CMAT 2022 Exam Analysis: Sectional Analysis and Percentile Prediction

Endeavor Careers Posted on April 15, 2022

CMAT 2022 Exam Analysis, CMAT 2022 Analysis, CMAT22 Analysis, CMAT-22 Analysis

CMAT 2022 brought with it a new section. And not surprisingly, the new section made the overall test look challenging. But what really shocked test-takers was the General Awareness section, where current awareness was far and wide, and General Knowledge-based questions dominated. Clearly, the two sections where CMAT takers had planned to give the least time, turned out most challenging. With this summary, Endeavor presents to you a detailed analysis and cut-off prediction of CMAT 2022.

CMAT 2022 Structure

Section	Number of Questions	Overall Difficulty Level	Suggested Time Allocation	Good Attempts	Good score
Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation	20	Moderate	45 minutes	16 with 90% accuracy	54
Logical Reasoning	20	Moderate	45 minutes	17 with 90% accuracy	58
Language Comprehension	20	Easy to Moderate	40 minutes	17 with 95% accuracy	63
General Awareness	20	Moderate to Difficult	15 minutes	11 with 90% accuracy	39
Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship	20	Moderate to Difficult	25 minutes	10 with 90% accuracy	35
Total	100	Moderate	170 minutes**	71	258 – 265*

* Overall good score is always higher than the sum of individual section-wise good scores.

** Students can utilize the remaining 10 minutes in their area of strength which also offers some room for potential score maximization.

The sectional, in-depth CMAT 2022 Exam Analysis is as follows:

Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation

Total Questions: 20
Overall Difficulty Level: Moderate
Good attempts (for a 98%tile): 16
Expected time for the section: 45 minutes
Expected Accuracy: 90%
Good score (for a 98%tile): 54

Topic	Sub-Topics	Easy Questions	Moderate Questions	Difficult Questions	Total
Arithmetic	Percentage and its applications, Ratio and its applications	5	3	0	8
Data Interpretation	Tables, Pie Charts	3	2	0	5
Modern Math	Probability	1	0	1	2
Number Systems	Number Properties	2	0	0	2
Geometry	Area & Volume, Triangles	2	0	0	2
Algebra	Linear Equations	1	0	0	1
Total		14	5	1	20

The eye-catching change, if any, this year, was the increase in Data Interpretation (DI) and the decrease in Modern Math. Arithmetic still rules the roost in CMAT, with 8 out of 20 questions, all of them manageable. Despite many students reporting that questions were calculative, the overall difficulty level of the section remains very close to that of CMAT 2021.

That is why, our prediction of a good score is close to that of last year i.e. 16 attempts, 14 correct, a score of 54 for 98%tile.

Logical Reasoning

Total Questions: 20
Overall Difficulty Level: Easy to Moderate
Good attempts (for a 98%tile): 17
Expected time for the section: 45 minutes
Expected Accuracy: 90%
Good score (for a 98%tile): 58

Replicating the QA-DI split, the Logical Reasoning section had 15 questions from Analytical Reasoning (AR) and 5 questions from Logical (Verbal) Reasoning (LR). CMAT covered the entire range of question types here, but students should be happy to see more questions from easier topics such as Direction Sense, Blood Relations, and Series & Sequences. The 5 questions in LR were conventional but clearly trickier than the AR questions. Attempting these at the end of the section would have saved time. Overall, the section was marginally easier than last year because of fewer Puzzle questions (which are time-consuming).

So, our prediction for a good score is higher viz. 17 attempts, 15 correct, a score of 58 for 98%tile.

Topic	Sub-topic	Easy Questions	Moderate Questions	Difficult Questions	Total
Analytical Reasoning	Series and Sequences	2	1	0	3
	Direction Sense	3	0	0	3
	Arrangements – Linear	1	1	0	2
	Blood Relations	2	0	0	2
	Set Theory	0	1	0	1
	Number Relations	1	0	1	2
	Coding-Decoding	0	1	0	1
	Arrangements – Mixed	0	1	0	1
Logical (Verbal) Reasoning	Assumptions	1	0	0	1
	Assertion – Reason	1	0	0	1
	Analogy	2	0	0	2
	Odd word	1	0	0	1
Total		14	5	1	20

Language Comprehension

Total Questions: 20
Overall Difficulty Level: Easy
Good attempts (for a 98%tile): 17
Expected time for the section: 40 minutes
Expected Accuracy: 95%
Good score (for a 98%tile): 63

Undoubtedly, the section that compensated for the awkwardness of the other sections was Language Comprehension. When CMAT 2021 comprised 14 RC questions out of 25, test takers were left wondering how to manage their time. This number went down to just 4 out of 20, based on a single passage. The passage had some of its banalities but was overall easily readable. Vocabulary-based questions were typically a breeze (unless you were completely unprepared for these questions). The questions did not rely on exotic vocabulary, and the answer choices were not too close to confusing. Grammar was the only part that could consume some time.

A smart test taker would ensure a 98%tile by allocating 40 minutes to this section, attempting 17 questions, and answering 16 correctly for a net score of 63.

Topic	Sub-Topics	Easy Questions	Moderate Questions	Difficult Questions	Total
Reading Comprehension	All about megacities	3	1	0	4
Vocabulary	Antonyms	2	0	0	2
	Synonyms	2	0	0	2
	Fill in the blanks	2	0	0	2
	Idiom Meaning	1	1	0	2
	Spellings	2	0	0	2
Grammar	Fill in the blanks	2	0	0	2
	Sentence Correction	1	1	0	2
	Direct/Indirect Speech	1	0	0	1
Verbal Logic	Parajumble	0	1	0	1
Total		16	4	0	20

General Awareness

Total Questions: 20
Overall Difficulty Level: Moderate to Difficult
Good attempts (for a 98%tile): 11
Expected time for the section: 15 minutes
Expected Accuracy: 90%
Good score (for a 98%tile): 39-40

Honestly, not many CMAT takers look forward to the General Awareness section so eagerly. And this year’s focus of the section on static GK won’t help improve its reputation either. Yes, a pretty imbalanced section, with 40% questions reminiscent of tougher government exams such as UPSC. But that is the catch of a tough section – when it’s tough, it is tough for everyone.

So, compared to the high attempts predictions for other sections, we reduce our prediction for this section by almost half. 10-11 attempts with 10 correct will put you safely at the 98%tile score.

Topic	Sub-Topics	Easy Questions	Moderate Questions	Difficult Questions	Total
General Knowledge	Constitution, History, Books, Authors, Geography	6	3	7	16
Current Awareness	Indian and international events, Awards	1	2	1	4
Total		7	5	8	20

Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Total Questions: 20
Overall Difficulty Level: Moderate to Difficult
Good attempts (for a 98%tile): 10
Expected time for the section: 25 minutes
Expected Accuracy: 90%
Good score (for a 98%tile): 35

This section was clearly the one that has left CMAT takers wondering whether they can score enough. Compared to last year, the section this year anyway had major changes in that, it was compulsory, with five fewer questions than last year. But the question format also changed. All questions were straight MCQs, with no paragraphs. This could be in part due to the feedback of 2021 CMAT takers that the passages in Social Innovation significantly increased time and reduced attention span during the test. But even with standard MCQs, the variety of concepts hit hard. If you managed at least 9 attempts with 100% accuracy, you did a great job. Because our expectation for a 98%tile score in this section is 35-36.

Topic	Sub-Topics	Easy Questions	Moderate Questions	Difficult Questions	Total
Specific Knowledge	Business, Economics, Management, Government Schemes	5	2	6	13
Current Awareness	Government schemes	2	3	2	7
Total		7	5	8	20

Overall CMAT 2022 Exam Analysis is as follows:

Team Endeavor predicts the following scores to percentiles mapping and cut-offs for programs accepting CMAT scores.

Score (out of 400)	Percentile
299+	99.5
280 – 288	99
258 – 265	98
234 – 242	95
215 – 222	90
200 – 208	80

Program	Expected cut-off
MMS, Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies	99.97
MMS, Sydenham Institute of Management Studies	99.95
MMS, KJ Somaiya Institute of Management	99.93
MMS, Welingkar Institute of Management	99.89
PGDM, Goa Institute of Management	95+
PGDM, KJ Somaiya Institute of Management	95+
PGDM, Great Lakes Institute of Management	90+
PGDM, National Institute of Banking Management	90+