Great Lakes - PGDM & PGPM Admissions 2026
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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,
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 !
hi,
If you want to join the MCA program at LD College of Engineering (LDCE) in Ahmedabad and have given the CMAT 2025 exam, here’s what you should know. The admission mainly depends on your CMAT score and the rank you get after the score is converted for Gujarat’s ACPC counseling.
Last year, the closing rank for general category students at LDCE for MCA was around 20,000 in the counseling rounds. So, if your CMAT score gives you a rank close to or better than that, you have a good chance of getting in.
Keep in mind that the exact cutoff changes every year depending on how many students apply and how they perform. Also, if you belong to any reserved category, the cutoff might be a bit lower.
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