CAT vs NMAT

NMIMS Aptitude Test helps a candidate get admission into MBA/PGDM programs at NMIMS Hyderabad, Mumbai and Bangalore campuses. A candidate is on a usual basis, allowed to make 3 attempts in total and the best of the 3 scores can be sent across to institutes of their choice.

Preparation for CAT should be sufficient for NMAT as well. Speed is an important criterion in NMAT which quite does not have negative marking that is a cause of worry in case of the Common Admission Test. NMAT has 4 sections – Language, Quantitative and Logical Reasoning having in total about 120 questions in about a duration of 120 minutes. (1 minute per question).

The preparation for Nmat should be in two parts. One which is devoted in gaining understanding over the concepts with practice questions devoted across accordingly. Extensive practice of mock tests and sectional tests is recommended. Adequate time needs to be invested in analysis of mock tests to determine one’s level of competence in various topics across NMAT.

NMAT by GMAC is more of a speed test in comparison to CAT which requires maximum accuracy by ensuring adequate attempt of the paper. The cutoff of the paper is close to 210. NMAT in 2016 had a tricky Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning similar to CAT. The strategy to crack this section in any exam for that matter is to scan through the sets quickly and identifying questions that can be answered well.

The students must make their most out of the Quantitative Section and do their best in the 35 questions that appear so that DI can be attempted in an efficient way. In an exam like this, it is best to stick to one’s strength and maximize performance from that point on.

CAT is more of an entrance test conducted for entry into IIMs and essentially eliminates candidates not eligible. NMAT is psychometric and diverse in comparison to the other tests in the market, offering a diverse candidate pool to private colleges, not only from the engineering background, also female candidates and in general candidates from various academic streams.

Shreyansh is a writer and blogger who writes Education related content. He believes that educational reformation is inevitable for Human Development and growth.