GMAC has introduced certain changes in NMAT exam structure and scoring pattern to make it more aligned with other MBA entrance exams like CAT, CMAT, etc., and at the same time make it better structured with more time allocation for attempting fewer questions. However, candidates must note that no major changes have been made in NMAT 2021 Syllabus. NMAT 2021 will be conducted for 75 days from October 14 to December 27, 2021. Check NMAT 2021 Exam Dates 

As per the revised NMAT paper pattern 2021, candidates will be given 28, 52, and 40 minutes respectively to attempt 36 questions each in the Language Skills, Quantitative Aptitude, and Logical Reasoning sections.

• The weightage of NMAT Quantitative Skills section has been reduced from 40% to 33% while that of NMAT language skills has been increased. So, NMAT 2021 will benefit many candidates from the non-engineering background as well because of comparatively less focus on the quantitative skills section.
• The scoring pattern has also witnessed some changes as now all three sections will have a score range of 12-120 as opposed to a separate scoring pattern for different sections.
• NMAT 2021 will be held as a Computer-based test as well as a remote proctored Internet-based test. Candidates will have the option of choosing their preferred mode during NMAT Scheduling 2021.

NMAT by GMAC is among the country's top MBA entrance exams that NMIMS University Mumbai accepts for its 2-year flagship MBA program. Several private universities like VIT Vellore, ICFAI Hyderabad University, Shiv Nadar University Greater Noida, UPES Dehradun, LM Thapar University Chandigarh consider NMAT for their flagship MBA program. Leading b-schools such as ISB, SPJIMR, and XIMB also accept NMAT for their specialist programs. NMAT 2021 Registration window will be open from August 3 to November 10, 2021. Check NMAT 2021 Registration Fee & Process

Refer to the article below to make yourself familiar with the changes introduced in NMAT 2021 by GMAC, the exam conducting body. 

Highlights of NMAT by GMAC 2021

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Key Changes in NMAT 2021

GMAC acquired NMAT from NMIMS in 2015 to attract a more diverse pool of candidates. It evolved from pen paper-based tests to computer-based tests and being more aspirant friendly. Since then no major changes were witnessed in NMAT. Here is a complete list of changes introduced in the exam from exam structure, time duration. registration window to the scoring pattern. 

Exam Pattern of NMAT 2021: Balanced paper with lesser questions

The pattern of NMAT has changed considerably. GMAC introduced a few changes last year and these changes will remain effective this year as well. As per these changes, NMAT 2021 exam would have fewer questions. All of the questions will be divided equally into three sections. The sectional time limit for all the sections has been changed. NMAT 2021 will have only 108 questions to be attempted in the same exam duration of 120 minutes.

The significant changes in the NMAT Exam Pattern 2021 compared with the last 2 years are tabulated below: 

Check Best NMAT Preparation Books for All 3 Sections

Changes in the sectional division of questions in NMAT 2021

Even though NMAT 2021 will contain the same three sections, the number of questions asked in every section will remain as per the changes introduced by GMAC in 2020:

Quick Links:

• How to Prepare for NMAT Language Skills with Practice Questions
• How to Prepare for NMAT Quantitative Aptitude with Practice Questions
• How to Prepare for NMAT Logical Reasoning with Practice Questions

NMAT Sectional Time Limit Changes

Apart from the number of questions asked in each section, the time period allotted to answer each section has also been changed in 2020. 

NMAT Registration Window

NMAT registration window was over 3 months long for the previous NMAT exams. In 2020, the registration window was lessened to a period of only 2 months. However, for NMAT 2021, the application window will be open for more than 3 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation.

What do these changes imply? 

• The applicants will have to select their desired test date and slot and exam re-take date in a shorter span of time to avoid unavailability. 
• Applicants will now reschedule their test date and slot in 88 days.

Key changes in NMAT scoring pattern 

NMAT 2021 has a scaled score within the range of 36 to 360 overall and 12 to 120 for every section. Previously, the score range would vary for every section. Now, it is more streamlined. The scaled score pattern for sectional and overall parameters of NMAT 2021 are given below: 

Read How are NMAT Scaled Scores Calculated

How will the scaled score be calculated?

GMAC, the administering agency of the NMAT exam, published the calculation procedure for the scaled score as follows: 

• Questions for the GMAC NMAT are chosen for every examinee from the question pool depending on his or her results for the questions answered previously. 
• The questions which a candidate gets are focused on his or her level of competence. 
• A candidate with high scores would receive a more challenging question than a candidate with low scores. 
• The NMAT exam gets the final ability of the candidate first and then transforms it into a scaled score that ranges from 12 to 120.

Candidate-friendly changes to NMAT 2021 Result Availability

While the overall results of the NMAT 2021 will be tentatively released in January 2022, you can review your scorecard immediately after answering the test. 

Given below are the candidate-friendly changes introduced by GMAC with regard to NMAT 2021 declaration of results and downloading of the scorecard:

• Check results immediately after the test: Candidates will be able to view an unofficial scorecard displayed on the screen after the test has been completed successfully.
• Download the scorecard within 48 hours: Candidates will also receive an email notification within 48 hours of successful test completion after the official scorecard is made available for download through the candidates' dashboards.
• Final results with percentile: In February 2021, the final NMAT 2021 result with scorecard and percentile will be released.

Implications of Changes in NMAT 2021 Exam Pattern

• For NMAT 2021, the total number of questions has been decreased by 12, with the same time period of 2 hours. It provides the exam-taker more time to maximize attempts per question. 
• Every NMAT 2021 segment will have the same number of questions, i.e., 36, in contrast to 2019 which had a varying number of questions. This change was introduced by GMAC in 2020 to make NMAT a more balanced examination.
• Weightage to the segment of Quantitative Skills is reduced to 33 percent from 40%. As a result, In the Quantitative Skills segment, more proportionate time is given for resolving every question.
• Weightage to the Language Skills segment has gone up from 26 percent to 33 percent. Those students from commerce and humanities backgrounds who find it difficult to answer the Quantitative section will profit from this change. 

Changes in NMAT 2021 Exam Fee, Scheduling, and Retakes

While much has been modified in NMAT 2021, certain procedural aspects have been kept unchanged except for NMAT registration fee.

• NMAT application fee has been increased from INR 2000 to INR 2300 (plus taxes).
• The facility to schedule, reschedule, retake the exam is still available to the applicants taking NMAT 2021 exam. The exam continues to require candidates to choose the order of sections before beginning their NMAT examination.
• The time limit for each of the NMAT exam’s 3 sections is set like that of CAT. Candidates must finish every section within the time limit. As with CAT, during NMAT 2021 exam, candidates will not be allowed to move between the sections. 

NMAT by GMAC 2021 Changes FAQs