XAT 2026 Exam Date, Application Form, Eligibility, Syllabus, Pattern, Mock Test
Xavier Aptitude Test 2025 ( XAT )
XAT 2026 will be held on January 4, 2026. Know all about the XAT exam 2026, including dates, question paper analysis, exam pattern, syllabus, preparation, test cities, etc.
All about XAT 2026 exam
XAT 2026 exam will be conducted by XLRI Jamshedpur on the first Sunday of January 2026, i.e. January 4, 2026. The exam will be conducted in over 70 cities at designated test centres in Computer Based Test mode. XAT 2026 application process will begin in the second week of July 2025. The XAT exam is a Pan-India MBA entrance exam for admission to XLRI as well as over 800 B-Schools in India. Candidates who wish to appear for XAT 2026, must read here all about the exam.
XAT 2026 Dates
The schedule of XAT 2026 will be announced by XLRI in the second week of July 2025. Check below tentative XAT 2026 dates:
| XAT 2026 Events |
XAT 2026 Dates |
|---|---|
| XAT 2026 registration starts |
Second week of July 2025 |
| XAT 2026 registration ends |
First week of December 2025 |
| Release of XAT admit card 2026 |
Last week of December 2025 |
| XAT exam 2026 |
First Sunday of January 2025 |
| XAT 2026 answer key release and challenge |
Second week of January 2025 |
| XAT 2026 result announcement |
Third week of January, 2026 |
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XAT is PG course entrance test, thus the minimum eligibility is graduation. Check details below:
- XAT 2026 aspirant must hold a bachelor’s degree of minimum three-year duration or equivalent in any discipline from a UGC recognized university.
- Final year graduation students are also eligible to appear for XAT exam.
- There is no minimum score requirement for XAT but for MBA course, candidate need to have minimum 50 percent for General category and 45 percent for Reserved category.
Also Read: XAT Eligibility Criteria, Age Limit, Reservation Criteria, Work Experience
XAT Application Process 2026
XAT 2026 registration and application process will be online. Aspirants will have to fill the XAT form by creating an account on the exam website. Check below, XAT 2026 registration cum application process:
- Open XAT 2026 website in a new window: https://xatonline.in/
- Click on 'Registration' tab
- Enter basic details to create login
- A unique XAT ID and registration link will be shared in email ID
- Click on the link to verify your registration
- Got to XAT login dashboard
- Click on XAT 2026 application form
- Enter all the details asked in the form and upload photo and signature
- Review the information filled in
- Pay the XAT application fee via credit/debit card, UPI or net banking
Q: How many XAT mock tests should I practice?
Q: When should I start practicing XAT mock tests?
Aspirants should start practicing XAT mock tests after completing the syllabus. The ideal time duration to solve XAT mock tests is October to December. Avoid practicing mock tests before completing the syllabus. The official mock test is released a week before the exam, so candidates must attempt it at least once before the exam. The official and unofficial mock tests are same as the actual XAT exam so that the candidates can get familiar with the exam pattern, test structure of the question paper and get used to handling the exam pressure. It is important to practice XAT mock tests so that you have prior experience of XAT exam. Both official and unofficial XAT mock tests helps in improving accuracy of solving questions because in an exam like XAT all that matters is speed with accuracy.
Q: Does XAT provide official mock tests?
XAT Fee
Check the table below for fee amount to be paid at the time of XAT 2026 application process:
| Particulars |
Amount |
|---|---|
| XAT fee |
INR 2200 |
| XLRI application fee |
INR 200 |
XAT Syllabus 2026
XAT syllabus includes Quantitative Ability, Data Interpretation, Verbal & Logical Ability and General Knowledge. XAT has a unique section call Decision Making. Check below the main topics of XAT syllabus 2026:
| XAT Sections |
XAT Topics |
|---|---|
| Verbal and Logical Ability |
Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Analogy, Para Jumble, Grammar, Critical Reasoning, Fill in the Blanks |
| Decision Making |
Seating Arrangement, Logical Sequencing, Assumptions, Premises, Conclusions, etc. |
| Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation |
Tables and Caselets, Percentage, Surds and Indices, Algebra, Mensuration, Bar Diagrams, Pie Charts, etc. |
| General Knowledge |
Science, Economy, Business, Politics, Static GK, Sports, Prize and Award, World, Government, Constitution of India, etc. |
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XAT Exam Pattern
XAT exam pattern was revised for the 2025 exam session. As per the latest XAT exam pattern, there will be no essay writing. Check the highlights of XAT exam pattern 2026 as shared by XLRI below:
| XAT Exam Structure |
Details |
|---|---|
| Exam mode |
Computer Based Test |
| Exam sections |
Part 1: Decision Making, Verbal & Logical Ability and Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation (170 minutes) Part 2: General Knowledge (10 minutes) |
| Duration of exam |
180 minutes |
| Number of questions |
95 |
| Total marks |
95 |
| Question Type |
MCQ |
| Number of answer choices |
Four |
| XAT marking scheme |
+1 mark for correct answer - 0.25 marks for incorrect answer - 0.10 marks for more than 8 un-attempted questions No negative marking in GK section |
XAT 2026 Preparation
Preparation for XAT 2026 should be done in a time bound manner. Aspirants should start atleast 6-9 months before for the exam preparation. A key component of XAT preparation 2026 will be practice of mock tests and sample questions.
| XAT Preparation Articles |
|---|
| XAT Preparation Plan for Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation |
XAT Mock Test
It is recommended to practice about 40-50 XAT mock tests during the preparation phase to be in full control of the syllabus as well as time duration. One must practice official as well as unofficial XAT mock tests. Shiksha has prepared free XAT mock tests for candidates to practice. Click on the links below for access.
| XAT_Mock_Test_1 | XAT_Mock_Test_1 Solutions |
| XAT_Mock_Test_2 | XAT_Mock_Test_2 Solutions |
XAT Admit Card 2026
The XAT 2026 admit card will be available for download at the official XAT website. Given below are the steps to download the admit card below:
- Go to the official website of XAT 2026:in
- Click on 'download admit card' tab
- Enter XAT 2026 User ID and date of birth and click on login
- Next, click on admit card option in the dashboard
- Option to download XAT admit card will appear
- Click on download and save it as pdf
XAT Answer Key 2026
XLRI will release the XAT response sheet and answer keys after the exam for candidates to check their correct and incorrect attempts. XAT answer key 2026 will be available through download. Here’s how to download XAT official answer key:
- Go to XAT 2026 website
- Click on 'xat keys and objection form' tab
- Log in to XAT official website with user ID and password
- XAT answer key will be displayed
- Download the PDF and save on desktop
The institute will provide answer key challenge option to candidates. If any candidate feels that official answer of any of the questions is incorrect, they will be free to raise objection against it by filling an online form. The objections will be examined and if any of the objections is found valid, the official answer key will be revised.
XAT Result 2026
XAT result 2026 will be available for download from the official website. To check XAT 2026 result, candidates will need to follow the below mentioned steps:
- Go to the official website of XAT 2026
- Click on 'Download XAT 2026 scorecard'
- Enter XAT ID and password
- Enter the security text
- Click on candidate scorecard and download it
Also Read:
- XLRI shortlist through XAT
- XAT selection process and admission criteria
- What after XAT result?
- MBA colleges Accepting XAT score for admission
- XLRI GD topics of past few years
- 80 GD topics for MBA admission
- 32 Common Questions Asked in PI
XAT Cut Offs (Previous Year’s)
XAT cut offs for XLRI is released a week after the result announcement. Check below XAT 2025 cut offs for reference.
| XAT 2025 Cut Offs: MBA BM |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category |
QA |
VALR |
DM |
Overall |
| Engineer/Tech Male |
88 |
84 |
84 |
96 |
| Engineer/Tech Female |
82 |
80 |
80 |
91 |
| Non-Engineer Male |
88 |
84 |
84 |
96 |
| Non-Engineer Female |
82 |
80 |
80 |
91 |
| XAT 2025 Cut Offs: MBA HR |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category |
QA |
VALR |
DM |
Overall |
| Engineer/Tech Male |
83 |
90 |
87 |
95 |
| Engineer/Tech Female |
73 |
85 |
80 |
90 |
| Non-Engineer Male |
76 |
90 |
87 |
93 |
| Non-Engineer Female |
78 |
85 |
80 |
87 |
XAT Top Colleges Accepting XAT Score
About 800+ MBA colleges in India accept XAT score for MBA/PGDM admission, check below the list of some of the popular B-Schools accepting XAT:
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered Yesterday
With a percentile score of 65.5 in the XAT, you have several good options for pursuing an MBA. Here are some top colleges that typically accept candidates within this percentile range:
1. Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB): Known for its excellent faculty and strong industry connecti
A
Contributor-Level 9
Answered a week ago
Jiwaji University PGDM admissions are granted based on various national-level exam scores, including XAT. As per the institute's cutoff data for 2023, the XAT cutoff percentile for General All India category students stood at 50.
Students must note that this cutoff can vary depending upon the diffic
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
XAT 2025 exam had only 2 sections in the question paper, Part 1 had Quantitative Aptitude, Decision Making and Verbal Ability. Part 2 consisted of General Knowledge section. Essay Writing has been removed from the entrance test. It is a part of XLRI PI selection process. The total time duration of X
P
Beginner-Level 3
Answered a week ago
XAT 2025 exam was of moderate difficulty level. The students who had appeared for the exam last year, said the XAT 2025 question paper was not much different. Section wise, Quantitative Aptitude questions were on the tougher side, Verbal Ability and Decision Making were easy to moderate and GK was e
S
Beginner-Level 3
Answered a week ago
A XAT percentile of 7.2471 is approximately equivalent to a score of 17-18 out of 100. This score is below the typical cutoff for most top MBA colleges that accept XAT scores. For instance, institutions like XLRI Jamshedpur and MICA Ahmedabad generally require a minimum percentile of 85-90 for cons
A
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 2 weeks ago
Yes, it is possible to crack XAT exam in first attempt. But for that, one needs to have a proper plan and start the preparation about 9-10 months before the exam. XAT is a high difficulty level exam and one needs to cover the exam syllabus end to end to be able to score well. Covering the entire XAT
A
Beginner-Level 3
Answered 2 weeks ago
Candidates can take reference of subjects and topics from CAT study material for Verbal Ability, Data Interpretation and Quantitative Aptitude, but XAT preparation has to be exam specific and must include exam specific study material. Aspirants can use CAT sample questions too for practice purpose,
E
Beginner-Level 3
Answered 2 weeks ago
XAT syllabus for Verbal Ability, Data Interpretation and Quantitative Aptitude are same as CAT syllabus. Decision Making and General Knowledge syllabus are not a part of CAT syllabus. Thus, XAT aspirants have to study more than CAT aspirants, which is why one needs to have a XAT specific preparation
N
Beginner-Level 3
Answered 2 weeks ago
There are no non-MCQs in XAT. All the questions are in MCQ format with four options to choose the correct answer from. There are neither Type in the Answer and nor subjective answer type questions. Earlier, there used to be essay writing which required candidates to type a short essay on screen.
S
Beginner-Level 3
Answered 2 weeks ago
As per the latest XAT exam pattern, the question paper has only 2 parts. Part 1 consists of VALR, DM and QA DI questions. Part 2 consists of GK questions. Essay Writing is not a part of the online test. The total time duration is 180 minutes or 3 hours. Part 1 is of 170 minutes and Part 2 is of 10 m
P
Beginner-Level 3
A candidate should practice at least 35 to 40 XAT mock tests during the entire preparation period. The mock tests should be of different varieties and various difficulty levels. Candidates should ideally start practicing XAT mock tests after completing the syllabus. They should start with easy mock tests, then move to moderate mock tests and then to tough mock tests. The motive should be to score above 98 percentile in the high difficulty level XAT mock test by the time the exam day arrives.
In the last two weeks before the XAT exam, candidates must practice at least five mock tests and analyse their performance. It is most likely that by the end of the exam preparation, candidates will be scoring 98 plus percentile in the mock tests. If that happens, they must be rest assured of surpassing that score in the actual exam.