How to Prepare for GK Section of CMAT 2026? - Preparation Tips and Books

How to prepare for GK Section of CMAT? This question often looms in the mind of the candidates. The demand for management courses is increasing day by day and along with that the competition. Each aspiring candidate is ready to put in their hundred per cent to grab a seat.

Although to crack any such competitive exam, high dedication and hard work are required. CMAT (Common Management Admission Test) is a national-level examination that provides admissions to various B-Schools in the country. It is one of the popular choices of MBA aspirants. The exam pattern is divided into sections, and each part is given equal weightage. One of the important syllabus is General Knowledge.  

How to Prepare for the GK Section of CMAT 2026?

The syllabus for CMAT 2026 is divided into Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Language Comprehension, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and General Awareness (GK and Current Awareness). Twenty questions are asked from each section, and accordingly, marks are distributed. However, there is a negative marking for each wrong answer. 

Besides, it is necessary to know the exam pattern and distribution of marks. The same goes for CMAT. For every aspiring candidate, it is vital to know the general awareness for CMAT 2026. Hence, here it is:

CMAT 2026 GK Sections 

Areas of Question	Total No. of Questions	Weightage
Static General Knowledge Questions	15	70% - 80%
Current Affairs	5	20% - 30%

Also Check: Top 10 CMAT Coaching in Indore

How to Prepare for the Static GK of CMAT 2026?

The static General Awareness for CMAT 2026 includes Indian history, geography, Indian constitution, economics, business-related updates, upcoming & bestseller brands & companies, newly released books, science & technological developments, sports, etc. To prepare for this section, here are some tried and tested methods:

• Follow the books previously studied during the board examination.
• Keep an eye for detail and note important dates, events, establishments, releases, etc.
• Bookmark the important pages for quick reference and revision.
• Learn and memorise all the recent government initiatives, policies, and implements.
• For science and technology, follow the news and note the recent inventions, developments.
• Follow the sports channels and news to be updated with the latest sports news from worldwide.

Also Check: Is Calculator Allowed in CMAT Exam 2026?

How to Prepare for the Current Affairs GK of CMAT 2026?

The current affairs are mostly the events taking place in our daily surroundings, how it is related to us. Thus, it is very important to know the recent happenings worldwide. However, this portion carries less weightage but cannot be neglected. Therefore, here are a few tips to prepare for current affairs GK for CMAT:

• Optimise time in following competitive magazines, newspapers, etc. 
• Follow the recent happenings in and around the world. 
• Learn more about the growing environmental issues.
• Keep a tab on current social issues, business development, stock market, new technological invention and introduction in the automobile industry, etc.
• Additionally, learn about the important global events.

Also Check: View all MBA Colleges in India

Books on GK Section of CMAT 2026

While preparing for the GK section of CMAT 2026, the candidates must be well at par with the recent events. There are various GK books and certain magazines that can boost the preparation level. Additionally, reading the newspaper is highly recommended. 

The books, along with the authors, are mentioned below; moreover, the newspapers and magazines that are considered useful for all the competitive MBA examination are mentioned as well: 

CMAT 2026 GK Section Books

Books	Authors/ Publications
The Complete Reference Manual For CMAT	Col. JS Rana SK Sinha and S Satyanarayan
General Knowledge 2026 Book	Manohar Pandey
CMAT Entrance Exam Guide	LearnX
Stalwart Career Institute CMAT Complete Preparation Books & Mocks	Stalwart Career Institute
General Knowledge	Disha Experts
Newspapers
The Hindu	The Financial Times
Financial Express	Economic Times
Magazines
Pratiyogita Darpan	Management Compass
Career Launcher	Yojana

Must Read: Top B-schools Accepting CMAT Scores

CMAT GK Questions 2023-2018

Here is the CMAT GK frequency of the past years, by following this candidates will get a rough idea on the number of questions that usually comes from the GK section:

Frequency of CMAT Previous Years GK Question 

Areas of Question	2022	2020	2019
Static General Knowledge Questions	15	24	20
Current Affairs	5	1	5

• CMAT 2023 Question Paper - Shift 1
• CMAT 2023 Question Paper - Shift 2
• CMAT Apr 2022 Question Paper
• CMAT Jan 2020 Question Paper
• CMAT 2019 Set 2 Question Paper
• CMAT 2019 Set 3 Question Paper
• CMAT 2018 Slot 1 Question Paper

Tips to Prepare for the GK Section of CMAT 2026

How to prepare for the GK section of the CMAT 2026 is one of the persistent questions among the candidates. We consider it is not that tough, provided the candidates are well acquainted with the syllabus. However, there are a few tips by following which students can earn success.

1. Set-up a Timetable: While starting any preparation, it is important to create a timetable. Therefore, for CMAT, the same has to be done. While creating the timetable, every day some time should be separated for GK preparation.

Additionally, covering syllabus-wise topics are highly recommended. This way, candidates can keep track of all the topics covered and the ones left. 

2. Inculcate the Habit of Reading Newspaper: Newspaper is considered an excellent source of information. As we all know, “NEWS” stands for North, East, West, and South; hence, all the important news from around the corner of the world and country will be covered. 

Moreover, this will also increase the attention span, develop reading habits. Therefore, all the factors are favourable for the candidates.

3. Solve Quizzes: Quizzes are one of the best sources to test knowledge. Candidates can schedule daily quizzes or weekly quizzes. Furthermore, by following the routine, candidates can know about the topics they have missed. Also, there might be certain topics that can go overlooked; this process will cover them.

4. Read Competitive Level Magazines: The list of competitive magazines mentioned above are highly recommended magazines that cover almost every recent event, development, polity, economical growth, technological advancement, etc. Moreover, this can bear fruitful results and keep the candidate ahead of the competition.

5. Subscribe to Online Channels: These days, almost everyone is a fan of youtube. Certain channels curate and deliver everyday news and GK topics that are important for CMAT preparation. If there is not much time in hand, learning from an online medium will also help. However, we suggest reading from any source will help only if the candidates are serious regarding the CMAT.

Tips from Previous Year toppers' on Acing General Awareness for CMAT

The toppers from previous years' have suggested some tips that they followed to clear the GK section of CMAT. Therefore, candidates can follow the same to clear the CMAT.

• Toppers suggest that keeping oneself updated with current events is very important.
• Always rely on trusted sources such as newspapers, magazines, etc. Following any vague and ghost source can lead to future degradation.
• Reading and following the analysis of any particular topic can be helpful. Toppers suggest that it is not always possible to memorise all the topics; hence making notes or the following analysis can be helpful.
• Suggestions and recommendations by experts of CMAT are a must to follow. Their tricks and tips have helped them a lot.
• Lastly, they suggest preparing earnestly; without hard work and dedication, nothing could be achieved.

Also Read: How to Prepare for CMAT 2026?