Hi! I am posting on the blog after a long time. I hope you are safe and the preparation is on track. The 2020-21 test season has begun and some of you have already appeared for the NMAT and will be taking CAT on the coming Sunday. I recently appeared for the NMAT and as there is no detailed account of the test available on the web, I thought of penning it down. Here is my straight-from-the-heart debrief of this year’s NMAT attempt.
Backstory: I had scored a 270 on the NMAT last year which was possibly the highest score ever in its present format (as some of you might be aware, NMIMS used to conduct NMAT earlier which became NMAT by GMAC in 2015). Why possibly? Because NMAT scores aren’t published anywhere so there could be people who scored higher but never shared their score publicly. I had shared my experience in a Quora post wherein I had mentioned that I had framed my strategy after a single official mock and hadn’t done any specific prep.
This year, I wanted to take it on the first day itself as the pattern had changed but as I wasn’t sure of the COVID situation, I booked an online proctored attempt from home. The first day of the test itself, I got to know that my record was broken with a Mind = Blown score of 278. Later, there were reports of students getting 274 and that made me a little nervous about my attempt.
I’ve always maintained this philosophy that if I don’t do reasonably well in a test, I won’t find it comfortable to mentor students for that specific test. We definitely have nothing to prove but we don’t want to be obsolete either. Do read this post where Shashank also resonates with the same thing and has shared his take on consistent topnotch performance. As we don’t prepare for tests the way aspirants do, we sometimes do well and sometimes don’t. We rarely take mocks and even when we do, it’s for analysis videos or live practice with students. So when my record was broken, I decided to take things a little seriously and did the unimaginable: I signed up for official NMAT paid mocks and decided to take at least a few IMS + official mocks.
The first IMS mock that I took, I got a score of 290. But not sure if it counts as I had reviewed the LR section of it and I knew all the questions. With a few days to go for the test, I took the official mock 1 and scored a 317. I don’t know how the NMAT scaling works (I still don’t know) but the score told me two things: (1) I have the potential to do well and (2) if the difficulty of the actual test is similar, I will do well. As you’re allowed to take the test again and you get a different set of questions, I took the second attempt at the official mock and luckily the score came down to 286. If I had scored higher, I would not have taken another mock. Anyway, to cut the long story short, this is how I did on the mocks:
I kept an IMS mock for the end because our tests are slightly difficult. The mock exercise made me understand what the students go through. It’s difficult to take mocks again and again and experience sadness, frustration, boredom, disappointment, stress, and anxiety. But putting in regular practice is the most important thing because you can’t get better at test taking overnight. Thanks to this experiment, my empathy quotient has improved and let me put it out there: If you’re reading this and have taken a lot of mocks (considering all entrance tests) this season, you have my respect. Coming back to the story, the last two official mocks showed a 290 and 291 and the IMS test showed a 252. I was all set to take the test and secretly hoped to crack it.
Test day: I got up at 8 am for my test at 12. As I had scheduled an online proctored attempt and was experiencing an actual test from home for the first time, the first thing that I checked was if my internet connection was fine. The previous day, my connection wasn’t functional for an hour or so and I was afraid that a similar episode during the test would pretty much destroy whatever ambitions I had. My recommendation to candidates is to go for an attempt at the test venue (if it is safe) simply because then you don’t have to constantly worry about internet connection.
I could barely eat and told my family that I wasn’t confident enough. The thought of a score in the 270 range kept bothering me. Not that it’s not a great score but I kept thinking whether a 5/10 point improvement will feel anything special or will do justice to the small effort that I had put in. The stress was too much to handle so I meditated for half an hour (trust me, it helps). I had recurring flashes of Feliks Zemdegs at the 2013 Rubik’s Cube Championship video which I’ve seen countless times and it helped me calm a bit. I was ready.
Test experience: With about 15 minutes to go for the test time, I started the sign in process. The proctor was pretty helpful and she guided me through the whole thing. I was at my desk with ID proof, admit card, two A4 size sheets, pencils, and my laptop with inbuilt webcam. please note that you have to give a 360 degree view of the room to the proctor and show them area under the desk.
After all the setup was done, I started the test at about 12:10. My personal preference for section order is QA-LR-LS because I can manage verbal even when I am tired but I start making silly mistakes in QA if there is too much mental fatigue.
Quantitative Skills:
My first quant question went wrong. I didn’t read the question carefully, spent nearly 1.5 minutes on it, marked something in a hurry, and I realized that it was wrong. Nevertheless, there was no point crying over it and I started focusing on the task at hand: Read-solve-repeat. The quant was pretty straightforward and didn’t vary much from what you typically experience in the mocks. The first DI set was a line graph (easy affair) and the second DI set was a table with 4 columns and 7 rows (moderate). The third set, however, was remarkably painful. It could have also been because of the way I had responded to earlier questions but the set looked similar to this:
I had saved enough time for such eventualities by solving the first half quickly. On one of the questions from this set, I took a half chance because the clock was ticking and completing the section was more important than solving that specific question. By the time I was done, I had 4/5 minutes to go on the timer and felt pretty good about the overall attempt. I later realised the mistake that I had made in that first probability question. Didn’t pay attention to the ‘2-digit number’ part of the question 🤦 and kept hitting the wrong answer.
Logical Reasoning:
Most of my mock performances had a low accuracy on the CR/Deduction part of the section (refer the screenshot below from one of the mocks) and I decided to cross-check all the options properly before marking. The extra cautious strategy slowed me down significantly and I had to be really fast with other question types. What stumped me was two sets of input output questions (apparently if you start doing well, you get two sets but it doesn’t happen to everyone so it’s just a conjecture) but I was able to solve both of them nicely.
There was an arrangement question with very little information and it had several possibilities. In the interest of time, I didn’t write down all the possibilities in the beginning and went question by question. Again, I had to take a call on one of the questions whether to solve or random mark. I narrowed down to two options and marked one of them. Overall, I found it pretty lengthy and with about a minute to go, I completed the section.
Language Skills:
I had done quite well in the mocks and I was getting a fairly consistent accuracy across the areas that are tested by NMAT (refer the screenshot below from one of the mocks). During the test, I found some of the parajumbles tricky. The RCs were pretty lengthy but the questions weren’t that difficult to solve. I was able to arrive at the right answer in most of the cases. Analogy questions had a few close options and at a couple of places, I wasn’t sure of my answer. Time management becomes extremely important in this section. Though the questions on prepositions or analogy can be answered quickly, others consume more time and one has to strike a balance to finish the paper.
The end result:
I had a look at my score and quickly memorized it. I informed Shashank and some of my colleagues at IMS. The official scorecard mail arrived within half an hour and the scorecard showed:
My two cents:
- Analyze your mocks well and search for gaps. If a particular question has gone wrong, the reason behind it is of prime importance
- When people say that they can’t do DI, I ask them a random question: what’s 29*7 or what’s percentage equivalence of 1/16. If the foundation is shaky, the building isn’t going to be strong
- Practice intelligent guessing and understand whether it makes sense to take risks or not
- The good thing about NMAT is that it sticks to the structure. You won’t find random surprises on the actual test if you’ve taken mocks. The question could be difficult but it’s never out of the world
- 2 A4 size sheets should be enough for the entire test. My strategy here was to keep 1 sheet for QA and the other for LR + LS
- Don’t waste too much time sharpening one specific area beyond what’s required. Rather, increase your exposure in other areas so that you will be able to solve more questions on the actual test
- I am not an expert on the Language Skills section. Practice speed reading and skimming techniques to get better. For CAT RCs, we employ a different strategy, for NMAT kind of RCs, the strategy should be different
- Make better decisions. Don’t fall in love with a question. Mark something and move on if you think it will be too time consuming
- Don’t limit yourself by your mock scores. At the same time, don’t get overconfident by your official mock scores
- Experiment with the section order in the initial few mocks. Once you find what works for you, stick to it and take it to perfection
After the initial excitement, I returned to my normal self where I thought of the questions that I had missed, googled the words that I wasn’t aware of. I still feel that I could have done better and on a good day, the scorecard would have showed a 300+ but I also know that it:
Someone asked me if I will take the test again this season if my 291 gets beaten. The answer is No. Because it doesn’t matter. The mock tests and the actual test shattered my own notions about what I could and could not do and that matters for far more than a particular score. I hope the post motivates a few people to aim higher and do better in life. Thanks for reading! I wish you guys all the best for the test season ahead. May things work out for everyone soon!
I would love to hear from you! Keep visiting this space for more articles and if you have any article suggestions or queries, please leave them in the comments. Don’t forget to subscribe to the blog. Share this with your friends and co-aspirants. Happy prepping! 🙂
Cracking MBA CET 
Hello Sir,
I scored 248 with 81 , 82, 85 in language, quants, and lr respectively. Will this be sufficient for nmims mumbai or should i think for a retake?
LikeLike
Hi Vrishank! 80+ in all the sections is always a good sign. However, if you want to push your overall up and reduce the risk, can think of a retake. All the best!
LikeLike
Hi sir,
I Gave NMAT on 7th dec..My score was QA-82,LR-86,LS-82 and overall 250.Sir I just want to know is it safe score for final call for nmims mumbai?…LS score will not be a problem?…just want to know as i dont want to go for a retake unless it is truly needed.Please reply sir.
Thanks.
LikeLike
Hi Prashant! The score looks pretty good and should clear all the sectionals. A retake isn’t absolutely required unless you want to push your score further up to increase your chance of final selection. If it’s not a lot of pain, can consider a retake (also look at scores that you have from other exams and how hedged you are). All the best!
LikeLike
Hi Sir,
I took NMAT yesterday for first time and scored overall 252 with 98 in Language Skills, 74 in Quantitative aptitude and 80 in Logical Reasoning. Could you please suggest me if I shall book a retest or my score is fine for getting a call. Thank you.
LikeLike
Hi Ravi. Only worried about QA. Rest looks pretty good. Can consider a retake if you are serious about NMIMS Mumbai. All the best!
LikeLike
Hello sir,
I gave nmat 2nd attempt and got 80,87,76(qa,ls,lr) respectively(243 in total) . I know my lr is lower than expected. Lr was soo difficult this time when compared to my first attempt. Is there any chance of getting a call from nmims mumbai?
LikeLike
Hi Vishnu. If it’s not a lot of effort for you, I suggest a retake to increase your LR and overall score. All the best!
LikeLike
is anyone here facing difficulties in scheduling the AT HOME NMAT? There seem to be no slots available till the end of the month. Will NMAT be opening more slots as I have already paid for retake #2.
LikeLike
Hi. They keep opening slots every now and then. You need to keep checking everyday to stay updated.
LikeLike
Good afternoon sir,
I recently appeared for my retake #1 and ended up with a 228 (QS-69, LS-84, LR-75). WIll this get me a call from any of the NMIMS institutes if not from the Mumbai campus? Also, for a call from the Mumbai campus, what would be the ideal score looking at the recent numbers
LikeLike
Hi! NMIMS Mumbai is expected to be in the 240-250 range. 228 will not be sufficient for NMIMS Mumbai but some of their other campuses might work out at that score. All the best!
LikeLike
Hello Sir,
I got a score of 246 in my first attempt of NMAT(LS-85, LR-84 and QA-77). What do you think of my QA score? Is it good enough to get a call from NMIMS Mumbai?
Also, if I give a second attempt and end up scoring a little higher overall score, say 250, but my sectionals being LS,LR-90 and QA-70. In that case, which score will be considered for giving out calls?
LikeLike
Hi Saurabh. 246 is a good score overall but looking at the fact that most of the students are now scoring beyond 240, it might not be sufficient for final conversion. If possible, go for a retake. On the consideration front, there are two possibilities. (1) They check whether the candidate is clearing all the sectional cutoffs and then pick the best overall score. (2) They consider the score that’s clearing all the sectional and overall cutoffs and in case the student has two such scores, the best one is considered. They have not revealed it anywhere and they just mention ‘Best score’.
LikeLike
Hi sir, I attempted NMAT on 23 dec and got an overall of 240
quant 70 , LR 80, LS 90
Then my reattempt on 11 Jan, i got 244
quant 72 , LR 81 , LS 91
please suggest what should be my course of action now?
LikeLike
Hi Isha. NMIMS Mumbai is still beyond reach at these scores because of the sheer number of people in the 240-250 range. Also, your QA score seems a little low to me and might not clear the sectional requirement. Though I am suggesting a retake, check if you’re planning to do something different from what you’ve done so far to have a shot at improving your overall and sectional score.
LikeLike
Hi Sir,
Nmat Score – 248
QA – 80
LR – 80
LS – 88
I am looking at NMIMS Mumbai seriously and just wanted to know whether I will be getting a call with this score or should I consider a retake?
If retake is needed then how do I work on my QA and LR?
LikeLike
Hi Shobhit. Looks good overall and there is a good chance of this clearing all the sectional requirements. If you are serious about NMIMS Mumbai, a retake is recommended to push overall beyond 250 or 255. NMAT OG + GMAT Quant OG can be used for QA practice.
LikeLike
Any recommendations as to where I can practice verbal reasoning for LR section?
LikeLike
Hello Sir, I attempted NMAT and got a score of 257 with QA-79, LR-89, LS-89.
Is it a Safe score?
LikeLike
Hi Sahishnu! Great score overall and sectional split also looks good. Though QA looks to be a little low, looking at the scores reported by students lately, it might just clear the cutoff but still there is a small possibility of the sectional being at 80. Evaluate your other options and decide whether you want to go for a retake or not.
LikeLike
Hi Sir,
I scored 258 on my second attempt.
QA – 80
LS – 97
LR – 81
Do you think I should take another attempt? Or is this good enough for NMIMS Mumbai?
LikeLike
hello sir i score 193 i am appearing for the retake my score was LR-61 LS-61 and QA-71 in LR there were lots of CR question which takes times and 2 input output set came what should i do in my second attempt can you please guide me and guide me what should i do in Langu skill section and QA section. In language section i find RC difficulty to handle and congrats for an aweasome score.
LikeLike
Hello Sir! I got 232 overall in my NMAT attempt on 19th Jan, Section wise scores are:-
QS 71
LS 80
LR 81
I have also scheduled my retake 1 on 3rd Feb. What all should I practice from now on?
LikeLike
hi sir,
Hi Sir,
I scored 249 on my second attempt.
QA – 75
LS – 92
LR – 82
No matter how hard I try i am not able to pull my quant score up. Any suggestion ??
My target is NMIMS mumbai.
LikeLike
Hi Mahir. Can consider solving the GMAT QA official guide or the NMAT official guide. The overall score is pretty good so you need to hope that the sectional in QA doesn’t go beyond 75 and you should be fine. If you’re planning for a retake, doing a lot of DI, mental math practice + solving mocks is the way to go.
LikeLike
Hi sir,
i scored 82 in ls,just asking is it safe? as i see many r getting high in this section even though not clearing the overall,so i m very confused whether go for retake or not as my other both section is
80+ and overall 250.i dont want to go for retake unless it is truly needed also i have backup as XAHR and KJ only.so please tell me wht to do now?
Sir,can u tell me nmims mumbai criteria for setting sectional and overall cutoff, as someone told me that 75th percentiler score will be the cutoff.what is this individually in each section or overall?
LikeLike
Hi Prashant. Not sure where this 75 percentile has come from. People say it’s 75 but there is no official proof that I’ve come across. Having said that, I’ve seen sectional cutoffs to be around 60-65 in the past when overall cutoff used to be 210. Considering 240 is the new normal, let me push sectionals by 10 and say 70-75. So 82 should be safe in my view and if the overall is 250, it’s a great total score. Should be fine for Mumbai I think.
LikeLike
Hi Prasad Sir,
Exhausted all the NMAT attempts and finally ended with below..
Overall : 254 (Quant : 80, LR : 93, LS : 81)
CAT & SNAP (being on 3rd slot) went for a Toss.. and NMAT being the only available option, Can this score suffice for Mumbai campus. Worried with LS score this time, but had no other option left.?? Waiting for your inputs.
Out of Box Query: I have received interview call from XLRI for GMP Program (Exe MBA). Do you have any insights on how this Program can fetch us results.? I heard it is not as par with Exe MBA programs of IIM A,B,C and ISB but still heard some decent reviews for IT Work Ex guys basis XLRI brand.
Myself being person with IT Work Exp of 5 years currently, At any moment which could be better take between NMIMS Mumbai Regular MBA or XLRI GMP Exe MBA ..? (If converted both) 🙂
Thanks,
-Arjun Tamiri
LikeLike
Hi Arjun! The score should be sufficient for NMIMS Mumbai. XLRI is definitely a great brand. I don’t have any direct feedback to give on this specific program. Please check Pagalguy, Quora, and LinkedIn for reviews. The more people you talk to, the better it is. The opportunities might be similar is what I think, though a lot of people will recommend an Exec program over full-time, simply because you will be an outlier in the full-time program with that work ex. It’s not really a deterrent, but it depends on the individual. Pure brand name wise, XL wins over NM.
LikeLike
Hello Sir,
In the final attempt, I have ended up with a 246 (QS and LR – 78 and LS – 90). Not sure if this score might make it for a call from Mumbai. I wanted to know what are my chances for a call from NMIMS BLR, HYD, or INDORE.
Also, sir, even if at all I might make it to a college. I still don’t have a clear idea as to which stream to opt for MBA. Is there any counseling service or someone who u could recommend I could talk to?
Also, sir, I also got a call from SDA Asia Center for the IMB program. Is it any good when everyone considers MBA as the only premier management degree?
Waiting for your kind reply
Thanks.
LikeLike
Hi Nihhar. 246 is a good score and if the sectional cutoffs come down to 75/76, you are definitely through. So the score might just be enough for Mumbai. It is already a great score for other campuses so don’t worry on that front.
Regarding specialization, I recommend talking to a lot of people from various specializations and understanding what working in each of it means. Most of the institutes allow you to choose your specialization in the second year while exposing yourself to everything in the first year. That definitely helps in the decision making process.
No harm in appearing for the SDA process. You can decide whether to join later once you have a clarity on the other options that you have.
All the best!
LikeLike
Sir I’m preparing for my retake for NMAT. It’s on 7th. I got 229 in my first attempt and i didn’t take it that seriously. Still i scored around 190-200 in mocks. Now my mock score is as low as 163. I’m not able to finish the section in time, it’s taking me a lot of tine to understand the question. I really don’t know what to do at this stage. Please help me out.
LikeLike
Hi Shabdita. As you have asked me this question with just two days to go for the final test, reviewing past mocks + taking a mock or two is all I can recommend. 229 might just be enough for K J Somaiya and non-Mumbai campuses of NMIMS. Give your best in the remaining two days and try to crack the test to the best of your abilities. All the best!
LikeLike
Hello Sir,
I’ve got a call from K J Somaiya. The form they’ve given out for CAPI is pretty lengthy and I’m assuming most of the questions will be posed on that form itself. How do I proceed with it? Also i am an IMS student, can you help me as to how to browse the portal for the interview and case analysis preperation?
LikeLike
Morning Sir,
needed some clarification. While I scrolling down to check the MBA intakes for outer states NMIMS. Some say that NMIMS only offers PGDM programs in BLR, HYD, and INDORE whereas other websites do mention about there being a few seats for MBA as well.
Are there seats for MBA in NMIMS-N. Mum, BLR, HYD, and INDORE?
LikeLike
Hi Sir,
Got to know that the cut-off for XIMB HR is 240. Based on this what could be cutoff for NMIMS Mumbai?
I have got 248 in total with 77 in Quant, 85 in LR and 86 in LS? Is this safe score?
LikeLike
Hi Nihhar! I hope you were able to download it. The system had some glitch the other day but it’s working fine now.
LikeLike
hi sir, could you please share your email id. if you could go through my answers for IIFT CV form, it would be of great help.
LikeLike
Hello Sir,
I’m getting around 220 in IMS NMAT mocks, average accuracy is 55-60% across sections.
My exam is scheduled for 15th October.
Should i reschedule my exam or 15 days are enough?
LikeLike
Hi Neel. If you can push it further in the next 15 days, you can take it. If you have doubts, pushing it by a month or so is recommended. Make a promise to yourself that you will solve more questions and prepare really well in the additional time if you decide to reschedule.
LikeLike
That’s a reasonable score. If the score has improved from there in the last few days and you have taken the official mock and have scored well in that, I don’t see the reason to change. but if you have some doubts, you can consider rescheduling.
LikeLike
Had appreared for cet 2021 should I focus on CAT or NMAT considering only 2 months left as Inclination is towards speed based exams
LikeLike
Hi. If your focus is speed based tests, then NMAT will be a better option. However, since CAT opens more doors for you, you can’t ignore it either. Also, why this OR that when you can prepare for both simultaneously. Whatever you do for CAT helps you for NMAT, and the only additional prep is taking mocks and NMAT specific content.
LikeLike
Hello Sir, Currently my NMAT mock score is around 160-170 can you suggest something so that i can utilize these two months and get a good score?
LikeLike
Hello sir, I got a score of 242 in the NMAT official mock. Could you please share whether it is good enough or not. I have my exam scheduled on 27th OCT.
LikeLike
Decent score! If you are feeling adequately prepared, no need to reschedule.
LikeLike
Pingback: My NMAT 2021 experience – Cracking MBA CET
Hello sir, what percentile can I expect in nmat of 198 score?
LikeLike
The NMAT scorecard doesn’t show percentile anymore. They used to do it till 2019 but stopped in 2020 and all cutoffs are released in terms of scores.
LikeLike
Pingback: My NMAT 2022 experience – Cracking MBA CET
Pingback: My NMAT 2023 Experience – Cracking MBA CET