All About CAT, MAT, XAT, CMAT: Full Form, Eligibility, Dates, Exam Fees, Syllabus
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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.
The MBA entrance exam season is about to kick off. XAT 2027 registration will start on July 15. CAT 2026 and SNAP 2026 registrations will start in August. NMAT 2026 and CMAT 2027 applications will follow. MAT 2026 application window is already open for September 2026 session. So, if you are planning to pursue MBA in the 2027 academic session you must appear for any of these national level MBA entrance exams. Ideally one should prepare for more than one national level MBA entrance exam as admission cut offs and score accepting colleges are different for each of them. Appearing for more than one exam will give you more options.
CAT Full Form and Highlights
The full form of CAT is Common Admission Test is conductes by the IIM. The exam score is valid for admission to over 1,600 MBA colleges in India. CAT is conducted annually and considered the toughest MBA entrance exam. Here are key highlights of CAT 2026 exam:
| 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:
- CAT syllabus 2026
- CAT exam pattern 2026
- CAT question papers
- CAT 2026 preparation tips
- CAT books for preparation 2026
MAT Full Form and Highlights
The full form of MAT is Management Aptitude Test. It is an easy exam and conducted multiple times in a year. One can choose the month as well as the mode in which one wants to appear for it. 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 |
13-September-2026 (PBT) 20-September-2026 (CBT) |
| MAT registration dates |
07-September-2026 (PBT) 14-September-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:
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:
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| 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 |
15-July-2026 to 10-Dec-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
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:
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)
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.
No, there is no age bar on appearing in IIFT entrance exam. Any candidate with a bachelor's degree from a recognised university having scored a minimum of 50 per cent aggregate can appear for IIFT entrance exam. The minimum score criteria for SC/ST/PwD candidates is 45 per cent aggregate. Final year graduation students can also appear in the exam. The exam is for MBA degree so a fresh graduate as well as a working professionals of junior, middle or senior levels can also appear for the exam. In fact, candidates with work experience are given preference over fresh graduates during the selection rounds. Candidates can appear for the IIFT entrance exam multiple times as well.
CAT fee is non-refundable. Candidates must note that under no circumstances will the CAT fee be refunded to any candidate. The fee amount of INR 2600 (INR 1300 for Reserved category students) once paid cannot be claimed for refund.
| 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 |
Commonly asked questions
NMAT participating institutes decide the cutoff scores for admission and to shortlist candidates for admission rounds. Several factors, including the previous year's cutoff scores, total applicants, total seats, candidate's performance, among other factors helps in deciding the cutoff scores.
Typically, the participating institute shall decide the NMAT cutoff marks based on the number of seats, total applicants, and previous year's cutoff scores. The cutoff score may change based on demand-supply principle. More number of applications will lead to higher cutoff score. Whereas, decrease in the number of applications can lead to a lower cutoff score.
NMAT sectional cutoff is the minimum score required in each section of the exam for admission to a particular B-school. NMAT exam has three sections.
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.
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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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