CMAT Passing Marks 2026: The NTA has not set any CMAT passing marks for MBA/PGDM admission. Meanwhile, the CMAT minimum mark of 120 out of 400 is considered the passing mark for the CMAT exam. Applicants with minimum passing marks in the CMAT exam will be shortlisted for the next level of the selection process by the colleges. Candidates with CMAT qualifying marks of 280 can apply for the management admissions offered by the top B-schools in India. A good CMAT score required to get admission to top management institutes is around 250 to 300 (out of 400). Read this article to know the minimum CMAT passing marks, the marking scheme of CMAT 2026 and the top colleges accepting CMAT scores.
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The CMAT passing marks required to join the management programmes can vary from one institute to another. Candidates with minimum passing marks of 120 can attend the interview or other selection rounds at the best MBA colleges accepting CMAT scores. Students who failed to achieve the minimum CMAT qualifying marks in 2026 cannot pursue their postgraduate in any of the best colleges in India.
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The important dates regarding the CMAT answer key release and CMAT results 2026 release date are mentioned in the table below.
Particulars | CMAT Exam Dates 2026 |
CMAT exam date 2026 | Last week of January 2026 |
CMAT 2026 answer key release date (Provisional) | Last week of January 2026 |
NTA CMAT answer key challenge last date | First week of February 2026 |
CMAT result date 2026 | Second week of February 2026 |
As per the CMAT marking schema, +4 marks will be awarded for each correct answer and -1 mark for each incorrect answer. The detailed CMAT marking criteria are mentioned in the table below.
CMAT Sections | Number of Questions | Marks Allotted to the Sections |
Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation | 20 | 80 |
Logical Reasoning | 20 | 80 |
Language Comprehension | 20 | 80 |
General Awareness | 20 | 80 |
Innovation & Entrepreneurship | 20 | 80 |
Total | 100 | 400 |
Candidates must note that the CMAT cutoff can vary from year to year. Based on the information below table candidates who attended the CMAT exam can calculate their expected CMAT score and percentile.
CMAT Percentile | CMAT score 2026 (Expected) | CMAT score 2025 | CMAT score 2024 |
99.5 | 305 | 303 | 325 |
99 | 295 | 293 | 318 |
95 | 262 | 260 | 300 |
90 | 245 | 240 | 282 |
80 | 215 | 211 | 200 |
70 | 195 | 180 | 170 |
Check out: CMAT Score Normalization Process
Around 1000 institutes in India accept CMAT results both private and government. Some of the top institutes accepting CMAT scores are mentioned in the table below.
Top MBA Colleges | CMAT Score |
Prin. LN Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research, Mumbai | 244 Score |
280 Score | |
260 Score | |
KJ Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research, Mumbai | 246 Score |
200 Score | |
200 Score |
The expected college-wise CMAT cutoff percentile required to join the full-time PGDM/MBA/PGPM programmes is listed below. The cutoff can also vary after the release of the CMAT results.
CMAT colleges cut off | Accepting cutoff percentile |
97 | |
99.94 | |
99.95+ | |
70 | |
95+ | |
95 | |
99.99 | |
85 | |
90+ | |
80 |
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The minimum CMAT passing mark of 120 is necessary for the candidates to get admission to the top B-schools in India.
A CMAT score of 80 to 85 percentile in CMAT can get you a good B-school to pursue MBA course.
The CMAT qualifying mark required to apply for the management courses is around 120 out of 400.
A good score in the CMAT exam is between 250 to 300 out of 400. Candidates who achieved a score within this range can expect a CMAT percentile above 85.
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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