The CMAT 2026 cutoff for top B schools is expected to be released in February - March 2026. However, based on the previous years’ trends related to the CMAT cutoff, the expected cutoff for top B Schools can fall between the 95 to 99.99 percentile.
The
CMAT 2026 expected cutoff for top B Schools
ranges from the 95th to 99.99th percentile. It is the minimum marks that an aspirant needs to score to qualify for the next stages in the selection process of the
CMAT 2026 participating institutes
.
The National Testing Agency will conduct the
CMAT 2026
exam on January 25, 2026, in two shifts. Please note that the NTA does not announce the
CMAT 2026 cutoff
; each institute decides the figure based on the difficulty level of the exam and seat availability.
The admission process for the 2026–28 MBA/ PGDM programs is expected to begin within a few weeks after the
CMAT results
and remain open until June/ July. If you clear the CMAT cutoff, you will be considered for further rounds in the
CMAT selection process
.
Also Read
:
| What is a Good Score in CMAT 2026? | |
|---|---|
| CMAT Merit List 2026 | |
| Steps to Challenge CMAT Answer Key 2026 |
CMAT 2026 Expected Cut Off for Top B Schools
Based on the previous year's trends, aspirants can estimate the expected CMAT cutoff for top B schools.
CMAT 2026 Expected Cut Off for Top B Schools (Accepting 90 Percentile and Above)
Here is the CMAT cut-off 2026 list of top B-schools which are accepting more than 90 percentile.
Colleges Accepting CMAT | Expected CMAT Cutoff (Percentile) |
|---|---|
99.90+ | |
SIMSREE, Mumbai | 99.00+ |
95-99 | |
95-99 | |
95-99 | |
95-99 | |
95 |
CMAT 2026 Expected Cut Off for Top B Schools (Accepting 80 Percentile and Above)
Here is the CMAT cut-off 2026 list of top B-schools which are accepting more than the 80 percentile.
Colleges Accepting CMAT | Expected CMAT Cutoff (Percentile) |
|---|---|
85 | |
85 | |
85 | |
85 | |
85 | |
85 | |
85 | |
NL Dalmiya Institute of Management | 85 |
85 | |
80 | |
80 | |
80 | |
80 | |
80 | |
80 | |
80 | |
80 | |
80 | |
80 | |
80 | |
80 |
CMAT 2026 Expected Cut Off for Top B Schools (Accepting 70-65 Percentile and Below)
Here is the CMAT cut-off 2026 list of top B-schools that are accepting 70 to 65 percentiles.
Colleges Accepting CMAT | Expected CMAT Cutoff (Percentile) |
|---|---|
75 | |
75 | |
75 | |
XIME Chennai | 75 |
75 | |
IES Management College And Research Centre, Mumbai | 75 |
DY Patil School of Management, Pune | 75 |
70 | |
70 | |
70 | |
70 | |
70 | |
65 | |
65 | |
65 |
Also Read :
Percentile-wise CMAT Accepting Colleges
CMAT Cutoff for Top Colleges
Steps to Check the CMAT Cut-Off 2026
Aspirants can check out the CMAT cut-off 2026 of several B-schools accepting CMAT scores by following the required steps mentioned below.
Step 1: Visit the official website of NTA.
Step 2: Click on the 'Current Events' tab.
Step 3: Click on the 'View Result' tab.
Step 4: Candidates can view the result and the CMAT cut-off 2026.
Step 5: Download the cut-off list and save it for future reference.
Factors Influencing CMAT Cut-Off 2026
The following is the list of factors taken into consideration before announcing the CMAT cut-off 2026.
Examinees taking the CMAT exam.
The question paper's difficulty level.
The number of seats available at the CMAT participating institutes.
The number of aspirants who successfully pass the CMAT exam.
CMAT 2026 Selection Process
After the declaration of the CMAT cutoff/ qualifying marks by the various participating institutes, the students need to apply for admission. The admission process through CMAT involves the following steps:
- Screening of the candidates based on their CMAT percentile score. This step includes group discussion, personal interviews and selection of candidates based on a composite score. For the final selection, various factors are considered, such as the student's academic history and CMAT percentile score
- Performance in GD and personal interview
- Extra-curricular activity certificate (if applicable)
- Work experience (if applicable)
Aspirants must check out the articles mentioned below to learn more about the CMAT 2026 exam.
Related Links:
| What After CMAT 2026 Result? | |
|---|---|
| Didn't Score Well in CMAT 2026? Here Are Some Alternatives to Look For | |
| CMAT Question Paper 2026 |
Candidates who have any doubts regarding the CMAT 2026 selection process or CMAT Cutoff may ask questions on the Collegedekho QnA zone . Besides this, for admission-related assistance, candidates can fill up our Common Application Form .
FAQs
A high score in the CMAT 2025 exam is beneficial, but it is not the sole criterion for securing admission to B-school. Even though it measures quantitative and analytical ability, the other factors remain important. Such factors include an academic record, work experience, if any; performance in group discussions and personal interviews; and overall profile. A holistic analysis ensures a comprehensive set of students.
CMAT cutoffs differ every year due to various factors such as exam difficulty, test-takers number, and overall performance. Top institutes see their cutoff remain more or less the same while other colleges have varying cutoffs. A difference of 5-10 percentile points is a possibility, but drastic changes rarely occur. Trend analysis of past years gives an approximate idea, but the cutoff is unpredictable until the results are declared.
Yes, the CMAT cutoffs vary for different categories. Some institutes have reservations for particular categories such as SC, ST, OBC (NCL), and EWS according to the government norms. Therefore, institutes announce different cutoff scores for the general category and these are usually less than the general category cutoffs. Thus, there is enough representation and equality for candidates belonging to different sections.
In CMAT, the score is the actual marks obtained out of 400. Percentile represents the percentage of test-takers who have scored equal to or less than a given score. The better the percentile more the relative performance of a candidate against other candidates. For example, you would have performed better than 90% of candidates in case your percentile is 90, no matter what be your raw score. Percentiles for cutoffs are released.
SIMSREE (Sydenham Institute of Management Studies, Research and Entrepreneurship) normally accepts scores above the 99th percentile. Expected cut-offs are generally within the 99.5-99.9 percentile. The score should be around 340-350, which will get one admitted to SIMSREE through CMAT. Cutoffs might vary marginally every year considering the pool of applicants and difficulty level of the exam.
CMAT cutoffs are based on the CMAT percentile scores of a candidate. Aspirants are often confused between CMAT scores and CMAT percentile, especially if they are first-time test-takers. Due to the fact that MBA colleges use the CMAT percentile to choose and narrow down applicants for admission, it is more important than the CMAT score. The top MBA programs consider both sectional and overall percentiles when choosing which applicants to accept based on CMAT performance.
More than 1000 AICTE-approved B-Schools will accept CMAT scores for MBA/PGDM admission in India, including many prestigious management institutions like GIM Goa, K J Somaiya, Great Lakes, IMT Nagpur, BIMTECH, and JIM. Based on CMAT results, these colleges narrow the pool of applicants for admission. The CMAT result is accepted for admission by about 1,300 MBA institutes in India. Some of the top MBA colleges accepting CMAT are:
- N. L. Dalmia Institute of Management Studies and Research
- Welingkar WE School Mumbai
- K J Somaiya Institute of Management Mumbai
- IES Management College And Research Centre Mumbai
- Sydenham SIMSREE Mumbai
Sectional cutoff requirements are not mandatory admission criteria for many CMAT participating institutes. Sectional CMAT cutoffs may or may not be taken into consideration by CMAT participating institutes' selection criteria. Therefore, applicants must check the admission requirements of their preferred college or university before applying. The sectional scores and percentiles do, however, affect the overall percentile score. Consequently, even though they received different scores, candidates could still have the same overall percentile.
Each participating institution that accepts CMAT scores for admission will separately release its CMAT cutoff requirements. Several factors affect the CMAT cutoff. The participating institutions in CMAT 2025 will base their release of the cutoff on the following criteria:
- Total Number of Seats available in the particular college or university
- Total Number of Candidates who appeared for CMAT
- Number of candidates who meet the minimum qualifying CMAT cutoff
- The difficulty level of the CMAT question paper
Following the conclusion of the CMAT exam and the announcement of the CMAT results, the CMAT participating institutions separately release their CMAT cutoffs. The NTA does not release CMAT cutoffs for any colleges or universities. The participating colleges independently decide on the CMAT admission cutoffs based on the number of open seats, the CMAT exam's degree of difficulty, and the trends in cutoff scores. The brochures for admission to the participating colleges contain details on CMAT cutoffs and required minimum scores for applicants. The NTA is only responsible for releasing the overall and sectional scores following the CMAT Exam.
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