NMAT Preparation Tips 2024: Tips, Strategy & Guide

The NMAT exam is conducted for MBA admission across multiple B -schools across India and abroad. Based on feedback from test takers of the past exam sessions, test takers found the exam to be moderate to tough in terms of difficulty standards. If compared with other MBA entrance exams, NMAT is comparatively easy as the candidates have the liberty to appear for the test three times and use the best scores for admission. Additionally, candidates can schedule the exam based on his/her convinience.

However, the level of difficulty can vary from year to year. Success in any entrance exam ultimately depends on the candidate's preparation and performance on the exam day.

You may be eligible for admission to the best management colleges in India and abroad based on your NMAT score. Therefore, performing well on this exam becomes essential. You can use the following expert strategy to clear the NMAT:

1. Before beginning your preparation, familiarize yourself with the NMAT's syllabus and exam format.
2. Create a schedule to finish the NMAT syllabus.
3. Choosing the best books and study materials to cover the NMAT syllabus
4. To prepare for the Language section, concentrate on vocabulary since it is a key element of this section.
5. Develop reading habits and conceptual clarity in grammar to perform well on the language section.
6. Basic concepts should be conceptually clear and practiced in order to prepare the quantitative section.
7. You should practice a lot of questions on arrangements and puzzles in order to do well on the logical reasoning section.
8. Before the exam, go over all crucial ideas, calculations, and theorems several times.
9. Start practicing mock tests and previous year's questions one month before the exam.
10. Analysing mock results will help you continuously raise your score over time.

Yes, preparation for NMAT and SNAP can be done together as most of the syllabus of both the exams are identical. Candidates are always recommended to appear for both the exams together if you are planning to give any one. Both NMAT and SNAP have four broad sections, that include Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Ability and Language skills. The names of these sections can change across different exams but are identical in relation to the MBA entrance exams.

Although one can prepare for all MBA entrance exams simultaneously, candidates must tweak the preparation strategy and fine tune a particular type of questions that are seen typically in each of the entrance exam. Some of the tips top prepare for both NMAT and SNAPT simultaneously are as follows:

1. Begin by practicing conceptual questions with easy to moderate level difficulty.
2. Learn about a lot of tips and tricks which can be used for both NMAT and SNAP. This saves a lot of time while attempting questions.
3. Once the concept is clear, one must move on to moderate to tough questions. Transitioning from easy to difficult questions will help candidates preparing for different MBA entrance exams.
4. Candidates must appear for mock tests of both NMAT and SNAP to get the clarity in terms of the pattern, difficulty standards, type of questions, and more.
5. Start with NMAT mock tests as NMAT exam typically commences in the month of October, while the SNAP exam date lies around December.

Taking the mock tests for both SNAP and NMAT will provide a base to develop an exam day strategy for both the exams.

Yes, Graduate Management Admission Council prescribes the NMAT Official Guide for exam preparation. It is created and developed by the exam conducting authority, GMAC, itself and comprises everything an aspirant need to know about the exam, including:

• A detailed overview of the exam format and content
• Actual practice questions from past NMAT exams
• In-depth explanations of each question
• Answer key and scoring guide
• Tips and strategies for test-taking

The NMAT by GMAC official guide is among the most comprehensive resource available for NMAT preparation. It is essential for candidates who aims to maximise their chances of converting admission calls based on NMAT scores.

One may require more than 150 days to complete the NMAT syllabus thoroughly. The NMAT syllabus typically covers a wide range of topics in various sections, including Language Skills, Quantitative Skills, and Logical Reasoning. The duration required to complete the syllabus depends on numerous factors, such as your proficiency in these subjects, the amount of time one can dedicate each day to study, and the study plan. Additionally, candidates who have prepared for CAT exam or any other MBA entrance exam, they might require less number of days to complete the topics under NMAT syllabus.

The 150+ day duration must include the entire study plan, from covering the topics in syllabus to revision of those topics. Additionally, one must include the practice papers and mock tests within the preparation phase of the 1560+ days discussed above.

Yes, one can refer to CAT books for NMAT exam preparation. The NMAT and CAT are both management entrance exams for admission to MBA courses. Both CAT and NMAT share major parts of the exam sections such as quantitative aptitude, verbal reasoning, and logical reasoning skills. However, there are some minor differences between the two exams in terms of pattern.

Some of the best CAT books for NMAT preparation include:

• Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by RS Agarwal
• How to Prepare for Quantitative for the CAT by Arun Sharma
• Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT by Sarvesh K Verma
• Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT by Nishit K Sinha
• Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT by Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay
• Logical Reasoning by Arihant
• Logical and Analytical Reasoning by Ashok Gupta

In addition to the above mentioned books, candidates may also want to consider using online resources and practice tests to prepare for the NMAT. Candidates must also prepare for NMAT using the official guide and practise papers available on the NMAT website.

The NMAT Official Guide is a one-stop solution for NMAT preparation. It comprises topics from all three sections of the NMAT exam. It can help users gain fundamental knowledge and conceptual clarity on all the topics included in the NMAT syllabus. Such knowledge when combined with the rigorous practice of NMAT mock tests and question papers helps any test taker to score high marks in the exam. The key advantage of the Official Guide is that it not only comprises the answers to the questions but also the solution of the same.

The sections in CAT and NMAT exam are on similar lines. The space below mentions the similarities in the syllabus and exam sections:

1. Quantitative Aptitude in CAT and Quantitative Skills in NMAT: The Quantitative Aptitude section of the CAT and the Quantitative Skills section of the NMIMS Management Aptitude Test are both based on very similar topics. If the candidates prepare for the Quantitative Aptitude section of the Common Admission Test, which requires knowledge of higher-level topics, they can easily solve the Quantitative Skills section of the NMIMS Management Aptitude Test since the same foundation topics are covered thoroughly in the Common Admission Test preparation.
2. DILR in CAT and logical reasoning in NMAT: The DILR section in the Common Admission Test exam is a combination of data interpretation and logical reasoning, whereas, in the NMIMS Management Aptitude Test, the section is solely logical reasoning. These two sections of the respective exams are different from the other sections. As a result, anyone hoping to pass the NMAT by GMAC should devote enough time to studying for the reasoning section of the exam, as the syllabus covered in the CAT-D section will not suffice. 
3. VARC in CAT and Language Skills in NMAT: The VARC section of the Common Admission Test combined verbal ability and reading comprehension. Reading comprehension in Common Admission Test usually comes with tricky passages, whereas the passages in NMAT are relatively straightforward. Vocabulary- and grammar-based questions have more weight in the Language Skills section of the NMIMS Management Aptitude Test. However, the CAT VA will include reasoning-based questions. Students who want to prepare for NMIMS Management Aptitude Test and Common Admission Test at the same time must pay close attention to the Language Skills section of the NMIMS Management Aptitude Test after the Logical Reasoning section.

All sections of NMAT exam hold equal importance as the weighatge in terms of number of questions, and marks are similar across sections. Therefore, no particular section out of three sections hold additional importance. Candidates must prepare for all three sections based on the NMAT syllabus. However, candidates must work on theIr speed as the NMAT exam will have sectional weightage. Although all three sections have equal number of questions, each section has an unidentical time limit to answer these questions.

One can imporve the quant skills while preparing for NMAT exam by following the steps below mentioned tips:

1. Identify the weak areas: Determine the specific topics in Mathematics that are causing trouble during preparation phase. Focus and prioritise the study plan accordingly.
2. Review the concepts: Start by getting the conceptual clarity to get the strong fundamentals. Understand and revise basic concepts, including number systems, geometry, algebra, statistics, etc. One must build a strong foundation before they move to advanced topics.
3. Seek mentorship: One must consider joinibg a coaching to prepare for the NMAT exam. A crash course specialising in MBA entrance exam preparation will help candidates understand the difficult concepts with a targeted practice.
4. Invest in good resources: Candidates must find the recommended study materials or textbooks that cover the NMAT Quantitative Skills syllabus for the MBA entrance exam. A good book for Quantitative Skills will have examples as well as practice questions to reinforce the understanding.
5. Practice regularly: Practise is the key to scale up the Quantitative Skills. One must allocate a specific amount of time each day to solve maths problems. Candidates must start with easy problems and gradually move towards more challenging questions.

To improve Mathematics skills, one must invest the preparation with consistent efforts and practice. With a structured study plan and determination, candidates can improve their performance in the maths section of any MBA entrance exam.

NMAT by GMAC is among the major MBA exams conducted for admission in India and abroad. Candidates planning to pursue MBA typically appear for NMAT exam besides XAT, MAT, CAT, SNAP and more. Owing to its popularity, candidates preparing for the NMAT exam can find numerous books on exam preparation available at major book stores and online retailers. Candidates can also find the NMAT preparation books at a few libraries. In cases when the NMAT books cannot be found in the nearest store, one can use CAT exam books for NMAT preparation.

Yes, questions under each section of NMAT exam are to be answered within a specified time limit. NMAT exam has three sections. The total time to answer all questions across sections in the NMAT exam is 120 minutes. The 120 minutes of NMAT exam is divided as mentioned below:

Candidates need to adhere to the time-limit as the responses marked within the specified time-frame will be submitted automatically once the time is over.