Is XAT Tougher Than CAT Exam? Know Differences and Similarities & Difficulty Level
MBA aspirants are caught between XAT vs CAT debate every year when it is time for MBA admission. So, is XAT tougher than CAT? Both these MBA entrance exams are similar in many ways but have unique aspects. Check here the differences between CAT and XAT.
Is XAT tougher than CAT? This is the most common question an MBA aspirant asks when he/she plan to prepare for admission. Both CAT and XAT are top tier MBA entrance exams and most popular among management aspirants. The answer to this question cannot be either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ as despite being being similar in several aspects, both XAT and CAT have unique features. However, XAT exam difficulty level is on par with CAT exam difficulty level.
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For example, like CAT exam has sectional time limit and its RC passages are long and dense. XAT exam also has sectional time-limit but you can still divide time between English, QA and Decision Making as per your preparation.
On the other hand, CAT exam doesn’t have Essay Writing, Decision Making and GK sections which require extra preparation. Both the exams are conducted in a gap of one month. The CAT is held in the last week of November and XAT is held in the first week of January. CAT 2025 will be held on November 30, 2025 and XAT 2026 will be held on January 4, 2025. Those who appear in CAT, find XAT manageable, as most of the preparation is already done by the time XAT exam day arrived. Extra preparation is mainly required for Decision Making and Essay Writing. In this article we'll discuss XAT vs CAT in detail and cover important aspects such as difficulty level, number of questions, pattern, syllabus, exam timing, etc.
Latest Updates:
- XAT registration last date 2026: December 5, 2025
- CAT registration last date 2025: September 13, 2025
- CAT vs XAT: Differences and Similarities
- XAT vs CAT: Exam Syllabus
- XAT vs CAT: Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme
- CAT Preparation 2025
- XAT Preparation 2026
CAT vs XAT: Differences and Similarities
Although, the syllabus of both exams are same (apart from Decision Making and GK) the difference lies in the types of questions and difficulty levels. In terms of the difficulty level, both XAT and CAT are more difficult than other MBA entrance exams. When compared to each other they both are tough but it has often been seen that in CAT, the DILR section is more difficult than other sections and in XAT, the Quantitative Aptitude section is often tougher than the rest of the sections.
Also Read: XAT vs CAT- What Expert Says
To determine which exam is tougher, one needs to know the difference between the two. Let’s take a look at key highlights of CAT and XAT before moving to differences and similarities:
| Particulars |
CAT |
XAT |
|---|---|---|
| Full form |
Common Admission Test |
Xavier Aptitude Test |
| Conducting Body |
||
| Eligibility Criteria |
Graduate with 50% aggregate (45% for reserved category candidates) from a recognized university |
Graduate in any stream from a recognized university |
| Sections |
3 |
5 |
| Exam mode |
Online |
Online |
| Exam duration |
120 minutes |
180 minutes |
| Difficulty level |
Moderate to Difficult |
Moderate to Difficult |
| Exam fee |
INR 2,600 (INR 1,300 for Reserved category students) |
INR 2,200 |
| Registration process |
Online |
Online |
Watch Video to understand the difference between CAT and XAT.
Also Read:
- List of Colleges Accepting XAT score
- List of Colleges Accepting CAT score
XAT vs CAT: Exam Syllabus
XAT's Decision Making and General Knowledge sections are absent in CAT syllabus. The table below indicates section-wise subjects in CAT and XAT exams:
| CAT Syllabus |
XAT Syllabus |
|---|---|
| Decision Making |
|
| Verbal and Logical Ability |
|
| Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation |
|
| - |
General Knowledge |
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Check Topic wise CAT exam syllabus
Check Topic wise XAT exam syllabus
XAT vs CAT: Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme
The test patterns of both the exams are similar. Both the exams contain MCQs with four options to choose the right answer from. However, the marking schemes of both the exams are different. Check the table below for difference between exam patterns of CAT and XAT:
| Details |
CAT Marking Scheme |
XAT Marking Scheme |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Questions |
68 |
95 |
| Total Marks |
204 |
95 |
| Negative Marking |
Yes. 3 marks for correct answer -1 mark for incorrect answer No negative marking for non-MCQs |
Yes. 1 marks for correct answer – 0.25 mark for incorrect answer. 0.10 marks will be deducted for more than 8 un-attempted questions. No negative marking in GK section |
| Number of choices in MCQs |
4 |
5 |
| Sectional Time limit |
Yes (40 minutes for each section) |
170 minutes for Part 1 (VA, QA, DM), 10 minutes for Part 2 (GK) |
Check CAT exam pattern 2024
Check XAT exam pattern 2025
Download XAT Previous Year Papers
Download CAT Previous Year Papers
Download Free Question Banks
| Free VARC Questions with Answers for Practice | Free DILR Questions with Answers for Practice | Free Quantitative Aptitude Questions with Answers for Practice |
While there are many similarities between CAT and XAT, the major differences are sectional time-limit and marking scheme, number and types of questions. Candidates preparing for CAT and XAT must focus on solving sample sample papers and mock tests of both these exams. This will help them identify the differences and develop skills to tackle each exam with much each.
A very important aspect of MBA exam preparation is mock test. Whether it is CAT or XAT or any other exam, the preparation is not complete unless candidates have practiced a good number of mock tests. Mock test not only help candidates in assessing their preparation level so far but also help them learn time management viz the exam duration. Shiksha has created CAT mock test and XAT mock tests, for aspirants to practice and measure their improvement.
CAT Mock Test
| CAT_Mock_Test_1 | CAT_Mock_Test_1_Solutions |
| CAT_Mock_Test_2 | CAT_Mock_Test_2_Solutions |
XAT Mock Test
| XAT_Mock_Test_1 | XAT_Mock_Test_1_Solutions |
| XAT_Mock_Test_2 | XAT_Mock_Test_2_Solutions |
If you are planning to appear for the XAT exam by self study, you must start early as the syllabus is vast and tough. To cover the XAT syllabus by self study, candidates must refer to the books recommended for XAT preparation. You can take help from the following books to cover the XAT syllabus but do join a study forum to get help from mentors and peers when need be:
- How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT by Arun Sharma
- Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT Common Admission Tests for Admission into IIMs by Sarvesh K Verma
- Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by Abhijit Guha
- Data Interpretation and Data Sufficiency by Ananta Ashisha/Arihant
- Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
- Objective General English by Dr RS Agarwal and Vikas Agarwal
- High School English Grammar by Wren & Martin
- Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning by Gautam Puri
- Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT by Nishit K. Sinha
- Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency by Ananta Ashisha
- How to Prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT by Arun Sharma
The best way to prepare for DILR section is through practice. Before starting the preparation, aspirants should be accustomed to the question types by going through previous years’ question papers and solving those. Since there is not much conceptual understanding required in this section, practice is the key to excel in this area.
Some of the most popular books on DILR section that you can refer are How to Prepare for Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning for CAT by Arun Sharma, Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT by Nishit Sinha, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning for CAT by Pearson, to name a few.
CAT Preparation 2025
Check out Shiksha's most read articles on CAT preparation and learn key tips and tricks:
| CAT 2025: Preparation Plan for Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning |
XAT Preparation 2026
Check out Shiksha's most read articles on XAT preparation and learn key tips and tricks:
| How to prepare for XAT Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation |
|
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Yes, XAT is slightly tougher for candidates with non-Engineering background as the Quantitative Aptitude section is of higher difficulty level. However, they can crack it if they work on the fundamentals of Math and practice questions of all difficulty levels. It will take time but they will be able to crack XAT's quant section if they dedicate extra hours to it. Aspirants can find XAT study material online in various online study groups. Students’ groups on Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, etc. share study material with each other. One can also download MBA exam preparation apps to get relevant and useful study material.
The good part about XAT is that, it has different cut offs for candidates belonging to different academic backgrounds. As part of its commitment to academic diversity, the institute has lower cut offs for candidates from non-engineering background than candidates from engineering background.
Ideally, XAT preparation takes six to nine months, but if candidates have prepared for CAT too, XAT preparation can be done in lesser time as one will have to only work on Decision Making and General Knowledge topics. Those who are weak in English Comprehension must start reading practice early on. The ideal time to start XAT preparation is May, so you can cover the whole syllabus by October and dedicate two months to mock test practice.
If you start studying for XAT late, by July or so, make sure you complete the syllabus by October only. Remember that XAT syllabus is tough, so you’ll need to study at least 6-8 hours daily from start until the end. Give ample time to yourself to complete the XAT syllabus.
While candidates belonging to Science and Engineering background do have an edge over Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), it is not impossible for students from non-Science background to crack this section of an MBA entrance exam. They do need to prepare harder which includes going back to study fundamentals of Mathematics such as Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry and Mensuration.
With regular practice and understanding of the question types and topics, candidates, irrespective of the educational background, can crack this section. Aspirants must note that it is important to identify the weak areas and improve on them to get a stronghold on this section. For Logical Reasoning, a good amount of practice of sample questions will be enough.
Comments
(1)
Yes, CAT syllabus is difficult to crack if you do not have enough time. There are three subjects in CAT- VARC, DILR and Quantitative Aptitude. Most of the candidates find RC passages tough to crack. In Quants, Arithmetic, Algebra and Geometry pose significant challenge during preparation. In DILR, Reasoning questions often turnout to be tricky and confusion.