CMAT 2026 Percentile vs College

CMAT 2026 percentile vs college is something most students start checking early because it gives them an idea about their admission chances for the 2026-28 MBA admissions. In a way, the colleges use the percentile when shortlisting applicants for their programmes… and that’s why understanding how it works really helps.

Every CMAT 2026 participating college has its own minimum cutoff, so falling short of that number indicates that you won’t be considered for seat allocation. The cutoff percentiles for top institutes are typically on the higher side, given the high level of competition. For instance, a 99.9+ percentile usually allows you to gain admission to JBIMS Mumbai based on last year’s trends. While SIMSREE Mumbai typically demands around 99, and for KIIT School of Management, it is something close to 99.2+.

On the other hand, the cutoff percentile for Goa Institute of Management, KJ Somaiya, Great Lakes, and PUMBA Pune is generally between 95 to 99. In this article, you can explore the CMAT 2026 percentile vs college choices and get a proper idea about the expected admission trends.

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What is CMAT Percentile?

The relative position of an aspirant's score in comparison to the scores of all other aspirants who took the CMAT 2026 exam during the same session is referred to as the CMAT percentile.

The percentage of students who scored equal to or lower than a particular student is represented by their percentile score. It essentially offers an evaluation of the ranking of the students in comparison to one another. Superior performance in comparison to other test takers is indicated by higher percentiles. For instance, if one obtains a 90 percentile on the CMAT, it indicates that they performed better than 90% of all of the applicants who appeared for the CMAT examination in the same session.

It can be expected that :

• The 99.5 percentile corresponds to a score of 305
• The 99 percentile corresponds to 295
• The 95 percentile corresponds to 262
• The 90 percentile corresponds to 245
• The 80 percentile corresponds to 215
• The 70 percentile corresponds to 195

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CMAT 2026 Percentile Calculation

The NTA conducts CMAT, which serves as the gateway to many AICTE-approved institutions, university departments, affiliated colleges, and constituent colleges for their MBA and PGDM programmes. In case you are looking to get admitted to either of these programs, understanding the CMAT percentile will be quite helpful. It tells you what percentage of other test-takers scored the same as or below you in the exam. It is a reflection of your rank in comparison to all the aspirants who have appeared for the test.

This is calculated by:

Note: The percentile score is not the same as the marks you obtain in the test. It is not an average or a sum of marks obtained across different sections, but a purely ranking parameter to compare your performance with others.

CMAT Percentile vs College 2026 (Expected)

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CMAT-score-accepting colleges are management schools or business schools that consider the CMAT scores as one of their qualifying requirements to provide admission to students to their management programmes. These management schools have specific eligibility criteria and selection processes in addition to considering CMAT scores.

Top Colleges Accepting CMAT 2026 Scores (90-100 Percentile)

Top Colleges Accepting CMAT 2026 Scores (80-90 Percentile)

Top Colleges Accepting CMAT 2026 Scores (65-80 Percentile)

CMAT Accepting Top MBA Colleges

The colleges listed below are among the top choices for MBA aspirants based on acceptance through CMAT:

1. KJ Somaiya Institute of Management
2. Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies
3. SIMSREE
4. Welingkar Institute

These are the only ones, among the rest, within the country that have been widely hailed for their academic excellence and placement.

CMAT Selection Procedure and Admission Criteria 2026

Admission into some of the top colleges through the CMAT exam is based on the exam score and personality assessment. It is a five-stage process. It begins with the application launch for the CMAT exam and ends with admissions into the CMAT colleges.

First, applicants must appear for the CMAT exam in two shifts and obtain a valid score in the exam. The CMAT results and scorecards will be released by NTA, and the CMAT cutoffs will be released separately by each participating institute, which the aspirants must meet for the MBA college they wish to enrol in. After they have filled out the application form for the desired B-school, the CMAT participating institutes will release their lists of shortlisted applicants.

The CMAT selection process for the MBA course of the respective college involves Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI) rounds. In the GD round, students will be grouped into 10 or more students and will be assigned an individual group topic for discussion that will be based on current affairs or business situations. In the personal interview round, face-to-face interaction with the interviewers will take place, and they will be assessed on their personality, prior work experience(s), confidence, creativity and innovation.

Those interested in applying to these colleges typically need to fulfil the respective college's requirements, which may include academic qualifications, work experience, group discussions, personal interviews, and other factors besides CMAT scores.

Given below are the five main steps:

• CMAT exam registration
• NTA CMAT exam
• CMAT cutoff declaration by the colleges
• Group Discussion/Personal Interview
• Final selection for the MBA/PGDM admission

Aspirants must note that the CMAT admission criteria, CMAT cutoffs, fees and admission dates of CMAT accepting colleges will be different from each other. They must go through the admission criteria and selection process of each institute they are targeting.

Percentile-wise CMAT Accepting Colleges

Check the resources below to know more about percentile-wise CMAT-accepting colleges.

CMAT Cutoff for Top Colleges

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