With the CMAT 2026 exam concluded on January 25, expert analysis and score vs percentile predictions are gaining momentum. Explore the difficulty level of the 2026 paper, expected cutoffs for top MBA colleges like JBIMS, and the official result timeline.

Following the successful conduct of the Common Management Admission Test (CMAT) on January 25, the focus of the management community has shifted toward intensive performance evaluation. As of today, January 31, 2026, post-exam analysis and score-to-percentile forecasting have reached a peak as candidates attempt to gauge their standing for the upcoming 2026-28 admissions cycle. Preliminary reports from various coaching centers suggest that while the overall difficulty remained moderate, specific sections like General Awareness and Innovation & Entrepreneurship presented unique challenges that could influence the final prediction of the national merit list.

Sectional Difficulty and Good Attempts

The CMAT 2026 paper maintained its traditional structure of 100 questions across five sections. Expert analysis indicates that a "good attempt" this year ranges between 75 and 85 questions with high accuracy.

• Quantitative Techniques & DI: Perceived as easy to moderate, though some students found the calculation-intensive sets in Shift 2 slightly more time-consuming.
• Logical Reasoning: Remained a scoring area with straightforward arrangements and blood relation problems, according to the post-exam analysis.
• General Awareness: This section continues to be the primary differentiator; experts predict that a score of 12+ correct answers will be highly competitive.
• Innovation & Entrepreneurship: Mostly conceptual with a few current business GK questions, aligning with the 2026 prediction of a moderate difficulty curve.

CMAT 2026 Score vs Percentile Prediction

Understanding the relationship between raw marks and percentile is crucial for shortlisting colleges. Based on the 2026 data, a score above 345 is expected to fetch a 99.9+ percentile, while the prediction for the 95th percentile currently hovers around the 270–285 mark.

The analysis team notes that these figures are tentative and subject to the final normalization process used by the NTA for multi-shift papers.

Timeline for Answer Key and Results

With the exam concluded, the NTA is expected to release the provisional answer key within the next few days. According to the current prediction, the challenge window will open in early February, followed by the definitive result declaration.

• Answer Key Release: Expected by February 3, 2026.
• Result Declaration: Most experts forecast a mid-February release, with February 12, 2026, being a high-probability date.
• Normalization Impact: The final analysis will account for the slight variations in difficulty between the morning and afternoon slots to ensure a level playing field.

Conclusion

As the 2026 CMAT journey moves into its final administrative phase, the momentum behind score prediction remains high. For aspirants, the current analysis serves as a vital tool for planning their next steps, whether that involves preparing for Group Discussions or shifting focus to private university applications. With the official results just weeks away, the data-driven insights from this post-exam period are the best available guide for navigating the competitive landscape of Indian management education.