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.