The NTA has scheduled the CMAT 2026 exam on 25 January 2026 in CBT mode, a single shift from 9:00 - 12:00 PM.

The exam is expected to follow a similar pattern to previous years, with 100 MCQs divided into 5 sections: Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Language Comprehension, General Awareness, and Innovation & Entrepreneurship in 3 hours.

The overall difficulty level of CMAT 2026 is expected to be easy to moderate, with QT and LR likely to be slightly time-consuming. A good attempt of 70-75 questions with high accuracy is expected to score in the 90+ percentile.

The CMAT 2026 detailed Paper Analysis will be based on feedback from candidates, the memory-based paper, and expert reviews from coaching institutes such as IMS, TIME, and collegedunia.com.

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CMAT 2026 Exam Analysis

CMAT 2026 Exam Analysis (Expected)

The CMAT 2026 exam will be conducted in a single shift by NTA from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, and is expected to have a moderate overall difficulty level, with 100 questions across 5 sections carrying a total of 400 marks.

Since CMAT 2026 will be conducted in a single shift with no normalization, accuracy will matter more than the number of attempts, and small score gaps can significantly affect percentiles.

Based on previous CMAT trends, a range of 75-82 questions will be considered safe.

Particulars CMAT 2026 Exam Analysis (Expected)
Mode of Exam Computer-Based Test (CBT)
Number of Shifts 1 (Single Shift)
Total Questions 100 (20 per section)
Total Marks 400
Overall Difficulty Moderate
Difficulty Level of Quantitative Techniques & DI (QTDI) Moderate
Difficulty Level of Logical Reasoning (LR) Easy – Moderate
Difficulty Level of Language Comprehension (LC) Easy
Difficulty Level of General Awareness (GK) Moderate – Difficult
Difficulty Level of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (I&E) Easy – Moderate
Good Attempt (Overall) 75–82 questions

CMAT 2026 Section-wise Exam Analysis (Expected)

Section Questions Difficulty Good Attempts Key Highlights
Language Comprehension (LC) 20 Easy 16–18 Grammar & vocab-heavy; short RCs
Logical Reasoning (LR) 20 Easy–Moderate 14–17 Puzzles + verbal reasoning
Quantitative Techniques & DI (QTDI) 20 Moderate 11–14 Arithmetic-dominant; DI caselets
General Awareness (GK) 20 Moderate–Difficult 8–10 Static GK + business awareness
Innovation & Entrepreneurship (I&E) 20 Easy–Moderate 14–16 Conceptual, startup-oriented

CMAT 2026 Language Comprehension (LC) Analysis (Expected)

The LC section is expected to remain easy and scoring, continuing the CMAT trend of high accuracy and low ambiguity. Candidates with basic grammar and vocabulary preparation should be able to maximize attempts. Expected safe attempts: 16–18 with an accuracy of 80%+

Language Comprehension Question Distribution

Topic Expected No. of Qs Difficulty Remarks
Vocabulary (Contextual Usage, Synonyms/Antonyms) 5–6 Easy Meaning-in-context questions
Grammar (Error Spotting, Fill in the Blanks) 5–6 Easy Direct application
Reading Comprehension (Short Passages) 4–5 Easy–Moderate 200–300 words; factual
Para-jumbles / Sentence Rearrangement 2–3 Moderate Logic-based
Odd Sentence Out / Para Completion 1–2 Easy Quick scoring

CMAT 2026 Logical Reasoning (LR) Analysis (Expected)

LR is expected to be moderately time-consuming, with puzzle-based reasoning dominating. Set selection will matter more than speed. Expected time spent: 25–30 minutes, with the safe attempts around 14–17 questions.

Logical Reasoning Question Distribution

Topic Expected No. of Qs Difficulty Remarks
Seating Arrangement (Linear/Circular) 4–5 Moderate One full set
Blood Relations & Direction Sense 3–4 Easy–Moderate Scoring
Syllogisms / Logical Statements 2–3 Easy High accuracy
Input–Output 2–3 Moderate Step-based
Coding–Decoding 2–3 Easy Direct
Analytical Puzzles (Conditions-based) 3–4 Moderate Percentile differentiator

CMAT 2026 Quantitative Techniques & DI (QTDI) Analysis (Expected)

QTDI is expected to be the most balanced yet decisive section, neither too easy nor extreme. Arithmetic is expected to dominate, but with calculation-heavy DI caselets. Expected safe attempts: 11–14, with an accuracy below 65%.

Quantitative Techniques & DI Question Distribution

Topic Expected No. of Qs Difficulty Remarks
Arithmetic (Percentages, Ratio, T&W, Averages) 7–8 Easy–Moderate Core scoring
Algebra (Equations, Inequalities) 3–4 Moderate Concept-driven
Geometry & Mensuration 3–4 Moderate–Difficult Lengthy
Number System 2–3 Moderate Remainders, divisibility
Data Interpretation (Tables/Caselets) 3–4 Moderate Calculation-heavy

CMAT 2026 General Awareness (GK) Analysis (Expected)

GK will remain the most unpredictable section, with static GK outweighing current affairs, but business & economy questions are likely to feature. Safe attempts: 8–10, where blind guessing can reduce the percentile due to negative marking

General Awareness Question Distribution

Area Expected No. of Qs Difficulty Remarks
Static GK (History, Geography, Polity) 6–7 Moderate NCERT-based
Business & Economy 4–5 Moderate CMAT-favored
Science & Tech 3–4 Moderate Application-based
Current Affairs (Last 12 months) 3–4 Difficult Low accuracy
Miscellaneous 1–2 Moderate Sports/awards

CMAT 2026 Innovation & Entrepreneurship (I&E) Analysis (Expected)

This section is expected to be a high-ROI, low-risk area, rewarding basic conceptual understanding of startups, innovation, and business models. Expected safe attempts around 14–16 with 75% accuracy.

Innovation & Entrepreneurship Question Distribution

Topic Expected No. of Qs Difficulty Remarks
Startup Ecosystem & Schemes 5–6 Easy Conceptual
Innovation Concepts 4–5 Easy–Moderate Theory-based
Business Models & Entrepreneurship 4–5 Easy–Moderate Practical
Case-based Situational Questions 3–4 Moderate Common sense

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CMAT 2026 Score vs Percentile

Percentile Range Expected Score (400) Approx Attempts
99+ %ile 295–305 80–85
95+ %ile 260–270 72–78
90+ %ile 235–245 65–70
80+ %ile 210–220 58–62