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Updated By Debanjalee Sen on 23 Jan, 2026 11:12
The CMAT selection process is conducted by the participating institutes. They conduct individual Group Discussions and Personal Interviews to filter out aspirants based on their CMAT scores. It reflects how shortlisting and further evaluation are carried out at the institute level, which may vary from college to college.
Predict your Percentile based on your CMAT performance
Predict RankCMAT Selection Process 2026 outlines how admissions to management programmes are conducted after the CMAT results are announced. Unlike several other entrance tests with centralised counselling, CMAT follows an institute-level admission process. The rules for shortlisting and the admission schedule may vary as per the CMAT participating colleges
Shortlisting is usually based on CMAT scores or percentiles, along with category-specific CMAT cutoffs where applicable. Those who meet the basic criteria are invited to take part in further selection stages. These stages may include group discussions, personal interviews, or written ability tests, depending on the institute. Academic background, work experience, and other parameters defined by the institute can also play a role in final selection.
Read through the page below to learn more about CMAT selection process.
Tabulated below are the major highlights of the CMAT selection process 2026.
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Conducting Body | NTA (National Testing Agency) |
| Mode of Counselling | Online |
Official Website | exams.nta.ac.in/CMAT/ |
| Documents to Carry for CMAT Counselling | CMAT Admit Card, Scorecard, Identity Proof, Educational Degrees, Photograph |
| Number of Colleges Accepting CMAT Scores | 1000+ |
Stages in CMAT selection process | Group Discussions, Personal Interviews, or Written Ability Tests (varies per institute) |
Check out the selection process of CMAT 2026 important dates mentioned in the table below:
Events | Dates |
|---|---|
CMAT 2026 Exam Date | January 25, 2026 |
CMAT 2026 Result | Second/ third week of February 2026 |
Release of CMAT Merit List 2026 | Third week of February 2026 |
CMAT 2026 Cutoff Release Date | February/ March 2026 |
CMAT Selection Process 2026 | March 2026 |
The CMAT selection process 2026 is majorly bifurcated into the following four steps:
Step 1: Candidates will have to take the examination
Step 2: Declaration of CMAT 2026 Result and also the submission of the CMAT 2026 Score
Step 3: Shortlisting candidates for the CMAT selection process based on CMAT.
Step 4: Final admission procedure after the selection process of CMAT 2026
The CMAT selection process 2026 is based on the CMAT 2026 score which would represent the overall percentile of the candidate and the section-wise score of the candidate in CMAT 2026.
The second stage of selection of the candidate is the declaration of the CMAT 2026 Result. The result is declared along with the CMAT 2026 scorecard with the mark division of the candidates.
The selected group of students is shortlisted through the selection procedure based on the CMAT 2026. The immediate step after the declaration of the result is the shortlisting of the candidates. The list would be given out with the name of the candidates who have appeared for the exam and have successfully qualified for the examination.
The final admission procedure is conducted through the counselling process which means the CMAT 2026 selection procedure. Through this CMAT 2026 counselling process, the candidates can lock their seats for the admission process.
Also Read: List of Rank wise CMAT Colleges in India
Yes, you have to appear in CMAT mandatorily to be considered for CMAT selection process. Without a valid CMAT score, you will not be considered for shortlisting by CMAT-accepting colleges.
CMAT selection process begins a few weeks after the CMAT results are announced. The schedule varies as per respective colleges.
The CMAT selection process begins after candidates appear for the exam and receive their CMAT scores. These scores are later used by individual institutes for shortlisting applicants.
The CMAT result once declared will allow candidates to look for their desired management institution along with the cutoff marks announced by these CMAT 2026 participating colleges. It is then that the candidates will be called for the selection procedure. The final CMAT selection procedure 2026 to be conducted by the management institutes generally consists of the following rounds:
Being the first step of the selection process, GD invites more than a thousand candidates to their respective institutions. The style of conducting the GD round for every college might differ but the motive of conducting this round is the same. Different groups of 8-10 students are made by the concerned authorities. Each group is given a topic of discussion along with a time slot for the discussion. Topics for the discussion usually cover a wide range of sectors and genres including economics, social, political, sports, media and communication, leaders and their achievements, law and their amendments, etc. Candidates start the discussion keeping forth their points and counterparts. It is important that each candidate argue their point and explain a valid reason for their points. The authorities will judge the candidates on their communication skills, their valid points, their contradictory versions, leadership skills, managerial understanding, etc. Candidates clearing this stage will be forwarded to the next step of the selection process, which in some institutions can be WAT and in some can be PI.
The Writing Aptitude Test evaluates candidates for their writing skills, grammar skills, and understanding. This test is conducted just before the personal interview session. Candidates might also be provided with a word limit to complete the write-up on any subjects - Science, Technology, Politics, Social Science, Sports, Media, Law, Literature, etc. Candidates attempting this section must prepare themselves to write a critical analysis with reasonable examples. Written Aptitude Test also has a time duration attached to it. Candidates clearing this round will be eligible for the next round of the selection process, the Personal Interview.
This is the last stage of the selection process, for the candidates successfully clearing the above-mentioned round/s. In this round, a panel of experts interviews candidates individually. There is no time barrier in this section. It depends on the interviewers, their set of questions, and the answers of the candidates. The area of questions can be everything and anything related to the candidate or to the course they are interested in or the rounds they have cleared. A panel of experts judges the candidates on their communication skills, IQ level, General Understanding of the subject, Interest level towards the course and career, etc. After clearing this round, candidates’ scorecards will be sent to the concerned authorities for final analysis and selection.
This is around that will finalize the selection of the candidates for the purpose of getting admission to the respective management institution. The round sums up the total marks by calculating the marks of CMAT, Group Discussion, Writing Aptitude Test, and Personal Interview. After the calculations, a final list of selected candidates is released. Candidates landing on the list are called for taking admission to their desired course and curriculum. As per the availability of seats and requirements of the institution, a second merit list also gets released.
No, the CMAT selection process may not follow the same evaluation criteria across all participating colleges. The evaluation parameters vary per institute. Beyond CMAT score, these may include academic performance, work experience, and performance in selection rounds.
The institute-level rounds play a significant role in the CMAT selection process as shortlisting is done based on communication skills, academic suitability, and overall profile, apart from your performance in CMAT. The exact combination of rounds varies from institute to institute.
Given below are a few important points regarding the CMAT selection process 2026 which candidates must pay heed to
Candidates must keep in mind that NTA, which conducts CMAT does not conduct any common admission process.
CMAT 2026 participating colleges have their own selection process to shortlist the candidates.
Candidates who have cleared CMAT 2026 need to apply to each college of their choice and then take part in the selection process of that particular college.
Aspirants can apply for MBA admission offered by the participating colleges on the basis of their CMAT 2026 percentile and rank.
Want to know more about CMAT
The score validity for the CMAT selection process 2026 for MBA colleges is one year only. The scores will only be valid from the date of the exam attempted to the exam date until next year. Let us say, if you have attempted CMAT 2026 exam, your score will be valid until CMAT 2026 exam day. After this, if a candidate wants to enroll in any business school, they will again have to register for the exam, pay the required application fee, and take the exam to participate in the further selection process.
The eligibility criteria for participating in the CMAT selection process 2026 is that the applicants must have at least 50% or an equivalent CGPA in their bachelor’s degree from a recognised institution in any discipline. If the candidate receives grades or a CGPA rather than scores, the equivalence would be determined based on the equivalence recognised by the college or university where the bachelor's degree was completed.
Many top colleges are accepting CMAT scores for the selection process 2026. Some of them are the Alliance School of Business (Alliance University); Amity University (Noida); Birla Institute of Management Technology (Greater Noida); Birla Institute of Technology (Mesra); Goa Institute of Management; Great Lakes Institute of Management (Chennai); Jagan Institute of Management Studies; K J Somaiya Institute of Management; Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology; Lovely Professional University, etc.
Government colleges that are accepting CMAT scores for the selection procedure 2026 are Administrative Staff College of India; School of Management Studies (Cochin University); Department of Management Sciences (PUMBA, Pune University); Faculty of Management Studies (FMS, Baroda); Indian Institute of Information Technology (Allahabad); Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management; Malaviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT Jaipur); Ravenshaw University; Sydenham Institute of Management Studies Research and Entrepreneurship Education; Tezpur University, etc.
Top b-schools accepting CMAT scores will conduct the first round of group discussions. For this, a conversation topic based on current affairs or business scenarios would be offered to the shortlisted individuals. The students will then be divided into groups of 10 or more, and each group will be given a different topic to discuss. The following skills are required in the Group Discussion round of the CMAT selection process 2026:
Creative and logical thinking
Encouragement skill
Initiation skill
Leadership skills
Managerial skill
Negotiation skills, etc.
Following the announcement of the CMAT results, AICTE-approved institutions will start the CMAT selection process 2026. Group Discussions (GD) and individual Personal Interviews (PI), both of which are done by respective b-schools, are part of the CMAT 2026 counselling or admission process. Based on their scores, the CMAT-accepted colleges choose a small group of applicants for the GD-PI round. Graduates from any discipline who scored 50% or an equivalent CGPA in their bachelor’s degree from a recognized institution can participate in the CMAT 2026 selection process.
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