MBA Entrance Exam

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.

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 minutes. Earlier, the XAT exam included essay writing for which extra time was given. The XAT exam used to be of 210 minutes or 3.5 hours.

Yes, candidates can do PGDM courses from SSIM Hyderabad without CAT entrance exam. The institute alsp accepts percentile ad scores of other national entrance exams such as XAT/MAT/CMAT/ATMA/GMAT/State Government Exam. Additionally, the other factors considered are academic performance, SOP, work experience, extra circular activities/Certification Courses, Video introductions, and interviews.

CMAT city intimation refers to the notification sent by the NTA regarding the allotment of test ciy to candidates for CMAT exam. The CMAT city intimation slip is released two-three days before the release of admit card. It contains the name of city in which the CMAT test taker has been alloted the test centre. It does not contain test centre address or exam timings. The CMAT city intimation slip is released in order to allow candidates from far off locations, some time to make arrangements for appearing in the exam without any hassle. By having test city information a week before the exam day they can make travel arrangement, etc.

Yes, admissions are possible without MAT through other accepted entrance exam scores. The other accepted entrance exam scores are XAT, CAT, CMAT, ATMA, MAH CET, and others. Hence, students have the option to easily get admission through other accepted entrance exams if they have missed the MAT or scored not well in the MAT. 

No, it is not wise to attempt a CAT mock test, just before the exam. Candidates must practice only one CAT mock test just before the exam; not to check his control over topics but to keep the confidence of time management high. Any candidate who has practiced a good number of mock tests will be able to score 98-99 percentile by the last week of the CAT exam, so they need to just go with the same confidence.

Yes, it is possible to prepare for CAT exam with mock tests only if you have appeared for the exam previously and have complete control on the topics included in the CAT syllabus. But if you are a first timer, you need to first complete the syllabus, understand each and every topic and then practice CAT mock tests to crack the exam.

Candidates should practice CAT mock test during the day. Once, CAT admit card is released, they should practice CAT mocks at the same time as their exam slot. This will help them align their mind and body to 2 hours of rigorous test so that they can utilize their time in the CAT exam well. For example, CAT exam starts are early as 8:30 am. So, those who are not used to studying early morning will face difficulty in performing optimally if they get morning slot.

CAT exam has sectional time limit of 40 minutes per section and as soon as the time gets over, the test screen moves to the new section. So, it is very important that a candidate uses 40 minutes to attempt the questions correctly and optimally. RC passages are long and dense. Sometimes, DI or LR questions turn out to be lengthy, Quants questions are often time taking. By practicing sectional mock tests, candidate will get the practice of how to manage 40 minutes irrespective of the type of question.

Yes, you can get into the PGDM programme provided at Rajagiri Business School for PGDM without appearing for CAT. However, you must provide a valid score of any other accepted entrance exam. The institute accepts candidates strictly on an entrance basis, which means you must provide a valid score in any of the accepted exam. Some of the other management exams accepted by RBS are MAT/ CMAT/ KMAT/ XAT. Hence, anyone who satisfies the basic eligibility and has the required entrance exam score may apply for the programme, even if they don't have CAT score.