XAT 2026 Exam Date (Jan 4), Registration (Extended), Admit Card, Syllabus, Pattern, Preparation Tips
Xavier Aptitude Test 2026 ( XAT )
Admit Card - 20 Dec '25
XAT 2026 will be held on January 4, 2026. The last date to apply for XAT 2026 has been extended from December 5 to December 11, 2025. 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 January 4, 2026. XAT 2026 application process is underway and the last date to apply has been extended to December 11, 2025. Earlier, the XAT registration last date 2026 was December 5, 2025.
The exam will be conducted in 109 cities at designated test centres in Computer Based Test mode. The XAT question paper will have 95 questions from Verbal Ability, Logical Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Aptitude and General Knowledge. Over 1 lakh candidates apply for XAT every year. The exam score is accepted by 800 + MBA colleges in India. 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 Exam Dates
- XAT Eligibility Criteria
- XAT 2026 Registration Process
- XAT Syllabus 2026
- XAT 2026 Exam Pattern
- How to prepare for XAT 2026
- XAT Mock Test
- XAT 2026 Answer Key
- XAT 2026 Result
- XAT Cut Offs (Previous Year’s)
- XAT Top Colleges Accepting XAT Score
XAT 2026 Exam Dates
The schedule of XAT 2026 was announced by XLRI July 10, 2025. Registration last date is December 11, 2025. Check below XAT 2026 dates:
| XAT 2026 Events |
XAT 2026 Dates |
|---|---|
| XAT 2026 registration starts |
10-Jul-2025 |
| Official XAT mock test 2026 |
27-Sep-2025 to 28-Sep-2025 29-Oct-2025 to 01-Nov-2025 19-Nov-2025 to 20-Nov-2025 |
| Mock test registration deadline |
16-Nov-2025 |
| XAT form correction 2026 |
Oct-14-2025 to Oct-16-2025 25-Nov-2025 to 27-Nov-2025 |
| XAT 2026 registration ends |
05-Dec-2025 11-Dec-2025 |
| Release of XAT admit card 2026 |
20-Dec-2025 |
| XAT exam 2026 |
04-Jan-2026 |
| XAT 2026 answer key release and challenge |
Second week of January 2026 |
| XAT 2026 result announcement |
Third week of January, 2026 |
XAT Eligibility Criteria
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 2026 Registration Process
XAT 2026 registration and application process is online. Aspirants will have to fill the form before the last date to apply for XAT 2026 to be eligible for the exam. 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
XAT Exam Fee
Check the table below for fee amount to be paid at the time of XAT 2026 application process. Candidates will have to pay the fee before or on the XAT application last date. Fee not paid will lead non-submission of the XAT 2026 application form:
| Particulars |
Amount |
|---|---|
| XAT fee |
INR 2200 |
| XLRI application fee |
INR 200 |
XAT Registration Process: Watch Video
XAT Syllabus 2026
XAT syllabus includes Quantitative Ability, Data Interpretation, Verbal & Logical Ability and General Knowledge. XAT has a unique section called 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. |
XAT 2026 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 |
How to prepare for XAT 2026
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 |
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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 |
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 2026 Answer Key
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 2026 Result
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:
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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As per the latest XAT exam pattern, there will be 95 questions in XAT 2025 in MCQ format.
- Verbal Ability section of XAT will have 26 questions
- Decision Making section of XAT will have 21 questions
- Quantitative Ability section will have 28 questions
- GK section will have 20 questions
There will be no essay writing this year. It will be conducted during the selection process.
It is not mandatory to solve all the questions. Candidates should solve only those questions which they can solve correctly as there is negative marking in XAT. During the exam preparation, focus on the chapters from which majority of the questions are added. This will help them in achieving the sectional and overall cut offs are required.
In XAT, Reading Comprehension passages are usually taken from Philosophy, Psychology, History, Art, research articles. Sometime, the XAT RC section also has poems. These areas are chosen to test the candidates, who are largely Science, Commerce and Engineering graduates, on their ability to come out of their comfort zone and adapt to unfamiliar situations. Out of 26 questions, about 14-16 questions are based on RC passages or a poem. Candidates must target solving about 10 questions accurately to score well. XAT has negative marking so do not mark an option as your answer if you are not 100 percent sure of it.
There are no non-MCQs in XAT. All the questions are in MCQ format with four options to choose the correct answer from. There are neither Type in the Answer and nor subjective answer type questions. Earlier, there used to be essay writing which required candidates to type a short essay on screen.
As per the latest XAT exam pattern, the question paper has only 2 parts. Part 1 consists of VALR, DM and QA DI questions. Part 2 consists of GK questions. Essay Writing is not a part of the online test. The total time duration is 180 minutes or 3 hours. Part 1 is of 170 minutes and Part 2 is of 10 minutes. Earlier, the XAT exam included essay writing for which extra time was given. The XAT exam used to be of 210 minutes or 3.5 hours.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered Yesterday
The IMI Kolkata XAT Cutoff 2024 was released for admission to the MBA/PGDM course for all categories under the All India quota. The XAT Cutoff 2024 was overall 70 percentile for the General category candidates from the All India quota. This cutoff was for students to avail a seat at the Post Graduat
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
Hi.
For PGDM and MBA admissions at GIBS Business School, Bangalore, the following entrance exams are accepted:
Accepted Entrance Exams
| Exam | Type / Level |
|---|---|
| CAT – Common Admission Test | National-level MBA entrance exam |
| XAT – Xavier Aptitude Test | National-level MBA entrance exam |
| MAT – Management Aptitude Test | National-level MBA entrance exam |
| CMAT – Common Management Admission Test | National-level MBA entrance exam |
| GMAT – Graduate Management Admission Test | International / National-level MBA entrance exam |
| ATMA – AIMS Test for Management Admissions | National-level MBA entrance exam |
| State CET (e.g., Karnataka PGCET) | State-level MBA entrance exam for Karnataka candidates |
h
Scholar-Level 17
Answered Yesterday
Hi.
GIBS considers any one valid score from these exams for shortlisting candidates.
Some exams (like CAT, XAT, CMAT) are preferred for national-level merit-based selection, but State CET scores are also accepted for Karnataka domicile candidates.
Along with the entrance score, academics, work experien
h
Scholar-Level 17
Answered Yesterday
IMI Bhubaneswar XAT Cutoff 2024 was released for students aiming for admission to the MBA/PGDM courses. The XAT Cutoff 2024 for admission at IMI Bhubaneswar was overall 70 percentile for students belonging to the General category under the All India quota. The institute accepts the XAT Cutoff percen
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
Apeejay Institute of Mass Communication Dwarka XAT cutoff 2024 for PGDM admission was 50 percentile in the General category. The institute accepts the XAT entrance exam, followed by a GD and PI round for admission to its PGDM in Mass Communication course.
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
In 2024, the IILM Lucknow XAT cutoff 2024 was 50 for the students belonging to the General AI quota.
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
The UPES School of Business accepts various exams, like XAT, MAT, NMAT, etc., for admission to its MBA/PGDM programme. The UPES School of Business XAT Cutoff 2024 was released for various MBA specialisation for Gender-Neutral candidates. The XAT Cutoff 2024 was 50 for admission to MBA in Internation
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
The CMS Bangalore MBA cutoff 2024 was released for various different exams, like CAT, XAT, NMAT, etc.
The CAT Cutoff 2024 was 50, whereas, in 2024, it was 70 as was the case in 2023. This trend over the past 3 years says that the CAT Cutoff has been decreasing overtime. Students can click here to kno
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
International Management Institute, Kolkata accepts the XAT entrance exam for admission to the MBA/PGDM programme. In 2024, the required XAT cutoff percentile was 70 for the students belonging to the General AI quota.
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
The Naya Loan Score App connects customers with representatives from the support team. The support team can answer questions about loans and credit scores, as well as provide troubleshooting assistance. The support team can also clarify eligibility and provide repayment assistance. A dedicated helpl
A
Contributor-Level 10
Yes, the XAT exam has negative marking of -0.25 marks for wrong attempt. Unanswered questions have no negative marking but if there are 8 consecutive unanswered questions, 0.10 marks will be deducted. Thus, the candidates must select questions to solve very carefully in the XAT exam. They should solve only those questions which they know they can solve accurately. The XAT exam has sectional time limit too, so you may not want to waste time on a question that you cannot solve accurately. You stand to lose both time and marks. So be careful in selecting questions in the XAT exam. The sectional cut off for XAT is usually 80 percent accuracy. Practice a lot of mock tests to develop this skill.