The general format of the show starts with two segments, where Cramer recommends one or more stocks in a group with his rationale for choosing them. At the end of each segment Cramer will take 1-2 calls from viewers with questions about either the stock he recommended, or another stock in the same industry or which the viewer thinks may benefit from the topic discussed.

The third segment is the Lightning Round. Segments four and five will feature either one of the segments listed below or another recommendation. Cramer does not take calls on these later segments except for the Am I Diversified?, Stump the Cramer, and Sudden Death segments. The final segment of the show is Sudden Death.

Some of the segments featured on Mad Money include:

* Am I Diversified?: A Wednesday segment, which is seen after the Lightning Round, where Cramer evaluates a caller's portfolio to see if it is well-balanced between different sectors in the stock market (in recent episodes, claiming that callers have "figured out the game" (i.e., generally have diversified their portfolios), he now comments about the quality of their picks as well as the diversification thereof) It is the only segment, as a rule, where Cramer is sitting in the chair.
* Pick of the Week: A segment in which Cramer picks a stock which he feels should be bought or at least studied carefully, usually before it is widely known or praised by others.
* Beating the Racket: An occasional feature where Cramer argues "nose to nose" with fellow financial columnist Herb Greenberg (in person or via satellite) in which Greenberg focuses mainly on stocks that could lose money, usually a stock Cramer recommended.
* Cramer vs Cramer: A segment in which Cramer checks the accuracy of his stock predictions from previous weeks.
* Danger Zone: An occasional feature in which Cramer profiles a stock that he feels does not have sound investment fundamentals but may appear attractive to investors.
* Mad Mail: A segment in which Cramer answers e-mail questions sent to mailto:madmoney@cnbc.com.
* The Week That Was: A video montage featuring various moments from the current week, aired at the end of the program in place of the Sudden Death segment on Fridays.
* Pimpin' All Over The World: A segment (not actually using this title, but Cramer will reference the song by Ludacris of the same name) where Cramer profiles a potential play in an international market. Usually the play is not a direct investment--Cramer considers many of those to be too dangerous due to lack of accurate financial insight, especially in emerging stock markets--but a derivative, often another foreign company with ADR's traded on the American markets with significant investments in the emerging market, though in some cases Cramer will advise against the ADR's (if they trade on the pink sheets, which Cramer believes do not have significant volume to generate profits) and recommend actually buying the stock in the foreign exchange.
* Stump The Cramer: A segment in which callers name a stock they believe Cramer doesn't know anything about; if successful, the caller receives an autographed copy of his latest book, Jim Cramer's Mad Money: Watch TV, Get Rich.
* Am I Nuts?: A feature which premiered on the first Main Event special in which Cramer "evaluates a patient" (from the live audience) to figure out, just as the segment's namesake, if the person is nuts in owning a certain stock, and then gives them a "prescription." This segment is considered to be a Main Event exclusive.
* Cramer's Game Plan: A segment in which Cramer picks his Game Plan stocks and makes his predictions for the coming week. This segment is aired on Fridays.
* Sudden Death: The final, one-minute segment of the Monday through Thursday shows (debuted on July 21, 2006). Launched by the phrase "There goes swifty", this segment is similar to the Lightning Round, but is referred to as a "Booyah-free Zone". Cramer will hang up on callers who attempt Booyahs, pleasantries, or other chatter. On Fridays, The Week That Was is seen in place of this segment.
* Sell Block: A Thursday segment in which the stocks Cramer recommended in past shows go on the "Sell Block." This segment debuted on the August 24, 2006 episode.
* Know Your IPO: An occasional segment in which Cramer spotlights a stock's upcoming IPO.
* On the Line: This newly titled segment, which debuted on the May 2, 2007 broadcast (the same day in which the program's overhauled graphics package was unveiled), Cramer talks to the CEO, CFO, or an officer of a company, who joins the show by telephone. Seen in the next-to-last segment of most shows