How to Prepare for CMAT
The official dates for the Common Management Admission Test will be out soon and it’s time to start your CMAT preparation. CMAT 2022 is going to be a computer-based test. Innovation & Entrepreneurship which was optional till 2021 has now been made compulsory for CMAT 2022. This section consists of twenty-five questions for which an additional 30 minutes will be provided. To know about the CMAT syllabus, exam pattern and eligibility click here.
Let us understand in depth how to go about CMAT 2022.
- Awareness: The strategy building for any competitive exam starts with awareness. If you are an aspirant, you need to know the exam pattern, eligibility, concerned subjects or any recent changes established.
- Choose a Coaching Institute: Do your research and find a reliable external source for preparation. Working hard is on you but a good coaching institute that provides relevant study material and caters to your doubt helps in the long run. Keeping the current scenario in mind, you can go for online coaching for more cost efficiency and better time management.
- Study Material: Online or offline study CMAT preparation material is very essential. The books and sources you choose must have all the relevant concepts and questions. You can also take up an online course that provides structured CMAT preparation.
- Previous Year Questions: Practicing previous year’s question papers is an important aspect of CMAT preparation. Solving previous year’s question papers gets you accustomed to the CMAT question pattern. To check out the CMAT previous year’s question papers click here.
- Basic Concepts: The basic CMAT preparation strategy is getting your basic concepts clear and practising as many questions as you can. Only by making your base strong can you move to the advanced level questions.
- Practice Multiple Sets: After you get your concepts clear, practice as many sets as you can. Practice solving the RCs by analysing the gist and tone of the passage. For LRDI, practice different sets from all the topics multiple times. For Quants, start with basic questions and gradually move to the tougher ones.
- Mocks and Analysis: Appearing for mocks hold paramount importance in CMAT preparation. Mocks give you an idea about where you currently stand with your syllabus. By analysing these mocks you can note down your strengths and weaknesses and work on them accordingly.
Section-wise CMAT Preparation Strategy
- Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension
The CMAT question paper has 25 questions from VARC. The topics include:
| Reading Comprehension | English Usage Error | Synonyms |
| English Grammar | Paragraph Completion | Antonyms |
| Jumbled Para | One-word substitution | Verbal Ability |
| Sentence Completion | Idioms | Phrases |
The first step to deal with any of the questions is to understand the nature of it. Know what the question is asking of you.
When dealing with RCs, try to analyse the tone of the passage and what the author wants to convey. Read the entire passage and figure out the motive of each paragraph. Understand the gist of the RC. Coming to the questions, instead of trying to find the right option, eliminate the wrong ones. Also, know the reasons behind the elimination of those options.
To prepare for the verbal part, practice as many previous year questions as you can. That is going to give you an idea about the question pattern. Find sources providing multiple practice sets. When provided with options in the question, comparing and eliminating should be your approach.
2. Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation
The topics under this section are as follows:
| Tabulation | Mean, Median & Mode | Geometry |
| Pipes & Cisterns | Simple & Compound Interest | Time, Speed & Distance |
| Probability | Allegations & Mixtures | Profit & Loss |
| Permutations & Combination | Percentages | Work & Time |
| In-equations | Line-graphs | Mensuration |
| Algebra | Quadratic & Linear Equations | Number System |
| Ration & Proportion | Binomial Theorem | Pie Chart, Bar Chart |
Practice all the sets from previous year’s questions to question banks and the test series/ courses you’ve enrolled for. Get your basic concepts clear and learn the formulas. Practice mental math for quick calculation. Gain familiarity with all types of questions and do not leave any topic. Learn solving questions via shortcut methods.
3. Logic Reasoning
The topics under the Logical Reasoning Section are:
| Analytical Reasoning | Analogy Test | Direction & Distance Test |
| Linear Arrangements | Blood Relationship Test | Ranking Tests |
| Statements & Arguments | Coding & Decoding | Statements Assumptions |
| Sequencing | Inferences | Statements & Conclusion |
| Matrix Arrangements | Non-Verbal Reasoning | Symbol Based Diagrams |
| Number Series | Cause & Effects | Venn Diagrams |
Start by solving 2-3 sets and gradually move to solve 4-5 sets a day. Practice diagram based questions and make your self comfortable with them. Make sure to read the question carefully and keep the details in mind and not keep re-reading it as it is only going to cause more confusion.
4. General Awareness
The more common topics concerned in this section include:
| Literature | Sports News | Culture |
| Indian Constitution | Trade Awareness | Science in Everyday Life |
| Politics | Geography | Current Affairs of National and International Economy |
| Economics | History | Personalities in News |
In order to prepare for General Awareness, prepare for all the topics mentioned above. Keep track of the current affairs, take a newspaper subscription and read it every day. Watch the news regularly. Take GK quizzes on an everyday basis. To analyse the static GK question pattern, you can check out the previous year’s questions as well.
5. Innovation & Entrepreneurship
| Concepts of Innovation Management Terminology | Three Types of Idea Management Systems | Creating Entrepreneurial Development |
| Creativity and its Stimulation | Management of Innovation Projects | Project Management |
| The Innovation Adoption of the Life Cycle at the Individual Level | The Entrepreneurial Development | Entrepreneurship Development & Government |
The questions concerned in this section need logical thinking. The answers should be dealt with with a business mindset. Read about different entrepreneurship schemes and new innovations as well as innovators. Get acquainted with the basics of starting organisations and startups. Think very critically while dealing with this section.
Join the CMAT preparation Whatsapp group here.
The CMAT 2022 Course is now available. Visit the link below to enrol.
