Great Lakes - PGDM & PGPM Admissions 2026
Admissions Open | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025
CMAT Application Date:17 Oct' 25 - 17 Nov' 25
CMAT score validity is of one year. The Common Management Admission Test (CAT) exam is a national-level MBA entrance exam for admission into MBA/ PGDM courses at top B-schools in India except IIMs. For admission to MBA colleges in India, the validity of the CMAT score is one year from the date of declaration of CMAT result. If a candidate appears for CMAT 2026, then their CMAT scores will be valid for MBA admission for the 2026-2027 academic session only.
CMAT results will be valid for one year only. After the CMAT results are declared and the scores are released, candidates can apply for admission to the CMAT accepting colleges for the academic session 2026-2027.
Also Check: CMAT Counselling
In case the candidates take the CMAT 2026 exam but do not take admission this year, then they will have to appear for the CMAT exam again the next year as it holds a validity of one year. After appearing for the CMAT 2026 exam they will be eligible for MBA admission.
Given below are the important CMAT 2026 exam dates, answer key release date and CMAT result date.
CMAT Events | CMAT 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 |
Since, the CMAT score validity is for one year only, after downloading the CMAT result and scorecard, candidates must start applying to the B-schools accepting CMAT scores.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes, the CMAT exam will be conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) probably in the last week of January 2026.
There are more than one thousand MBA colleges in India that accept CMAT scores. Top MBA colleges accepting CMAT scores includes K J Somaiya, JBIMS, Great Lakes Chennai, GIM Goa, and BIMTECH among others.
As per released CMAT paper pattern, there were five sections in the CMAT question paper each section carried 20 questions: Logical Reasoning, Quant & DI, General Knowledge, VARC, and Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
CMAT scorecard will be valid for one year only. If a candidate appears for CMAT 2026, then he/ she must take admission in the same academic year. There are more than 1000 B-schools in India accept CMAT score to offer admission into the MBA program.
On Question asked by student community
Hello,
For a postgraduate management course (MBA/PGDM) at L.D. College, you will likely need to give the CMAT exam. As a final-year BCA student, you are eligible to appear for the exam. The registration for CMAT 2026 has already begun, and you must apply before the deadline to be eligible for the entrance test.
I hope it will clear your query!!
Hello,
Yes, you will likely need to pass CMAT 2026 to be eligible for an MCA at LD College, as it is a common entrance exam for MCA programs. To be eligible for CMAT, you must hold a bachelor's degree in any discipline or be in your final year of graduation. For admission to the MCA program itself, you'll need a passing score on CMAT (the exact cutoff is determined by the college) and meet the college's specific requirements, which often include a bachelor's degree and minimum passing marks of 50% (45% for reserved categories).
I hope it will clear your query!!
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.
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