
How to Score 300+ in CMAT 2026 is a common question for aspirants aiming for higher percentiles and top B-schools. Achieving a 300+ score becomes manageable when you are acquainted with the CMAT exam pattern and begin your preparations early on. Besides, you must focus on accuracy and maintain consistent practice across all five sections.
You should aim to answer around 17-18 questions correctly in Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, and Language Comprehension… and at least 10-12 questions in General Awareness, and around 10-12 questions in Innovation & Entrepreneurship to realistically reach the 300+ range. This balance ensures steady scoring without unnecessary risks during the exam. By attempting regular CMAT mock tests , planned revision, and smart question selection, you can strengthen your performance section-wise.
In this article, let’s explore practical strategies to help you reach the 300+ benchmark in
CMAT 2026
.
Also Read:
What to Expect from CMAT 2026?
What is CMAT 2026?
The exam is administered by the National Testing Agency (NTA), which has been established as an autonomous organisation to conduct entrance exams and assess aspirants for admissions and recruitment.
Over 3,500 business schools are recognised by the AICTE and are expected to accept CMAT results 2026 . This corresponds to nearly 4 lakh seats available for those who sit the CMAT test. Similar to other management entrance examinations like CAT , MAT , or XAT , CMAT also permits you to enrol in some of the country's most famous business schools, including JBIMS , Sydenham , KJ Somaiya , IMT , and GIM.
What Does CMAT 2026 Test?
The CMAT is a computer-based exam that consists of questions with multiple choices. Students are required to read a question that is shown on the computer and then respond to it by selecting the appropriate choice from the list. The examination is broken up into five parts - Logical Reasoning, Language Comprehension, Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation, General Awareness, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Each of the sections has a total of 20 questions. The exam will last for a total of 180 minutes, and there will be no breaks provided throughout this period.
Students are free to move between the different sections under CMAT. This implies that the sections are not timed separately, and it is up to the test-taker to manage the timing between the sections while ensuring that they demonstrate their ability in each of the components. There is a deduction of one point from your total score for every incorrect response.
CMAT 2026 Exam Pattern
You are required to be familiar with the format of the examination to understand the marking scheme, how the marking is determined, and whether or not there is any kind of negative marking. The exam pattern provides information on the format, including the variety of questions, the marking allotted to each question, and the number of questions. The following is a comprehensive breakdown of the CMAT exam pattern 2026 :
Subjects | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks | Time Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation | 20 | 80 | 3 Hours |
Logical Reasoning | 20 | 80 | |
Language Comprehension | 20 | 80 | |
General Awareness | 20 | 80 | |
Innovation & Entrepreneurship | 20 | 80 | |
Total | 100 | 400 | 3 Hours |
Also Read: Mistakes to Avoid on CMAT 2026 Exam Day
CMAT 2026 Marking Scheme
The following marking scheme will be used for the CMAT exam 2026, as explained below. You must comprehend it well to avoid losing points owing to the usage of negative marking. There will be a 4-point credit for each correct response and a 1-point penalty for each incorrect response. There are no positive or negative marks associated with questions that were not attempted.
Type of Answer | Marking Scheme |
|---|---|
Correct Answer | +4 |
Incorrect Answer | -1 |
Unattempted Answer | 0 (No negative marking) |
Aspirants in CMAT are ranked not just based on their total score, but also on their performance in each section. Those who have better overall scores will be ranked higher. The performance of the students in each section will be used to break any ties that may arise; those who scored better in Quant will be ranked higher. The Logical Reasoning, English Comprehension, and General Awareness assessments come after the Quantitative Reasoning test in the pecking order to break a tie.
CMAT 2026 Preparation Strategy to Score 300+
To get a CMAT score of over 300, students must have a clear idea of the exam pattern, syllabus, types of questions asked, and how to manage time on exam day. Keeping those things in mind, here's a curated list of top tips on how to score 300+ on CMAT 2026:
Review the Basics Again
When we talk about the basics, we are referring to your ability to answer every question found in the textbooks without any difficulty. As soon as you have finished learning the basics, you should immediately begin the process of reviewing everything. Every year in the CMAT, a specific set of questions tends to appear. Paying attention to them will help you achieve a significant increase in your rank.
Exercises and Tests Broken Down into Sections
Start off by putting yourself through timed workouts and sectional exams. Experts suggest that you should take between two and three exams every week to see where you stand and how much more work you need to put in. Remind yourself that this is a computer-based test (CBT), thus you should only practice on the computer. Check to see if the sectional exams may be accessed online.
Start Taking Mocks
You will be able to evaluate your progress and determine where you stand if you begin to take mock examinations every week. Your performance on the practice tests will help you choose your goals and strategies for the last few days before the CMAT. Please begin your practice tests immediately, even if you have not yet finished the chapters. Given that finishing everything is an ongoing process, you should get started on taking mock exams as soon as you can.
To Do Well, You Must be ACCURATE
Speed is not a problem since you have plenty of time. Solving 100 questions in three hours is simple; thus, speed is not as crucial as accuracy.
It is Critical to Cover All Topics
For the CMAT, you must have a specific degree of familiarity with ALL TOPICS. This is particularly true for the Quantitative section, where problems from fields such as coordinate geometry, conics, and advanced trigonometry have appeared regularly. So, you should stick to the list of CMAT important topics 2026 .
Avoid over-studying for the General Awareness Section
Your final grade will be determined by how well or poorly you read and if you have paid attention to happenings in the business and economic environment. Also, avoid answering too many questions in this part. If you regard the GK section to be a study section, it will become a hefty weight. Treat it lightly, so that preparing for it is more of a pleasure than a job.
Pro-Tip for Aspirants Targeting 300+ in CMAT 2026
Below are the pro tips for aspirants targeting a 300+ score in CMAT 2026:
Tip 1: Students who have not scored more than 100-120 in CMAT should concentrate on the Reasoning and Quantitative sections. They should first try to answer 10-15 questions jointly in the Language Comprehension and General Awareness sections, which should take no more than half an hour.
In the remaining two and a half hours, exam takers can attempt the 60 questions from the Quantitative, Logical Reasoning, and Innovation and Entrepreneurship sections. If a student manages to answer around 35-40 of these correctly, the overall score has a strong possibility of crossing 150.
Tip 2: If you wish to score higher than 200 on the CMAT, you must perform well in the quantitative and reasoning sections as well as relatively well in the English section. Finding 10-12 easy questions from grammar, vocabulary, jumbled paragraphs, and blanks will boost your score by roughly 40 points; thus, the objective here is to hunt for such questions.
Tip 3: In case you want to earn a score higher than 250, you must do very well in the English section. You must be very proficient in more complex abilities, such as comprehension and critical thinking.
Tip 4: Finally, if you are among those looking to join the 300+ club, the message is simple: there is nowhere to hide! Scoring 300+ in CMAT requires balanced preparation and accuracy across all five sections. Solving the General Knowledge section quickly and correctly becomes important because it helps you save time for tougher areas like QA and LR. Focus on high-yield static GK, business awareness, and recent events that commonly appear in CMAT. Smart selection matters far more than bulk studying.
At last, it's recommended that you keep your approaches clear and continue to complete as many mock tests as possible. You should try to attempt at least one mock test every day as the exam approaches. On a deeper psychological level, it is critical to have faith in yourself and to permit yourself to do so. Nothing prevents you from attempting it if you are confident in your capacity to do well on the exam.
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For more tips and strategies on CMAT 2026 or other MBA entrance exams , connect with our exam experts at 1800-572-9877 or drop your queries on the CollegeDekho Q&A zone .
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FAQs
After clearing the CMAT 2025, one needs to apply to their desired business schools. Following that, the admission process is initiated and completed by the respective B-school or the university for MBA admission 2025. There are 3000+ UGC/ AICTE-approved MBA/PGDM colleges that participate in the CMAT selection procedure.
The results on the CMAT do, in fact, take GK scores into account. As a result, achieving a high score in this component might help you improve your chances of passing the admission examination.
Yes, taking CMAT 2025 is worth it. CMAT results remain valid for one year and candidates who score more than 95% on the CMAT can get admission to a wide range of elite business schools. CMAT is a simpler test than other MBA examinations like CAT or XAT, which makes it easier to get into your target b-school.
Based on the difficulty level of the CMAT 2025 from the previous year, we anticipate that the CMAT 2025 will be easy to moderate overall. Candidates who have an estimated score of 220-225 points have a strong chance of making a decent attempt.
A score of 190 in CMAT may place you between the 70-80 percentile. With a CMAT score of 190, your prospects of getting into a reputable institution are slim since most top universities have a minimum cutoff of 200.
For CMAT 2025 preparation, four to six hours of daily study is advised; however, the applicant must choose their study hour based on their knowledge of the subject. If a candidate has just taken the CAT, XAT, NMAT, SNAP, IIFT, or another test, they may only need to study for 2-3 hours each day.
With strategic planning and effective preparation, students can get a 300+ score with ease in CMAT 2025. It is also advised that students must focus on the questions that they can devote less time to, which will give them time to work on lengthy questions.
To get a good score in CMAT 2025, you will have to evaluate your progress and determine where you stand if you begin to take mock examinations on a weekly basis. Your performance on the practice tests will help you choose your goals and strategies for the last few days before the CMAT. Please begin your practice tests immediately, even if you have not yet finished the chapters.
To prepare for the CMAT 2025 in one month, you must rapidly grasp the topic and put in a lot of practice time. You should also put a major focus on timed reviews and practice exams. If you have previously taken the CAT, SNAP, XAT, and IIFT tests, all you need to do to prepare for the CMAT is take mock exams and study general knowledge.
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