What Is NTA Score in CMAT? Meaning, Calculation & Use

The NTA Score in CMAT is a ranking given to the students based on their performance in the exam. Using this, the top CMAT score accepting colleges offer admission to students. It is the ranking matrix that is used by the MBA colleges.

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When the NTA gives out the results, they do not just give out the marks that people scored on the test. NTA also gives out the NTA score, which is a ranking that the MBA colleges use to decide who to accept into their programs. The NTA score in CMAT is the ranking metric that the MBA colleges use.

Understanding the NTA score is essential because all CMAT-participating colleges shortlist and rank candidates using this score, not raw marks. The Common Management Admission Test, which is also known as the CMAT, is a test that people take to get into MBA programs. This test is given by the National Testing Agency, or the NTA. It helps people get into MBA and PGDM programs that are approved by the AICTE all over India.

What is the NTA Score in CMAT Exam 2026?

The NTA score gives you an idea about what you have achieved in the test in relation to the candidates who appear for the CMAT exam during the same period as you. The score can be compared to a number that represents your performance in the CMAT exam. The reason to know the NTA score is to have an idea about how you are performing in the CMAT exam in relation to other candidates who have appeared for the test.

CMAT is given in shifts. Each shift can be a little different when it comes to how hard the questions are. This is not fair to everyone. So the National Testing Agency uses a way to make things fair. They call this way normalization. The National Testing Agency score shows where a candidate stands after they do this normalization.

The score is like a number that tells you what percentage of people you did better than. This is what the Common Management Admission Test is about. The Common Management Admission Test uses the National Testing Agency Score to see how well you did.

In simple words:

NTA Score = Your relative performance compared to all CMAT candidates, adjusted for exam difficulty.

Note: The score is expressed on a scale of 0 to 100.

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Why Doesn’t CMAT Use Raw Marks Alone?

CMAT is conducted in shifts/slots with a dedicated CMAT 2026 syllabus and CMAT 2026 exam pattern for all of these shifts. The difficulty level can be a little different from one shift to another.

Care has to be taken when you are looking at the scores for the shifts. If you go by the scores directly, it would appear like the people who took the test are the ones who performed better compared to the people who took the test that was slightly harder. The reason this would appear so is that the tests are slightly different and therefore not comparable in reality. The people who took the test would have seemed to perform slightly better than those who took a slightly harder test.

This is done by NTA in a way that equalizes the work done in one shift compared to the other shifts to ensure fairness. This special way is called the normalization process. The result of this process is called an NTA score, which is like a percentile to illustrate one's performance. This score is used by NTA in comparing performance among shifts, therefore making it fair.

That is why colleges do not use raw marks for admitting students; they use percentile-based ranking so that it will be fair.

How Is the NTA Score Calculated?

Understanding how the NTA Score is calculated helps you appreciate its fairness.

Step-by-Step Explanation:

Step 1: NTA Raw Marks Calculation

Your total score is calculated using:

Particulars	Details
Marks for Correct Answers	+4
Marks for Incorrect Answers	-1
Marks for Unattempted Questions	Nil

The total maximum raw score is 400.

Step 2: NTA Normalisation Across Shifts

After all raw marks are recorded, NTA performs a normalization to adjust for difficulty variations between shifts. This ensures that someone in a harder shift isn’t unfairly penalized. While the exact statistical formula isn’t publicly disclosed by NTA, the core idea is,

Raw marks are adjusted based on trends of scores from each shift before percentiles are calculated.

Step 3: NTA Percentile (NTA Score) Calculation

The NTA score itself is essentially the percentile ranking:
NTA Score= Number of candidates who scored equal to or less than you / Total Candidates x 100

This calculation ensures that your score reflects your relative position among all test-takers.

Also Check:

NTA 2026 Score vs Percentile vs Raw Marks

The difference between NTA score, NTA percentile, and NTA raw marks has been explained below.

Term	Meaning	Used For
Raw Marks	Your actual scored marks out of 400	Not directly used for admissions
Percentile (NTA Score)	How many candidates you scored better than	Used by colleges for shortlisting
Rank (Estimated)	Your position among all candidates	Used in some college ranking lists

Note: For CMAT, the NTA score is the same as the percentile score used by colleges for admissions.

What Is a Good NTA Score in CMAT 2026?

The definition of a good score varies depending on which colleges you want to target. Here’s a practical breakdown based on percentile (NTA Score) trends and college expectations:

NTA Score (Percentile)	College Tier	Chances of Admission
99+	Elite B-schools	Outstanding chances
95-98	Top-tier MBA colleges	Very good chances
90-94	Strong national B-schools	Good chances
80-89	Reputed MBA institutes	Fair chances
Below 80	Regionals & niche programmes	Possible, depending on profile

This aligns with recent cut-off trends among CMAT-accepting MBA colleges in India.

Top MBA Colleges Accepting CMAT Scores with Expected 2026 Cutoff

CMAT is accepted by over 1,000 AICTE-approved MBA colleges, offering options across India. Here’s a snapshot of leading institutes and the typical CMAT cut-offs (based on recent trends):

Percentile Range (NTA Score)	College Name	Location	Total Fee
98+ Percentile	Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS)	Mumbai	INR 1.02 lakhs
98+ Percentile	Sydenham Institute of Management Studies, Research and Entrepreneurship Education (SIMSREE)	Mumbai	INR 1.34 lakhs
95–98 Percentile	Goa Institute of Management (GIM)	Goa	INR 19.40 lakhs
	PUMBA (Department of Management Sciences, Savitribai Phule Pune University)	Pune	INR 1.32 lakhs
	KJ Somaiya Institute of Management & Research	Mumbai	INR 19.53 lakhs
90–95 Percentile	Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMTECH)	Greater Noida	INR 12.41 lakhs
	IMT Nagpur	Nagpur	INR 22.07 lakhs
	IMT Hyderabad	Hyderabad	INR 14.27 lakhs
	Jaipuria Institute of Management	Noida, Lucknow	INR 16.50 lakhs
80–90 Percentile	Welingkar Institute of Management (WeSchool)	Mumbai, Bangalore	INR 14 lakhs
	Institute of Public Enterprise (IPE)	Hyderabad	INR 8.15 lakhs
	Xavier Institute of Management & Entrepreneurship (XIME)	Bangalore, Chennai	INR 12.90 lakhs

The given information on what is total NTA score in CMAT, shared above, must have explained you its importance and relevance in the examination. The NTA score in CMAT is really important for people who want to get into an MBA program. It shows how you did on the test compared to everyone. It is like a ranking that tells you where you stand among all the people who took the CMAT test. It is a deal because it helps schools figure out who to accept into their MBA programs.

MBA colleges do not look at the marks you get. They only use the NTA score to decide who to select, who to rank high, and who to give admission to. They totally depend on the it for this. MBA colleges use it to shortlist people, and then they rank them. Finally, they admit the candidates based on it.