CMAT 2019 Preparation Tips and Trend Analysis

CMAT 2019 Preparation Tips and Trend Analysis - Common Management Admission Test, popular as CMAT is a national level entrance examination for entry into management programmes. Until 2018, CMAT was conducted annually by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) as per the rules and regulations of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India. CMAT will now be conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA). This test facilitates participating institutions to select suitable graduate candidates for admission in all management programmes. The CMAT score will be accepted by all recognised and approved Institutions/University Departments/Constituent Colleges/Affiliated Colleges. To fare well in CMAT, aspirants must read through the CMAT 2019 preparation tips and be well-versed with the exam pattern.

Latest: [Download free Question Papers and Sample Paper of CMAT, Click here]

For the first time, NTA would be conducting the CMAT 2019 on Monday, January 28 in two shifts - First Shift (9:30 AM to 12:30 PM) and Second Shift (2:30 PM to 5:30 PM). 

With about one (1) week left for CMAT 2019, Careers360 brings the detailed CMAT 2019 preparation tips to help aspirants ace one of the most popular management entrance examinations after CAT and XAT.

CMAT 2019 Preparation Tips

Clarity of Concepts - If basics are clear, then no matter how tough or tricky the question is, test takers will be able to answer the questions with confidence. According to experts, the difficulty level of the CMAT exam mostly ranges from easy to moderately difficult questions. Having the basics in place will help in solving the majority of the questions. This is the most important CMAT 2019 Preparation Tips.

Regular Mocks - Taking regular mock tests or solving sample papers will help candidates get a grip on the exam pattern and time management, which is the biggest factor in cracking CMAT exam.

Time Management - Although there is no sectional time limit, it is vital to keep a tap in time management. Candidates are advised to keep some time for revision after completing the exam to eradicate silly mistakes. They must also divide their time equally between every section. 

Select Right Books - The reference books for CMAT are quite similar to that of CAT. 'Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT' by Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay is a comprehensive guide for Verbal Ability section. It has in it sample questions, solved examples and right strategies to tackle various types of Reading Comprehension & Verbal Ability questions. 

For Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation section, candidates can refer to 'How to prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT' by Arun Sharma. Apart from CAT preparation, the book includes previous papers of XAT, IIFT, SNAP, etc as well. 

The Logical Reasoning section can be prepared by referring to Arun Sharma's book named 'How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for CAT'. 

Lastly, for the General Awareness section, prospective test takers can refer to Manorama Year Book or India Year Book for the static topics like history, geography, polity, environment, etc and to acquire knowledge about current topics, one must read and follow the newspaper regularly.

Distributive Learning - Candidates must try covering more than one subject in a single day. Studying only one subject for long will make one’s mind tired and redundant. Learning two subjects by turns will keep the mind rejuvenated and in yielding best results.

Study Breaks - Candidates must plan for short studying sessions rather than marathon ones. During the preparation for CMAT 2019, candidates must take short but regular breaks so that the mind stays fresh. This will also build concentration.

CMAT 2019 Preparation Tips - Exam Pattern

The basic structure of the CMAT exam did not encounter much of alteration as it remained constant over the past years. Though the conducting body has changed this year, the basic framework remains unaltered. CMAT 2019 preparation tips will remain incomplete if the CMAT exam pattern 2019 is not discussed. 

CMAT Exam Pattern 2019

CMAT 2019 Preparation Tips: Quick Facts to Remember

• Candidates will be allowed to move back and forth between the four sections and answer in any order of their preference.
•  There is no negative marking for leaving a question unanswered; however, an incorrect response would call for a negative scoring of -1 mark.
• Each candidate will be given a desk with a computer terminal along with a plain paper for rough calculations. However, they will be asked to keep the same at the desk once they complete their examination. No test taker will be allowed to carry any paper/notebook inside the exam centre.
• No breaks will be allowed during the test.
• Only the CMAT admit card 2019 will be allowed inside the CMAT exam centres 2019.

The overall difficulty level of the CMAT exam is usually moderate as compared to other entrance examinations. Sometimes the choices are close enough to make the questions tricky. Test takers should be attentive while answering such questions.

CMAT Trend Analysis

AICTE had introduced CMAT in the year 2012 and the maiden exam was conducted in February, which was followed by September 2012 CMAT. In the year 2013, an additional CMAT was conducted in May on special request of the state governments in order to facilitate those candidates who could not appear in the earlier CMAT in February. It was mentioned that the candidates who had taken CMAT in February 2012 would not be allowed to take the additional test. Several state-level MBA entrance exams like UPSEE, GCET, RMAT, MAH CET was discontinued owing to the fact that the admission took place through CMAT scores in the state B-schools. However, MAH CET had been brought back by its conducting body Directorate of Technical Education (DTE), Maharashtra and the exam was held in February 2014. The first CMAT received around 70,000 registrations. With each passing year, the registrations increased. In the previous CMAT conducted in September 2013, the exam received 83,662 registrations out of which about 70,000 candidates actually appeared for the exam. There were media abuzz with the news that CMAT had been scraped by the honourable Supreme Court. However, Careers360 investigation revealed that CMAT continued to be in existence in 2014 and soon after the revelation the notification of CMAT February 2014 was released after the misleading media reports disapproving the rumours.

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