NMAT Preparation Strategy: How to prepare for NMAT in 6 months and NMAT Preparation Material

Overview: "Every battle is won before it is fought..!!" ~ Sun Tzu. In order to make this happen, it is very important to study the enemy,  understand the NMAT exam pattern, and create a counter-offensive strategy, Attack and Win!

This article provides the best tips and strategies for elevating your NMAT preparation to a spectacular level and preparing for the exam on the final day.

Download Free Study Material for NMAT Exam 2024 by SuperGrads

Table of Contents:

What is the NMAT exam?

NMAT Preparation - Important Dates & Schedule

NMAT Preparation – NMAT Exam Structure

NMAT Preparation: How to start the NMAT Preparation?

NMAT Preparation: How to Prepare for NMAT in 6 months?

NMAT Preparation Books: Section Wise Best Books to prepare for NMAT

NMAT Exam Preparation Books: The Best NMAT Exam Preparation Books for Language Skills

NMAT Exam Preparation Books: The Best NMAT Exam Preparation Books for Quantitative Skills

NMAT Exam Preparation Books: The Best NMAT Exam Preparation Books for Logical Reasoning

What is the NMAT exam?

• Narsee Monjee Management Aptitude Test (NMAT) is a Computer-Adaptive Test conducted by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) for admissions to some of the leading graduate business programs in emerging markets, including India, South Africa, the Philippines, Nigeria, and Morocco.
• Being the most candidate-friendly MBA admissions exam, it offers the convenience and flexibility to choose dates as per convenience & improve scores with three attempts in a testing cycle.
• The next date can only be scheduled after the first attempted paper.
• Candidates can attempt retakes with a 15-day gap window.
• Candidates can also reschedule the date and time of their NMAT exam within the 70-day test window.
• It should be noted that NMIMS accepts the scores only on the first attempt of NMAT.
• The NMAT by GMAC™ exam registration and the school application process are separate steps. Registration for NMAT does not mean you have registered for NMIMS or any other college.

Read More: NMAT Exam

NMAT Preparation - Important Dates & Schedule

Following are the expected NMAT entrance exam dates:

Particulars	Dates (Tentative)
NMAT Registration	August to October
NMAT Scheduling	August to October
NMAT Exam Dates	October to December
NMAT Results	Within 72 hours of giving the exam
NMAT Rescheduling	October to December
NMAT Retake Scheduling	October to December
NMAT Conduction Mode	Computer-Based Adaptive Test

Read More: NMAT Marking Scheme

NMAT Preparation – NMAT Exam Structure

Sections	Questions	Time (minutes)	Score Range
Language Skills	36	28	12-120
Quantitative Skills	36	52	12-120
Logical Reasoning	36	40	12-120
Total	108	120	36-360

Read More: NMAT Selection Process

NMAT Preparation: How to start the NMAT Preparation?

• Candidates planning to start the NMAT Preparation in advance, especially with 6 months in hand, should do it strategically, make a proper study plan, and follow it religiously.
• Before making a study plan, candidates should ensure that certain steps of NMAT Preparation are followed for the smooth execution of the plan they will prepare!
  1. NMAT Preparation should always start with studying the NMAT Exam Pattern and Syllabus to determine what topics to study and what topics to avoid.
  2. Solve the Previous Year’s Question Paper to check your current level and identify your strengths and weaknesses so that you can plan your NMAT Preparation accordingly.
  3. Focus more on your weaknesses, but never ignore your strengths. It is very important to turn your weaknesses into strengths, but it is also equally important to keep polishing your strengths so you do not lose their hold.
  4. Gather all the necessary NMAT Preparation resources and NMAT Preparation Books in advance.
  5. Make a time-bound NMAT Preparation plan and dedicate 3-4 hours daily to cover the entire syllabus.
  6. The NMAT Preparation plan should include regular mock tests and shouldn’t be left only at the end after completing the entire syllabus. It is important to note that mock tests prepare you for the exam environment and stress management, in addition to helping with the syllabus. Hence, mock tests should go hand in hand with the NMAT preparation.
  7. The NMAT Preparation plan should devote proper time to the revision of the syllabus and shortcut tricks.

Read More: MBA at NMIMS

NMAT Preparation: How to Prepare for NMAT in 6 months?

• NMAT Preparation Start Date: May/June
• NMAT Preparation Over Date: November/December

NMAT preparation can be completed very calmly in 6 months by devoting 3-4 hours daily to cracking the exam. The NMAT Preparation plan should be something similar to the plan below:

• The most important part of the NMAT Preparation is reading news articles and newspapers daily to improve your reading and articulation speed.
• The First step of NMAT Preparation is to study the NMAT Exam Pattern and Syllabus to determine the topics to cover and estimate the areas of strength and weakness.
• Conduct a Pre-Mock Test to analyse your current level and note your strengths and weaknesses.
• In the first part of NMAT Preparation, devote 120-150 minutes daily to your strong areas and practice the difficult-level questions for all the sections of the NMAT.
• Study the Shortcut tricks for the strong areas and try to solve the questions with those tricks to keep them at your fingertips and add them to your mental and physical reflex systems.
• The second part of NMAT Preparation should focus on the weaker areas. You should take one section(QS, LR, LS) and give 120-150 minutes to the topics you are weak at and try to convert them to your strengths.
• The NMAT Preparation for weaker areas should not focus solely on Theory. It should be the combination of the first theory of one topic and then questions of that topic. You should try to cover at least 50 questions each for the Easy, Medium and Difficult categories.
• Enrol in a Question Bank and Mock series from a good coaching institute to access the latest question types and shortcut tricks. NMAT Preparation is incomplete without a good question bank.
• You can also purchase the latest versions of NMAT Preparation Books or the official NMAT Book by GMAC for the question bank and Mock Tests.
• The perfect NMAT Preparation plan should include solving 5-7 Reading Comprehensions, 5-7 sets of DI & LR each and a minimum of 50 questions each for all the remaining sections.
• Students should try solving questions in a time-bound environment daily to adapt to the exam environment and stress levels and learn time management.

Even if you don’t have 6 months for NMAT preparation, there is no need to get demotivated. It is not the number of months that matters for NMAT preparation; instead, you can divide it into some hours.

The total hours required to prepare for NMAT is 500-600. This time can be shortened depending upon the clarity of concepts you possess at the start of preparation. If the basics of all subjects are clear, NMAT preparation can also be done in 250-300 hours.

NMAT Preparation Books: Section Wise Best Books to prepare for NMAT

• Whether online or offline, NMAT Exam Preparation Books and preparation materials are major in helping you prepare for the NMAT.
• NMAT Exam Preparation Books will guide you through exam preparation, strengthen your fundamentals, clarify your concepts, and provide shortcuts to solving questions.

NMAT Exam Preparation Books: The Best NMAT Exam Preparation Books for Language Skills

• The Language Skills section of the NMAT Exam is focused on grammatical concepts and vocabulary.
• It tests your verbal, English Language, and Reading Comprehension Skills.
• There are 36 questions in this section, and you have 38 minutes to complete them.
• The score range for Language Skills is 12-120.
• The Language Skills portion of the NMAT syllabus is split across the following three sections:
  • Vocabulary
  • Grammar
  • Comprehension
• The best NMAT Exam Preparation Books for Language Skills are listed below.

NMAT Books for LS	Authors
How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension	Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension	Nishit Sinha
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension	Ajay Singh
Word Power Made Easy	Norman Lewis
High School Composition & English Grammar	Wren & Martin

Read More: NMAT Exam Fees

NMAT Exam Preparation Books: The Best NMAT Exam Preparation Books for Quantitative Skills

• As a key part of the syllabus, the Quantitative Skills section of the NMAT exam requires you to solve problems that test your numerical and mathematical skills, as well as data sufficiency and data interpretation.
• The number of questions is 36, and you have 52 minutes to complete them.
• Your score range for the Quantitative Skills section is from 12 to 120.
• The NMAT exam pattern for the Quantitative Skills section is broadly split across five topics. These are:
  • Arithmetic
  • Algebra
  • Modern Math
  • Geometry & Mensuration
  • Data Interpretation
• The following NMAT Exam Preparation books are highly recommended:

NMAT Books for QS	Author
Quantitative Aptitude for CAT	Arun Sharma
Quantum CAT	Sarvesh K Verma
Quantitative Aptitude	R.S. Aggarwal
How to prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT	Arun Sharma
Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT	Nishit K Sinha

Read More: NMAT Test Centres

NMAT Exam Preparation Books: The Best NMAT Exam Preparation Books for Logical Reasoning

• The logical reasoning section of the NMAT exam tests your analytical and critical ability. You'll be required to analyse arguments and draw conclusions, thus demonstrating your judgment-making skills.
• There are 36 questions in this section, to be completed in 40 minutes.
• Your score range for this section is from 12 to 120.
• The logical reasoning section is split majorly into two sections:
  • Analytical Reasoning
  • Verbal Reasoning
• Some NMAT Exam Preparation books that can help prepare for this section are:

NMAT Books for LR	Authors
Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT	Nishit K Sinha
How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for CAT	Arun Sharma
A Modern Approach to Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning	R.S. Aggarwal
Logical Reasoning	Arihant Publishers
Analytical Reasoning	M K Pandey

Read More: NMAT Eligibility