CMAT Application Date:17 Oct' 25 - 17 Nov' 25
CMAT Topper Interview: Anshul is a CMAT topper. He is currently pursuing MBA from NIBM Pune. He scored 99.43 percentile in CMAT.In an exclusive CMAT topper interview with Careers360, He talks about his CMAT preparation journey, CMAT mock test strategy and life at NIBM Pune. Watch the full video to learn more about his journey. This article offers excerpts from the interview. Watch the complete conversation by clicking the YouTube link given below.
Careers360 - Tell us a little bit about yourself and your profile.
Anshul - I studied BBA in foreign trade for graduation. I explored lots of different career options and eventually came across finance as a career choice.To learn more about the domain, I did a couple of internships in the finance field. That was the time I realised that I wanted to do MBA for my further education and learn more about Finance.
Check out | CMAT College Predictor
Careers360 - Apart from CMAT, what other MBA entrance exams did you give?
Anshul - I gave CAT and CMAT and apart from these two I also gave SRCC GBO Exam.
Careers360 - What were your scores in these three exams?
Anshul - I scored 54 percentile in CAT. In the SRCC GBO Exam, I scored 198 marks. I missed the cut-off for the SRCC GBO program by one or two marks and then I scored 99.43 percentile in CMAT.
Check out | CMAT score vspercentile
Also Read | CMAT eligibility criteria
Careers360 - When did you start preparing for the CMAT?
Anshul - I started preparing for CMAT right after I took the SRCC GBO Exam. I was sure that I had to prepare well for CMAT as I wanted to get into NIBM. So I started my preparation a day after SRCC GBO exam and I began my preparation by giving a CMAT Mock Exam. It helped me to understand what is the actual pattern of the CMAT and what sort of questions I can expect from the paper.
Check out preparation resources for CMAT and MAH MBA CET
Careers360 -Would you recommend any books for CMAT preparation?
Anshul - One can refer to books from Arihant Publication for DI preparation and you can also refer to educational content available on YouTube.The NCERT Books are also good for building the foundation for Quantitative Aptitude.
Careers360 - You scored 54 percentile in CAT and then you scored a 99.43 percentile in CMAT. What is the story behind this rise?
Anshul - I strongly believe that each student has his or her strengths which cannot be evaluated by a single entrance exam. Personally, I was more inclined towards CMAT as I am more comfortable with GK and entrepreneurship. While I was struggling with scoring in the CAT Exam, I scored well enough in the CMAT to get admission into my dream college.
Careers360 - Tell us a bit about your life at NIBM Pune?
Anshul - So NIBM is a college that is set up and backed by RBI and other leading banks. It has its reputation in the market. The faculty is quite experienced. A lot of our professors have worked with RBI in the past and with several other reputed institutes. The curriculum here is so rigorous and there are a lot of opportunities provided on the campus for the overall exposure. We have clubs related to investing, we have clubs related to economics, we have clubs related to consulting.
Also Read | MBA in Finance
Careers360 - What advice would you give to people who would be appearing for CMAT this year?
Anshul - It's not a game of time if you are someone who takes time to solve the question.
it's fine. You just have to be patient and trust the process. Initially, a lot of things might go against you. When the aspirants come to the very end of the tale, he or she generally feel demotivated. Do not lose faith and just trust the process.
Check out | CMAT Preparation Tips
Full version of CMAT Topper’s Interview: Check out this video to watch the complete conversation: Anshul shares tips to crack #CMAT2024 in 1st attempt and his life at #NIBM
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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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