreneurship-20	Essay Writing Test-1 Descriptive
Facility to choose order of sections	Any section from the question paper	Any question from any section within overall time limit for first 3 sections and after lapse of 165 minutes can attempt GK and Essay sections
Individual Sectional time limit	No	No
Top MBA colleges accepting exam score	K J Somaiya, GIM, Great Lakes, BIMTECH, IFMR GSB	XLRI, MICA, IMT, IMI, FORE, TAPMI, XIMB

Q: How CMAT compares with NMAT exam

A: Below is a brief comparison at a glance between CMAT exam details Vs NMAT. This will help you understand key features of CMAT Vs NMAT:

Component	CMAT 2024	NMAT Exam Pattern 2023
Total questions	100	108
Overall time limit to attempt the exam	3 hours	2 hours
Type of questions	All MCQs	All MCQs
Answer options for MCQs	4	5
Marks awarded for each correct answer	+4	1
Negative marking	-1	No negative marking
Exam difficulty level	Moderate	Moderate
Number of sections	5	3
Name of section-1 with number of questions	Language Comprehension-20	Language Skills-36
Name of Section-2 with number of questions	Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation-20	Logical Reasoning-36
Name of Section-3 with number of questions	Logical Reasoning-20	Quantitative Skills-36
Name of Section-4 with number of questions	General Awareness-20	NA
Name of Section-5 with number of questions	Innovation and Entrepreneurship-20	NA
Facility to choose order of sections	Any section from Question paper	Yes, but once chosen has to follow
Individual Sectional time limit	No	Yes, varying time limit of 28 minutes to 52 minutes
Top MBA colleges accepting exam score	K J Somaiya, GIM, Great Lakes, BIMTECH, IFMR GSB	NMIMS, VIT, XIMB