CMAT 2026 Analysis

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Introduction

For candidates seeking admission to India's top management universities the CMAT 2026 exam, which is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), is a crucial milestone. This article gives a glimpse of what to expect from the CMAT 2026 exam based on previous patterns and difficulty levels. The CMAT 2025 exam was conducted on 25th January 2026 and in this article you will find an in-depth analysis done by Hitbullseye experts.

Key Points about CMAT 2026

Exam Date: 25 January 2026
Conducted By: National Testing Agency (NTA)
Sections: 5 (Language Comprehension, Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, General Awareness, Innovation & Entrepreneurship)
Total Questions: 100
Duration: 180 minutes

Difficulty Level

Based on student experience and expert analysis, here's a look at the difficulty level for each section in the CMAT 2026 exam:

Section	Level of Difficulty	Topics	Ideal Attempt
Language Comprehension	Moderate	Reading Comprehension, Grammar (Incorrect Sentences, Direct & Indirect Speech, Fill-Ups), Cloze Test, Vocabulary (Idioms, Synonyms, Antonyms), Verbal Reasoning (Para jumbles, Analogy)	14-16 questions
Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation	Easy to Moderate	Arithmetic (Profit & Loss, Average, Time-Speed-Distance), Data Interpretation (Table, Graphs), Algebra (Quadratic Equations), Number System (LCM, HCF), Modern Math (Probability, Permutation & Combination), Geometry (Triangles, Circles)	16-18 questions
Logical Reasoning	Easy to Moderate	Directions Test, Clocks, Series Completion, Family Tree, Coding-Decoding, Analogy, Critical Reasoning, Odd One Out, Order & Ranking	16-18 questions
General Awareness	Moderate to Difficult	Current Affairs, Business News, Static GK (History, Geography, Awards), General Knowledge (Books and Authors, Important Days)	13-15 questions
Innovation & Entrepreneurship	Moderate	Business News, Government Initiatives, Real-world Business Applications, Startup India Plan, Entrepreneurship Development Programs	15-17 questions

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Section-Wise Overview

Language Comprehension

The Language Comprehension Section of CMAT 2026 consisted of 2 Reading Comprehension (RC) & 18 Non-RC questions. Most questions were easy to answer. A detailed description of the topics is given below

Topics	No. of Questions
Reading Comprehensions (RC)	2
Cloze Test	3
Identify correct/Incorrect usage	3
Idioms and meanings	1
Assertion-Reason (Grammar Based – Simple Sentences, Adjectives)	1
Choose correct sentence (Adjectives)	1
Match the following (Types of Pronouns)	1
Voice & Speech	2
Para jumbles	1
Synonyms (Match the following)	1
Compound Word	1
One Word Substitution	1
Sentence Completion	2

Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation

The QTDI section of CMAT 2026 was relatively easy to moderate regarding the Level of Difficulty. Most questions on DI involved simple calculations. A detailed description is given below

Topics	No. of Questions
Arithmetic	7
Geometry	3
Modern Math	1
Numbers	6
Data Interpretation	3

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Logical Reasoning

There were a total of 20 questions in the LR section of CMAT 2026. The questions were not lengthy, and many were straightforward to solve. Given below is a detailed description of the section

Topics	No. of Questions
Directions	1
Counting the number of shapes	2
Series & Clocks	2
Set theory	1
Family Tree	3
Arrangements ( linear)	1
Coding	3
Numerical Puzzle	2
Cube & Dice	1
Verbal Reasoning	4

General Awareness

Out of the 20 General Awareness questions, 18 were based on Static GK. 2 questions were on Current Affairs. The majority of questions were based on Indian events. The questions were on Sports, Awards, India and its culture, constitution, history, books and authors, science, politics, geography, among others. Overall, this section was of medium difficulty level.

Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Out of the 20 questions, all 20 were based on Business, Management, Economics, and Entrepreneurship concepts. Overall, this section was of medium difficulty level. 10 to 11 attempts in this section with 80 % accuracy would be a good attempt.

Conclusion

CMAT 2026 had a varied level of difficulty in all 5 sections. This analysis should help test-takers decide which college to aim for and how to go about the admission process. Whether you're targeting top colleges or just trying to improve your options, learning about the exam and doing thorough research can really help you prepare better.

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