Structure of the Exam

There were no changes in the structure of CMAT 2026 compared to CMAT 2025.

The exam comprised five sections with a total of 100 questions:

• Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation – 20 questions
• Logical Reasoning – 20 questions
• Language Comprehension – 20 questions
• General Awareness – 20 questions
• Innovation & Entrepreneurship – 20 questions

Duration

• 180 minutes (No sectional time limits)

Marking Scheme

• All questions carried equal weightage of 4 marks each.
• An incorrect answer attracted a negative marking of 1 mark.
• No penalty for unattempted questions.

Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation

The section had 20 questions (17 from Quant, 3 from DI). This section’s difficulty level ranged from easy to moderate, with 17 to 18 doable questions. The distribution of questions was as below.

Topic	No. of Qs	Difficulty Level
Percentages, Profit and Loss	4	Easy to Moderate
Time and Work	1	Moderate
Averages, Mixtures and Alligations	1	Moderate
Numbers (LCM, Classification, Divisibility, Units digit)	4	Easy to Moderate
Geometry and Mensuration	3	Easy to Moderate
Indices-Surds	1	Easy to Moderate
Series	1	Moderate to Difficult
Probability	1	Moderate to Difficult
Miscellaneous (A + 1/B+1/…)	1	Difficult
DI set (4 car dealers, 6 months’ data)	3	Easy to Moderate

Within Geometry and Mensuration, most questions were largely straightforward. One mensuration question involving a cylinder, where the radius and height were equal, was easy and required direct application of standard formulas. Another question asked candidates to compare the perimeters and areas of a rectangle, a square, and a triangle with given dimensions, which was also easy. However, one Geometry question involving a right-angled triangle with a perpendicular drawn to the hypotenuse was relatively more challenging and could have slowed down candidates who were not immediately comfortable with geometric properties.

Probability featured a single question and was not particularly difficult. Although the framing appeared slightly unconventional, the question reduced to identifying valid outcomes from a small sample space, making it manageable for most candidates. A Series question also appeared and was largely standard in nature.

One miscellaneous question involving a nested algebraic expression appeared tricky at first glance and could have posed difficulty for candidates unfamiliar with such question types.

Data Interpretation Set

There was one Data Interpretation set of three questions, and the set was straightforward.

• DI Set (Four car dealers): The set was table-based, involving data for four car dealers across six months, and did not require complex interpretation. Two questions were based on percentages, while one involved ratios, all of which were standard in nature.

Overall, the Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation section rewarded candidates who were well-prepared and had a good grasp of basics.

Logical Reasoning

The Logical Reasoning section consisted of 20 questions and was easy to moderate in difficulty. Most of the questions were direct and familiar in structure, allowing well-prepared candidates to move through the section quickly.

Questions from analogies, blood relations, direction sense, rankings, syllogisms, coding-decoding, clocks, and basic arrangements were straightforward and based on standard formats. These questions required minimal inference and could be solved using standard methods, making them largely scoring in nature.

However, a few questions stood out as relatively more challenging. Among the missing number questions, one was straightforward and could be solved by identifying a simple numerical pattern, while the other was relatively more challenging and required closer observation of the relationships within the table. The Assertion and Reasoning question was difficult, as it involved a general knowledge component, making it challenging for candidates. The Statement and Arguments question was of similar difficulty.

Both questions on counting figures were challenging and time-consuming. In Coding-Decoding, one question was not so direct due to the nature of the table and additional information involved, while the remaining two questions were easy and straightforward.

Topic	No. of Qs	Difficulty Level
Verbal Analogy	1	Easy
Blood Relations (Set-based + Normal photograph)	3	Easy to Moderate
Missing Number	2	Moderate to Difficult
Dice (folding based)	1	Easy
Direction Sense	1	Easy
Figure-based Venn Diagram	1	Easy
Ranking (Persons standing in a line)	1	Easy to Moderate
Syllogism	1	Easy to Moderate
Statements and Arguments (Identify Strong Argument)	1	Moderate to Difficult
Assertions & Reasoning (Ebonite is a good conductor)	1	Difficult
Counting Shapes (Pentagon, Triangle)	2	Moderate to Difficult
Clocks	1	Easy
Coding-Decoding (Table-based, normal)	3	Easy to Moderate
Linear Arrangement	1	Easy to Moderate

Language Comprehension

The Language Comprehension section consisted of 20 questions, was easy to moderate in difficulty and did not involve heavy reading. The section tested basic grammar and vocabulary, and as a result, the grammar component turned out to be moderate to difficult for candidates not comfortable with it.

Topic	No. of Qs	Difficulty Level
Vocab-based (contextual)	2	Easy to Moderate
Fill-in-the-blanks (Preposition)	1	Moderate
Grammar (Inc, Cor, Positive Degree, Compound sentence, match the following, Properties of a simple sentence)	6	Moderate to Difficult
Odd one out	1	Difficult
Cloze Passage (110-word passage)	3	Easy to Moderate
Assertion-Reasoning (Compound, Complex)	1	Difficult
Parajumble	1	Easy
One Word Substitute	1	Moderate to Difficult
Direct to Indirect, Passive Form	2	Moderate
Short RC Passage (150 words)	2	Easy to Moderate

One odd-sentence-out question was relatively difficult, as it involved an unusual sentence construction. The Assertion-based question was also difficult, particularly for candidates not comfortable with basic grammar concepts. The one-word substitution question was slightly tricky because the options were close in meaning.

There was only one short 150-word Reading Comprehension passage, which was a tough read, but the questions themselves were simple and could be answered directly.

Overall, this section required candidates to be familiar with basic grammar and vocabulary rather than advanced reading and critical reasoning skills.

Other non-RC questions were largely standard in nature.

General Awareness

The General Awareness section had a mix of questions from various areas including current affairs, management, international affairs, sports, etc., from both current events (predominantly) and static GK. A well-prepared candidate could attempt around 10–12 questions correctly. The split of the questions in this section was as below:

Topic	No. of questions
Current Affairs	1
Management (POM, Financial)	3
International Affairs	4
Sports	2
Indian Culture	1
Personalities, Prizes and Awards	4
Authors-Books	1
Legal Knowledge	1
Historical Battles	1
Science	2

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The Innovation and Entrepreneurship section had a mix of questions from various areas including theories of innovation, Venture capitalist strategies, Design thinking, etc. The split of the questions in this section was as below:

Topics covered
Theories of Innovation
Government Bodies, Policies
Qualities of Entrepreneurs
Kinds of Financing
VC Strategies
Design Thinking
Stages of Startup

This section was relatively easier and more scoring compared to the General Awareness section. Around 4 to 5 questions could be answered using common sense and basic understanding, while the remaining questions required prior familiarity with concepts related to entrepreneurship and innovation. Overall, the section was Moderate to Difficult.

Top Colleges in CMAT

The expected cutoffs for some of the top colleges in CMAT are as below. The other colleges have a slightly higher percentile band and it’s best not to go by the previous year’s cutoff alone.

College	Expected Percentile cutoff
JBIMS	99.9+
SIMSREE	99.9+
KJ Somaiya	95-97
Welingkar Mumbai	-
BIMTECH Noida	-
IFMR (Krea University)	-

Final verdict

As this year's paper is of a similar difficulty level compared to that of last year, the cut-offs are expected to be in the same range as last year.