CAT vs NMAT: Which Exam is Better?

CAT vs NMAT, CAT is a national-level entrance exam offering admission into top MBA institutions, whereas NMAT is a college-level entrance exam which offers admission into specific top MBA institutions such as NMIMS and more.

Table of Contents

CAT vs NMAT: Similarities
CAT vs NMAT: Differences
CAT vs NMAT: Exam Pattern 2023
CAT vs NMAT: Syllabus
CAT vs NMAT: Marking Scheme and Number of Attempts
CAT vs NMAT: Difficulty Level
CAT vs NMAT: Participating Colleges

CAT vs NMAT: Both of the exams are MBA entrance exams that candidates take every year for admission to top business schools in India.

However, NMAT is quite different from CAT in terms of exam pattern, number of attempts, etc., and is generally considered easier than the CAT. CAT vs NMAT analysis enables candidates to identify the differences and similarities between the two exams.

CAT vs NMAT: Similarities

Check out the table below to know the similarities between CAT vs NMAT.

CAT vs NMAT Similarities
Particulars	Details
Courses offered for admission	MBA/PGDM
Mode of Exam	Online (Computer-Based)
Duration of the Exam	120 Minutes
Exam Level	National
Medium of Exam	English
Sectional Timing	Yes

Read More: Different Types of MBA Courses

CAT vs NMAT: Differences

The candidates must understand the basic differences between the two exams. Differences between CAT vs NMAT are provided in the table below:

CAT vs NMAT Differences
Components	CAT	NMAT
Full Form	Common Admission Test	NMIMS Management Aptitude Test
Conducting Authority	IIMs	GMAC
Number of Attempts	Once every year	Thrice in the same window
Application Fee	General category: INR 2200 Reserved category: INR 1100	INR 2300
Negative Marking	Yes	No

Read More: General MBA vs Specialized MBA

CAT vs NMAT: Exam Pattern 2023

The students can refer to the exam pattern of both CAT and NMAT from the tables mentioned below to get a clarity on the same.

CAT

CAT Exam Patern involves three sections with 100 questions. Candidates are allotted 120 minutes to attempt the entire question paper.

CAT 2023 Exam Pattern
Sections	Number of Questions	Time Allotted
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)	24	40 Minutes
Quantitative Aptitude (QA)	22	40 Minutes
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)	20	40 Minutes
Total	66	120 Minutes

NMAT

The NMAT exam includes three sections. There was a notable change witnessed in the NMAT exam pattern from the year 2020.

As per the latest NMAT exam pattern, the question paper will consist of 108 questions only, which will be equally divided into 3 sections. However, the exam duration remains unchanged, i.e. 120 minutes.

NMAT 2023 Exam Pattern
Sections	Number of Questions	Time Allotted
Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation	36	52 Minutes
Language Skills	36	28 Minutes
Logical Reasoning	36	40 Minutes
Total	108	120 Minutes

Also Read: How to Prepare for CAT Exam in 3 Months?

CAT vs NMAT: Syllabus

The syllabus of the exams is to understand the complexity of the preparations for the students who are aspiring to get into one of the top business schools in the country.

CAT Syllabus

The CAT test-takers are evaluated in three areas: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Quantitative Aptitude, and Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning.

The detailed list of topics in CAT Syllabus covered under each section is given below:

CAT Syllabus 2023
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)	Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)	Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
Reading Comprehension	Blood Relations	Number Systems
Fill in the Blanks	Syllogisms	Time and Work
Vocabulary-based questions (Antonyms & Synonyms)	Tables	Simple and Compound Interest
Sentence Correction	Caselets	Percentages
Verbal Reasoning	Pie Charts	Ratios and Proportions
Analogies	Line Charts and Bar Graphs	Profit and Loss
English Grammar and Usage	Numbers and Letter Series	Permutations and Combinations
Cloze Test	Seating Arrangements	Mensuration
Para-Jumbles	Clocks’ Questions	Surds and Indices

NMAT Syllabus

A candidate’s language skills, logical reasoning skills, and quantitative abilities are assessed through the NMAT. The table below shows the topics involved in each of these sections of NMAT syllabus:

NMAT Syllabus 2023
Language Skills	Logical Reasoning	Quantitative Aptitude & Data Interpretation
Fill in the Blanks	Numbers and Letter Series	Simple and Compound Interest
Vocabulary-based questions (Antonyms & Synonyms)	Syllogisms	Percentages
Para-Jumbles	Tables	Ratios and Proportions
Reading Comprehension	Caselets	Profit and Loss
English Grammar and Usage	Pie Charts	Number Systems
Analogies	Clocks’ Questions	Time and Work
Sentence Correction	Seating Arrangements	Mensuration
Cloze Test	Line Charts and Bar Graphs	Surds and Indices
Verbal Reasoning	Blood Relations	Permutations and Combinations

Read More: NMAT vs CAT Syllabus

CAT vs NMAT: Marking Scheme and Number of Attempts

The students can check the marking scheme and the negative marking details in the pointers mentioned below to understand the grading method of the examinations.

CAT: The question paper of CAT consists of both MCQ and non-MCQ (TITA) questions. The test-takers will be given 3 marks for every correct attempt.

The CAT exam also includes negative marking; however, if the test-taker does not attempt a particular question, their marks will not be deducted. Authorities prepare the final score card depending on the scaled score and percentile.

As far as the number of attempts is concerned, CAT is conducted once a year in the month of November.

NMAT: The question paper of NMAT comprises only MCQ-based questions. Every correct response in NMAT will fetch you 3 marks. Moreover, there is no negative marking in case of incorrect responses.

Authorities release the final score card on the basis of the scaled score (sectional range: 12-120 and overall range: 36-360)

As for the number of attempts in NMAT, it is possible to attempt the exam 3 times within a 75-day test window (October to December) in a given year.

CAT vs NMAT: Difficulty Level

The students can understand the difficulty level of the exams by checking the year on year question papers and the number of students who have scored high, medium, or low percentiles.

CAT: As mentioned earlier, CAT takes place annually, and lakhs of MBA aspirants take the exam every year.

Due to factors like competition level, exhaustive syllabus, time constraints, and level of questions, the overall difficulty level of CAT is much higher than the NMAT.

NMAT: The difficulty level of NMAT is far easier than the CAT. As discussed above, the format of the NMAT exam is such that it allows candidates to appear thrice for the exam in a particular year.

Moreover, NMAT is a computer-adaptive exam, which means that questions asked in the 2nd/3rd attempts will be based on the candidate’s performance in the 1st attempt.

Therefore, the NMAT is a more flexible and student-friendly MBA entrance exam compared to the CAT.

Also Read: How to Score in NMAT?

CAT vs NMAT: Participating Colleges

The choice between CAT vs NMAT may also depend on the business school you wish to attend. CAT scores are accepted by IIMs and other institutes in India, whereas an NMAT scorecard allows you to enrol into NMIMS university and other business schools. However, a significantly higher number of B-schools accept CAT scores as compared to NMAT scores.

CAT

Listed below are the top colleges accepting CAT scores in India:

NMAT

The list of top NMAT participating colleges in India is provided below:

Conclusion

To conclude, while both CAT and NMAT are challenging exams, CAT is more difficult than NMAT. However, considering that both exams have a similar syllabus, a candidate who prepares for CAT will also succeed in the NMAT.

Moreover, we cannot say that one exam is better than the other. Candidates need to consider the above-mentioned aspects and decide which exam will be suitable for them, between CAT vs NMAT.