The MBA aspirants wondering how is the NMAT exam different from the CAT exam can conclude your queries by checking the syllabus, exam pattern, section weightage for each subject to choose the exam and college that fits your requirements.
NMAT and CAT are the two standard MBA entrance examinations that aspirants attempt every year for admission to MBA/PGDM programmes in prestigious Management and Business Schools across the country. Candidates planning to appear for both the exams should be aware of how is the NMAT exam different from the CAT exam. Many of you often think about the NMAT vs CAT difficulty level, you can find the answers to your queries in the sections below.
NMAT is for candidates who seek admission to NMIMS University and other institutes, whereas the CAT exam is for admission into IIMs and other premier business schools. Another major difference between NMAT and CAT is that the former allows a candidate three attempts while for the latter, they can appear only once a year.
NMAT vs CAT Similarities
The syllabus of both NMAT and CAT is more or less the same which can be a boon to the ones planning to attempt both tests. The basic similarities between NMAT and CAT are tabulated in the following table.
| Components | Details |
| Course for Admission | MBA/PGDM |
| Exam Mode | Online Computer-Based |
| Sectional Timing | Yes |
| Total Time Duration | 120 Minutes |
| Level of Exam | National |
| Exam Medium | English |
NMAT vs CAT Differences
NMAT is an adaptive examination meaning the questions asked in the second/third attempts will be based on your performance in the first attempt. Also, the difficulty level of CAT is higher than NMAT. More details on how is the NMAT exam different from the CAT exam is given below.
| Components | NMAT | CAT |
| Full-Form | NMIMS Management Aptitude Test | Common Admission Test |
| Conducted by | Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) | IIMs |
| Application Fees | INR 2300/- | INR 2200/- for the general category (INR 1100/- for the reserved category) |
| Question Paper Pattern | Only MCQs | Both MCQ and descriptive questions |
| Negative Marking | No | Yes |
| Marks per Question | 1 | 3 |
| Number of Attempts | 3 attempts in the same test window of 75 days (October to December) in a particular year | Once every year in November |
NMAT vs CAT Syllabus
The NMAT and CAT exam syllabus differences are minor. CAT is relatively difficult when compared to NMAT. The sectional time for all the CAT components is the same i.e. 40 minutes whereas in NMAT all three sections namely Language Skills (28 minutes), Logical Reasoning (40 minutes), and Quantitative Skills (52 minutes) have different sectional times.
After going through the syllabus you can understand, NMAT or CAT which is easy?
NMAT vs CAT Topics
| NMAT | CAT |
| Language Skills | Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) |
| Logical Reasoning | Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) |
| Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation | Quantitative Ability (QA) |
NMAT and CAT Syllabus
| NMAT Syllabus | CAT Syllabus |
|
Language Skills
|
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
|
|
Quantitative Aptitude & Data Interpretation
|
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)
|
|
Logical Reasoning
|
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
|
Q. Is the NMAT and CAT syllabus same?
Ans. No, the NMAT and CAT syllabus is different. Though both include three sections each but the topics are different.
NMAT vs CAT Exam Pattern
The exam pattern of both NMAT and CAT examinations consists of MCQs and you have to choose the correct option. But, there is a difference in the marking scheme of NMAT and CAT as there is no negative marking in NMAT. Some important points below show the difference between CAT exam pattern and NMAT exam pattern:
| Components | NMAT | CAT |
| Total Number of Questions | 108 Questions | 66 Questions-MCQs: 48, Non-MCQs: 18 |
| Number of Sections | 3 Sections- Language Skills, Logical Reasoning, Quantitative skills | 3 Sections- VARC, DILR, QA |
| Sectional Timing | Language Skills: 28 Minutes, Logical Reasoning: 40 Minutes, Quantitative Skills: 52 Minutes | 40 Minutes for each section |
| Total Marks | 360 | 198 |
NMAT vs CAT Section-wise Weightage
It is required for aspirants to know about the NMAT vs CAT sectional weightage before attempting the entrance examinations. Check out the tables below to understand the section-wise weightage for both NMAT and CAT exams.
NMAT Sectional Weightage
NMAT consists of 3 sections namely Language Skills, Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation, and Logical Reasoning. There are a total of 108 questions divided equally among the three sections.
| Exam Sections | No. of Questions | Section-wise Time Limit |
| Language Skills | 36 | 28 Minutes |
| Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation | 36 | 52 Minutes |
| Logical Reasoning | 36 | 40 Minutes |
| Total | 108 | 120 Minutes |
CAT Sectional Weightage
The CAT examination consists of three sections and a total of 100 questions. Candidates need to solve the CAT question paper in a duration of 180 minutes.
| Exam Sections | Total Questions | Number of MCQ Questions | Number of TITA Questions | Section-wise Time Limit |
| Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) | 24 | 19 | 5 | 40 |
| Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) | 20 | 15 | 5 | 40 |
| Quantitative Aptitude (QA) | 22 | 14 | 8 | 40 |
| Total | 66 | 48 | 18 | 120 |
After going through all these details you can easily understand the NMAT and CAT difference and similarity. Thus you are advised to select the MBA exam as per your choice.
