CMAT 2026 Percentile vs College

It is essential to understand how the CMAT 2026 percentile vs college works for the admission cycle of 2026-28. Colleges use the CMAT 2026 percentile for shortlisting candidates for their MBA program. Every CMAT 2026 participating college specifies a minimum cutoff percentile; hence, scoring below that would make you ineligible for admission. The cutoff percentiles for top-tier colleges are higher due to the intense competition and the volume of applications from high-performing candidates. For example, if you have a 99.9+ percentile, then you will surely get into JBIMS Mumbai based on the previous year's statistics. Similarly, SIMSREE Mumbai requires a 99+ percentile, and KIIT School of Management looks for 99.2+. Percentiles of 95-99 also remain good choices. Other institutes which fall into the bracket are the Goa Institute of Management, KJ Somaiya Institute of Management, (KJ SIMSR), Mumbai, the Great Lakes Institute of Management, and PUMBA Pune.

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What is CMAT Percentile?

The relative position of a candidate's score in comparison to the scores of all other candidates who took the CMAT 2026 exam during the same session is referred to as the CMAT percentile. The percentage of candidates who scored equal to or lower than a particular candidate is represented by their percentile score. It essentially offers an evaluation of the ranking of the candidates in comparison to one another. Superior performance in comparison to other test takers is indicated by higher percentiles. For instance, if a candidate 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 candidates 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)

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 candidates to their management programmes. These management schools have specific eligibility criteria and selection processes in addition to considering CMAT scores. The expected CMAT 2026 cutoff for various participating institutes in the form of percentile and scores have been provided in the tables below:

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 the MBA aspirants based on the 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 2025

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

CMAT Cutoff for Top Colleges

CMAT 2026 Selection Process

First, candidates must appear for the CMAT 2026 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. The colleges will release the CMAT merit list 2026 based on the CMAT 2026 marks of students. The candidates must meet the CMAT cut-off criteria of the respective MBA college they wish to enrol in. After the candidates have filled out the application form for the desired B-school, the CMAT participating institutes will release their lists of shortlisted candidates.

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, candidates 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 candidates will be assessed on their personality, prior work experience(s), confidence, creativity and innovation.

Candidates 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.

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