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The Common Management Admission Test, or the CMAT, is regarded as one of the prominent examinations after the CAT among management students. Therefore, after completing the CAT 2024 in November, knowing the CMAT 2025 Schedule becomes much more important for students. This CMAT 2025 schedule is also important as the CMAT exam was conducted on January 25, 2025. NTA released the CMAT answer key along with the response sheet on January 31, 2025. Read this article to learn about the important things about the CMAT 2025 schedule and more.
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CMAT is a National Level entrance examination for management courses across India. Though till 2018 it was conducted by the AICTE, after that the responsibility was given to the NTA. Regarding the CMAT 2025 schedule, CMAT was conducted on January 25, 2025. Here is the list of important dates for CMAT 2025 schedule
CMAT 2025 Schedule | CMAT 2025 Schedule Important Dates |
CMAT 2025 registration starts | November 14, 2024 |
Registration ends | December 25, 2024 (9:50 pm) |
Fee payment window closing | December 25, 2024 (11:50 pm) |
Form correction window | December 26 to 27, 2024 |
Announcement of city intimation | January 17, 2025 |
CMAT admit card 2025 release | January 20, 2025 |
CMAT 2025 exam | January 25, 2025 |
CMAT answer key release date | January 31, 2025 |
CMAT 2025 Answers Key challenge | January 31, 2025 to February 2, 2025 |
CMAT 2025 result declaration | Three weeks after the exam |
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Understanding the nuances of the CMAT 2025 schedule would help the applicants prepare for the examination in a better way. The format of the examination which is a bit different from the CAT needed a clearer comprehensive for the students. Here is the list of key information about the CMAT 2025 Schedule.
CMAT 2025 Schedule | Key Information about CMAT 2025 |
Examination | Common Management Admission Test (CMAT) |
Conducting Body | NTA |
Exam Level | National-Level |
Medium of Question Paper | English |
Exam Frequency | Once a Year |
Exam Mode | Online CBT |
Exam Difficulty Level | Easy to Moderate |
Exam Duration | 3 Hours (180 Minutes) |
Exam Slots | Two Slots (3 hours each) |
Courses Offered | MBA/PGDM |
Score Validity | 2025-2027 |
Total No. of Questions | 100 |
No. of Colleges Accepting Score | 1000+ |
Type of Questions | MCQs |
Maximum Marks | 400 Marks for 100 questions |
No. of Exam Cities | 110 |
Questions in Each Section | 5 Sections with 20 Questions each |
Exam Sections |
|
Application Fees | INR 1000 |
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Matching the eligibility criteria for the CMAT is very crucial for the candidate willing to appear for the CMAT 2025. Here is the list of important academic CMAT eligibility criteria for candidates looking for the CMAT 2025 schedule, that they need to fulfill to be eligible for CMAT 2025:
Candidates must hold a graduation or equivalent degree in any stream from a recognized university.
Students in the final year of graduation are also eligible to apply for CMAT 2025.
There is no minimum percentage requirement for the graduation degree. However, candidates must achieve the minimum passing marks in their graduation exams.
There is no upper age limit for taking the CMAT. Candidates of any age can participate in the exam.
Read Also: CAT Colleges Rank-Wise: Top B-Schools Accepting CAT Scores
The applicants who are looking forward to the CMAT 2025 and taking note of the CMAT 2025 schedule, they also need to know how to register for the CMAT 2025. It needed the candidate to fill out the application form, upload important necessary documents, and submit the exam fee online. Here is the list of steps candidates must follow for CMAT registration 2025:
Visit the CMAT 2025 website.
Search and click on the new registration option.
Further, enter your name, email ID, date of birth, and phone number to create a CMAT user ID and password.
Fill out the application form by entering personal and academic details.
Upload a passport-size photo and a scanned signature in the specified format.
Pay the registration fee using a credit/debit card or through internet banking.
CMAT 2025 Exam | Important Update |
No. of Sections | 5 Sections
|
Total No. of Questions | 100 |
Questions per Section | 20 |
Marking System | +4 for each correct answer |
-1 for every incorrect answer | |
0 for Unattempted question | |
Exam Duration | 3 Hours (180 Minutes) |
Sectional Time-Limit | None |
Difficulty Level | Moderate to Difficult |
Total Marks | 400 |
Suggested-CAT Cut Off 2024 for EWS Category: IIMs & Top MBA Colleges Cutoff
Colleges | NIRF Ranking 2024 | Private/ Public (Government) | Courses | Fees | Highest Salary after MBA (Last batch) | Average Placement after MBA ( last batch) |
11 | Private | 8 PGDM Courses | 8.95-27.610 Lakhs | 63.30 LPA | 25.50 LPA | |
20 | Private | 9 P.G.P Courses | 1.50 - 21 Lakhs | 67.50 LPA (Domestic) | 33.02 LPA | |
28 | Private | - | - | - | - | |
29 | Private | 11 MBA Courses | 3.36 - 15.56 Lakhs | - | - | |
36 | Private | 1 MBA Course | 6.34 -6.38 Lakhs | - | - | |
37 | Private | 5 PGDM Courses | 4.78-19.40 Lakhs | 26.30 LPA | 14.81 LPA | |
38 | Private | 6 MBA Courses | 1.17- 10 Lakhs | - | - | |
39 | Private | - | - | - | - | |
40 | Private | 4 PGDM Courses | 8.42-21.85 Lakhs | 70.95 LPA | 16.71 LPA | |
41 | Private | 22 MBA Courses | 14.20- 24.45 Lakhs | - | - | |
43 | Private | - | - | 30.00 LPA | 19.53 LPA |
The CMAT 2025 admit card released on January 20, 2025. It is a crucial document that candidates needed carry to the exam center for security checks. To download the admit card, candidates need to go through the following steps.
Visit the CMAT 2025 official website at cmat.nta.nic.in.
Search and click on the CMAT admit card link.
Enter the application number, date of birth, and password.
After successful login, candidates can access their CMAT admit card.
Check the details on the admit card and proceed to download and save it for further use.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
CMAT examination was held on January 25, 2025.
Yes, CMAT has a negative marking. One mark will be deducted for every incorrect answer.
No, the candidate needed to visit the examination hall to take the computer-based examination. So the candidate cannot take CMAT from home.
No IIMs do not accept CMAT scores, rather they prefer CAT scores.
Compared to CAT, which happened in November, CMAT is considered by experts to be easier than CMAT.
Though it was held twice a year years back, currently CMAT happens only once a year, conducted by NTA.
The fee for CMAT is 2500 for general male candidates and INR 1250 for females and males of the reserved category.
On Question asked by student community
With a 70 percent in CAT Examination, you can go for various B-Schools or private collages. The S. K. Patel Institute of Management in Gandhinagar is an option for those who score 70-80 percent in their CAT examination or The Gujarat Institute of Management (GIM) in Goa with a cutoff of 60-80 percentage. These are the collages you can look for in Gujarat or nearby.
Collage in other regions: BA Colleges Accepting 70-80 Percentile in CAT 2025
Thank You.
Hello,
Here are some top MBA colleges in India with fees under Rs. 2 lakh and their exam/cutoff details:
SIMSREE, Mumbai – Fee around Rs. 1.3–1.4 lakh for 2 years. Accepts CAT, CMAT, MAH-CET, MAT, ATMA. Cutoff is very high, usually 99+ percentile in CAT/CMAT.
PUMBA (Dept. of Management Sciences, Savitribai Phule Pune University) – Fee around Rs. 1.2–1.3 lakh. Accepts CAT, CMAT, MAH-CET, ATMA. Cutoff approx. 75+ percentile in CAT, 90–95+ percentile in CMAT, high scores in MAH-CET.
TISS, Mumbai (MA HRM & other management-related programmes) – Fee around Rs. 1.7–1.9 lakh. Accepts CAT for some courses. Qualifying cutoff is around 60–70 percentile, but final selection cutoffs are higher.
These are the main government institutes where the full MBA/PG programme fee is within Rs. 2 lakh. Cutoffs vary slightly each year and by category, but SIMSREE and PUMBA generally need high scores, while TISS has its own process along with CAT shortlisting.
Hope it helps !
You can download CMAT question papers and their solutions for the years 2021 to 2025 from trusted education websites. The 2021 papers are available in PDF format and include both shift 1 and shift 2 with solutions. These papers also have the optional section Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
For the year 2025, you will find complete question papers for both shifts along with correct answers. These papers cover all the sections like Quantitative Techniques, Logical Reasoning, Language Comprehension, General Awareness, and Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
You can use these question papers to practice and understand the pattern of the exam. They are helpful for time management and identifying important topics.
DMI Patna interviews for CMAT-qualified PGDM candidates usually start after CMAT results are out. For 2025, results were announced in March, so interviews likely began then. Exact dates aren’t public, but shortlisted candidates are notified via email/SMS.
Keep checking your email (including spam) and contact the admissions office for updates. The process includes a writing test, group activity, and personal interview.
Hello,
Here is the basic eligibility for CMAT admission process:
Qualification : You must have a Bachelor’s degree in any stream from a recognised university.
Final Year Students : If you are in the final year of your graduation, you can also apply, but you must complete your degree before the admission process ends.
Nationality : You must be an Indian citizen .
Age Limit : There is no age limit to apply for CMAT.
These rules are the same for all categories, but some colleges may have extra conditions, so you may need to check college-wise eligibility too.
Hope it helps !
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