- A good CMAT score is relative. It depends on the floor each target college publishes and on that year's percentile, which is set by the candidate pool.
- The 2026 paper had 100 questions for 400 marks, with +4 for a right answer and -1 for a wrong one.
- Pages disagree because each marks-to-percentile table describes a different year's paper and candidates.
- CMAT 2027 is tentatively on 7 February 2027. Registration, fee and bulletin were not announced as of 6 November 2026.
A good CMAT score is one that clears the marks or percentile floor of the colleges you actually want, in the year you sit the test. No fixed marks figure is good every year, which is why pages that print one disagree with each other.
This post explains why the tables differ, how to read your own scorecard, and what to check for each college. It does not print a marks-to-percentile table, because a table from another year would mislead you.
Why does the marks-to-percentile table change every year?
CMAT is scored out of 400 marks, but many colleges ask for a percentile. A percentile says what share of that year's candidates scored below you. A harder paper pulls marks down for everyone. A stronger pool pushes the same marks to a lower percentile.
So 250 marks can sit at one percentile this year and a different one next year. Any table is a record of one year. Using last year's table to read this year's marks is guesswork, however neat the table looks.
What counts as a good CMAT score for your target colleges?
Start from the college, not the score. Colleges quote the requirement in different forms, and your score is good or not only against that form.
| College (cycle) | How it uses CMAT, as published |
|---|---|
| Amity Business School (2026-28) | Minimum CMAT 200 marks for the non-sponsored category, 150 for sponsored |
| Christ University (2027 session) | Minimum 60 percentile in CAT, XAT, CMAT or ATMA, for eligibility only |
| BIT Mesra MBA (2026 intake) | Entrance score carries 50% of the weighting for CMAT or MAT, against 60% for CAT, GMAT or XAT |
| NIA Pune (2027-29) | CAT, XAT or CMAT percentile carries 50% of the merit-list weight |
| Jaipuria Jaipur (2027-29) | Entrance score, including CMAT, carries 45% of the selection weight |
One more check matters. K J Somaiya lists CMAT 2027 for 2027-29, but its last date to submit the application is 20 January 2027, which is before the tentative 7 February test. NIA Pune's last date is 15 March 2027. Ask each college how it treats a test that falls after its form closes.
Reading the CMAT scorecard: marks, percentile and rank
Note every figure the scorecard shows when NTA releases it, then match each to the form the college uses. If a college states marks, compare marks. If it states a percentile, compare your percentile. Do not convert one into the other with a table from a website.
- Right answers: 62 x 4 = 248 marks.
- Wrong answers: 18 x 1 = 18 marks deducted.
- Total = 248 - 18 = 230 out of 400.
Answer: 230 marks. That clears a floor of 200 marks, but it tells you nothing yet about your percentile.
Why three pages give three answers
When pages quote different marks for the same percentile, the cause is usually one of these:
- They use tables from different years.
- One page uses actual results and another uses an expected range.
- They answer different questions. One means any college, another means a top college.
- They round the percentile bands differently and leave gaps between them.
Female and reserved fee and eligibility rules
These are the 2026 cycle rules, from the CMAT 2026 bulletin. The 2027 fee has not been announced, so do not budget from this table without checking the new bulletin.
| Category (2026 fee) | Fee |
|---|---|
| General (UR), male | Rs 2,500 |
| General (UR), female | Rs 1,250 |
| Gen-EWS, SC, ST, PwD, PwBD, OBC-NCL (male and female), third gender | Rs 1,250 |
You need a Bachelor's degree in any discipline and Indian citizenship, with no age limit. Final-year students can apply if the result is declared before admissions begin. NTA's bulletin states no minimum percentage, but colleges that list CMAT in our data commonly ask for 50% in graduation.
Sections and what each contributes
The 2026 paper had five sections of 20 questions each, worth 80 marks each. The bulletin sets no sectional time limit.
| Section (2026) | 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 |
General Awareness and Innovation and Entrepreneurship together are 40 of 100 questions and 160 of 400 marks. At +4 and -1, a question is worth attempting once you are more than 20 percent sure of it. The CMAT guide works through pacing and a 13-week plan.
CMAT as the AICTE-college route
CMAT is accepted by AICTE-approved institutions, university departments, and constituent and affiliated colleges. In this site's data, 18 of 101 programmes list CMAT, and none of the 21 IIM programmes do; they list CAT only.
For the 10 listed colleges that also take CAT, our CAT-percentile estimates run from 60 to 84. These are estimates for a 50 percent chance of an interview call, General category. They suggest CMAT mostly opens mid-tier colleges, not the IIM tier. Use the CMAT College Predictor for an estimate based on your own score.
What we know about CMAT 2027 and what we do not
The only 2027 date on record is 7 February 2027, from NTA's exam calendar, and NTA says calendar dates are tentative. As of 6 November 2026, NTA had not published the bulletin, registration dates, fee or result date for 2027.
- For reference, the 2026 cycle ran registration from 17 October to 17 November 2025. That is not a promise for 2027.
- The 2026 bulletin states no limit on attempts. Check the 2027 bulletin.
- The pattern above is the 2026 pattern and may change.
- Watch NTA's official CMAT site for the bulletin.
- The CMAT exam page on this site carries the dates and rules we track.