CMAT Passing Marks 2026, Total Marks: Everything You Need to Know

CMAT Passing Marks 2026, Total Marks: Everything You Need to Know

Updated on 07 Oct 2025, 05:30 PM IST

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.

What is the minimum CMAT passing mark for 2026?

This Story also Contains

  1. CMAT Exam 2026 Important Dates
  2. CMAT Passing Marks: Marking Criteria 2026
  3. CMAT Passing Marks: Score vs Percentile
  4. CMAT Qualifying Marks: Top B-schools Accepting CMAT Scores
  5. CMAT Passing Marks: CMAT Cutoff College-wise
CMAT Passing Marks 2026, Total Marks: Everything You Need to Know
CMAT Passing Marks

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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CMAT Exam 2026 Important Dates

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

CMAT Passing Marks: Marking Criteria 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

CMAT Passing Marks: Score vs Percentile

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

CMAT Qualifying Marks: Top B-schools Accepting CMAT Scores

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.

CMAT Passing Marks: CMAT Cutoff College-wise

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.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What is the passing marks for CMAT 2026?
A:

The minimum CMAT passing mark of 120 is necessary for the candidates to get admission to the top B-schools in India.

Q: What is the minimum score for CMAT?
A:

A CMAT score of 80 to 85 percentile in CMAT can get you a good B-school to pursue MBA course. 

Q: What is the minimum passing mark for CMAT?
A:

The CMAT qualifying mark required to apply for the management courses is around 120 out of 400.

Q: What is a good score in the CMAT?
A:

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.

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Questions related to CMAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CMAT ?

Hello aspirant,

The CMAT 2026 exam is set for January 25, 2026, and registration began in October 2025. In two sessions, the computer-based CMAT 2026 will be administered in more than 120 Indian cities. The CMAT syllabus and exam format have not changed for 2026.

For more information you can

Yes, DSM DTU (Delhi Technological University, Department of Management Studies) does accept CMAT score for admission to its MBA programme. Many management institutes in India use CMAT as one of the valid entrance exams along with CAT, MAT, or GMAT, and DTU’s management department is among those that consider CMAT

Hello

You have scored 92 percentile in CMAT, which is a good score, and you have a higher chance of getting admission into a good college. But, if you're targeting only SVNIT Surat, then it's quite tough because SVNIT usually looks for a higher score for the PG course, like

Hello,

The link to the website of careers360, where the preferred colleges and percentiles are mentioned, is attached herewith. You can also get the details of colleges.

https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/mba-colleges-accepting-80-90-percentile-in-cmat-exam

Thank you.

Hello

With an 80 percentile in CMAT, you can get admission in decent Tier-2 MBA colleges.
Good options include Jaipuria Institute, IMT Nagpur/Hyderabad, SDMIMD Mysore, and XIME.
Top IIMs are not possible, but these colleges offer reasonable placements and exposure.

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