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.
CAT, MAT, XAT and CMAT are India’s most popular national level MBA entrance exams in India. If you qualify any of these exams, you are sure to get a seat in a well ranked and well reputed B-School. All these four exams are conducted between November and January. Many aspirants appear for all four or at least two of them. Syllabus and pattern of CAT, MAT, XAT and CMAT are same with a few variation. For most of the candidates, CAT preparation forms the base for preparation of rest of the three. 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 2.5 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
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 |
32-May-2026 (PBT) 14-Jun-2026 (CBT) |
| MAT registration dates |
25-May-2026 (PBT) 08-Jun-2026 (CBT) |
| Eligibility |
|
| Number of applications |
40,000 (approx.) |
| Exam fees |
INR 2,300 (INR 1,700 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 score represents the actual marks obtained by the students in the ATMA exam. The ATMA percentile indicates their relative performance compared to the other examinees. Percentile scores are used by the participating colleges to select and shortlist students for the admission process.
No, you cannot appear for the CMAT exam at any test centre. You can appear for the test at the centre mentioned in your CMAT admit card. Entry at every CMAT test centre is given to candidates only after thorough scrutiny of the hall ticket and ID proof. If you attempt to gain entry in any other test centre, you will be disqualified. Thus, candidates must make sure that they check the location of their allotted test centre beforehand and reach there on exam day on time. If they reach the test centre after the gates have been closed they will not be allowed entry under any circumstances. CMAT test centre gates close 15 minutes before the commencement of exam.
CMAT score is not accepted by the IIMs. These institutes accept only CAT score for their management programmes. CMAT is accepted by over 1300 MBA colleges in India which belong to mostly Tier 2 and Tier 3 status. You can seek admission with CMAT score to all AICTE approved institutions – private, government and government aided.
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.
Explore colleges based on ATMA
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 |
Commonly asked questions
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)
Yes, you are eligible to appear for the exam provided your score in the first two years of the degree course is above 50% (or equivalent). In case you belong to SSC/ST/PwD categories, the minimum aggregate should be 45%. Candidates planning to pursue MBA must make sure that they score minimum of 50 per cent in aggregate in every year of their Bachelor's degree programme, so that overall average too is 50 per cent. Those, in the final year of graduation must take care that if they do not have a minimum of 50 per cent in first two years, they need to score much higher in the final year so that their overall score meets the minimum requirement. To have a better chance of being selected by the Iims, candidates must aim for high scores in graduation and not just 50 per cent as academic record is a significant contributor in shortlisting of candidates for admission.
JBIMS does not accept ATMA scores anymore for MMS admissions and it accepts CAT, MAH MBA CET, and GMAT scores.
The ATMA cutoff for PUMBA is usually high and ranges between 95 to 99 percentile.
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
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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