CMAT Eligibility Criteria 2026: Check Qualifications, Age and other Requirements for Taking CMAT Exam

Eligibility Criteria for CMAT exam is given below. 

• The candidate must hold a Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline.
• Candidates appearing for the final year of Bachelor’s Degree, whose result will be declared before commencement of admission for academic year 2025-26, can also apply for CMAT exam.
• The candidate must be a citizen of India.
• There is no age restriction for appearing in CMAT 2026 exam.

Each of these points are explained in detail below. 

To appear in CMAT exam, you should have following academic qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree Complete: The candidate must hold a Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline.
• Bachelor’s Degree Final Year: Candidates appearing for the final year of Bachelor’s Degree, whose result will be declared before commencement of admission for academic year 2026-27, can also apply for CMAT exam.
• Graduation in Any Stream of Education Permitted: There is no discrimination on any academic stream and all the UGC/AICTE/MHRD recognized graduation programs qualify for CMAT eligibility criteria including Arts/Humanities; Commerce; Science; Engineering; Technology; Fine Arts; Medical and Paramedical; CA/CS/ICWA and all other academic streams.
• No Minimum Percetage Marks: NTA has not specified any minimum marks criteria for CMAT exam. So, if you have passed in your graduation exam, you are eligible for registering for CMAT exam. 

CMAT age criteria does not impose any age bar to appear in CMAT exam. There is no minimum or maximum age limit to register for CMAT exam. Check details below:

• Minimum CMAT Age Limit: No minimum age is required to appear in CMAT exam. However, the candidate should have done or should be in the final year of graduation.
• Maximum CMAT Age Limit for CMAT Eligibility: CMAT eligibility does not prescribe any maximum age. A candidate with 60 years of age or even 80 years of age can also apply and appear in CMAT exam.

NTA has specified following rules for MBA colleges using CMAT exam scores for admissions. 

Institutes run by the Central Government: In the case of Institutes run by the Central Government, the reservation would be applicable as mentioned below: 
(i) 15% of the seats Scheduled Castes (SC) candidates. 
(ii) 7.5% seats for Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates 
(iii) 27% seats for Other Backward Classes (OBC) Non-Creamy Layer (NCL) candidates as per the Central List* 
(iv) 10% of the seats for General Economically Weaker Sections (General - EWS) candidates 
(v) Persons with Disability/ Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwD) – 5% seats in each of the GENERAL, GEN-EWS, OBC- NCL, SC and ST category seats 

In the case of the Institutes run/aided/recognized by State Governments, the reservation policy of the respective State Governments shall be applicable.

There is no mandatory CMAT exam eligibility criteria – work experience requirements. However, MBA colleges accepting CMAT award additional weightage to work experience obtained by the candidate after completing his/her graduation as below:

CMAT Eligibility Criteria are requirements for registering for CMAT exam. Before registering, you should check CMAT eligibility requirements given above.