All About CAT, MAT, XAT, CMAT: Full Form, Eligibility, Dates, Exam Fees, Syllabus
CAT, MAT, CMAT, XAT are the top four MBA entrance exams in India for MBA admission. These exam scores are accepted by the top MBA colleges in India. Read all about CAT, MAT, CMAT and XAT in this article. Also know about other top MBA entrance exams that are gateway to some of the top MBA colleges in India.
Admission to full time MBA admission is based on entrance exams. Any candidate who plans to pursue MBA has to appear for either CAT, MAT, XAT or CMAT. These four are the most popular MBA entrance exams in India, and accepted by over 4000 MBA colleges in India. It means, if you qualify CAT, MAT, XAT or CMAT, your MBA journey is confirmed.
All these four exams are conducted between November and January. Many aspirants appear for all four or at least two of them. CAT, CMAT, XAT for 2026 batch admission have been conducted. You can appear for MAT exam as it is conducted four times a year. Read below to read key details of CAT, MAT, XAT and CMAT including application dates, fee, pattern and syllabus.
- Top MBA Entrance Exams in India 2026
- CAT Full Form and Highlights
- MAT Full Form and Highlights
- XAT Full Form and Highlights
- CMAT Full Form and Highlights
- Other Top MBA Entrance Exams
Top MBA Entrance Exams in India 2026
- CAT, conducted by IIM is the top entrance exam in India for MBA. Every year nearly 3 lakh MBA aspirants apply for CAT. It is the gateway to IIMs, FMS Delhi, IMT, SPJIMR, IIT-DoMS, MDI Gurgaon, IMI Delhi and other top ranked MBA colleges. Overall, nearly 1600 colleges accept CAT score for admission.
- XAT is the gateway to XLRI Jamshedpur, MDI, IMT, LIBA, BITS Pilani, XISS, KJ Somaiya, MICA, BIMTECH, IRMA, XIMB, etc. XAT is also accepted by nearly 1000 + B-Schools in India.
- MAT exam score is accepted by over 800 B-schools in India including Amity University, Christ University, ITM University, DY Patil B-School, JIMS Rohini, Taxila Business School, Alliance University, etc. MAT is conducted by AIMA.
- CMAT is conducted by the NTA and is valid for admission to all AICTE approved colleges. Top colleges accepting the score include, JBIMS Mumbai, GIM Goa, KJ Somaiya, Welingkar Institute of Management Mumbai, SIMSREE Mumbai, Great Lakes Institute of Management Chennai, NL Dalmiya Institute of Management, Jaipuria Institute of Management, BIMTECH, KIIT School of Management, XIME Bangalore, etc.
Now that you know the MBA colleges for which CAT, MAT, XAT and CMAT scores are valid, you can decide which exam to target this season. The wise thing to do is appear for all four or more entrance exams so that you can secure a seat in a good MBA college, as the admission criteria does not include only entrance exam score. You can also choose combination of any two depending upon your target B-Schools. MBA admission includes Group Discussion (GD), Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI), as well. So, prepare well for both entrance exam and pesonality assessment test.
Also Read: MBA Admission 2026: Check Application Deadline and Process of Top B-Schools
Commonly asked questions
Yes, you can apply for CAT. The main criteria of eligibility for CAT is graduation from a recognised university. So, whether the education mode is full-time or correspondence, if the university is recognised by the UGC, the candidates will be eligible to appear for the CAT exam.
If you have a very good CAT score but poor academic record it is quite likely that you may not be shortlisted for top IIMs as the institutes prefer candidates with overall consistency in academics. Class 12 scores holds a lot of importance in shortlisting of candidates for WAT-PI.
CMAT cut offs are determined by the score accepting colleges individually. The colleges determine admission cut offs on the basis of certain parameters such as:
· CMAT result trend and exam difficulty level
· Previous years' CMAT cut offs for their college
· Number of exam test takers
· College ranking
· Overall pass percentage and scoring trend in CMAT of that particular year
CAT Full Form and Highlights
The full form of CAT is Common Admission Test. The exam is valid for admission to over 1,600 MBA colleges in India. CAT is conducted annually and considered the toughest MBA entrance exam. CAT 2026 will be held on the last Sunday of November 2026. Here are key highlights of CAT exam 2026:
| CAT Features |
CAT Details |
|---|---|
| Conducting institute |
IIM |
| Exam level |
National |
| Exam frequency |
Once a year |
| Exam mode |
CBT |
| Exam duration |
2 hours |
| CAT 2026 exam date |
29-Nov-2026 |
| Registration Dates |
First week of August to third week of September 2026 |
| Eligibility |
|
| Number of applications |
2.95 lakh (in 2025) |
| Number of test takers |
2.58 lakh (in 2025) |
| Exam fees |
INR 2,600 (General category) and INR 1,300 (Reserved category) |
| CAT syllabus |
|
| CAT pattern |
68 MCQs and non-MCQs |
| No. of test cities |
170 |
| Exam purpose |
Admission into IIMs, SPJIMR, FMS, MDI, IMT and over 1,300 B-Schools in India |
| Course offered |
|
| Exam helpdesk no. |
1-800-210-1088 (Toll Free) |
| Exam website |
https://iimcat.ac.in |
Also Read:
MAT Full Form and Highlights
The full form of MAT is Management Aptitude Test. It is considered an easy exam. The greatest benefit of MAT is that one can choose the month as well as the mode in which one wants to appear for it. Multiple attempts are also allowed in MAT as it is conducted in multiple sessions. Read key highlights of MAT 2026 exam below:
| MAT Features |
MAT Details |
|---|---|
| Conducting institute |
All India Management Association (AIMA) |
| Exam level |
National |
| Exam frequency |
Multiple times a year |
| Exam mode |
CBT, PBT |
| Exam duration |
2 hours |
| MAT exam schedule |
01-Mar-2026 (PBT) 08-Mar-2026 (CBT) |
| MAT registration dates |
23-Feb-2026 (PBT) 02-Mar-2026 (CBT) |
| Eligibility |
|
| Number of applications |
40,000 (approx.) |
| Exam fees |
INR 2,200 (INR 1,600 additionally for second test mode) |
| MAT syllabus |
|
| MAT pattern |
150 questions in MCQs format |
| No. of test cities |
35-40 |
| Exam purpose |
Admission to 800 MBA Colleges in India (approx.) |
| Course offered |
|
| Exam helpdesk no. |
011 - 24645100 / 011 - 24617354 / 011 - 43128100 |
| Exam website |
Also Read:
Commonly asked questions
ATMA is commonly used name for AIMS Test for Management Admissions. ATMA Eligibility criteria for this test is:
- Candidate should be an Indian citizen
- Candidate should have graduation degree from a recognised university
- Minimum percentage required is 50% in qualifying exam.
- Students in final year of graduation can also apply.
Yes, IIFT cut offs for MBA-International Business and Business Analytics admission differ category wise. For General category students, the IIFT cut off is higher than that for Reserved category students. For example, the IIFT 2022 cut off for General category candidates was 52.75 but for SC/ST candidates, it was 42.75. in 2023, the qualifying cut off was 35 percentile for General-EWS and NC-OBC categories, it is 35 percentile. For SC/ST/PwD/KashmiriMigrants/Non-Migrants, the IIFT cut offs 2023 was 30 percentile. Selection for the personal interview round is based on these cut offs.
The Reserved category students also get the benefit of Reservation quota fixed by the Government of India. A certain number of seats are available for Reserved category candidates in the management programmes.
CMAT cutoff refers to minimum percentile required for admission to a particular college. Score accepting colleges determine the cut offs individually based on certain parameters. CMAT cut offs for top colleges like JBIMS, SIMSREE, PUMBA are generally 99 percentile and above.
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XAT Full Form and Highlights
The full form of XAT is Xavier Aptitude Test and it is conducted by XLRI Jamshedpur annually every year on first Sunday of January. XAT is of moderate to high difficulty level. After CAT, XAT is the most popular option among MBA aspirants. Read key highlights of XAT exam 2027 below:
| XAT Features |
XAT Details |
|---|---|
| Conducting institute |
|
| Exam level |
National |
| Exam frequency |
Once a year |
| Exam mode |
CBT |
| Exam Duration |
180 minutes |
| XAT exam date |
January 3, 2027 |
| Registration Dates |
First week of July 2026 to First week of October 2026 |
| Eligibility |
|
| Number of applications |
Nearly 1.00 lakh ( for 2025 exam) |
| Exam fees |
INR 2,200 |
| XAT syllabus |
|
| XAT pattern |
95 questions in MCQ format |
| No. of test cities |
110 |
| Exam purpose |
|
| Course offered |
|
| Exam helpdesk no. |
18002674008 |
| Exam website |
Also Read:
| What is the difference between CAT and XAT? | What is the difference between CAT and MAT? | What is the difference between CAT and CMAT? |
CMAT Full Form and Highlights
The full form of CMAT is Common Management Admission Test. It is conducted by the NTA and valid for admission to all government institutions for MBA and PDGM programmes. Many private institutes also accept CMAT score for admission. Read key highlights of CMAT exam 2027 below:
| CMAT Features |
CMAT Details |
|---|---|
| Conducting institute |
National Testing Agency |
| Exam level |
National |
| Exam frequency |
Once a year |
| Exam mode |
CBT |
| Exam Duration |
3 hours |
| Exam schedule |
Fourth week of January 2026 |
| Registration Dates |
Third week of October to Last week of November 2026 |
| Eligibility |
|
| Number of applications |
75,000 |
| Exam fees |
General male candidates: INR 2,500 Reserved category male, women and transgender: INR 1250 |
| CMAT syllabus |
|
| CMAT pattern |
100 questions in MCQ format |
| No. of test cities |
124 |
| Exam purpose |
|
| Course offered |
MBA/PGDM |
| Exam helpdesk no. |
0120-6895200 |
| Exam website |
Also Read:
- CMAT exam syllabus
- CMAT exam pattern
- CMAT question papers
- CMAT preparation tips
- CMAT books for preparation
Commonly asked questions
On an average, about 10-15 CAT aspirants score 100 percentile. Given below is the data of CAT 100 percentilers of last 4 years:
Exam year | CAT 100 percentilers | State wise numbers |
|---|---|---|
CAT 2025 | 12 | 1- Uttar Pradesh 1- Karnataka 1- Maharashtra 3- Delhi 2- Haryana 2- Gujarat 1- Jharkhand 1- Odisha |
CAT 2024 | 14 | 1- Andhra Pradesh |
CAT 2023 | 14 | 1 – Andhra Pradesh |
CAT 2022 | 11 | 2 - Delhi 1 - Gujarat 1 - Haryana 1 - Kerala 1 - Madhya Pradesh 2 - Maharashtra 2 - Telangana 1 - Uttar Pradesh |
The CAT cut offs for IIM Bangalore hovers between 97-100 percentile. The qualifying CAT cut off required for being eligible for IIM Bangalore's Written Ability test (What) and Personal Interview PI is 85 percentile for General category students, whereas for SC candidates, it is 70 percentile. For ST candidates, it is 65 percentile and for PwD candidates it is 60 percentile. Given below are the sectional and overall qualifying CAT cut offs for IIM Bangalore.
- General category: 80 VARC 75 DILR 75 Quantitative Aptitude 85 (Overall)
- NC-OBC category: 75 VARC 65 DILR 65 Quantitative Aptitude 75 (Overall)
- EWS category: 70 VARC 65 DILR 65 Quantitative Aptitude 75 (Overall)
- SC category: 65 VARC 60 DILR 60 Quantitative Aptitude 70 (Overall)
- ST category: 55 VARC 55 DILR 55 Quantitative Aptitude 65 (Overall)
- PwD category: 50 VARC 50 DILR 50 Quantitative Aptitude 60 (Overall)
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Other Top MBA Entrance Exams
Given below is the list of some other popular MBA entrance exams you can explore and consider applying for admission a B-School of your choice:
| MBA Entrance Exams |
MBA Entrance Exams Full-Form |
|---|---|
| Karnataka Management Aptitude Test |
|
| ICFAI Business School Aptitude Test |
|
| MICA Common Aptitude Test |
|
| Maharashtra MBA Common Entrance Test |
|
| Narsee Monjee Management Aptitude Test by GMAC |
|
| Symbiosis National Aptitude Test |
|
| Tamil Nadu Common Entrance Test Exam |
|
| Telangana State Integrated Common Entrance Test |
|
| Andhra Pradesh Integrated Common Entrance Test |
|
| Karnataka Post Graduation Common Entrance Test |
|
| Odisha Joint Entrance Examination MBA |
|
| Kerala Management Aptitude Test |
List of all MBA entrance exams
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Vipra Shrivastava is MA in English Literature from Delhi University with extensive experience in content writing of over 14 years. She has been handling content for Management, Accounting and Commerce streams for 8
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