CMAT 2026 results are out. And Narayana Business School has announced its CMAT 2026 cut offs. Many students try to “calculate” their CMAT percentile using shortcuts or online calculators. In reality, CMAT percentiles are not calculated using a fixed score-to-percentile formula. They are derived using a rank-based statistical method defined by the National Testing Agency (NTA). Let’s understand how it actually works.
CMAT Percentile Is a Relative Measure, Not an Absolute One
Your CMAT percentile does not indicate the percentage of marks you scored. It indicates the percentage of candidates who scored less than or equal to you. In simple terms: A 90 percentile means you performed better than 90% of test-takers and a 75 percentile means you performed better than 75% of test-takers.
The Official NTA Percentile Formula (Used for CMAT)
Unlike the CAT exam, which uses a complex scaled score, CMAT usually provides your Actual Raw Score (out of 400) alongside your percentile. However, your All India Rank (AIR) is derived strictly from the percentile/normalized score.
NTA uses the following official formula to calculate percentiles:
Percentile Score = (Number of candidates who scored less than or equal to you ÷ Total number of candidates) × 100
Important clarifications:
- “Less than or equal to” includes ties
- The calculation is done after normalisation, if applicable
- Percentiles are rounded off to up to 7 decimal places, then reported
There is no reverse formula that lets you accurately calculate percentile from score without knowing:
- Total number of test-takers
- Score distribution
- Normalised ranks
After results, many students ask: “I got 215 marks. What percentile is this exactly?” The honest answer is that You cannot calculate it precisely on your own. Why this happens is because percentile depends on how many candidates scored below you. Let’s say, CMAT is taken by 70,000–80,000+ candidates, so even a small shift in rank changes percentile significantly. This is why we at Narayana Business School never recommend coaching “calculators” which give only ranges and not exact numbers. Two students with the same score can still have slightly different percentiles.
The Correct Way Of Converting CMAT Scores Into Percentile
Instead of trying to calculate it, students should:
Step 1: Use the Official Percentile on Your Scorecard. This is the only final and valid percentile for admissions.
Step 2: Benchmark It Against Past Year Trends. Compare your percentile with last 2–3 years’ CMAT cutoff percentiles, colleges you are targeting, acceptance ranges (not just highest cutoffs).
Step 3: Evaluate colleges that accept percentile ranges. Like Narayana Business School is accepting CMAT percentile range ≥ 80. And those not meeting the cut off can still take admission by appearing for the NBSAT exam.
To apply at Narayana Business School, Click here: https://applications.nbs.edu.in/
About Narayana Business School
Narayana Business School, in Ahmedabad, Gujarat is one of the fastest growing B schools in India as rated by IIRF and offers industry compliant and specialized MBA/PGDM programs. With over 9000 alumni and counting, NBS Ahmedabad is one of the top choices for aspirants looking for a career transition, long term career prospects, or wanting to gain overall expertise in the most demanded field of 2026 like data science, quantitative finance, dual degree specialization, marketing, HR, and AI learning.
