The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) will open registrations for the 2026 NMAT by GMAC testing cycle on August 20, with the examination scheduled to be conducted from November 2 to December 20.
According to GMAC, the exam will be conducted exclusively at physical test centres this year. Candidates can register through the official NMAT website, with 64 test centres available across 59 cities in India. The examination is accepted by more than 58 business schools in the country.
The computer-based test assesses candidates in three sections — Language Skills, Quantitative Skills and Logical Reasoning. The exam will comprise 108 questions to be completed in 120 minutes, with equal weightage given to the three sections.
Unlike several other management entrance examinations, NMAT by GMAC does not have negative marking. Candidates will also have up to two opportunities to retake the examination to improve their scores.
GMAC said candidates will receive an instant preview of their scores after completing the test, while official scorecards will be available within 48 hours.
The examination is accepted by several management institutions, including SVKM's Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, K J Somaiya Institute of Management, Indian School of Business for its Advanced Management Programme in Business Analytics, SPJIMR's Global Management Programme, XIM University, Great Lakes Institute of Management, T A Pai Management Institute, SDA Bocconi Asia Center, University of Southampton Delhi, and ICFAI Business School, among others.
Gaurav Srivastava, Regional Director, APAC, Middle East and Africa, GMAC, said, "The steady rise in accepting institutions reflects the exam’s strong academic relevance. We remain focused on providing a student-centric exam that opens doors to top Indian business schools." He added that GMAC would continue to focus on providing candidates with a student-centric testing experience.
Candidates can also access the official NMAT guide and practice examinations as part of their preparation resources.
