CMAT 2027 at a glance: what is known, what is expected
A note before the details. The CMAT 2027 exam date is final: 7 February 2027. NTA has not yet released the official CMAT 2027 notification, so the other items below are marked expected, and we label each one so you do not plan around a detail that later moves.
| Item | Status | Detail |
| Exam date | Expected (not confirmed) | 7 February 2027 (Sunday) |
| Registration opens | Expected | Around October 2026 |
| Registration closes | Expected | Late November or early December 2026 |
| Mode | Reported | Computer-based test |
| Pattern | Expected | Same as 2026: 100 questions, 180 minutes |
Sources: NTA 2026-27 examination calendar as reported by Collegeadmission.in and MBAUniverse; registration estimates are from coaching sites, not NTA.
Track the official CMAT notification and registration on the NTA CMAT website: https://cmat.nta.nic.in
With the CMAT 2027 exam date set for 7 February 2027, start tracking official announcements and registration deadlines early. Use the time before the exam to understand the pattern, practise mock tests and shortlist CMAT-accepting MBA/PGDM colleges, so you can complete your application on time and prepare with a clear strategy.
CMAT 2027 exam date: 7 February 2027
The CMAT 2027 exam date is 7 February 2027, a Sunday, as listed in NTA’s examination calendar for 2026-27. Registration dates, fee and eligibility are still awaited from the official notification, so keep checking the NTA website for them. Plan your mocks backwards from 7 February.
The timing sits well with other exams. CAT is on 29 November and XAT on 3 January, so CMAT comes last of the three. Many candidates use it as a backup, because the preparation overlaps with CAT and XAT in language, quant and reasoning.
CMAT registration 2027: what to expect
CMAT registration 2027 will be online on the NTA CMAT website, and the official notification will give the opening and closing dates, eligibility and fee. Until it is out, coaching sites expect the window to open around October 2026 and close in late November or early December. That is an estimate, so check the official site often.
From the 2026 structure, expect a bachelor’s degree in any discipline to be the main requirement, with final-year students eligible if their results come before admissions. Reported fees for the last cycle were Rs 2,500 for General male candidates and Rs 1,250 for most other categories, plus service charges and GST. Treat these as indicative only.
Do your registration only through the official site, keep your photograph, signature and ID ready, and do not wait for the last week.
CMAT exam pattern
| Section | Questions | Marks |
| Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation | 20 | 80 |
| Logical Reasoning | 20 | 80 |
| Language Comprehension | 20 | 80 |
| General Awareness | 20 | 80 |
| Innovation and Entrepreneurship | 20 | 80 |
| Total | 100 | 400 |
The exam runs for 180 minutes with no separate time limit for each section, which means you decide how to split your time. Each correct answer earns 4 marks, each wrong answer costs 1, and unanswered questions score zero. That is the 2026 structure, reported by third parties, and it is expected to repeat in 2027.
Two sections set CMAT apart from CAT. General Awareness rewards reading the news and basic static knowledge, and Innovation and Entrepreneurship is unique to CMAT. Give both a little steady attention rather than a last-week rush.
Source: Jaipuria Institute blog on CMAT 2026 pattern and MBAUniverse; expected for 2027, not NTA-confirmed.
CMAT 2027 preparation plan: XAT to 7 February
XAT is on 3 January and CMAT is on 7 February, which leaves five weeks and one day between them. Use that gap as a short, structured sprint. The plan below splits it into six stages: five weekly blocks and exam day. If you are not writing XAT, start the same plan on 3 January anyway.
● Week 1 (3 to 9 January): reset and baseline. Take a day off after XAT, then sit one full CMAT-style mock of 100 questions in 180 minutes. Record your score and your time per section to find your weakest area.
● Week 2 (10 to 16 January): fix the weak sections. Work on Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation and on Logical Reasoning, with two sectional sets each. Begin 30 minutes of daily reading for General Awareness.
● Week 3 (17 to 23 January): add the CMAT-only sections. Practise Language Comprehension passages and start Innovation and Entrepreneurship questions. Take one full mock at the end of the week.
● Week 4 (24 to 30 January): build exam stamina. Sit three full mocks in exam conditions. Review each one for careless errors, and settle the order in which you will attempt the sections.
● Week 5 (31 January to 6 February): revise and sharpen. Take a mock every second day, rework your error log, and revise your General Awareness notes. Keep the last day light.
● Exam day (7 February): follow your plan. Start with your strongest section, skip any question that stalls you, and keep a few minutes at the end to check answers.
Adjust the blocks to your own mock results. The order matters more than the exact days.
Preparing for General Awareness and Innovation and Entrepreneurship
These two sections together carry 40 of the 100 questions and 160 of the 400 marks, so they deserve planned time, not a last-week scramble.
General Awareness: read one national newspaper or a news app daily from now until the exam, and keep a single page of notes on business, the economy, policy, awards and appointments. Add basic static knowledge of institutions and geography from a short reference book, and revise your notes every weekend.
Innovation and Entrepreneurship: this section is unique to CMAT, so CAT and XAT preparation will not cover it. Learn the basic terms of startups, business models, funding stages and innovation, and follow current startup news in India. Practise with CMAT sample papers or previous years’ questions, and confirm the syllabus in the 2027 notification.
Colleges accepting CMAT
MBAUniverse reports that CMAT scores are accepted by more than 1,000 AICTE-approved B-schools. We could not confirm that figure from NTA, and colleges set their own cut-offs and selection steps, so use it as a rough scale, not a promise.
The IIMs, XLRI, MDI and SPJIMR do not accept CMAT, so keep your CAT and XAT applications for those schools.
Colleges reported as accepting CMAT include:
- JBIMS Mumbai, SIMSREE Mumbai and K J Somaiya Mumbai
- PUMBA Pune and NIA Pune
- Welingkar Mumbai and SIES Mumbai
- BIMTECH Greater Noida
- IMI Kolkata and IMI Bhubaneswar
- IFMR GSB at Krea University
- Jaipuria Noida and Jaipuria Lucknow
FIIB’s PGDM is also reported to accept CMAT, with a requirement of 60 percentile or above in a recognised exam, along with a bachelor’s degree with at least 50 percent. If you lean towards a finance career, FIIB’s PGDM-FM curriculum and career paths page explains how that route is structured.
FIIB PGDM program: https://www.fiib.edu.in/program-pgdm
PGDM-FM curriculum and career paths: https://www.fiib.edu.in/program-pgdm/curriculum-and-career-paths-fm
To shortlist well, compare each college’s current cut-off, fees and placement report on its official page, and match them to your expected percentile.
COMPARISON TABLE: CMAT VS CAT VS XAT AT A GLANCE
| Feature | CMAT 2027 | CAT 2026 | XAT 2027 |
| Exam date | 7 Feb 2027 | 29 Nov 2026 | 3 Jan 2027 |
| Conducted by | NTA | IIM Indore | XLRI Jamshedpur |
| Duration | 180 minutes (expected) | 120 minutes | 180 minutes |
| Questions | 100 (expected) | 68 | About 95 |
| Negative marking | -1 per wrong (expected) | -1 per wrong MCQ | -0.25 per wrong |
Sources: iimcat.ac.in, xatonline.in for CAT and XAT; third-party reports for CMAT.
FAQs
What is the CMAT 2027 exam date?
The CMAT 2027 exam date is 7 February 2027, a Sunday, as listed in NTA’s 2026-27 examination calendar. Registration dates are still awaited, so watch the official CMAT notification for them.
When does CMAT registration 2027 start?
Registration dates have not been officially announced yet. Coaching sites expect the window to open around October 2026 and close in late November or early December, but these are estimates. Watch cmat.nta.nic.in for the notification.
What is the CMAT 2027 exam pattern?
Based on the 2026 structure, CMAT is a 180-minute computer-based test with 100 questions in five sections of 20: Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Language Comprehension, General Awareness, and Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Each correct answer earns 4 marks and each wrong answer costs 1. This is expected, not confirmed for 2027.
Is there a sectional time limit in CMAT?
No separate sectional time limits have been reported for CMAT. You manage the 180 minutes across all five sections yourself. Confirm in the 2027 notification.
What is the CMAT eligibility?
A bachelor’s degree in any discipline is the expected requirement, and final-year students are expected to be eligible. Check the official notification for the exact rule, including any percentage condition.
Which colleges accept CMAT scores?
CMAT scores are reported to be accepted by 1,000+ AICTE-approved B-schools. Examples reported include JBIMS Mumbai, SIMSREE, PUMBA, K J Somaiya, Welingkar, BIMTECH, IMI Kolkata and the Jaipuria campuses. Each college sets its own cut-off and process, so check its official page.
Does FIIB accept CMAT?
Third-party reporting lists CMAT among the exams FIIB’s PGDM accepts, with a 60 percentile requirement in a recognised exam. Confirm on FIIB’s official admissions page.
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