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CMAT exam is one of the most popular MBA entrance exams in India. The Common Management Admission Test (CMAT) is a three-hour aptitude exam to choose suitable students for admission to management programmes of different colleges.
In an exclusive CMAT topper interview of MBAxTalks with Careers360 in which we talked to Vaibhav Awati, who is a CMAT topper. He is currently studying MBA from Sydenham Institute of Management Studies. He got an AIR 14 and scored 99.97 percentile in CMAT. He talks about his CMAT preparation journey, CMAT mock test strategy, Life at Sydenham College. 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.
Vaibhav - I am a mechanical engineer from Pune University. I graduated in 2020 and post-graduation, I worked with a mechanical German multinational company. I was there for almost one year. Then, I left my job to prepare for MBA exams. In 2023, I cleared the CMAT and now I'm a student at Sydenham. I am also doing my summer internship at ICICI Bank.
Check out | CMAT College Predictor
Careers360 - Apart from CMAT, what other MBA entrance exams did you give?
Vaibhav - I prepared for TISS, then I wrote CET, CMAT and CAT and even SNAP.
Careers360 - What were your scores in these three exams?
Vaibhav - I wrote CMAT. In CMAT, last year, I was All India Rank 1367. CET, I wrote 99 percentile something. and later next to the exam was CMAT which was AIR 14.
Careers360 - what do you think you did differently the second time that you had such a great score?
Vaibhav - I think GK section is a game-changer because all the other sections like Quantitative aptitude, Logical reasoning and Verbal Ability are common in most of the entrance exams.
Check out | CMAT score vs percentile
Also Read | CMAT eligibility criteria
Careers360 -Many students find the Quants section challenging. Do you have any specific tips for those struggling in this area?
Vaibhav - Quants was actually my favourite subject, perhaps because of my engineering background. My advice is to start with the basics. Solve at least 100 questions initially. If you're still struggling, it usually means your basic concepts aren't clear. Clarify your concepts first, then practise more. The more you practise, the clearer your concepts will become, making it easier to tackle any question.
Check out preparation resources for CMAT 2024
Careers360 - When did you start taking mock exams in preparation for the CMAT?
Vaibhav - I took about seven to eight mocks, mostly in March and April, just a couple of months before the exam. As I mentioned, I prepared thoroughly during this period.
Careers360 - Did you have a particular strategy for attempting the CMAT?
Vaibhav - CMAT gives you 180 minutes without a strict order for answering sections, so you can choose based on your comfort. I preferred starting with GK, as it was my strength, followed by innovation entrepreneurship, then English, logic, and finally the rest. This was the order I found most effective for me.
Check out | CMAT Preparation Tips
Careers360 - When preparing for CMAT, especially since you took the exam twice, what specific advice would you give for each section to students preparing this year?
Vaibhav - CMAT requires comprehensive preparation. Unlike CAT or CET, where you might skip certain topics, CMAT tends to cover everything. For instance, in Quants, expect a question from each main topic like averages and percentages. The questions aren't deeply complex, so you should understand the basics well enough to answer easy to moderate questions. Focus on ensuring you can handle level 1 and level 2 questions across all topics.
Full version of CMAT Topper’s Interview: Check out this video to watch the complete conversation: Tips to crack CMAT 2024 in 1st attempt by AIR 14 ft. Vaibhav
Also, watch
Here are some tips for preparing for the CMAT exam
Preparation tips
You should understand the exam pattern and syllabus before the exam to know the subject and its topic you need to prepare for then create a study plan which is according to you and which suits your study style for reference you can see interview of cmat topper which will help you to make your plan better but don't copy it and practice regularly is the key especially the numerical ones. You can also take mock tests, review to Previous year's papers CMAT, and focus on time management and accuracy.
Moreover,you need to know your target score a good score on the CMAT is generally considered to be 250 or more. A score between 345 and 350 typically results in a perfect 100 percentile. A score between 281 and 340 typically results in a percentile range of 90 to 99.99.
Additionally Colleges that accept CMAT scores
Some colleges that accept CMAT scores include JBIMS, GIM Goa, KJ Somaiya Institute of Management, SIMSREE, GLIM Chennai, PUMBA, and XISS Ranchi. Some colleges, like KJ Somaiya Institute of Management, use CMAT scores to determine admission, but also consider other factors like personal interviews and group discussions.
Hello,
Here’s how you can apply for the CMAT (Common Management Admission Test) :
Hope it helps !
Hello there,
To apply for CMAT while in your final year of BA:
Prepare for sections like Quant, Reasoning, Language, General Awareness, and Entrepreneurship.
For more details about CMAT Exam
Click Here
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I hope this answer helps you. If you have more queries then feel free to share your questions with us we will be happy to assist you.
Thank you and wishing you all the best for your bright future.
CMAT syllabus include quantitative techniques, logical reasoning, data interpretation, language comprehension, general awareness, innovation and entrepreneurship. Candidates must prepare for exam with equal focus on all topics as every topic has similar weightage. Language comprehension comprise question from various English language topics such as reading comprehension, antonyms, synonyms etc. To get sample questions for language comprehension, visit CMAT language comprehension sample questions
You can check out the cabin link below which has some valuable resources if you want to prepare for Cmat. the CMAT 2025 Innovation and entrepreneurship EBOOK it has all the chapters with sample question papers. If you find the innovation and Entrepreneurship section challenging then you can try this out then comes the CMAT logical reasoning question with answers. You can focus on this if you find logical reasoning. A bit tough or you want to practice with them. You can also check out the CMAT 2025 mastering all sections with thousand plus CRafted questions this contains. a comprehensive resource with all the practice questions of for all sections. You can also check out the CMAT 10 free mock test PDF which contains the mock test with free solution which is crucial for exam practice.
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