NMAT 2026 exam is expected to be held from early November till mid-December, 2026. NMAT 2026 Registration dates are early August till mid-October, 2026. Exact dates will be confirmed on the release of NMAT 2026 notification. NMAT exam duration is 120 minutes, and exam can be taken in morning, afternoon and evening shifts. NMAT Exam is a well-accepted MBA entrance exam that offers flexibility and convenience through a long testing window, multiple attempts, and self-scheduling options. If you're planning to appear for NMAT 2026, it’s essential to keep track of all key dates related to registration, exam scheduling, rescheduling, and test slots. Read this article for complete details. Also download NMAT 2026 Exam Dates and Schedule PDF.
NMAT (NMAT by GMAC) is an important national level MBA entrance test leading to admission in many top MBA colleges including NMIMS Mumbai, TAPMI, XIMB, KJ Somaiya and SDA Bocconi amongst others. NMAT exam is conducted by Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), the body that also conducts GMAT Exam across the world. Check key highlights of NMAT Exam in table below.
Generic NMAT : NMAT 2026 Exam Highlights - 2026
NMAT Exam Particulars | Key Details |
|---|---|
NMAT Exam Conducting Body | Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) |
NMAT official Website | mba.com/exams/nmat |
Top MBA colleges accepting NMAT | NMIMS, XIMB, KJ Somaiya, TAPMI, SDA Bocconi |
NMAT 2026 Exam Dates | November 5 to December 19, 2026 (Expected) |
NMAT Exam Test Mode | Computer-based test at Test Centre OR Online Proctored Exam at Home |
NMAT Exam Time Duration | 2 hours |
Total Questions in NMAT Exam | 108 |
NMAT Scoring Scheme | +3 Mark for each Correct answer, No negative marking for wrong answer |
Sectional Division of the NMAT Exam | 3 Sections |
Does NMAT have Sectional Time Limit? | Yes, and is different for each section |
Choice of determining order of sections | Yes, available only once |
Exam Difficulty Level | Moderate as compared to CAT or XAT Exams |
Required NMAT exam Percentile for MBA admission in Top Colleges | Based on NMAT Scaled Score, Percentile Not Awarded |
NMAT Exam Application Fee | Rs. 3000 (Expected) |
Based on previous year’s date, NMAT 2026 registration window is expected to open on August 1, 2026 and close in Mid-October, 2026. During this period, candidates can register online through the official NMAT by GMAC portal and proceed to schedule their preferred exam date and time.
- NMAT 2026 Registration Start Date: August 1, 2026 (Expected)
- NMAT 2026 Registration Last Date: October 10, 2026 (Expected)
Check complete NMAT registration schedule in the table below.
Generic NMAT : NMAT Important Dates 2026 (Expected) - 2026
NMAT Events | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|
NMAT 2026 Registration | Aug 1, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
NMAT 2026 Scheduling | Aug 1, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
NMAT 2026 Re-scheduling | Aug 1, 2026 | Dec 16, 2026 |
NMAT 2026 Exam Dates | Nov 5, 2026 | Dec 19, 2026 |
NMAT Retake registration | Nov 6, 2026 | Dec 16, 2026 |
NMAT 2026 Retake scheduling | Nov 6, 2026 | Dec 16, 2026 |
Release of NMAT 2026 official scorecard | Within 48 hours of exam slot | Within 48 hours of exam slot |
The NMAT 2026 exam is expected to be conducted over a wide testing window. Candidates can choose a convenient slot (morning, afternoon, or evening) at a test center. Check expected dates below:
- NMAT 2026 Exam Start Date: November 5, 2026 (Expected)
- NMAT 2026 Exam Last Date: December 19, 2026 (Expected)
- Time Slots: Multiple slots available each day
In case you need to change your NMAT exam slot, the rescheduling facility will be available from August to December, 2026. Candidates must reschedule at least 72 hours before the original test date.
- NMAT 2026 Rescheduling Start Date: August 1, 2026 (Expected)
- NMAT 2026 Rescheduling End Date: December 16, 2026 (Expected)
- Mode: Online via NMAT candidate dashboard
NMAT 2026 official notification is expected to be released by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) in July 2026 (tentative), based on the NMAT 2025 release pattern when the notification was published ahead of the August 1 registration opening. The notification will be published on the official NMAT by GMAC website mba.com/exams/nmat and will confirm all key dates, including registration window, exam window, rescheduling dates, retake schedule, and the Additional Phase dates (if applicable). It will also specify the registration fee, test centre list, exam pattern, eligibility criteria, and complete terms and conditions for NMAT 2026.
NMAT 2026 admit card will be released immediately after successful fee payment and slot booking. Hence NMAT Admit Card release process is different from CAT 2026, XAT 2027, or SNAP 2026, which release admit cards on a fixed date. Since NMAT uses a self-scheduling model, each candidate's admit card becomes available on their NMAT by GMAC candidate dashboard as soon as their payment is realised and the exam slot is confirmed. The NMAT admit card will carry the candidate's name, photograph, NMAT by GMAC ID, exam date and time, test centre address (or Online Proctored at Home login details), and proctor instructions.
NMAT 2026 scorecard will be available for download on the candidate dashboard within 48 hours of taking the exam, making NMAT the fastest-result MBA entrance exams in India. For reference, CAT results are released after a month of exam date and XAT result are released after 2-3 weeks of exam date.
Candidates will receive an email notification from GMAC when the scorecard is ready. The scorecard includes scaled section scores (12–120 per section for Language Skills, Quantitative Skills, and Logical Reasoning) and the total scaled score (36–360), along with candidate details and exam attempt information.
Based on historical patterns, GMAC conducts an NMAT Additional Phase in early January each year, giving aspirants a second opportunity to appear for the NMAT exam if they could not register or perform their best during the main November–December window. For the NMAT 2026 cycle, the Additional Phase is expected to be held in January 2027 (tentative) with a short registration window (typically 5–7 days) opening in late December 2026 or early January 2027. Exact Additional Phase dates will be announced by GMAC on mba.com/exams/nmat closer to the main exam window's conclusion.
The Additional Phase carries the same Rs 3,000 + taxes registration fee. However, candidates should note that NMIMS University and some other top B-schools close their MBA admission applications by mid-January 2027, so Additional Phase scores may not be accepted by all institutes.
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NMAT exam duration is two hours or 120 minutes. Each section has a fixed allotted time. You can choose the order of the sections. Read more about NMAT Exam Pattern.
You can download NMAT 2026 Exam Dates and Schedule PDF from the link below. This document includes complete information given in this article, and previous year’s trends. After downloading, you can save this carefully and refer to it anytime required.
In summary, based on previous year’s exam dates, NMAT 2026 Exam Date and Time are given in this article. These dates will be confirmed after release of NMAT notification. Read above article for complete NMAT Exam Date and Time 2026 details.