How to prepare for CMAT?

CMAT full form is the Common Management Admission Test. It is conducted once every year for getting admission into MBA programs of renowned B-schools like JBIMS, KJ Somaiya, Welingkar, and many more. Approximately 70,000 candidates appear for this exam. It is usually held across 110 cities all over India. CMAT is a computer-based test, and the test duration is of 3 hours. If you think that your performance in the other MBA entrance exams is not up to the mark, then CMAT can be a great option for you. If you score well in CMAT, then you can get calls from good B-schools of India. Therefore, we at StudyBuzz bring a blog on How to prepare for the CMAT exam. This blog will explain about all the preparation strategies to crack the CMAT exam. But before we explain the CMAT Preparation strategies, let’s have a look at the CMAT exam pattern so that we understand this exam better. 

CMAT Exam Pattern

The CMAT exam is a computer-based test. It is an objective type test. The four major sections of CMAT are- 

1. Language Comprehension
2. Quants & Data Interpretation
3. General Awareness
4. Logical reasoning

Each section contains 25 questions each. Therefore, there are a total of 100 questions in the CMAT exam. 

For every right answer, four marks are awarded. Therefore, the CMAT exam is of 400 marks in total. For every wrong answer, one mark is deducted. Scoring more than 300 in this exam will fetch you a good percentile and getting a call from top institutes. 

Now that the CMAT’s exam pattern is clear let us have a look at the CMAT eligibility criteria. 

CMAT Eligibility

A candidate is eligible for the exam if he or she has secured at least 50% marks in his or her graduation degree of at least three years duration from a reputed or recognized college/university. Moreover, candidates in their final year of graduation can also take the exam. There is no particular age limit for appearing for CMAT exam.

CMAT Syllabus

The major topics covered are- 

Quants & Data Interpretation - Arithmetic, Simple Interest, Compound Interest, Permutations, Combinations, Probability, Geometry, Logarithms, Time & Work, Time & Distance, Number Systems, and Progressions & Series. Graphs, Caselets, Line Graphs, Pie Charts, and other graphs. 

Logical Reasoning – Critical Reasoning, Analogies, Clocks & Calendars, Arrangements, and directions. 

Language Comprehension- Reading Comprehension, Word Meanings, FIJs, Grammar, Sentence Completion, Para jumbles, and Odd man out.

General Awareness- General Knowledge Questions related to Awards, Books, Literature, Recent Happenings, Science, Films, International Affairs, Banking, Economics, History, Geography etc.

How to prepare for CMAT?

Following are the CMAT Preparation tips which will help you in scoring well in the CMAT exam- 

1. Focus equally on all sections 

There are four sections in the CMAT exam. Since you need to score quite a lot, it is advisable to give equal importance to all the sections. Moreover, the level of questions in the CMAT exam is easy to moderate. Therefore, you need to maximize your attempts as much as you can. The more questions you attempt correctly, the more marks you will fetch. 

2. Clear your basics of all topics

It is better to clear your basics of all the topics in each of the sections. This is because you need to maximize your attempts to fetch a good percentile. Scoring more than 300 in total cannot be done by focussing on one topic alone. For example, In quants, it is better to be well acquainted with both arithmetic and geometry, so that you will be able to solve questions related to these topics. Focussing on one topic, like arithmetic, will not help in maximizing your attempts. 

3. Improve your speed and accuracy

Candidates need to attempt 100 questions in 180 minutes or three hours. You need good speed to attempt maximum number of questions in the CMAT exam. Also, do keep in mind that while improving your speed, you don’t compromise on your accuracy. Since there is negative marking in the CMAT exam, you need to be careful and attempt the questions correctly. 

4. Take Mocks and solve previous years papers

Taking mocks is a good way to boost your CMAT Preparation. It helps you gain speed and analyze your performance in the real exam like environment. Moreover, you will get to know about your accuracy level. If it is low, then you need to improve it. Also, solving past years’ papers will help you to analyze the actual level and type of questions asked in the CMAT exam. 

5. Prepare for General Awareness section as well

The General Awareness section can act as a make or break section for you in the CMAT exam. GA section will help in boosting your score. Therefore, you should focus on this section as well. Read newspapers daily. Try to improve your general knowledge and business awareness by following informational magazines, newspapers, and or youtube channel. 

CMAT exam is a fairly easy exam if you prepare well for it. You don’t need to solve very difficult questions to crack the CMAT exam. Just be acquainted with all the basics and focus on all sections to score well in the CMAT exam. If you still feel that you need assistance, then you can have a look at our online MBA preparation courses. You will get complete access to all the video lectures, practice questions, and mocks with our online MBA Preparation courses.