CAT vs CMAT 2026: Exam Difference, Difficulty Level, Colleges, Fees & Which is Better?

CAT vs CMAT 2026: Exam Difference, Difficulty Level, Colleges, Fees & Which is Better?

Team Careers360Updated on 24 Sep 2025, 05:40 PM IST

CMAT or CAT? Wondering which exam to give? When it comes to pursuing an MBA in India, two of the most popular entrance exams are the Common Management Admission Test (CMAT) or known as NTA CMAT and the Common Admission Test (CAT). These tests serve as a gateway to some of the top management institutes in India. Still, they differ significantly in their pattern, difficulty level, conducting bodies, and the institutions that accept their scores. Here’s a detailed comparison to check CAT vs CMAT: which is better?

CAT vs CMAT 2026: Exam Difference, Difficulty Level, Colleges, Fees & Which is Better?
CMAT vs CAT

What is CAT?

The full form for CAT in MBA is the Common Admission Test. The CAT 2026 is a national-level entrance exam conducted annually by Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) on a rotational basis in online mode. CAT scores are accepted by IIMs and other top B-Schools than IIMs. Candidates who qualify for the entrance exam with good marks based on the cutoff of CAT are called upon for further rounds as a part of the IIM admission process

What is CMAT?

CMAT exam full form is a Common Management Admission Test which is a national-level entrance test. CMAT 2026 is conducted in online mode by the National Testing Agency i.e. NTA. Until 2018, CMAT was administered by the All India Council for Technical Education yearly as per the regulations of MHRD (Ministry of Human Resource Development), Government of India.

CAT vs CMAT: An Overview Comparison

Here is an overview comparison of CMAT vs CAT through different parameters.

CAT vs CMAT

CAT

CMAT

Conducting Body

IIMs

NTA

Type of Questions

MCQs and TITA

MCQs only

Exam Month

November

January

Number of Section

3 sections

5 sections

Difficulty Level

high

moderate

Marks per questions

+4

+4

Official Website

iimcat.ac.in

nta.ac.in

CAT vs CMAT Exam Fee

INR 2,500 (General category) and INR 1,250 (Reserved category)

INR 2,500 for General (Male) and INR 1,250 for rest of the students

Mode

Online mode

Online mode

Number of applications

More than 3 lakhs

More than 1 lakhs

CAT vs CMAT: Exam Pattern

  • CMAT: This exam is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). CMAT exam pattern comprises 100 multiple-choice questions divided into four sections: Quantitative Technique, Logical Reasoning, Language Comprehension, and General Awareness. Each section contains 25 questions, with a total exam duration of three hours. The CMAT is scored on a scale of 400 points.
  • CAT: Conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), the CAT exam pattern is slightly more complex. It consists of three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Ability. The total number of questions varies each year but usually hovers around 100, distributed unevenly across the sections. The duration of the CAT is also three hours, and the test uses a scaled score that takes into account the difficulty level of the exam across different sessions.
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CAT vs CMAT: Difficulty Level

  • CMAT is generally considered to be less challenging than CAT, mainly due to the nature of the questions, particularly in the quantitative sections. CMAT includes a section on General Awareness, which is not present in the CAT, adding a unique dimension to the test.
  • CAT is widely regarded as one of the most challenging entrance exams in India, especially due to its high-level quantitative questions and complex data interpretation sets. The verbal section is also known to be particularly tough due to its emphasis on higher-order reasoning and comprehension skills.
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CAT vs CMAT: Exam Syllabus

To ace in both exams, you should be aware of the sections and number of questions that can come in the final exam. Here is a comparison of the CAT and CMAT exams according to their sections and number of questions. The CAT exam pattern was revised last year, The total number of questions asked in the previous CAT exam was 68 questions, added 2 additional questions in the DILR section.

CAT: Sectional Analysis

Section

Number of Questions

Maximum marks

Time Limit

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)

24

72

40 minutes

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)

22

66

40 minutes

Quantitative Aptitude (QA)

22

66

40 minutes

Total

68 questions

204 marks

160 minutes

CMAT: Sectional Analysis

Section

Number of Questions

Maximum marks

Time Limit

Language Comprehension

20

80

No time limit

Logical Reasoning

20

80

No time limit

Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation

20

80

No time limit

General Awareness

20

80

No time limit

Innovation & Entrepreneurship

20

80

No time limit

Total

100

400

180 minutes

CMAT vs CAT: Conducting Bodies and Timing

  • CMAT is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), a government-established body responsible for overseeing various entrance examinations. It is usually held once a year, in January or February.
  • CAT is organised by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), with a different IIM taking up the responsibility each year. The exam is typically conducted in late November.
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CAT vs CMAT: Top Colleges

  • CMAT: More than 1000 institutes across India accept CMAT scores. Some of the prominent ones include Great Lakes Institute of Management, K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research, and Goa Institute of Management.

  • CAT: All 21 IIMs in India use CAT scores for admission, making it the more prestigious of the two exams. Besides the IIMs, other top-rated institutions like Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), Delhi, SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, and Management Development Institute (MDI) Gurgaon also accept CAT scores.

Also Read

Top MBA Colleges in India accepting CAT score
Top B-schools Accepting CMAT Scores

CMAT vs CAT Which is Better?

Choosing between CMAT and CAT largely depends on a candidate’s career goals, preferred colleges, and comfort with the respective exam formats. While CAT opens doors to the elite IIMs and is suitable for those looking for a rigorous challenge, CMAT offers a broader array of options and might be preferable for those who are also interested in exploring opportunities in mid-tier management schools. Aspiring MBA students should consider their academic strengths, preparation levels, and career objectives when deciding which exam to pursue.

CMAT Vs CAT: Mock test

Given below are the best mock test series by Careers360 for CMA and CAT exam preparation.

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Questions related to CAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CAT ?

Hi there,

The minimum eligibility criteria for a general candidate to receive a call from IIM Sambalpur are as follows:
VARC: 65%ile
QUANTS: 65%ile
LRDI: 65%ile
Overall: 90%tile
Keep practising and aim to improve your score. You can also focus on other management exams where you may secure a strong

Hi there,

With a B.tech in industrial engineering from IIT Roorkee and a CAT 2025 score of 98.89 percentile and strong sectionals your profile is solid for top B-schools. For the top IIMs like Ahmedabad and Bangalore, calls for engineers usually go to candidates with near perfect percentiles. Your score

Hello,
The IIT Guwahati cutoff for SC and EWS categories depends on the branch, year, and JoSAA counselling round, but you can get a general idea from recent trends.

For the SC category, closing ranks usually range from 4,000 to 9,000 for popular branches like CSE, ECE, and Mechanical, while

with this percentile, you can get into tier 2 or tier 3 college, the list of the few notable college is given below-

1) FLAME university, Pune

2) AIMS institute, Bangalore

3) Doon business school, Dehradun

4) Christ university, Bangalore

5) NIT Trichy

6) KIIT school of management, Bhuvneshwar






A CAT percentile of 99.64 is an excellent score and definitely places you in a strong position for top IIM calls, including IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, and IIM Calcutta. However, admission to these institutes is not based on CAT score alone. Each of these IIMs follows a holistic selection process