CMAT 2023

CMAT (Common Management Admission Test) 2023

CMAT 2023 - Complete Information

Dear students, Competition Forum, Bangalore, brings to you a detailed article on CMAT 2023. In this article you will learn about all aspects of the CMAT 2023 examination such as eligibility, exam pattern, changes in exam pattern, subjects, syllabus, important dates and B-Schools accepting  CMAT scores. If you have any queries regarding CMAT 2023, you can directly contact us. Also, to enquire about our CMAT Coaching Programme (batch options, mode of training, fee details, etc.), you can click here.

What is CMAT examination?

The Common Management Admission Test (CMAT) is a National Level Entrance Examination for admission to management programmes (MBA/PGDBM) in the country. This Test helps AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education) affiliated/ Participating Institutions in selecting suitable graduate candidates for admission to their respective MBA programmes.

The CMAT was earlier (till 2018) conducted by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), however, now (since 2019) it is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

The CMAT is a three hours Computer Based Online Test (CBT) which is conducted to evaluate your general intelligence, awareness and aptitude in five areas viz.; Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Language Comprehension, General Awareness and Innovation & Entrepreneurship.

The CMAT score (which is given in percentile points) is accepted by all AICTE- Approved Institutions / Universities

What is the NTA (National Testing Agency)?

National Testing Agency (NTA) is an independent, autonomous, and self-sustained premier testing organization under the Societies Registration Act (1860) for conducting efficient, transparent and international standards tests in order to assess the competency of candidates for admissions to premier higher education institutions. The NTA was established by the MHRD (Ministry of Human Resource Development) in 2019. NTA is entrusted with conducting the CMAT.

Key Changes in CMAT 2022/ 2023:

CMAT has gone through some critical changes in 2022 as compared to the previous years. The table below highlights how the CMAT pattern and structure has changed in 2022.

S.No CMAT 2022 Exam CMAT 2021 Exam
1
Total sections = 5
Total sections = 4; section 5 optional
2
5th Section on Innovation & Entrepreneurship (Compulsory)
5th Section on Innovation & Entrepreneurship (optional)
3
Exam duration = 3 hours
Exam duration = 3 hours; 30 minutes extra for optional section
4
Total Questions = 100
Total Questions = 125 (Option to attempt 100 or 125 questions)
5
Only score and All India Rank given in the Marks Card
Score and Percentile given in the Marks Card
6
5th section Score counted in score calculation
5th section Score Not counted for Percentile calculation to prepare merit list
7
20 Questions in Each of the five Sections
25 Questions in Each of the five Sections

CMAT EXAM HIGHLIGHTS:

Full Exam Name Common Management Admission Test
Conducting Body National Testing Agency
Mode of Application Online (www.cmat.nta.nic.in)
Mode of Examination Computer Based Test (CBT)
Application Fee Rs 2000 (boys), Rs 1000 (girls/OBC/SC/ST/PWD)
Exam Duration 3 hours
Maximum Marks 400
No. of sections in CMAT 5 sections
Exam Date Single Day Exam in April Every year
No. of times exam is CMAT is conducted One day; onle slot
No. of participating colleges 1000+
No. of candidates who take CMAT each year Approximately 70,000

What is the pattern of CMAT Examination 2022 / 2023?

CMAT (Common Management Admission Test) is conducted once every year in the month of April. It is important for candidates to understand the format and pattern of the examination so that they can plan and prepare effectively. CMAT is an online examination (Computer Based Test) that is conducted in a proctored environment at a centre that is assigned to you. CMAT has gone through some fundamental changes in 2022. For example, the number of sections has become five (earlier the fifth section Innovation and Entrepreneurship was optional but now it has become mandatory). Total marks in the examination is 400 and duration is 3 hours. CMAT evaluates candidates in five sections.

1. Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation

2. General Awareness

3. Logical Reasoning

4. Language Comprehension

5. Innovation & Entrepreneurship 

The table below gives you the complete pattern of CMAT 2022. Candidates can expect the same pattern for CMAT 2023.

S.No Sections No. of Questions Total Marks Time Allotted
1.
Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation
20
80
180 minutes (3 hour)
2.
General Awareness
20
80
3.
Logical Reasoning
20
80
4.
Language Comprehension
20
80
5
Innovation & Entrepreneurship
20
80
TOTAL
100
400

What is the Innovation & Entrepreneurship section of CMAT?

If you are a student preparing for CMAT, it’s quite likely that you will be worried about how to prepare for Innovation & Entrepreneurship section. What type of questions come in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship section? What is the syllabus of this section? Which study material is good for Innovation & Entrepreneurship section? and many more such questions will be in your mind. We at Competition Forum understand this section of CMAT quite well and we are here to help you in this regards.

To summarise the Innovation & Entrepreneurship has three core question types.

1. Business Awareness : This type of questions are based on current affairs related to Business and Economy. You should be well versed with new product launches, mergers and acquisitions, new ventures, etc. Look at a sample question from previous paper to understand what you should be focusing on.

Sample Question: Who has launched the UPI-based payments app in the country by the name of
TEZ?
(1) IBM
(2) Google
(3) Microsoft
(4) TCS

Answer: Google

2. Business Terminology: This is an important type of question for the Innovation & Entrepreneurship section of CMAT. Around 5-6 questions in this section are based on terminologies used with respect to businesses in general and startups in particular. Click here for a  list of important terminologies that are useful for CMAT.

Observe the following sample question to understand how questions will come in the CMAT in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship section.

Sample Question : The term bootstrapping is often associated with

1. Start-Ups

2. Venture Capital Funds

3. Financial institutions

4. Non-Financial Institutions

Answer:  Start-Ups ( Bootstrapping is founding and running a company using only personal finances or operating revenue)

3. Reading Comprehension: This is the most important topic for the Innovation & Entrepreneurship section of CMAT. Around 10-12 questions in the paper are based on Reading Comprehension. Usually an article of about 600-700 words is presented to students and then questions are asked from the given article. Passages asked under this section are based on Business, Entrepreneurship, Strategies, Innovation, etc. 

Click here for an in-depth analysis of the Innovation & Entrepreneurship section of CMAT. 

CMAT SYLLABUS

What is the syllabus of CMAT?

Candidates who are appearing in any competitive examination for the first time are often confused about the syllabus to be covered. Unlike traditional school or college examinations, CMAT and other such MBA entrance examinations don’t have a clearly defined syllabus.  In such a scenario, you have to depend on coaching institutes and books to understand the topics that you need to cover. More often than not you end up studying topics that are not relevant, focusing on topics that have less weightage in the examination or leaving topics that are important. We, at Competition Forum, have meticulously developed the syllabus for CMAT in the best possible way by carefully examining previous papers and sample papers and promptly enquiring from actual test takers. Here, we have presented for you the syllabus of all the five sections of the CMAT. Click on the relevant tab to check the syllabus of respective sections.

Reading Comprehension – (50% weightage in the CMAT)

Vocabulary (3-4 questions)

Synonyms and Antonyms

One word substitution

Idioms and Phrases

Fill in the blanks

Spelling Mistakes

Paragraph Jumbles (0-2 questions)

Grammar (3- 4 questions)

Spot the Error

Sentence Correction

Fill in the blanks

Grammar – phrase replacement

Important Points regarding CMAT English Syllabus

  • Level of Difficulty – Easy to Moderate
  • This can be one of the sections in which you can score high if you have basic comfort with the English language.
  • Reading Comprehension (Short and Long) comprise approximately 50% of all questions
  • Grammar is based on application of Correct Usage rules
  • One -word substitution is a frequently asked topic from Vocabulary

Coding and Decoding

Blood Relations

Direction Sense

Alphanumeric Reasoning

Number Series

Puzzles (Tabulation)

Seating Arrangement

Assumptions

Assertion – Reason

Cause Effect

Course of Action

Decision Making

Conclusions

Analogy

Statement Argument

Binary logic

Syllogism

Logical Venn-Diagrams

Set-Theory

Visual Reasoning

Quantitative Reasoning

Important Points regarding CMAT Reasoning Syllabus

  • Level of Difficulty – Easy to Moderate
  • This can be one of the sections in which you can score high irrespective of your academic background.
  • Puzzles and Seating Arrangement comprise approximately 30% of all questions
  • Logical Reasoning (Deductive Logic – Hypothetical Propositions) is a very important area.
  • Coding Decoding, Directions and Blood Relations – 5 to 6 questions.

Arithmetic (7-10 question out of 20)

Application of LCM and HCF

Percentages

Profit and Loss

Simple and Compound Interest

Speed, Time and Distance

Time and Work

Averages

Ratio and Proportion

Mixtures and Solution

Partnership

Number System (0-2) questions

Number System

Remainders & Power Cycle

Divisibility Rules

Algebra (4-6 questions)

Permutation and Combinations

Sequence and Series

Equations & Functions

Inequalities

Probability

Set-Theory

Algebraic Identities

Surds & Indices

Geometry/Mensuration (2-3 questions)

Triangles

Circles

Coordinate Geometry

Trigonometry – Height & Distance

Data Interpretation (2-3 questions)

Pie-Chart

Table

Bar graph 

Line graph

Miscellaneous Topics (0-2 questions)

Clocks and Calendar

Statistics (Mean, Median, Mode)

Key Facts Mathematics Section of CMAT

  • Level of Difficulty: Easy (40%), Moderate (40%), Difficult (20%)
  • In arithmetic Speed-time-distance & time-work are very important
  • In Algebra, Permutation&Combination and Probability are very important
  • Data Interpretation questions are usually from Pie-chart (percentage based)
  • Most questions are based on short-cut techniques so it is important for you to learn such techniques to optimise your score

Current Affairs (National and International) – 8 to 10 questions

  • Sports
  • Awards and achievements
  • Persons in news
  • Government Policies
  • Business news
  • Internationally important topics

Static GK (10 to 12 questions)

  • General Science
  • Indian History
  • Indian Constitution & Polity
  • India and World Geography
  • Economics (terms, definitions etc.)
  • Finance (basic terms)
  • Facts about India and World
  • Books and Authors
  • Countries and Capital
  • National Parks, Power Plants, etc.
  • Facts about Indian States
  • Indian Culture and Heritage

Key Facts on General Awareness Syllabus in CMAT

  • Level of Difficulty: Moderate to High.
  • Higher weightage is given on Static GK questions, but the syllabus for the same is very vast.

Syllabus for Innovation & Entrepreneurship for CMAT

1. Government Schemes, policies, budget, programmes, events, etc., related to MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) and Startups. 

For example, Drone Shakti Initiative, Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, etc.

2. Business Terminologies related to Entrepreneurship.

For example: Boot strapping, Auctioner, Liquidator, Mixed Economy, Tenacity, Neuroticism, Evironmental Scanning, Innovation Management, Start Ups, etc.

3. Reading Comprehension from articles related to Business and Entrepreneurship. (8-10 questions)

4. Current Affairs related to Business. 

For example: new companies, new ventures, new products, mergers & acquisition, new appointments (CEOs, MDs, Chairmans, etc.), Business logos and punchlines.