The National Testing Agency (NTA) is anticipated to publish the provisional answer key and response sheet for the CMAT 2026 entrance examination on cmat.nta.nic.in today, following trends from previous years. The CMAT 2026 exam was conducted on 25 January 2026, and the authority typically releases answer keys around 5–6 days after the exam date.
Provisional Answer Key Release and Objection Window
Once uploaded, the provisional answer key will include official correct answers and serve as the basis for score estimation. The response sheet PDF will show the answers marked by each candidate during the exam, allowing aspirants to cross-verify their responses. Candidates should keep their application number and password/date of birth ready to log in and download the answer key and response sheet from the NTA CMAT login portal when it goes live
Objection Submission Process
After the provisional answer key is released, NTA will likely open a short objection window — typically 2–3 days — during which candidates can raise challenges to specific answers they believe to be incorrect. A nominal fee may be charged per objection, and supporting documentation must be uploaded as proof. Once the objection period closes, NTA will review all challenges and publish the final answer key. The final key will then be used to calculate official scores and prepare the CMAT 2026 result.
How to Download the CMAT 2026 Answer Key & Response Sheet?
Candidates should follow these general steps once the links are available:
- Visit the official website cmat.nta.nic.in.
- Navigate to the link titled “CMAT 2026 Provisional Answer Key/Response Sheet”.
- Enter your application number and password/date of birth.
- Submit details to view and download the PDFs for both the answer key and response sheet.
It is advisable to save a copy of the downloaded PDFs for future reference and score calculation ahead of the result announcement.
What Happens Next After the Answer Key?
Following the publication of the final answer key, NTA will prepare the CMAT 2026 result, which is expected to be declared in mid-February 2026, based on past release patterns. The result will include section-wise scores, overall marks, percentiles, and all-India ranks that are used for MBA admissions across participating institutes.Candidates who want to estimate their tentative performance can use the provisional key and response sheet to calculate raw scores before official results are out.