The AIMS will conduct the ATMA exam for admissions into various postgraduate management programmes. More than 200 colleges use ATMA scores for admissions into their MBA, PGDM, MMS and MCA programmes.
ATMA is usually conducted 4 times a year in February, May, July and August. Registration for February 2026 is expected to start from December 2025.
Candidates can check the official website of AIMS https://atmaaims.com/ for all official notifications and registration information.
- Approximately 20,000 students appear for the ATMA in each session.
- The difficulty level of ATMA is less than CAT, XAT and almost the same difficulty level as CMAT, MAT etc.
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Key Summary
- The ATMA exam is to be conducted multiple times in a year. Exams will be usually conducted in February, May, July and August.
- The registration for the ATMA February 2026 session is most likely to start from December 2025.
- The ATMA contains 180 questions distributed across 6 sections which includes Analytical skills 1 and 2, Verbal skills 1 and 2 and Quantitative skills 1 and 2.
- Candidates who have completed the bachelor’s degree are eligible to apply for ATMA as well as the final year candidates with the minimum marks of 50% (45% for reserved candidates).
- The expected highest percentile is 95% and PUMBA is expected to get the cutoff percentile of 95%.
- The candidates who meet the cutoff will be shortlisted for further rounds of the selection process which includes written ability test, group discussion and personal interview.
What is the ATMA Exam?
The ATMA (AIMS Test for Management Admissions) Exam is a national level entrance exam for admissions into postgraduate programs such as MBA, PGDM, MMS and MCA across more than 200 colleges in India.
- The ATMA exam is conducted around 4 times in multiple sessions. ATMA is usually conducted around February, May, July and August sessions.
- The ATMA exam is held online in computer-based test mode.
- Application fee for general students is 2000, while for women candidates and north easter state candidates have to pay 1500 and 1000 respectively.
- Students who have completed a Bachelor's degree are eligible to apply for the ATMA exam, students who are in the final year of bachelor's degree are also eligible to apply.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Conducting Body | AIMS (Association of Indian Management Schools) |
| Exam Mode | Online Computer - Based Test |
| Exam Frequency | 4 times : February, May, July and August |
| Application Fee | General Candidates: 2000Women Candidates: 1500North Eastern State candidates: 1000 |
| Number of participating colleges | 200+ |
| Courses offered | MBA, PGDM, MMS, MCA |
| Eligibility | Bachelor’s Degree (Final year students also eligible) |
Ques. What is the mode of the ATMA exam?
Ans. The ATMA exam is conducted as an online computer based test. Candidates have to take the test in assigned test centers.
ATMA Exam 2026: Exam Dates
Registrations for the ATMA 2026 February session is likely to begin from the first week of December 2025 and end at the last week of January 2026.
The ATMA exam for the February session is expected to be scheduled for the 2nd week of February 2026 and the result is likely to be released in the 3rd week of February.
| Expected Dates | Events |
|---|---|
| 1st week of December 2025 | Registration start for February session |
| Last week of January 2026 | Last date to apply |
| Last week of January 2026 | Admit Card Release |
| 2nd week of February 2026 | ATMA 2026 - February Exam |
| 3rd week of February 2026 | Result Declaration |
ATMA Exam 2026 Eligibility
- Candidates must have completed a Bachelor's degree from a recognised university with an aggregate score of minimum 50% (45% for reserved categories).
- Final year students are also eligible to apply provided they meet the minimum marks criteria.
- There is no age limit for the ATMA exam as well as there is no work experience required to apply for the exam.
ATMA Exam Pattern 2026
- The duration of the ATMA exam is 3 hours where each section has a time limit of 30 minutes.
- The ATMA exam paper is divided into 6 sections: Analytical Reasoning ( 1 and 2), Verbal Skills ( 1 and 2) and Quantitative Skills ( 1 and 2).
- There are 180 questions in the exam, with each question worth 1 mark. The total marks of the ATMA exam is 180.
- As per the marking scheme of the ATMA exam, every correct answer is awarded +1 mark and 0.25 marks is deducted for every wrong answer.
| Objectives | Details |
|---|---|
| Exam Duration | 3 Hours (180 Minutes) |
| Total number of questions | 180 questions |
| Type of questions | MCQs |
| Sections | 6 SectionsAnalytical Reasoning ( 1 and 2)Verbal Skills ( 1 and 2)Quantitative Skills ( 1 and 2) |
| Time limit for each section | 30 Minutes |
| Total Marks | 180 |
| Marking Scheme | Correct Answer : +1 MarkWrong Answer: -0.25 MarkUnanswered question: 0 Mark |
Check Out: ATMA Exam Pattern 2026
Ques. Is there a sectional timing in ATMA?
Ans. Yes, Each of 6 sections is allocated 30 minutes making it total duration 2 hours (180 minutes). Once the 30 minutes limit exceeds, the system will automatically move to the next section and you will not be able to come back to the previous section.
Ques. What is the duration of the ATMA exam?
Ans. The total duration of the ATMA exam is 3 hours with a sectional time limit of 30 minutes for each section.
ATMA Exam 2026 Syllabus
The ATMA exam 2026 syllabus is divided into 3 major subjects, each of which is further divided into 2 sections.
- Analytical Reasoning 1 and 2
- Verbal Skills 1 and 2
- Quantitative skills 1 and 2
- Analytical reasoning 1 and 2 covers the topics of data interpretation, puzzles, blood relations, coding-decoding, Venn diagrams, logical reasoning puzzles, syllogism and critical reasoning.
- Verbal skills 1 and 2 covers vocabulary, antonyms-synonyms, reading comprehension, sentence completions, etc.
- Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, numbers and simplifications, data interpretations are part of quantitative skills 1 and 2 sections.
| Section | Number of questions | Duration | Topics covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analytical Reasoning 1 | 30 | 30 minutes |
|
| Analytical Reasoning 2 | 30 | 30 minutes |
|
| Verbal Skills 1 | 30 | 30 minutes |
|
| Verbal Skills 2 | 30 | 30 minutes | |
| Quantitative Skills 1 | 30 | 30 minutes |
|
| Quantitative Skills 2 | 30 | 30 minutes |
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Ques. What are the important topics in the Quantitative skills section?
Ans. Topics such as Percentages, Ratios, Averages, Algebra topics, geometry and data interpretation techniques (Graphs, Pie charts) and number and simplifications are the important topics in quantitative skills.
Quantitative skills get 60 questions from both quantitative skills 1 and 2. And the time limit for each section is 30 minutes.
ATMA Exam 2026 Preparation Tips
- To perform well in the ATMA exam, candidates must understand the exam pattern, every section of the syllabus and marking scheme.
- Select the proper booklist or study materials which is going to help you with the preparation. Stick 1 or 2 study materials for each section. Don’t keep jumping between the materials; it is going to be confusing and very time consuming.
- Understand the fundamentals thoroughly and then solve problems as much as you can.
- Practice with solving ATMA sample paper which is available through the official website and previous year’s question paper to understand the structure of the exams and types of questions they may ask.
- Learn short cuts, tricks, formulas which makes calculations easy and improves the speed as well as accuracy.
- Take a Mock test every single day for each section as well as for the overall exam. Mock tests help you evaluate yourself. It helps you understand your strengths and weaknesses.
- Concentrate on getting thorough revision of each concept and make short notes of important topics for further revision.
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ATMA Exam Results 2026
ATMA results for February 2026 sessions are most likely to be announced in the 3rd or 4th week of February 2026. Candidates can check the results and download the scorecard through the official website https://atmaaims.com/ .
- There are over 500 colleges that accept the ATMA scores for the admissions to MBA, PGDM, MCA and MMS programmes.
- ATMA scorecard contains the candidates personal information and ATMA exam performance.
- Sectional and overall scaled scores along with the percentile will be mentioned in the ATMA scorecard.
Check Out: ATMA Exam 2026 Results
ATMA Exam Cutoff 2026
- ATMA cutoff is the minimum qualifying score that candidates have to score to be eligible for the admission process of participating institutes.
- The ATMA 2026 cutoff will be released by the individual institutes after the declaration of the ATMA results.
- Candidates who meet the cutoff will be shortlisted for further selection process which includes group discussion, written ability test and personal interview.
- Based on the previous years cutoff data, the highest cutoff percentile is expected to be 95 percentile.
- Top colleges such as PUMBA, WeSchool are expected to get the highest cutoff percentile of 90+ in ATMA 2026.
- Expected ATMA 2026 cutoff for the ISBM Pune, IPE Hyderabad is 80 percentile
Here is the detailed expected cutoff percentile for the ATMA exam 2026 for the top MBA colleges.
| College | Expected Cutoff Percentile | Fee (INR in Lakhs) |
|---|---|---|
| PUMBA (MBA Pharma Biotech), Pune | 95 | 2.45 |
| Prin L.N. Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research (WeSchool), Mumbai | 90 | 11.00 |
| Jaipuria Institute of Management Lucknow | 80 | 9.25 |
| ISBM Pune: International School of Business & Media | 80 | 8.90 |
| IPE Hyderabad: Institute of Public Enterprise | 80 | 8.00 |
| IMS Ghaziabad: Institute of Management Studies | 80 | 9.70 |
| SIES College of Management Studies, Navi Mumbai | 80 | 7.20 |
| Jaipuria Institute of Management Noida | 85 | 9.25 |
| Vignana Jyothi Institute of Management - VJIM Hyderabad | 75 | 6.50 |
| PSGIM Coimbatore: PSG Institute of Management | 76 | 8.00 |
| IBA Bangalore: Indus Business Academy | 90 | 6.98 |
Also Read: ATMA Exam Cutoff 2026
ATMA Exam 2026 FAQs
Ques 1. Can I attempt the ATMA multiple times?
Ans. Yes, you can attempt the ATMA exam multiple times. ATMA is usually conducted 4 times a year. Candidates can take the exam multiple times to improve the score, the highest score among them would be considered for the admission.
Ques 2. Which exam is easy between MAT and ATMA?
Ans. Both MAT and ATMA are national level exams for MBA admissions in India. Both tests have similar skills, slightly different in exam structure.
- MAT is generally considered to be easy compared to ATMA. MAT is a 2 hour exam, it includes 5 sections, 150 questions.
- ATMA contains 6 sections with 180 questions and covers a vast syllabus in a 3 hour exam.
Ques 3. Can I change my ATMA exam slot?
Ans. No, you can not change the exam slot. ATMA does not allow you to change or reschedule the exam once the slot is booked.
Ques 4. Is ATMA tougher than CAT?
Ans. ATMA is significantly easier than CAT. CAT is widely considered a difficult exam due to its challenging questions. ATMA is a speed based test that requires a good understanding of fundamentals rather than advanced topics.
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, which will be updated soon subject to the notification issued by the University/College.
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Comments
Found 6 Comments
The application process ofr ATMA 2023 May session is going on now. The application process started on March 202, 2023. The deadline to submit applications for this session is May 20, 2023. You can submit your application deadline before the application portal has been closed.
ATMA is conducted in three sessions a year. The examination for the February 2023 session has been conducted on February 25, 2023. But the examinations for the May and July 2023 sessions have been scheduled to be conducted on May 28, 2023 and July 23, 2023 respectively.
The application fee for ATMA is INR 1500 plus tax. However, there is a concession of 25% for female students. And students from North-Eastern states can avail of a concession of 50% in the application fee.
ATMA PID is the personal identification number that you will receive once you have completed your ATMA registration. This personal identification number will be used to sign in to your ATMA profile to download admit card, score card and other pursposes.
No, you are not eligible to apply for the ATMA entrance exam as the minimum eligibility set requires one to have a bachelor's degree in any specialization from a recognized university with a minimum of 50% aggregate marks.