CMAT 2026 Paper Analysis - Difficulty Level, Section-wise Analysis, Weightage, Important Topics
Content Writer | Updated On - Jul 27, 2025
1.1 CMAT 2023 Shift 2 Paper Analysis
1.2 CMAT 2023 Shift 1 Paper Analysis
3.1 Section-wise CMAT 2021 Paper Analysis
CMAT 2024 Paper Analysis
After CMAT 2024 exam gets over on May 15, 2024, detailed section wise CMAT paper analysis will be updated on this page. You will get to know the difficulty level of the paper, high weightage topics, and an idea of the CMAT cut off.
CMAT 2024 Shift 1 Paper Analysis
| Section | Number of Questions | Maximum Marks | Good Attempt | Difficulty Level | Important Topics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation | 20 | 80 | 16-18 | Easy to Moderate | Arithmetic DI |
| Logical Reasoning | 20 | 80 | 16-18 | Easy | Syllogism Blood Relations Coding-Decoding |
| Language Comprehension | 20 | 80 | 17-18 | Easy | Vocabulary Error Correction RC Passage |
| General Awareness | 20 | 80 | 12-14 | Moderate | Static GK |
| Innovation and Entrepreneurship | 20 | 80 | 15-18 | Moderate | Theory |
CMAT 2023 Paper Analysis
CMAT 2023 had 5 compulsory sections with 20 MCQs in each section to be answered in 3 hours. According to candidates and experts, the quantitative techniques and data interpretation section was comparatively difficult. The section on Innovation and Entrepreneurship focused more on current affairs. Language Comprehension was easier. Overall, CMAT 2023 was moderately difficult.
The exam was conducted in two shifts. Refer to the following section for shift-wise CMAT paper analysis.
CMAT 2023 Shift 2 Paper Analysis
| Section | Number of Questions | Maximum Marks | Good Attempt | Difficulty Level | Important Topics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation | 20 | 80 | 16-18 | Moderate | Arithmetic DI |
| Logical Reasoning | 20 | 80 | 16-18 | Moderate | Critical Reasoning |
| Language Comprehension | 20 | 80 | 17-18 | Easy to Moderate | RC Passages Vocabulary |
| General Awareness | 20 | 80 | 12-14 | Difficult | Static GK |
| Innovation and Entrepreneurship | 20 | 80 | 15-18 | Moderate | Current Affairs |
CMAT 2023 Shift 1 Paper Analysis
| Section | Number of Questions | Maximum Marks | Good Attempt | Difficulty Level | Important Topics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation | 20 | 80 | 16-18 | Moderate | Arithmetic DI |
| Logical Reasoning | 20 | 80 | 16-18 | Moderate | Syllogism Blood Relations Coding-Decoding |
| Language Comprehension | 20 | 80 | 17-18 | Moderate | Vocabulary Error Correction RC Passage |
| General Awareness | 20 | 80 | 12-14 | Easy | Static GK |
| Innovation and Entrepreneurship | 20 | 80 | 15-18 | Easy | Theory |
CMAT 2022 Paper Analysis
CMAT 2022 had 5 compulsory sections. The number of questions was reduced to 20 per section. The overall CMAT 2022 difficulty level was moderate.
| Section | Number of Questions | Maximum Marks | Good Attempt | Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation | 20 | 80 | 16-17 | Difficult |
| Logical Reasoning | 20 | 80 | 17-18 | Easy |
| Language Comprehension | 20 | 80 | 16-18 | Easy |
| General Awareness | 20 | 80 | 8-10 | Moderate |
| Innovation and Entrepreneurship | 20 | 80 | 9-10 | Moderate - Difficult |
CMAT 2021 Paper Analysis
A new section on Innovation and Entrepreneurship was introduced in CMAT 2021. It was an optional section with 25 questions for a total of 100 marks. The overall difficulty level of CMAT 2021 was moderate.
| Section | Number of Questions | Maximum Marks | Good Attempt | Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation | 25 | 100 | 20-21 | Moderate |
| Logical Reasoning | 25 | 100 | 19-20 | Moderate |
| Language Comprehension | 25 | 100 | 20-21 | Easy |
| General Awareness | 25 | 100 | 19-21 | Moderate |
| Innovation and Entrepreneurship (optional) | 25 | 100 | 18-19 | Moderate |
Section-wise CMAT 2021 Paper Analysis
CMAT 2021 Shift 1 Quantitative Technique and Data Interpretation Analysis:
| Topic | Number of Questions |
|---|---|
| Arithmetic | 10 |
| Algebra | 3 |
| Geometry | 1 |
| Modern Math | 4 |
| Numbers | 5 |
| Data Interpreparation | 2 |
CMAT 2021 Shift 2 Quantitative Technique and Data Interpretation Analysis:
| Topic | Number of Questions |
|---|---|
| Arithmetic | 11 |
| Algebra | 3 + 2 |
| Geometry | 2 |
| Modern Math | 2 |
| Numbers | 1 |
| Data Interpreparation | 4 |
CMAT 2021 Quantitative Technique and Data Interpretation Important Topics:
| Arithmetic |
|
| Algebra |
|
| Geometry |
|
| Modern Math |
|
| Numbers |
|
| Data Interpreparation |
|
CMAT 2021 Shift 1 Logical Reasoning Analysis:
| Topic | No. of Questions | Important Topics | |||
| Verbal Reasoning | 3 |
| |||
| Non-Verbal Reasoning | 22 |
|
CMAT 2021 Shift 2 Logical Reasoning Analysis:
| Topic | No. of Questions | ||||
| Syllogism | 3 | ||||
| Blood Relations | 2 | ||||
| Coding - Decoding | 4 | ||||
| Verbal Reasoning | 3 | ||||
| Series Completion | 6 | ||||
| Analogies | 2 | ||||
| Directions | 1 | ||||
| Visual Reasoning | 1 | ||||
| Seating Arrangements | 2 | ||||
| Rank and Order | 1 |
CMAT 2021 Shift 1 Language Comprehension Analysis:
| Topic | No. of Questions | Details |
|---|---|---|
| RC - 4 passages | 14 | Passages with 100 to 500 words |
| Vocabulary | 3 | Synonyms Fill in the Blanks |
| Grammar | 8 | Sentence Correction |
CMAT 2021 Shift 2 Language Comprehension Analysis:
| Topic | No. of Questions | |
|---|---|---|
| RC 1 | 2 | |
| RC 2 | 3 | |
| Active and Passive | 1 | |
| Central Idea | 1 | |
| Fill in the Blanks | 11 | |
| Idioms and Phrases | 2 | |
| Sentence Correction | 5 | |
CMAT 2021 General Awareness Analysis:
| Topic | Number of Questions |
|---|---|
| Static GK | 17 |
| Current Affairs | 8 |
CMAT 2020 Paper Analysis
CMAT 2020 exam was moderately difficult according to experts and aspirants. The section on quantitative techniques and data interpretation was direct but moderately difficult. Most questions were on Arithmetic. The logical reasoning and language comprehension sections were easy to moderate. Lastly, the general awareness section was comparatively difficult with ambiguous questions.
| Section | Number of Questions | Maximum Marks | Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation | 25 | 100 | Moderate |
| Logical Reasoning | 25 | 100 | Moderate |
| Language Comprehension | 25 | 100 | Easy |
| General Awareness | 25 | 100 | Difficult |
Section-wise CMAT 2020 Paper Analysis
CMAT 2026 Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation Analysis:
| Topic | No. of Questions | Important Topics |
|---|---|---|
| Arithmetic | Easy - 4 Medium - 4 Difficult - 2 | Percentages, Time-speed-distance, Time-work, Ratio-Proportion, Profit & Loss, Compound Interest, Averages |
| Geometry | Easy - 2 | Mensuration, Triangle |
| Modern Math | Easy - 3 Medium - 1 Difficult - 1 | Probability, Permutation - Combination, Venn Diagram |
| Numbers | Easy - 3 | HCF, LCM |
| Data Interpretation | Easy - 4 | Table |
CMAT 2020 Logical Reasoning Analysis:
| Topic | No. of Questions |
|---|---|
| Coding - Decoding | 2 |
| Blood Relations | 4 |
| Series | 2 |
| Logical | 3 |
| Symbol | 1 |
| Venn Diagram | 1 |
| Number Grid | 1 |
| Directions | 1 |
| Visual Reasoning | 2 |
| Miscellaneous | 1 |
| Argument | 2 |
| Analogy | 2 |
| Odd One Out | 1 |
CMAT 2020 Language Comprehension Analysis:
| Topic | No. of Questions |
|---|---|
| RC - 1 passage | 6 |
| Synonyms Antonyms | 1 |
| Fill in the Blanks (Vocabulary) | 2 |
| Fill in the Blanks (Grammar) | 1 |
| Idiom | 2 |
| Word Definition | 3 |
| Para Jumbles | 2 |
| Meaning | 1 |
| Synonym/ Antonym of underlined word | 5 |
| Spelling | 1 |
| Sentence Correction | 1 |
CMAT 2020 General Awareness Analysis:
| Important Topics | Indian Constitution, appointments, famous personalities, recent Acts in Parliament | |
|---|---|---|
CMAT 2019 Paper Analysis
The overall CMAT 2019 exam difficulty level was moderate. It had 4 sections with 25 questions each.
| Section | Number of Questions | Maximum Marks | Difficulty Level | Important Topics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation | 25 | 100 | Moderate - Difficult | Arithmetic Algebra Modern Maths |
| Logical Reasoning | 25 | 100 | Moderate | Verbal reasoning Analogy |
| Language Comprehension | 25 | 100 | Moderate | RC Passage Vocabulary |
| General Awareness | 25 | 100 | Easy | Current Affairs |
Section-wise CMAT 2019 Paper Analysis
| Section | Paper Analysis |
|---|---|
| Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation | No set-based questions 9 moderately difficult questions 2 very difficult questions 13 comparatively easy questions |
| Logical Reasoning | 4 questions on Verbal Reasoning 2 questions on Analogy Other important topics - Sequence, Coding-Decoding, Blood Relations |
| Language Comprehension | 3 short passages with 3 questions in each passage 1 lengthy passage with 6 questions 1 question on Sentence Correction 4 questions on Vocabulary 1 question on Grammar Error 2 questions on Idioms 1 question on Para Jumble 1 question on Sentence Completion |
| General Awareness | 8 questions on Current Affairs Static GK Good Attempt - 13 to 15 questions with 80% accuracy |
CMAT 2018 Paper Analysis
The overall difficulty level of CMAT 2018 was moderate. The questions were as expected -
- Quantitative analysis and Language Comprehension sections were comparatively easier.
- Data Interpretation and General Awareness sections were slightly difficult.
- Logical Reasoning was difficult and lengthy.
| Section | Number of Questions | Maximum Marks | Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation | 25 | 100 | Moderate |
| Logical Reasoning | 25 | 100 | Difficult |
| Language Comprehension | 25 | 100 | Moderate |
| General Awareness | 25 | 100 | Difficult |
CMAT Score Vs Percentile
CMAT score is the total marks scored by a particular candidate. CMAT percentile reflects the candidate’s performance regarding other candidates. CMAT aspirants must have an idea of the marks required to rank higher than their fellow candidates. CheckCMAT Preparation Tips
| CMAT Percentile | CMAT 2023 | CMAT 2022 | CMAT 2021 | CMAT 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99.5 | 305 | 303 | 325 | 320 |
| 99 | 295 | 293 | 318 | 313 |
| 95 | 262 | 260 | 300 | 250 |
| 90 | 245 | 240 | 282 | 232 |
| 80 | 215 | 211 | 200 | 203 |
| 70 | 195 | 180 | 170 | 180 |
CMAT 2026 Paper Analysis FAQs
Ques. What is the difficulty level of CMAT exam?
Ans. CMAT exam is moderately difficult compared to other national-level MBA entrance exams.
Ques. Which section has the maximum weightage in CMAT exam?
Ans. All 5 sections in CMAT exam has equal weightage with 20 questions each.
Ques. Which slot was difficult in CMAT 2023?
Ans. CMAT 2023 slot 1 paper was comparatively more difficult than slot 2.
Ques. Do questions repeat in CMAT?
Ans. No, questions are not repeated in CMAT exam.
Ques. Who sets CMAT paper?
Ans. The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducts the CMAT exam for admission to MBA courses offered by top AICTE-affiliated colleges in India.
Ques. Is CMAT tough?
Ans. The difficulty level of CMAT exam is moderate compared to other MBA exams like CAT, XAT, etc.
Ques. Does CMAT have negative marking?
Ans. Yes, there is a negative marking of 1 mark for every wrong answer in CMAT.
Ques. How many sections are there in CMAT 2026?
Ans. CMAT 2026 will have 5 compulsory sections - quantitative techniques and data interpretation, logical reasoning, language comprehension, general awareness, and innovation and entrepreneurship.
Ques. Which is the most difficult section in CMAT exam?
Ans. CMAT Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation section is considered to be the most difficult.
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.
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