You have budget and energy for maybe two exams besides CAT. Your friends from Pune swear by SNAP. Your cousin at NMIMS says NMAT is "the easy one because there's no negative marking". Both of them sound sure, and both of them are describing different students.
SNAP and NMAT look similar from far away: both run in winter, both test English, reasoning and Quant, and both lead to well-known private B-schools. Up close they reward very different test-takers. SNAP is a 60-minute sprint with negative marking. NMAT is a two-hour paper with separate timers for each section and no negative marking. Knowing which format fits you is half of choosing well.
Quick answer: SNAP is a 60-question, 60-minute test with −0.25 for wrong answers, used only by Symbiosis institutes, and your best of three tests counts. NMAT is a 108-question, 120-minute test with no negative marking and separately timed sections, used by NMIMS and other schools. NMAT suits careful, steady solvers; SNAP suits fast, accurate ones.
SNAP vs NMAT at a glance
| Point | SNAP | NMAT |
|---|---|---|
| Conducted by | Symbiosis International (Deemed University) | GMAC |
| Usually held | December, three test dates | Testing window, usually November to December |
| Questions and time | 60 in 60 minutes | 108 in 120 minutes |
| Sections | General English (10), Reasoning (20), Quant/DI/DS (20), Ethics (10) | Language Skills, Quantitative Skills, Logical Reasoning (36 each) |
| Sectional timing | None. Any order, switch freely | Separate timers: Language 28, Quant 52, Reasoning 40 minutes |
| Negative marking | −0.25 per wrong answer | None |
| Calculator | No | No |
| Attempts | Up to 3, best score counts | Up to 3 (1 + 2 retakes); each school sets its own rule |
| Score format | Out of 60 | Scaled, 36 to 360 |
| Used by | Symbiosis institutes only | NMIMS, K J Somaiya, XIM, TAPMI, Great Lakes and others |
Sources: snaptest.org and mba.com (official); Crack SNAP in 60 Days and Crack NMAT in 60 Days.
Which is easier, SNAP or NMAT?
Neither is easy. They are hard in different ways.
SNAP's challenge is speed. You get one minute per question with no calculator, and every wrong answer costs a quarter mark. Individual questions are mostly easy to moderate. The pressure comes from the clock and the penalty together.
NMAT's challenge is timing per section and the adaptive format. Each section has its own timer, and the Language section gives you about 47 seconds per question. The test is adaptive: answer correctly and the next questions get harder. You also can't go back to earlier questions, according to GMAC's NMAT FAQ. Quant is usually the toughest section and decides the gap between students.
| Time per question | SNAP | NMAT |
|---|---|---|
| Average | 60 seconds | About 67 seconds |
| By section | You decide | Language ~47 s · Reasoning ~67 s · Quant ~87 s |
If you're careful but not fast, NMAT's lack of negative marking and longer Quant time will probably feel kinder. If you're fast and confident, SNAP rewards you for it.
How the marking changes your strategy
In NMAT, never leave a question blank. There is no negative marking, so a guess can only help. When you're stuck for more than about a minute and a half, make your best guess and move on.
In SNAP, guess only after cutting at least one option. Each question has four options. A blind guess has an expected value of about +0.06 marks, which is almost nothing, and many blind guesses drag your accuracy down. Cut one option and the expected value rises to about +0.17. Cut two and it's about +0.38.
| SNAP guess | Expected marks per question |
|---|---|
| Blind (4 options) | About +0.06 |
| One option cut | About +0.17 |
| Two options cut | About +0.38 |
Source: Crack SNAP in 60 Days.
Attempts: the rule that trips people up
Both exams allow up to three attempts in a cycle, but they work differently.
- SNAP: Symbiosis uses your best score across the tests you take.
- NMAT: GMAC lets you take the test up to three times, but each school decides which score to use. NMIMS uses only your first valid NMAT score, according to GMAC's help centre. Other schools may use your best score.
So if NMIMS is your main target, your first NMAT attempt is the one that counts for NMIMS. Don't book it as a practice run. The NMAT retake strategy guide covers this in detail.
Which colleges accept SNAP and which accept NMAT?
| SNAP (Symbiosis only) | NMAT |
|---|---|
| SIBM Pune | NMIMS Mumbai |
| SCMHRD Pune | NMIMS Bengaluru, Navi Mumbai, Hyderabad |
| SIIB Pune | K J Somaiya Institute of Management, Mumbai |
| SIBM Bengaluru | XIM University, Bhubaneswar |
| SIMS Pune, SIBM Hyderabad | TAPMI Manipal, Great Lakes |
| SIOM Nashik, SIDTM Pune | SDA Bocconi Asia Center, JAGSoM |
Source: Crack SNAP in 60 Days and Crack NMAT in 60 Days. Each school sets its own application process and deadline; check its admission page.
What score do you need for 99 percentile?
| Exam | About 99 percentile | About 95 percentile |
|---|---|---|
| SNAP (2025) | 45 to 50 out of 60 | 40 to 44 |
| NMAT (2025) | 236 to 244 out of 360 | 226 to 228 |
Sources: Crack SNAP in 60 Days and Crack NMAT in 60 Days, based on 2025 data. Estimates; ranges move each year.
For NMIMS Mumbai, students usually aim for an NMAT score of 235 or more. For SIBM Pune, a best SNAP score of about 45 or more is a comfortable target.
Can you take both SNAP and NMAT?
Yes, and many students do. The syllabus overlaps a lot: arithmetic, data interpretation, grammar, vocabulary, and one-liner reasoning such as series, coding, blood relations and syllogisms.
What you need to practise separately:
- For SNAP: 60-minute speed mocks, mental maths, and the new Ethics section's decision rules. The SNAP 45+ guide has a minute-by-minute plan.
- For NMAT: the sectional timers, choosing a section order, and Data Sufficiency, which carries several questions in NMAT Quant.
Book your NMAT slot so it doesn't sit in the same week as a SNAP test or CAT. Leave yourself at least four or five days between exams.
Which one should you choose?
| If you... | Lean towards |
|---|---|
| Want Symbiosis, especially SIBM Pune or SCMHRD | SNAP |
| Want NMIMS Mumbai or Bengaluru | NMAT (and plan to do well on the first attempt) |
| Are fast and accurate under pressure | SNAP |
| Are careful and steady, and lose marks to negative marking | NMAT |
| Like choosing your own test date | NMAT, which lets you book your own slot in its window |
| Want the safety of several attempts with best-score counting | SNAP |
Most students targeting private B-schools in Mumbai and Pune take both. If you can only take one, choose by the colleges on your list first and the format second.
Frequently asked questions
Is NMAT easier than SNAP?
NMAT carries less risk because it has no negative marking, but its sectional timers and tougher Quant make it demanding. SNAP's questions are mostly easier, but the one-minute pace and −0.25 penalty create pressure. Which feels easier depends on whether you're stronger on speed or on careful solving.
Does NMAT have negative marking?
No. NMAT has no negative marking, so you should answer every question. When you're stuck, make your best guess and move on.
Does SNAP have negative marking?
Yes. SNAP deducts 0.25 marks for every wrong answer. Guess only after you've cut at least one option.
Can I take SNAP and NMAT in the same season?
Yes. Both usually run in November and December, and the syllabus overlaps. Book your NMAT slot so it doesn't fall in the same week as a SNAP test or CAT.
Does NMIMS accept the best NMAT score?
No. NMIMS uses only your first valid NMAT score, according to GMAC's help centre. Other NMAT schools may accept your best score, so check each school's policy before you retake.
Sources
- SNAP pattern, marking and attempts: snaptest.org (official); 2026 pattern change as reported by Careers360 and Cracku
- NMAT pattern, timing, attempts and review rule: mba.com NMAT pages and FAQ (official)
- NMIMS first-attempt policy: GMAC help centre, as reported by Careers360 ("NMAT retake")
- Guessing values, scores and college lists: Crack SNAP in 60 Days and Crack NMAT in 60 Days by The 99 Percentiler
Related reading: SNAP three attempts strategy · NMAT retake strategy · NMAT section order and timing · Which MBA exams should you take? · How to crack 99+ percentile in SNAP · How to crack 99+ percentile in NMAT · Which MBA entrance exam is the easiest?
See the SNAP playbook and the NMAT playbook.
