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Updated By Soham Mitra on 23 Sep, 2025 12:39
According to the NTA's official notification, the eligibility criteria for appearing in CMAT 2026 are stated below. If you are planning to take the CMAT 2026 exam, you must meet these requirements before applying. These eligibility criteria relate to the applicant's educational qualification, age, marks secured by the candidate in their respective qualifying exams, and many more.
Predict your Percentile based on your CMAT performance
Predict RankCMAT eligibility 2026 is defined as the minimum requirements that a candidate must meet to be considered eligible to take the CMAT exam. The eligibility criteria for CMAT 2026 are laid down by the National Testing Agency (NTA), the conducting body of the exam. CMAT is a gateway for management aspirants to get admission into MBA and PGDM programs offered at AICTE-approved B-schools across India.
Before a candidate prepares to fill out the CMAT application form 2026, he must check the minimum eligibility criteria. The candidate's application form will not be accepted if he/she fails to meet the CMAT eligibility criteria 2026. The category-wise, as well as course-wise CMAT 2026 eligibility criteria are provided on this page.
Candidates appearing for the CMAT 2026 exam can have a look at the detailed CMAT eligibility criteria 2026 given below.
Candidates must possess a bachelor's degree recognized by AICTE/ UGC/ Government of India.
CS/CA/ICWA or any other professional degree holders with a minimum requisite percentage are also eligible for the CMAT exam according to the updated CMAT 2026 eligibility criteria.
The minimum aggregate score must be 50-60% (5% relaxation for reserved category candidates).
Those pursuing their final year of Bachelor’s degree study with the minimum requisite percentage can also apply for CMAT 2026.
There is no maximum age limit criteria to appear in CMAT 2026.
CMAT preparation in the duration of one month requires a determined and focused approach. Utilize the CMAT preparation tips and strategies to cover the entire syllabus effectively. Take CMAT mock tests regularly to build confidence and identify the weak areas. Follow a balanced study plan and revise regularly to crack the CMAT exam with a high score.
No, CMAT is not compulsory for all the MBA programs; its necessity depends on the specific business school you are applying to, as different colleges accept scores from various entrance exams like CAT, XAT, MAT, NMAT, or SNAP.
The Common Management Admission Test (CMAT) exam is conducted once a year by the National Testing Agency (NTA). This national-level exam is for admission to various management programs in B-schools and is typically held on a single day in January.
Check the table provided below to know the CMAT 2026 eligibility criteria for all the courses.
Name of the Programme | Eligibility Details |
|---|---|
MBA/ PGDM |
|
Executive PGDM |
|
Post Graduate Certificate in Management (PGCM) |
|
Check the category-wise CMAT 2026 eligibility criteria provided below:
Category | Eligibility Criteria |
|---|---|
General & NC-OB |
|
SC/ ST/ PwD |
|
Students suffering conditions of disabilities with the effect of more than forty percent can avail themselves the opportunity to seek admission and avail concessions under the Person with Disability (PwD) category. The list of categories of disability is provided below:
Any student willing to avail of the opportunities needs to present valid documents and proof in order to legitimize their claim.
CMAT 2026 reservation policy for the management institutes run by the central government is as follows.
Category | Reservation Policy |
|---|---|
EWS (Economically Weaker Sections) | 10% |
SC | 15% |
ST | 7.5% |
OBC | 27% |
PwD | 5% |
Here are a few important things about the CMAT eligibility criteria 2026 candidates must pay attention to.
Every Institution/University has its own percentage calculating mechanism to calculate the percentage of marks scored by the CMAT 2026 aspirants.
CGPA/Grade marks conversion to percentage scores will be carried out in accordance with the procedure prescribed by the respective Institution/University which should also sync with the CMAT eligibility criteria for the year 2026.
In case any Institution/University does not have a working mechanism for converting the CGPA/Grade scores into percentage scores, then the conversion would be done according to the CMAT 2026 eligibility norms, which are -
Divide the CGPA/Grade scores obtained by the aspirants by the maximum CGPA/Grade Scores
Then multiply the result by 100.
The aspirants must understand that to be shortlisted by the B-Schools, mere fulfilment of the eligibility criteria for CMAT 2026 will not be enough.
From the beginning till the end of the CMAT selection process 2026, the candidates must have a valid email address and working cellular connection for the smooth transfer of any information regarding the CMAT 2026 entrance exam.
Related Links:
CAT vs CMAT, NMAT, XAT, SNAP, IIFT & Other MBA Entrance Exams | |
|---|---|
As mentioned above, the aspirants have to fulfill the minimum CMAT 2026 eligibility criteria in order to appear in the CMAT 2026 exam. Those aspirants will not be eligible for CMAT 2026 who:
Are not currently pursuing/ have not completed a Bachelor’s degree
Do not possess CS/CA/ICWA or any other professional degree
Belong to the General category and have a percentage score of less than 50%
Belong to SC/ST/PwD category and have a percentage score of less than 45%
Possess a graduation degree which is not AICTE/UGC/Government of India recognized
Note:The applicants are requested to check if they fulfill all the CMAT 2026 eligibility criteria before applying for CMAT 2026 for admission into their dream MBA program. In case an aspirant does not fulfill the CMAT 2026 eligibility criteria, then he/she will be debarred from sitting in the exam and the authority will not be liable to refund the CMAT 2026 application fee and exam fee. Therefore, all interested candidates are suggested to check their eligibility for CMAT 2026 before they proceed any further and deposit the CMAT 2026 exam and CMAT 2026 application fee.
Want to know more about CMAT
The CMAT is one of India's most popular MBA entry tests. Every year, over 70,000 candidates apply for it. Around 1300 B-schools in India accept CMAT scores, including Great Lakes Institute of Management, JBIMS, SIMSREE, K J Somaiya Mumbai, Welingkar Mumbai, and PUMBA. In 2019, approximately 64,000 applicants enrolled for the CMAT, while over 74,000 registered in 2020. Based on these data, around 85,000 to 90,000 students are projected to enroll for CMAT 2026.
There is no reservation policy for the CMAT exam, but B-schools accepting CMAT marks would consider reservation criteria as defined by the Government of India for admissions. 10% of seats are allotted for the General-Economically Weaker Section (GEN-EWS). 15% of the seats are designated for the Scheduled Caste (SC) category. 7.5% of seats are designated for Scheduled Tribes (ST). 27% of seats are reserved for Other Backward Classes belonging to the "Non-Creamy Layer" (OBC-NCL).
No, there is no age limit for taking the CMAT 2026 exam. Anyone at any stage of their career can take the CMAT 2026 exam. However, the aspirant must have graduated from high school and must have Indian nationality.
Yes, candidates can make changes to their forms during the form correction procedure. After the application form submission process is completed, the CMAT form correction window will be open for three days. Candidates will be allowed to edit the photo, signature, test city, and graduation score areas during the form correction period.
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