CMAT 2026 Preparation Tips for General Awareness: Best Books, Strategy, Tips & Tricks

Getting ready for the CMAT's General Knowledge (GK) section calls for a solid study plan. It might seem tough at first, but with the right approach, you can definitely handle it. In this guide, we’ll share some practical CMAT 2026 GK preparation strategies and help you build a study plan that works for you. This way, you’ll cover all the important topics and stay on track to reach your goal of acing the exam and getting into your dream B-school.

This Story also Contains

1. CMAT 2026 Preparation Tips For General Awareness
2. CMAT General Awareness Section: Pattern and Syllabus
3. CMAT 2026 Preparation Tips and Strategies for GK
4. CMAT Topic Wise Weightage
5. CMAT General Awareness Previous Year's Questions
6. How To Stay Updated With Current Affairs for CMAT 2026
7. CMAT Previous Year's Question Papers
8. Choose the Best Books and Other Resources for CMAT
9. Strategy to Remember General Awareness Topics
10. CMAT Mock Test PDF Free Download
11. CMAT General Awareness MCQs

CMAT 2026 Preparation Tips For General Awareness

General Awareness is an important section of the CMAT exam. Not only is it important from the CMAT exam point of view, but it is also important for the GDPI and WAT stages.

Some general CMAT 2026 preparation tips for general awareness are:

• Read newspapers and magazines regularly.

• Follow online YT channels or books for static GK.

• Engage in quizzes to test your knowledge.

• Practice previous year papers and take mock tests.

So, follow the preparation tips given in the article and work hard to get a good score in the section.

CMAT 2026 Syllabus

The question paper will contain 100 questions of 4 marks each, with 1 mark to be deducted for every wrong answer. Each of the five sections will carry 20 questions, therefore all subjects have equal weightage. In CMAT 2026, questions will be asked from the following subjects:

1. Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation

2. Logical Reasoning

3. Language Comprehension

4. General Awareness

5. Innovation & Entrepreneurship

CMAT General Awareness Section: Pattern and Syllabus

Before we discuss CMAT 2026 preparation tips for general awareness, we need to discuss the format, weightage, and types of questions typically asked in this section, which contains Static GK as well as Current Affairs. As discussed earlier, this section will contain 20 questions.

General Awareness or General Knowledge is a vast subject with individual subjects like History, Geography, Economics, etc as its subtopics so to get the exact idea how and what to prepare, you need to understand what the weightage of Static GK and Current Affairs has been over the years.

Broadly speaking, Static GK refers to the facts and information that do not change with time. As far as CMAT 2026 is concerned, this can be asked from the following topics –

• History

• Geography

• Economy

• Companies and Brands

• Indian Political System & Constitution

• Organizations

• Science & Technology

• Sports

• Miscellaneous

For Current Affairs, you can focus on these –

• Economy

• Business & Corporate News

• Indian Polity

• Organizations

• New Developments in Science & Technology

• People in News

• Sports

• Miscellaneous

CMAT 2026 Preparation Tips and Strategies for GK

Preparing for the CMAT 2026 requires a focused approach, especially for general knowledge. Staying updated with current affairs and important events is crucial, as these topics frequently appear in the exam. Engaging in CMAT 2026 preparation and trend analysis can help identify key areas of focus.

• Keeping in mind the detailed CMAT syllabus, assess your strengths and weaknesses and make a comprehensive study plan in which you need to prioritise high-scoring topics while allocating study time for each. You are required to know which topics are more important and have more weightage while deciding the study time for each.

• It is critical to establish reasonable and achievable objectives. Set short-term and long-term objectives. Allocate time for daily and weekly study sessions, with some free time for frequent practice and rapid evaluation. Break down your objectives. Instead of creating a large goal, break it down into smaller ones that you can achieve every day, which will provide you a psychological boost. The preparation itself will give you the drive you need.

• Be ready to embrace your failure to achieve even your little goals sometimes. You can’t expect yourself to be 100% on schedule every time.

• The amount of time you study is not as important as the quality of your study so it’s important that you are focused throughout your study duration and for that it is necessary to keep taking short breaks. Studying for long periods at a stretch is not advisable as it leads to distraction and you tend to grasp less and less. Go for sprints, not marathons.

• Managing time during the exam is as important as managing it while you are preparing. You’ll have to answer 100 questions of varying types spread across all five sections of CMAT 2026. On the basis of your strengths and weaknesses, plan how long you will take for each section. Practise accordingly in such a way that, in the end, you are able to review and revise your answers for errors and rectify them and increase your overall score.

• GK questions help you save time, which you can utilise in solving questions of other sections, as there is no sectional restriction of time, and you can utilise the saved time in solving questions that require long calculations and analysis. They are time-saving as you either know the answer or you don’t. You don’t have to rack your brains trying to get to the answer somehow. You don’t tend to spend beyond a few seconds on a question. Ideally, you should not spend more than 8-10 minutes on this section.

Practical Tips And Tricks To Enhance General Awareness Preparation

• The General Awareness paper contains questions on Static GK as well as Current Affairs, with more weightage of questions on Static GK as discussed earlier. But even Static GK questions are often directly or indirectly related to some recent event so it’s important that you stay updated with the latest news through newspapers, magazines and online sources. Form the habit of reading the newspaper. It will also help you with your Language Comprehension paper.

• You can make use of mobile apps and podcasts for on-the-go learning. This means actively learning as you go about your daily life activities. This learning can happen anywhere, at any time. You can use your spare moments throughout the day effectively with the simple use of your smartphone. Here, your own concise notes will also come in handy as you can revise something at a glance while doing something else, like waiting for the bus or strolling.

• You may utilise mnemonic techniques. These are techniques that use associations to help you remember information. These strategies help you to recall information, thus improving memory.

• Practising previous years’ questions and mock tests is the most important part of your preparation. Be regular with this and keep a track of where you are lagging, what you are repeatedly doing wrong and where you are taking too much time. This practice will improve your accuracy as well as speed.

• Engage in group discussions and quizzes to reinforce learning. The more you keep testing yourself, the better it is. If you see some fact or information again and again, you are bound to remember it. That’s the use of discussions and quizzes.

• Create mind maps or visual aids to organise information effectively. This aids in learning by using keywords and phrases instead of complete sentences.

Now we’ll take a sample question to understand how to enhance your preparation for GK for CMAT 2026.

Ques. In which year was the 73rd Amendment passed by the Parliament?

A. 1989

B. 1992

C. 1990

D. 1995

Answer: B

Taking this example, let’s see how you can study. Make sure that you make self-help notes. You are not a UPSC aspirant who has to write long answers. You are required to learn one-liners, so plan and study accordingly. Like in the above question, think of all the related things that can be asked and write them down as one-liners. For instance,

• 73rd Amendment Act, also known as the Panchayati Raj Act

• The 11th Schedule of the Indian Constitution was added, containing 29 subjects

• OBJECTIVES - Strengthen rural democratic structure; Decentralise power and decision-making to the local Panchayats; Empower Panchayats to undertake development

• A three-tier Panchayati Raj system:

• Village level: Gram Panchayat

• Intermediate level: Panchayat Samiti

• District level: Zila Parishad

• Act added Part IX to the COI which contained provisions from Articles 243 to 243 (O)

• Act does not apply to Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Mizoram & certain other areas

• Tenure of a Panchayat – 5 years

• Minimum age for a member of the Panchayat – 21 years

This is just a sample to get an idea of what type of questions are asked and how you need to make notes. No need to write essay-type descriptive answers. Note down the key points topic-wise. These concise notes will also be very useful towards the end when you are revising. And will also come in handy if you wish to revise any particular topic just before the exam, like last-minute revision.

Besides, according to psychological studies, writing things down in order to learn them is a great strategy because when you are writing down some information, your mind is more involved. It sharpens your memory. In addition, making hand-written notes instead of typing on a computer/phone is considered better because it triggers more brain activity and develops stronger neural encoding and memory retrieval. So, writing and learning have been psychologically proven to bring benefits and can be utilised to learn countless facts of GK.

CMAT Topic Wise Weightage

Given below is the CMAT topic wise weightage, which can be beneficial to find the most important topics of the CMAT examination. This weightage is formulated after deep analysis of the previous year's CMAT question papers. The candidates are strongly advised to go through the weightage and prioritise the topics for their CMAT 2026 preparation.

CMAT General Awareness Previous Year's Questions

The given below are a few CMAT previous year's questions taken from the general awareness section.

1. Which of the following statements is NOT correct?

1. Chittaranjan Das was not a member of Swaraj Party.

2. N. C. Kelkar was among the founding members of Swaraj Party.

3. The foundation of Swaraj Party was laid on January 1, 1923.

4. In the election held in 1923, the Swaraj Party captured 45 out of 145 seats.

2. Match List-I with List-II

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

1. (A) - (I), (B) - (IV), (C) - (III), (D) - (II)

2. (A) - (IV), (B) - (I), (C) - (III), (D) - (II)

3. (A) - (IV), (B) - (II), (C) - (III), (D) - (I)

4. (A) - (IV), (B) - (I), (C) - (III), (D) - (II)

3. Arrange the following important National Days of India in chronological sequence:

(A) National Science Day
(B) National Teacher’s Day
(C) National Youth Day
(D) National Hindi Day
(E) National Children’s Day

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

1. (A), (C), (B), (E), (D)

2. (B), (A), (D), (C), (E)

3. (C), (A), (B), (D), (E)

4. (C), (B), (A), (E), (D)

4. We celebrate National Constitution Day on:

1. 26th December

2. 9th December

3. 15th August

4. 26th November

5. Who is known as "The Father of Green Revolution in the world"?

1. M.S. Swaminathan

2. Dr. Verghese Kurien

3. Norman E. Borlaug

4. P.C. Mahalanobis

6. The first foreigner honoured with the Bharat Ratna Award was:

1. Muhammad Ali Jinnah

2. Benazir Bhutto

3. Sirimavo Bandaranaike

4. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan

How To Stay Updated With Current Affairs for CMAT 2026

It is important to stay consistently updated with current affairs leading up to the exam. Ideally, you should do the current affairs of one year, counting backwards from the date of the exam. But the last six months are more important. In order to stay informed, you may do the following –

• Set aside dedicated time each day for reading newspapers or online news portals. There is no fixed rule regarding how much time should be spent. You have to make a balanced timetable that covers all topics and subjects, keeping in mind the time each day you are able to devote to studying.

• Follow reputable news channels and websites for reliable information. We tend to retain information more when it is backed by visuals so news channels can help you remember the events and the related important information better than simply reading about them.

• Join online forums or discussion groups to exchange ideas and insights. Study groups can help you stay motivated, and you can also discuss your doubts and get help there.

• Participate in quizzes and competitions to test and expand your knowledge and keep track of your score. Such quizzes are a great way to keep revising the important facts.

CMAT Previous Year's Question Papers

The candidates can download and study various previous year's CMAT question papers using the links given below:

Choose the Best Books and Other Resources for CMAT

For the CMAT 2026, books are abundant and nearly endless study materials accessible; however, they may also be a waste of time for the candidate. It is critical to choose which books and other resources will best help you concentrate and accomplish your objective. Here is a list of the most significant books from each section.

Best books for CMAT – Language Comprehension

Best books for CMAT – Quantitative Aptitude

Best books for CMAT – Logical Reasoning

Best books for CMAT – General Knowledge

Best books for CMAT – Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Strategy to Remember General Awareness Topics

Remembering general awareness topics can be made easier with a good study plan. Using simple tricks like mnemonics, visual aids, and regular reviews can help you retain information better. Staying updated with current events and taking quizzes also boosts your understanding.

1. Mnemonic Devices: Create easy-to-remember phrases or acronyms. For instance, use "NASA" to recall the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

2. Flashcards: Write questions on one side of a card and answers on the other. Go through these cards regularly to help memorise important facts.

3. Mind Mapping: Draw diagrams that connect related ideas. This visual method helps you see how topics relate to each other, making it easier to remember.

4. Current Affairs Journals: Keep a journal where you write down key news stories each day. Summarising what you read helps reinforce your understanding.

5. Group Discussions: Talk about general awareness topics with friends or study groups. Explaining concepts to others can help you remember them better.

6. Quizzes and Mock Tests: Take practice quizzes to test your knowledge. This not only helps you find areas where you need improvement but also makes studying more fun.

CMAT Mock Test PDF Free Download

A CMAT mock test PDF serves as an essential resource for aspirants preparing for the Common Management Admission Test. It allows students to familiarise themselves with the test format and question types. By practising with these mock tests, candidates improve their time management skills, identify their strengths and weaknesses.

CMAT General Awareness MCQs

The General Awareness section holds the potential to significantly boost your overall score. A strategic study plan with diligent preparation will help you ace this section and tackle questions easily and in turn, allow you to swiftly answer questions and save more time for other sections that may have complex calculations and analysis.