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The CMAT 2020 exam was conducted today (January 28) from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. The exam was of medium difficulty level, and the General Knowledge (GK) section was quite challenging. The detailed evaluation of CMAT 2020 has been shared below. This CMAT 2020 paper analysis consists of an in-depth analysis of the question paper’s structure and difficulty level, the number of questions to answer for a good score in section and the expected cut-offs for MBA admission.
Also Check How to prepare CMAT in 3 months
The CMAT 2020 exam was moderate in terms of the difficulty level and based on the views of experts solving close to 80-85 questions with 90% accuracy can fetch a good score. Among the four sections, The Logical Reasoning was the easiest. The Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation section was of moderate difficulty and most of the questions were on Arithmetic. The questions from the Language Comprehension section were mostly straight forward. However, a majority of the students found the General awareness section quite challenging. The section below discusses the question paper break-up, section-wise difficulty level and the number of good attempts.
| Section | Questions | Difficulty | Good Attempts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation | 25 | Moderate | 22-24 |
| Logical Reasoning | 25 | Easy | 21-23 |
| Language Comprehension | 25 | Moderate | 21-23 |
| General Awareness | 25 | Moderate | 14-15 |
| Total | 100 | Moderate | 80-85 |
Also Check CMAT Exam Pattern
Language Comprehension section:
Topics Number Of Questions
Reading Comprehension 6
Synonyms / Antonym 1
FIB (Vocabulary)- 2 Blanks 2
FIB (Grammar) 1
Idiom-based 2
Word definition 3
Paragraph Jumbles 2
Meaning of phrase 1
Antonym/ synonym of the underlined word 5
Spelling 1
Sentence Correction 1
Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation section:
| Topics | Specifics | Number of Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Arithmetic | Percentages, Time-speed-distance, Time-work, Ratio-Proportion, Profit & Loss, Compound Interest, Averages | 10 |
| Geometry | Mensuration, Triangles | 2 |
| Modern Math | Probability, Permutation - Combination, Venn Diagram | 5 |
| Numbers | HCF, LCM | 1 |
| Data Interpretation | Table | 4 |
Logical Reasoning section:
| Topics | Number of Questions |
|---|---|
| Coding -decoding | 2 |
| Blood Relations | 4 |
| Series completion | 2 |
| Logic Based | 3 |
| Symbol Based | 1 |
| Venn Diagram | 1 |
| Number Grid | 1 |
| Directions | 1 |
| Miscellaneous | 1 |
| Visual reasoning | 2 |
| Verbal Reasoning (Strong/Weak Argument) | 2 |
| Verbal Reasoning(Analogy) | 1 |
| Verbal Reasoning (Odd one out) | 2 |
| Verbal Reasoning (Syllogism) | 2 |
General Awareness section:
| Topics | Number of Questions |
|---|---|
| India Events | 11 |
| International Events | 9 |
| Miscellaneous | 5 |
Also Check CMAT Exam Answer Key
The table below contains the expected CMAT cut off percentiles of some of India’s top MBA colleges.
Colleges Accepting CMAT Score Expected CMAT Cut Off Percentiles
JBIMS, Mumbai 99.9+
Goa Institute of Management 95-99
KJ Somaiya Institute of Management 95-99
SIMSREE, Mumbai 99.9+
Great Lakes Institute of Management 95-99
IPE Hyderabad 90-95
University of Pune, Dept of Management Sciences 95-99
Welingkar Institute of Management, Mumbai 85
Welingkar Institute of Management, Bangalore 80
Indian Institute of Information Technology & Management 85
IFIM Bangalore 85
IFMR Chennai 85
NIBM Pune 85
NL Dalmiya Institute of Management 85
IMT Hyderabad 80
IMT Nagpur 80
XISS Ranchi 80
ITM Navi Mumbai 80
Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida 85
Though last year, the conducting body has changed from AICTE to NTA, the test structure and exam pattern has remained unchanged over the years. The table below highlights the CMAT exam pattern which is similar in past five years.
| Sections | Number of Questions | Marks | Time Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation | 25 | 100 | 180 minutes |
| Logical Reasoning | 25 | 100 | |
| Language Comprehension | 25 | 100 | |
| General Awareness | 25 | 100 |
The following is an analysis of the CMAT exam conducted in the last five years. The CMAT question papers have remained the same over the last couple of years except for variations in the difficulty levels.
In 2019, the CMAT exam was held in two slots and the question paper was divided into four sections of 25 questions each. While there were minor differences in the question papers of Slot 1 and Slot 2, the overall difficulty level was the same – Moderate.
CMAT 2019 Slot 1 Sectional Analysis
| Sections | Questions | Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation | 25 | Moderate |
| Logical Reasoning | 25 | Moderate to difficult |
| Language Comprehension | 25 | Moderate to difficult |
| General Awareness | 25 | Moderate to difficult |
CMAT 2019 Slot 2 Analysis
Sections Questions Difficulty Level
Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation 25 Moderate to difficult
Logical Reasoning 25 Moderate
Language Comprehension 25 Moderate to difficult
General Awareness 25 Moderate to difficult
CMAT 2018 exam was held in a single slot from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. The question paper was of medium difficulty. The Data Interpretation was quite long and the Logical Reasoning was tough. The General Knowledge section was also quite difficult.
| Sections | Questions | Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation | 25 | Moderate to difficult |
| Logical Reasoning | 25 | Moderate to difficult |
| Language Comprehension | 25 | Moderate |
| General Awareness | 25 | Moderate to difficult |
The questions were moderately difficult. The GK section and the English section were simple. The questions from Logical Reasoning and Quant sections were a bit difficult.
CMAT 2016 had questions which were of moderate difficulty. The quantitative section had some challenging questions and this section was centred on basic arithmetic. The reasoning section was simple and the questions were mainly on linear and circular arrangements, directions, relationships, codes and syllogisms. The Verbal Ability and General Knowledge sections were manageable. The English section was dominated by sentence corrections, fill in the blanks, vocabulary, jumbled sentences and basic grammar and the GK section had more current affairs questions than static GK.
In 2015 the CMAT was conducted in September and February and the question paper was of moderate difficulty. While the Quant section had the usual questions, the English section had a good number of critical reasoning questions. The Reasoning section was of moderate difficulty while General Awareness had a few offbeat questions.
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FAQs on CMAT question papers
A: The CMAT exam is usually of moderate difficulty. Based on the trend of the last few years, the quant section is usually tougher than the other sections.
A: CMAT exam is held for three hours from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm.
A: No. However, it is important to time yourselves well so that you can complete the question paper.
A: There will be no deduction of marks for skipping a question.
A: All sections in CMAT exam have equal weightage.
A: The general awareness section of the CMAT exam will have questions from static GK, current affairs and business news.
A: No, there is no sectional cut off in CMAT. However, to get a good overall score it is important to score well in each section.
A: In case of a question from a topic that you haven’t prepared from, you can always skip the question as there is no negative marking for unanswered questions.
A: No, the answer key is generally released a few days after the exam.
A: In CMAT, the candidates can choose to answer the questions in any order.
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