What Do You Know About CAT, MAT, XAT, CMAT?

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Senior Manager - Content

Updated on Mar 27, 2023 18:41 IST

CAT, MAT, CMAT, XAT are the top four MBA entrance exams in India for MBA admission. Read all about CAT, MAT, CMAT and XAT in this article. Also know about other MBA entrance exams.

CAT, MAT, XAT and CMAT are the most popular MBA entrance exams in India as they are valid for admission to a large number of MBA colleges in India. MBA aspirants have lofty dreams of getting the best B-School, but they often misjudge the route. It is very important to choose an entrance exam you can crack with high scores and that is valid for admission to your dream college. In this article, we have shared key details about CAT, MAT, XAT and CMAT for you to make the right choice. The article also has a list of other MBA entrance exams in India you can appear in 2023 and 2024.

While CAT is the gateway to IIMs, FMS Delhi, IMT, SPJIMR, IIT-DoMS, MDI Gurgaon, IMI Delhi and other top ranked MBA colleges, XAT is the gateway to XLRI Jamshedpur, MDI, IMT, LIBA, BITS Pilani, XISS, KJ Somaiya, MICA, BIMTECH, IRMA, XIMB, etc.

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.

CMAT exam score is valid for admission to 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 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 multiple 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. Candidates have to face Group Discussion (GD), Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI).

Also Read: MBA Admission 2023: Check Application Deadline and Process of Top B-Schools

CAT Full Form and Highlights

The full form of CAT is Common Admission Test. The exam is valid for admission to over 1,200 MBA colleges in India. CAT is conducted by the Indian Institute of Management and considered the toughest MBA entrance exam. Read key highlights of CAT exam below:

CAT Features	CAT Details
Conducting institute	IIM
Exam level	National
Exam frequency	Once a year
Exam mode	CBT
Exam duration	2 hours
CAT 2023 exam date	26-Nov-2023
Registration Dates	First week of August, 2023 to Third week of September, 2023
Eligibility	Graduation with 50 % aggregate (45 % for SC/ST students) Final year graduation students are also eligible to apply
Number of applications	2.51 lakh (in 2022)
Exam fees	INR 2,300 (General category) and INR 1,150 (Reserved category)
CAT syllabus	Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) Quantitative Ability (QA)
CAT pattern	66 MCQs and non-MCQs
No. of test cities	150
Exam purpose	Admission into IIMs, SPJIMR, FMS, MDI, IMT and over 1,200 B-Schools in India
Course offered	MBA/PGDM
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. Read key highlights of MAT 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 and IBT
Exam duration	2.5 hours
MAT exam schedule	21-May-2023 (PBT) 14-May-2023 (CBT) 04-Jun-2023 (CBT) 07-May-2023 (IBT) 07-May-2023 (IBT) 20-May-2023 (IBT) 27-May-2023 (IBT)
MAT registration dates	19-Mar-2023 to 24-May-2023
Eligibility	Graduation in any stream from a recognised university Final year graduation students are also eligible to apply
Number of applications	40,000
Exam fees	INR 1,900 (INR 1,100 additionally for second test mode)
MAT syllabus	Language Comprehension Data Analysis & Sufficiency Mathematics (Quantitative Aptitude) Intelligence and Critical Reasoning Indian & Global Environment
MAT pattern	200 questions in MCQs format
No. of test cities	35-40
Exam purpose	Admission to 800 MBA Colleges in India (approx.)
Course offered	MBA/PGDM
Exam helpdesk no.	011 - 24645100 / 011 - 24617354 / 011 - 43128100
Exam website	https://mat.aima.in/sep21/

Also Read:

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. Read key highlights of XAT exam below:

XAT Features	XAT Details
Conducting institute	XLRI, Jamshedpur
Exam level	National
Exam frequency	Once a year
Exam mode	CBT
Exam Duration	3 hours
XAT exam date	07-Jan-2024
Registration Dates	First week of August to Last week of November, 2023
Eligibility	Graduation in any stream from a recognised university Final year graduation students are also eligible to apply
Number of applications	95,000
Exam fees	INR 2,000
XAT syllabus	Decision Making Verbal & Logical Ability Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation General Knowledge
XAT pattern	100 questions in MCQ format
No. of test cities	73
Exam purpose	Admission to XLRI and 800 MBA colleges
Course offered	MBA/PGDM
Exam helpdesk no.	18002674008
Exam website	https://xatonline.in/

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. The CMAT 2023 exam is to be conducted in March. Read key highlights of CMAT exam 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 30 minutes for optional paper
Exam schedule	April 2023
Registration Dates	13-Feb-2023 to 13-Mar-2023
Eligibility	Graduation in any stream from a recognised university Final year graduation students are also eligible to apply
Number of applications	95,000
Exam fees	INR 2,000
CMAT syllabus	Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation Logical Reasoning Language Comprehension & Verbal Ability General Awareness Innovation and Entrepreneurship (optional paper)
CMAT pattern	100 questions in MCQ format
No. of test cities	124
Exam purpose	Admission to 1300 MBA colleges
Course offered	MBA/PGDM
Exam helpdesk no.	0120-6895200
Exam website	https://www.nta.ac.in

Also Read:

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
IIFT Exam	Indian Institute of Foreign Trade Entrance Exam
KMAT	Karnataka Management Aptitude Test
IBSAT	ICFAI Business School Aptitude Test
IRMASAT	Institute of Rural Management Anand Social Awareness Test
MICAT	MICA Common Aptitude Test
MAH CET	Maharashtra MBA Common Entrance Test
NMAT by GMAC	Narsee Monjee Management Aptitude Test by GMAC
SNAP	Symbiosis National Aptitude Test
TANCET	Tamil Nadu Common Entrance Test Exam

List of all MBA entrance exams

Check Cut offs of top MBA entrance exams and predict calls from IIMs and other Top MBA Colleges. Check Fees, Placement Reviews, Admission, Shortlist Criteria and eligibility of all MBA Colleges by clicking the link below:

Predict IIM & Non IIM Calls

FAQs on CAT, MAT, XAT, CMAT

Q: What is the eligibility criteria for CAT, MAT, XAT, CMAT?

A: The basic eligibility criteria for CAT, MAT, XAT, CMAT is graduation. For CAT candidates must have scored at least 50 per cent in aggregate (45 per cent for SC/ST/PwD candidates) in graduation from a recognised university. Candidates having professional degrees such as CA/CS/ICWAI are also eligible for these exams. Final year graduation students can also apply.

Q: What is the difficulty level of CAT exam?

A: CAT exam is of moderate to high difficulty level. Candidates have to solve 66 question in 120 minutes but there is a sectional time limit of 40 minutes per section, which makes the exam a bit difficult as there is a pressure of completing each section on time. Apart from that, the CAT question paper usually have tough or tricky questions.

Q: What is the difficulty level of MAT exam?

A: MAT exam is easy. Candidates can crack MAT with three or four months of preparation of Verbal Ability, Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude and General Knowledge. MAT is the easiest MBA entrance exam of all and one can attempt it multiple times in the same academic year.

Q: What is the difficulty level of XAT exam?

A: XAT is an exam whose difficulty level is usually moderate to high. The question paper comprises tough Reading Comprehension and Decision Making passages, which test the candidate’s comprehension as well as analytical abilities. Sometimes, the Quantitative Aptitude questions also turn out to be tough and calculation intensive. Morevover, candidates have to write a 250 word essay in the XAT exam which is evaluated for Personal Interview shortlisting.

Q: What is the difficulty level of CMAT exam?

A: CMAT is a moderate difficulty level exam. It has 100 questions to be solved in three hours. There is no sectional time limit. Candidates have to choose the right answer from the give options.The questions are asked from LogicaL Reasoning, Data Interpretation, English Comprehension, Quantitative Aptitude, General Knowledge. Innovation and Entrepreneurship was added as a section in 2021. Since it is a new section less study material is available for it. Candidates may find it difficult to crack CMAT.

Q: Which top MBA colleges accept CAT score for admission?

A: All the IIMs accept CAT score for MBA admission. Apart from IIMs, the top colleges that accept CAT score for admission include MDI Gurgaon, FMS Delhi, IMT Ghaziabad, SPJIMR Mumbai, IMI Delhi, GLIM Chennai, BIMTECH, IIT-DoMS, LIBA, GIM Goa and many more.

Q: Which top MBA colleges accept XAT score for admission?

A: Top MBA colleges that accept XAT score for admission include XLRI Jamshedpur, Amrita School of Business, Xavier University Bhubaneswar, Doon Business School Dehradun, IMS-Noida, Indus School of Business Gurgaon, IIMT School of Management (ISM), Gurgaon, FORE School of Management, New Delhi, JK Lakshmipat University, Jaipur, Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMTECH) Noida, Prin. L.N. Welingkar Institute of Management Development & Research Mumbai, MICA Ahmedabad, IRMA Anand among others.

Q: Which top MBA colleges accept CMAT score for admission?

A: Top MBA colleges that accept CMAT score for admission include SIMSREE, JBIMS, Amrita School of Business, Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai, TAPMI, Jaipuria Noida, LM Thappar School of Management, BM Munjal University, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, Tezpur University, Shri Ram Institute of Management among others.

Q: Which top MBA colleges accept MAT score for admission?

A: Top MBA colleges that accept MAT score for admission include Amity Business School, Noida, Christ University Bengaluru, BIMTECH Greater Noida, SIESCOMS Navi Mumbai, Jagan Institute of Management Studies (JIMS), Rohini Delhi, Indus Business Academy, IPE Hyderabad, Institute of Public Enterprise, ITM Business School, Navi Mumbai among others.

Q: What should be the preparation strategy for CAT, MAT, XAT, CMAT?

A: Candidates preparing for CAT, MAT, XAT, CMAT must prepare subjects like Verbal Ability, Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude and General Knowledge. XAT has an additional section Decision Making. CMAT too has an additional section Innovation & Entrepreneurship.

Q: What is the fees of CAT, XAT, CMAT, MAT?

A: Application fee for MBA entrance exam is to be paid at the time of form submission. The fee amount to be paid are:

CAT: INR 2,300 (INR 1,150 for Reserved category)
XAT: INR 2,000
MAT: INR 1,900
CMAT: INR 2,000 (INR 1,000 for Reserved category)

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Vipra Shrivastava

Senior Manager - Content

Vipra is a massive Breaking Bad fan. When not watching crime drama series, she spends time in updating the list of places she wants to visit and people she wants to meet, but she is happiest in the company of dogs. ... Read Full Bio