Last minute Tips for CMAT Preparation

The CMAT test starts in less than 72 hours. This post will help you with a few last minute tips to help you ace the CMAT 2015 exam.

1. Time Management.

CMAT has 100 questions to be solved in 180 minutes(3 hours). 25 questions of GK should take you no more than 10-15 minutes to answer.

This leaves you with 165 minutes for 75 questions, more than 2 minutes per question. Make sure you read each and every question carefully, analyse it and solve it.

Remember, CMAT is not a speed test. Dont panic at any time if you are taking a long time to solve a single question.

2. Revise and Practice Important Topics of RCs (Short) & Analytical Reasoning

Perhaps the single most important topic for the CMAT exam is RC (based on short passages) with 15 questions across 4-5 passages of 3 questions each (in Sept, there was 1 passage of 6 questions). Most questions are standard passage questions based on critical reasoning, tone, what the author agrees with or believes etc.

In the Logical Reasoning section, more than half the section is based on Analytical Reasoning topics of Arrangements - Linear & Circular, Selection & Matching etc.


3. Revise shortcut formulas for Quantitative Ability Section

Go through various shortcuts that will help you solve problems faster.
Go through the 3 pdfs Oliveboard has specially created to help you with these.

Speed Math Shortcuts Volume 1
Speed Math Shortcuts Volume 2
Speed Math Shortcuts Volume 3

4. Take a couple of Mock Tests

Take a couple of Mock Tests to help you with your last minute preparation. This will help you finalize your strategy as you take the CMAT test. Make sure you have figured out the order in which you want to attempt sections. Our advice has been to attempt your strongest section first as it gives confidence as you begin the exam, which you can carry forward through the 3 hour test.

5. Eat and Sleep well before the day of the exam.

Make sure you have slept well the day before the exam, and have had a good meal before the exam. A relaxed mind will definitely help you in perform to your complete potential in the CMAT.

Good Luck with your CMAT!

Click here to login to Oliveboard and practice for CMAT now.

CMAT: Top Colleges & Cutoffs

With just under 10 days for the second CMAT to begin, some of the most common queries are around the ideal score that would fetch a 90%ile or a 95%ile and the colleges that accept CMAT scores.
The following two tables provide you the answers. The first table provides the score-percentile distribution in the Sept 2014 CMAT exam. A score of 247 was sufficient to fetch a percentile of 99%ile while a score of 48 in GK was needed for 99%ile in the GK section.

Click here to prepare for CMAT Feb 2015 | MHCET 2015 

*Please note that a small number of these colleges have chosen to accept Sept CMAT scores only. The cut-offs are only rough guidelines and the actual cut-offs may vary and parameters for selection depend on various other factors as well. 

College Name	~Percentile Cut-Off*
SIMSREE,  Mumbai	96
Goa Institute of Management,  Goa	94
Great lakes Institute of Management,  Chennai	94
K. J. SOMAIYA IMS&R,  Mumbai	94
Prin. L. N. Welingkar IMD&R,  Mumbai	94
XIME,  Bangalore	92
XISS,  Ranchi	92
IMT,  Nagpur	92
SIES College of Management Studies,  Navi Mumbai	92
IILM-GSM,  Greater Noida	92
N. L. Dalmia IMS&R,  Mumbai	90
PUMBA Department Of Management Sciences,  Pune	90
Prestige Institute of Management,  Indore	90
ITM,  Mumbai	90
Accurate Institute of Management & Technology , Greater Noida	90
MIT School of Business,  Pune	90
St. Xaviers College ,	88
IFIM Business School,  Bangalore	88
IFMR,  Chennai	88
Amrita School of Business,  Coimbatore	86
Gaur Hari Singhania Institute of Management & Research,  Kanpur	86
Alliance School of Business, Bangalore	86
Indus Business Academy, Bangalore	86
Institute of Health Management Research, Bangalore	86
Jaipuria Institute of Management,  Lucknow	86
MIT School of Business,  Pune	86
Sinhgad Institute,  Pune	86
MET Institute of Management,  Mumbai	86
IES Academy,  Mumbai	86
Kirloskar Institute of Advanced Management Studies ,  Harihar & Pune	86
PSG Institute of Management,  Coimbatore	86
ISB&M,  Pune	86
Indus Business Academy,  Bangalore	86
Vivekanand Education Society's Institute of Management Studies and Research ,	86
JRE Group of Institutions,  Greater Noida	86
Acharya Institute of management & Sciences,  Bangalore	86
Jaipuria Institute of Management Studies,  Lucknow	86
Jaipuria Institute of Management Studies,  Noida	86
DoMS,  Durgapur	86
Chetna,  Mumbai	86
Jaipuria Institute of Management,  Ghaziabad	86
Balaji Institute of Management,  Pune	84
LLIM,  Mumbai	84
Acharya Business School,  Bangalore	84
ASM's Institute of International Business & Research,  Pune	84
Indira Global Business School ,  Pune	84
Jaipuria Institute of Management Studies,  Jaipur	84
IIF,  Noida	84
IMT,  Hyderabad	84
Asia Pacific Institute of Management,  New Delhi	84
Medi-Caps Institute of Techno-Management , Indore	82
Indira Institute of Management,  Pune	82
Christ College,  Bangalore	82
Amity University,  Noida	82
MET,  Mumbai	82
ISB&M,  Kolkata	82
BIMTECH,  Greater Noida	80
Nirma Institute of Management,	80
Acropolis Faculty of Management & Research,  Indore	80
Dr. D. Y. Patil Institute of Management ,  Pune	80
Indira School Of Business Studies ,  Pune	80
Jaipuria Insitute of Management,  Indore	80
NIILM,  Greater Noida	80
New Delhi Institute of Management,	80
Birla Institute of Technology,  Mesra	80
Doon Business School,  Dehradun	80
LBSIM,  Bareilly	80
Apeejay School of Management,  Delhi	78
Jaypee Business School,  Noida	76
AICAR Business School,  Karjat	76
Amrut Mody School of Business,  Ahmedabad	76
MITSOB,  Pune	76
Delhi School of Business,  New Delhi	76
ISBR,  Bangalore	76
Sharda University,  Greater Noida	74
Institute Of Management Studies,  Ghaziabad	72
Prin. L. N. Welingkar IMD&R,  Bangalore	72
ITM University ,	70
IMI,  Bhubaneswar	68
Ramaiah Institute of Management Studies,  Bangalore	68
SDMIMD,  Mysore	68
Vignana Jyothi Institute of Management,  Hyderabad	64
JIMS,  Delhi	62
SCMS,  Cochin	60
Thiagarajar School of Management,  Madurai	58
Regional College of Management,  Bhubaneshwar	56
VJIM,  Hyderabad	56
BULMIM,  New Delhi	54
Hyderabad Business School,  Hyderabad	54
KIAMS,   Harihar	52

MHCET vs CMAT - The Difference between the final two MBA Exams

The CMAT remains the last national MBA exam of the season for most students, but those looking for admission in Maharashtra colleges also have the newly (re)introduced MHCET as another option for MBA admission in the year 2015-16. While the CMAT had replaced the CET in 2012, the CET made a comeback in 2014 due to the DTE’s and the Maharashtra MBA college’s displeasure over thousands of seats not being filled through CMAT in 2013-14. While many of you in Maharashtra will be writing both exams, the table below lists the differences between the two exams. Only 15% of the seats in Maharashtra colleges will be filled through CMAT while 85% will be done through the MHCET.

One of the major colleges that was accepting CMAT - JBIMS -has stopped accepting CMAT scores for admission in 2015. There will be a massive decline in students appearing for CMAT due to JBIMS pulling out and MHCET might be the biggest beneficiary of that. Even KJ Somaiya which accepted CMAT scores will only accept the Sept 2014 CMAT scores and will not accept the CMAT Feb scores while it continues to accept the MHCET scores.


Pattern Differences: The single largest difference in the exam lies in the available time to complete the paper. The CET has twice the number of questions to be attempted in 30 minutes lesser time and without a General Knowledge section. Hence, the average time per question on CMAT will be more than 2 minutes per question (assuming 25 GK questions take less than 30 minutes), the CET will provide a user attempting all the questions an average of 45 seconds per question only.
Another challenge with the MHCET is that the tests will not be arranged by section with questions of verbal, quant and reasoning scattered across the paper. So it becomes harder to attempt only one section first and one may have to rely on the navigation features (Mark for review) of the online interface if one wants to attempt questions of only one section at a go.
Below, we have listed the main differences between the two exams.


Click here to take 10 mock tests of MHCET | CMAT

MBA Exam Dates, Test Pattern & Registration Deadlines

With the MBA exam season about to begin this month, there a number of dates to remember. Right from application deadlines to exam dates. And each exam has its pattern. To help you keep track of all the important dates and deadlines of every MBA exam along with their respective test patterns, we have created the table below. If you want a downloadable copy, please click here.

CMAT & NMAT Notifications Out

The notifications for the first MBA exam of the season, CMAT was released by the AICTE. The Computer Based CMAT test  will be held in September between 25th & 29th. The CMAT is held twice each season, in September and February, with the best of the two scores being considered for a candidate who attempts both. Close on the heels of the CMAT notification, the dates of NMAT were also announced.