How to prepare for CMAT 2021 Exam
Common Management Admission Test (CMAT) is a National Level Entrance Examination for admission to Management Programs in the country. The National Testing Agency (NTA) will be conducting the CMAT-2021 exam. CMAT is an MCQ based online test. The exam is a gateway to more than 1000 MBA colleges in India. The CMAT score is accepted by all the AICTE- Approved Institutions / University Departments / Constituent Colleges /Affiliated Colleges. In this article, we will be looking at how to prepare for the CMAT 2021 Exam.
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CMAT 2021 (New) Exam Pattern:
Exam pattern: CMAT question paper now has 4 sections (Quantitative Techniques, Logical Reasoning, Language Comprehension, General Awareness) PLUS the additional optional section (Innovation &Entrepreneurship).
| Section name | No. of questions | Duration |
| Quantitative Techniques | 25 | 180 mins |
| Logical Reasoning | 25 | |
| Language Comprehension | 25 | |
| General Awareness | 25 | |
| Total | 100 | |
| Innovation &Entrepreneurship (Optional) | 25 | 30 mins (Additional Time) |
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How to prepare for CMAT 2021 at Home?
CMAT Preparation Online:
Plan your preparation. Understanding the CMAT Syllabus is the first step in your preparation journey. Devising a proper study plan can be a little tricky. So, we are providing some preparation tips and the section-wise preparation strategy, which will help you plan better for the exam. Firstly, you must know your strengths and weaknesses to devise a study plan that suits you. Candidates must devise a study plan and allocate more time to their weak areas. One must devote this time to learning the basic concepts. Once you’re thorough with the fundamentals, practice a variety of questions, solve previous papers and mock tests. Also, using the CMAT preparation material [PDF] to prepare for the CMAT 2021 will be highly advantageous during your preparation.
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Section Wise Preparation Tips for CMAT 2021
Knowing the section-wise preparation tips and strategy will help you improve in each individual section and ace the exam.
1. Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation: Here the major topics include- Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Others (basic P&C, Probability etc).
This section has 25 questions, and each question carries 4 marks and a negative marking of -1 for a wrong answer.
The questions are of moderate difficulty level.
The first step is to have strong fundamentals in place. Once you are thorough with the fundamentals, learn certain short cut tricks to increase speed during the calculation. This is one section that can be easily improved with practice.
Practice basic speed math calculations on a regular basis, and it also helps to learn tables up to 25, squares till 50 and cubes till 30.
Taking timed tests is crucial in improving scores in this section. Identify your weak areas during your mock analysis. With practice, one will enhance speed.
For the Data Interpretation (DI) part of this section, the key thing tested is the ability to interpret the data which is presented in tables and charts. The DI Topics include simple caselets, tables, charts etc. The trick here is to represent the data in an organised manner, which saves time during the calculation.
2. Logical Reasoning: The topics here include- Statement and argument, statement and conclusion, statement and assumptions, arrangements, blood relation, coding-decoding, number series, analogies etc.
This section has 25 questions, and each question carries 4 marks and a negative marking of -1 for a wrong answer.
The questions are of easy-moderate difficulty level.
This is a scoring section of the exam. The main objective of this section is to test the aspirant’s logical thinking ability. During practice, solve a variety of problems to get acquainted with this section. Practice around 15-20 sums from this section every day, from a variety of topics that come in the exam.
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3. Language Comprehension- In this section, the topics majorly include-Â Reading comprehension, Para jumbles, Antonym/synonyms, Sentence completion, Idioms and Phrases, Grammar-based questions etc.
This section has 25 questions, and each question carries 4 marks and a negative marking of -1 for a wrong answer.
The questions are of moderate difficulty level.
The crucial way to improve in this section is to read regularly. Read newspaper editorials, online articles to improve your reading comprehension abilities.
4. General Awareness- Here the topics are wide-ranging and they include, Static GK and Current GK. Topics like – Recent government schemes, International affairs, History, Geography, Sports, Politics, Awards, Books & Authors, Arts & Culture etc – are tested.
This section also contains 25 questions, and each question carries 4 marks and a negative marking of -1 for a wrong answer.
The questions are of moderate difficulty level.
Aspirants cannot ignore this section, as this section is the deciding factor in the exam. There is no defined syllabus for the current affairs or general awareness section. And hence this becomes the deciding factor for many candidates during the exam.
Also, focus on the current and trending social and economic topics because questions are also asked from the recent happenings or updates. Candidates must read editorials of The Hindu, Indian Express, etc. Candidates can also follow current affairs by reading the Competition Success Review.
Do watch these excellent videos regularly, to have a good grasp of this section. We will be adding more such important videos.
Overall try to spend at least 3 hours every day on the CMAT preparation.
Some additional tips for the CMAT Preparation:
- While covering the fundamentals, avoid spending too much time on a particular topic. Learn the topic, solve a few questions and move on to the next topic.
- Mock Tests: These tests will help the candidate familiarize themselves with their weaknesses as well as strong points. Once the basics of every topic are covered, start giving 2-3 mocks per week and analyse them thoroughly.
- Focus on time-management during the mocks and also on building your strategy during the exam.
- A balance between Speed and Accuracy – It is essential to have good accuracy, as there’s no point in attempting more questions but inaccurately. Accuracy can be improved with practice, taking mocks and analysing and improving on your weak areas, and avoiding your mistakes. Try to increase your speed and accuracy with every mock test.
- Revise regularly: Candidates must allot at least one day during the week for revision of the concepts learned during the week. Maintain proper notes, which includes important formulae, basic concepts, fast solving tricks and your mistakes.
- Take Breaks: The candidates are advised to take enough breaks during the preparation, rather than getting overly stressed by studying for too many hours.
- Make it a habit to read the newspapers and magazines regularly, as this will help to improve vocabulary and also the general awareness concepts.
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