XAT 2026 Exam Date, Application Form, Eligibility, Syllabus, Pattern, Mock Test
Xavier Aptitude Test 2025 ( XAT )
XAT 2026 will be held on January 4, 2026. Know all about the XAT exam 2026, including dates, question paper analysis, exam pattern, syllabus, preparation, test cities, etc.
All about XAT 2026 exam
XAT 2026 exam will be conducted by XLRI Jamshedpur on the first Sunday of January 2026, i.e. January 4, 2026. The exam will be conducted in over 70 cities at designated test centres in Computer Based Test mode. XAT 2026 application process will begin in the second week of July 2025. The XAT exam is a Pan-India MBA entrance exam for admission to XLRI as well as over 800 B-Schools in India. Candidates who wish to appear for XAT 2026, must read here all about the exam.
XAT 2026 Dates
The schedule of XAT 2026 will be announced by XLRI in the second week of July 2025. Check below tentative XAT 2026 dates:
| XAT 2026 Events |
XAT 2026 Dates |
|---|---|
| XAT 2026 registration starts |
Second week of July 2025 |
| XAT 2026 registration ends |
First week of December 2025 |
| Release of XAT admit card 2026 |
Last week of December 2025 |
| XAT exam 2026 |
First Sunday of January 2025 |
| XAT 2026 answer key release and challenge |
Second week of January 2025 |
| XAT 2026 result announcement |
Third week of January, 2026 |
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XAT is PG course entrance test, thus the minimum eligibility is graduation. Check details below:
- XAT 2026 aspirant must hold a bachelor’s degree of minimum three-year duration or equivalent in any discipline from a UGC recognized university.
- Final year graduation students are also eligible to appear for XAT exam.
- There is no minimum score requirement for XAT but for MBA course, candidate need to have minimum 50 percent for General category and 45 percent for Reserved category.
Also Read: XAT Eligibility Criteria, Age Limit, Reservation Criteria, Work Experience
XAT Application Process 2026
XAT 2026 registration and application process will be online. Aspirants will have to fill the XAT form by creating an account on the exam website. Check below, XAT 2026 registration cum application process:
- Open XAT 2026 website in a new window: https://xatonline.in/
- Click on 'Registration' tab
- Enter basic details to create login
- A unique XAT ID and registration link will be shared in email ID
- Click on the link to verify your registration
- Got to XAT login dashboard
- Click on XAT 2026 application form
- Enter all the details asked in the form and upload photo and signature
- Review the information filled in
- Pay the XAT application fee via credit/debit card, UPI or net banking
Q: How many XAT mock tests should I practice?
Q: When should I start practicing XAT mock tests?
Aspirants should start practicing XAT mock tests after completing the syllabus. The ideal time duration to solve XAT mock tests is October to December. Avoid practicing mock tests before completing the syllabus. The official mock test is released a week before the exam, so candidates must attempt it at least once before the exam. The official and unofficial mock tests are same as the actual XAT exam so that the candidates can get familiar with the exam pattern, test structure of the question paper and get used to handling the exam pressure. It is important to practice XAT mock tests so that you have prior experience of XAT exam. Both official and unofficial XAT mock tests helps in improving accuracy of solving questions because in an exam like XAT all that matters is speed with accuracy.
Q: Does XAT provide official mock tests?
XAT Fee
Check the table below for fee amount to be paid at the time of XAT 2026 application process:
| Particulars |
Amount |
|---|---|
| XAT fee |
INR 2200 |
| XLRI application fee |
INR 200 |
XAT Syllabus 2026
XAT syllabus includes Quantitative Ability, Data Interpretation, Verbal & Logical Ability and General Knowledge. XAT has a unique section call Decision Making. Check below the main topics of XAT syllabus 2026:
| XAT Sections |
XAT Topics |
|---|---|
| Verbal and Logical Ability |
Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Analogy, Para Jumble, Grammar, Critical Reasoning, Fill in the Blanks |
| Decision Making |
Seating Arrangement, Logical Sequencing, Assumptions, Premises, Conclusions, etc. |
| Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation |
Tables and Caselets, Percentage, Surds and Indices, Algebra, Mensuration, Bar Diagrams, Pie Charts, etc. |
| General Knowledge |
Science, Economy, Business, Politics, Static GK, Sports, Prize and Award, World, Government, Constitution of India, etc. |
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XAT Exam Pattern
XAT exam pattern was revised for the 2025 exam session. As per the latest XAT exam pattern, there will be no essay writing. Check the highlights of XAT exam pattern 2026 as shared by XLRI below:
| XAT Exam Structure |
Details |
|---|---|
| Exam mode |
Computer Based Test |
| Exam sections |
Part 1: Decision Making, Verbal & Logical Ability and Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation (170 minutes) Part 2: General Knowledge (10 minutes) |
| Duration of exam |
180 minutes |
| Number of questions |
95 |
| Total marks |
95 |
| Question Type |
MCQ |
| Number of answer choices |
Four |
| XAT marking scheme |
+1 mark for correct answer - 0.25 marks for incorrect answer - 0.10 marks for more than 8 un-attempted questions No negative marking in GK section |
XAT 2026 Preparation
Preparation for XAT 2026 should be done in a time bound manner. Aspirants should start atleast 6-9 months before for the exam preparation. A key component of XAT preparation 2026 will be practice of mock tests and sample questions.
| XAT Preparation Articles |
|---|
| XAT Preparation Plan for Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation |
XAT Mock Test
It is recommended to practice about 40-50 XAT mock tests during the preparation phase to be in full control of the syllabus as well as time duration. One must practice official as well as unofficial XAT mock tests. Shiksha has prepared free XAT mock tests for candidates to practice. Click on the links below for access.
| XAT_Mock_Test_1 | XAT_Mock_Test_1 Solutions |
| XAT_Mock_Test_2 | XAT_Mock_Test_2 Solutions |
XAT Admit Card 2026
The XAT 2026 admit card will be available for download at the official XAT website. Given below are the steps to download the admit card below:
- Go to the official website of XAT 2026:in
- Click on 'download admit card' tab
- Enter XAT 2026 User ID and date of birth and click on login
- Next, click on admit card option in the dashboard
- Option to download XAT admit card will appear
- Click on download and save it as pdf
XAT Answer Key 2026
XLRI will release the XAT response sheet and answer keys after the exam for candidates to check their correct and incorrect attempts. XAT answer key 2026 will be available through download. Here’s how to download XAT official answer key:
- Go to XAT 2026 website
- Click on 'xat keys and objection form' tab
- Log in to XAT official website with user ID and password
- XAT answer key will be displayed
- Download the PDF and save on desktop
The institute will provide answer key challenge option to candidates. If any candidate feels that official answer of any of the questions is incorrect, they will be free to raise objection against it by filling an online form. The objections will be examined and if any of the objections is found valid, the official answer key will be revised.
XAT Result 2026
XAT result 2026 will be available for download from the official website. To check XAT 2026 result, candidates will need to follow the below mentioned steps:
- Go to the official website of XAT 2026
- Click on 'Download XAT 2026 scorecard'
- Enter XAT ID and password
- Enter the security text
- Click on candidate scorecard and download it
Also Read:
- XLRI shortlist through XAT
- XAT selection process and admission criteria
- What after XAT result?
- MBA colleges Accepting XAT score for admission
- XLRI GD topics of past few years
- 80 GD topics for MBA admission
- 32 Common Questions Asked in PI
XAT Cut Offs (Previous Year’s)
XAT cut offs for XLRI is released a week after the result announcement. Check below XAT 2025 cut offs for reference.
| XAT 2025 Cut Offs: MBA BM |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category |
QA |
VALR |
DM |
Overall |
| Engineer/Tech Male |
88 |
84 |
84 |
96 |
| Engineer/Tech Female |
82 |
80 |
80 |
91 |
| Non-Engineer Male |
88 |
84 |
84 |
96 |
| Non-Engineer Female |
82 |
80 |
80 |
91 |
| XAT 2025 Cut Offs: MBA HR |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category |
QA |
VALR |
DM |
Overall |
| Engineer/Tech Male |
83 |
90 |
87 |
95 |
| Engineer/Tech Female |
73 |
85 |
80 |
90 |
| Non-Engineer Male |
76 |
90 |
87 |
93 |
| Non-Engineer Female |
78 |
85 |
80 |
87 |
XAT Top Colleges Accepting XAT Score
About 800+ MBA colleges in India accept XAT score for MBA/PGDM admission, check below the list of some of the popular B-Schools accepting XAT:
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 4 days ago
NDIM Delhi cutoff 2025 is yet to be released for admission to its PGDM courses. The institute accepts CAT, CMAT, MAT, XAT and ATMA entrance exam scores for admission. During the NDIM Delhi PGDM cutoff 2024, the percentile was CAT, CMAT, MAT, and XAT stood at 60, 75, and 60, respectively, for the Ge
T
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 5 days ago
Yes, Guru Nanak College considers CAT, MAT, and XAT scores for MBA admission. The candidate should have a valid score and attend the counselling session organized by the college. The final selection is done on the basis of performance in the entrance exam, counselling, and document verification. The
a
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
IMI Kolkata grants MBA admission to students based on their performance in various entrance tests, including XAT. Thus, students aspiring to take admission can register and appear for the aforementioned exam. As per official sources, the XAT schedule for the 2025 session is out. As per the schedule,
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Yes, KJ Somaiya Institute of Management accepts CAT/XAT/CMAT/GMAT scores to get admission for the PGDM coures. The KJ Somaiya Institute of Management cutoff 2024 for these exams are available on the official website, candidates can check it by clicking here:
P
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 weeks ago
XAT and CAT are both national level exam, of high difficulty level. The nature of both exams is similar but not the same. So, aspirants need to prepare for both CAT and XAT separately. However, since English, Quants, Reasoning and Data Interpretation topics are common to both, one can use CAT books
A
Beginner-Level 4
Answered 2 weeks ago
XAT is not easier than CMAT. If you compare both exams, it is much easier to prepare for CMAT and qualify it with high scores than XAT. If a candidate is planning to appear for both exams, they should focus on XAT more as if they are able to crack Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation, Langu
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
For admission to PGPM/PGDM courses, Great Lakes Chennai accepts valid XAT scores. As per the latest XAT schedule, the exam for the 2025 session has already been conducted. It was conducted on Jan 5, 2025. Moreover, this paper generally consists of three sections, namely Verbal and Logical Ability,
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 weeks ago
Jaipuria Insitute of Management accepts CAT/MAT/XAT/CMAT scores for admisison to the PGDM course. The admission to Jaipuria Institute of Management can be possible with above exam score and insitute has released the cutoff based on these exam only. So, while taking into consideration the exam-wise
Y
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 weeks ago
To get admission to PGDM course at Jaipuria Institute of Management, the exam-wise cutoff 2024 has been released by the institute. As per the Jaipuria Institute of Management cutoff 2024 for PGDM course stood at 75 for CMAT and 25 for CAT under general All India quota . Based on the percentile secur
P
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a month ago
If your name is incorrect on your XAT admit card, you should immediately contact the XAT helpdesk to report the error and get it corrected; do not attempt to sit for the exam with an incorrect name on your admit card as it could lead to issues on exam day.
S
Contributor-Level 6
A candidate should practice at least 35 to 40 XAT mock tests during the entire preparation period. The mock tests should be of different varieties and various difficulty levels. Candidates should ideally start practicing XAT mock tests after completing the syllabus. They should start with easy mock tests, then move to moderate mock tests and then to tough mock tests. The motive should be to score above 98 percentile in the high difficulty level XAT mock test by the time the exam day arrives.
In the last two weeks before the XAT exam, candidates must practice at least five mock tests and analyse their performance. It is most likely that by the end of the exam preparation, candidates will be scoring 98 plus percentile in the mock tests. If that happens, they must be rest assured of surpassing that score in the actual exam.