XAT 2026 Exam Date (Jan 4), Registration (Ongoing), Form Correction (Oct 14), Syllabus, Pattern, Preparation Tips

Xavier Aptitude Test 2026 ( XAT )

DeskCalelnderRegistration - 10 Jul '25 - 5 Dec '25

Vipra
Vipra Shrivastava
Senior Manager - Content
Updated on Oct 14, 2025 11:24 IST

XAT 2026 will be held on January 4, 2026. Registration process for the same is ongoing. The XAT 2026 form correction window is open from October 14 to October 16, 2025. Know all about the XAT exam 2026, including dates, question paper analysis, exam pattern, syllabus, preparation, test cities, etc.

XAT 2026

All about XAT 2026 exam

XAT 2026 exam will be conducted by XLRI Jamshedpur on January 4, 2026. The exam will be conducted in over 70 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. XAT 2026 application process is underway and the last date to apply is December 5, 2025. Already registered candidates can edit test city, XLRI course, phone number and email ID in the XAT application form 2026 between October 14 and 16, 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. 

SNAP 2026 Applications Open - Start your Application Now  

Table of content
  • XAT 2026 Exam Dates
  • XAT Eligibility Criteria
  • XAT Application Process 2026
  • XAT Syllabus 2026
  • XAT Exam Pattern 2026
  • XAT Preparation 2026
  • XAT Mock Test
  • XAT Answer Key 2026
  • XAT Result 2026
  • XAT Cut Offs (Previous Year’s)
  • XAT Top Colleges Accepting XAT Score
View More

XAT 2026 Exam Dates

The schedule of XAT 2026 was announced by XLRI July 9, 2025. Mock test was held on September 27 and 28, 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

Mock test registration deadline

24-Sep-2025

XAT form correction 2026

Oct-14-2025 to Oct-16-2025

XAT 2026 registration ends

05-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 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:

Step 1: Open XAT 2026 website in a new window: https://xatonline.in/

Step 2: Click on 'Registration' tab

Step 3: Enter basic details to create login

Step 4: A unique XAT ID and registration link will be shared in email ID

Step 5: Click on the link to verify your registration

Step 6: Got to XAT login dashboard

Step 7: Click on XAT 2026 application form

Step 8: Enter all the details asked in the form and upload photo and signature

Step 9: Review the information filled in

Step 10: Pay the XAT application fee via credit/debit card, UPI or net banking

XAT Exam Fee 2026

Check the table below for fee amount to be paid at the time of XAT 2026 application process. Candidates must note that they will have to pay the fee before the last date of foem submission. Fee not paid will lead non-submission of the XAT application form:

Particulars

Amount

XAT fee

INR 2200

XLRI application fee

INR 200

XAT Registration Process: Watch Video

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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.

XAT Exam Pattern 2026

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 Preparation 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 Decision Making

XAT Preparation Plan for Verbal & Logical Ability

XAT Preparation Plan for Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation

Best books for XAT preparation

How to prepare for XAT exam in 6 months

How to prepare for XAT exam in 3 months

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

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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:

Top XAT Colleges

1.       XLRI Jamshedpur

2.       Loyola Institute of Business Administration

3.       Xavier Institute of Social Service

4.       St. Joseph's Institute of Management

5.       Xavier Institute of Management, Xavier University

6.       St. Francis Institute of Management and Research (SFIMR)

7.       Xavier Business School (XBS), St.Xavier's University, Kolkata

8.       Xavier Institute of Development Action and Sciences (XIDAS)

9.       Xavier Institute of Management & Research

10.   Xavier Institute of Management & Entrepreneurship

11.   St.Aloysius Institute of Management and Information Technology

12.   Alliance University

13.   Amrita School of Business

14.   Adarsh Institute of Management & Information Technology (AIMIT)

15.   Asia Pacific Institute of Management

16.   Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's Usha & Lakshmi Mittal Institute of Management (BULMIM)

17.   Doon Business School

18.   Dr. D. Y. Patil B-School

19.   Birla Institute of Management Technology

20.   Balaji Institute of International Business

21.   Acharya School of Management

Check XAT cut offs and predict calls from XLRI and other colleges accepting XAT score for admission. Check Fees, Placement Reviews, Admission, Shortlist Criteria and Eligibility of all XAT participating colleges by clicking the link below:

Predict XAT Admission Calls
Q:   Is there any negative marking in the XAT exam?
A:

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.

 

Q:   What is the marking scheme of the XAT exam?
A:

XAT is an MCQ based test and all questions carry equal marks. The total marks of the exam is 100 and every question carries 1 mark. Decision Making carries 22 marks, Verbal and Logical Ability carries 26 marks, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation carries 28 marks and General Knowledge carries 25 marks.

There is negative marking too in XAT, that you should be aware of. Check below the marking scheme of XAT.

  • One mark is awarded for each right answer
  • 0.25 marks is deducted for each wrong answer
  • 0.10 marks is deducted for more than eight unanswered consecutive questions
  • There is no negative marking in General Knowledge section
  • Scores of General Knowledge section will not be considered for calculating XAT score 
  • The score of Essay Writing will be taken into consideration at the time of PI shortlisting
Q:   Is there a sectional time limit in XAT?
A:

Yes, there is sectional time limit in XAT. As per the latest exam pattern, the XAT question paper will be divided into two sections – Part 1 and Part 2. Candidates have to complete the questions of a given session within the time limit only. Since, XAT is an online test, there will be on screen clock indicating the time and as soon as the time of one section will be over, the screen will automatically move to the next part. Candidates need to ensure that they have answered the required number of questions and saved them within the time limit. Here’s how the XAT question paper is divided as per section and time duration.

Part 1- Verbal and Logical Ability, Decision Making and Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation  (170 minutes)

Part 2-  General Knowledge (10 minutes)

Q:   How many questions were there in XAT 2025?
A:

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.

Q:   What is the XAT section wise weightage?
A:

XAT exam is more Quantitative Ability and Verbal and Logical Ability based. Which is why these two sections have more weightage than rest of the section. And between these two, Quantitative Ability has more weightage. In terms of marks too, the Quantitative Ability has maximum weightage, i.e. 28 marks, followed by Verbal and Logical Ability with 26 marks, General Knowledge carries 25 marks and Decision Making carries 22 marks.

XAT Sections

Number of Questions

Total Marks

Decision Making

22

22

Verbal and Logical Ability

26

26

Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation

28

28

General Knowledge

25

25

Essay Writing

1 (out of 3 options)

To be evaluated at the time of shortlisting

Q:   What type of Reading Comprehension passages are there in XAT?
A:

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.

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Answered a month ago

XLRI Jamshedpur considers XAT scores for admission to PGDM programmes. Those who are seeking admission in PGDM BM, PGDM HRM and Double Masters Degree in Supply Chain Management and logistics (PGDM & MS) requires XAT scores. Aspirants can also apply for admission to General Management programme (PGDM

...Read more

N

Nishtha Shukla

Guide-Level 15

Answered a month ago

Candidates who are applying for XAT have to pay an application fee. Aspirants have to pay INR 2,200 to apply for XAT. Candidates can pay the fee via any of the online payment modes. Aspirants have to pay INR 200 each for every additional programme of XLRI. 

N

Nishtha Shukla

Guide-Level 15

Answered a month ago

XLRI Delhi accepts XAT scores for admission to PGDM programme. Aspirants seeking admission in PGDM Business Management are offered seat only via their XAT scores. For PGDM IEV, candidates can also take admission without XAT based on their scores in CAT, MAT, GMAT, etc. Candidates have to register on

...Read more

N

Nishtha Shukla

Guide-Level 15

Answered a month ago

No, you cannot use the score of XAT 2025 for admission to 2026 batch at XLRI as the validity of exam score is one year only. Thus, you will have to appear for XAT 2026 exam if you plan to pursue MBA from XLRI in 2026. The registration process for XAT 2026 is open and the last date to apply is Decemb

...Read more

A

Aarushi Hazarika

Contributor-Level 6

Answered a month ago

The total course fee of full time MBA at XLRI is INR 28 Lacs according to Shiksha. The fee is to be paid semester wise. The first installment is to be paid at the time of admission. The XLRI course fee includes tuition fees, hostel and mess charges, caution money, library chargers and other miscella

...Read more

N

Nishtha Shukla

Contributor-Level 6

Answered a month ago

There is no process of applying for multiple XAT accepting colleges through one form because there is no common counselling for XAT. Candidates have to apply to the colleges of their choice individually. They must keep in mind the application last date so they don't miss out on it. Also, they must c

...Read more

A

Anya B

Contributor-Level 6

Answered a month ago

No, the XAT entrance exam 2025 has already been concluded for PGDM admissions at SOIM. However, the registration dates for the XAT 2026 entrance exam are soon getting announced. Candidateswho are interested in appearing for XAT to gain admissions in the PGDM course at SOIM are advised to visit the o

...Read more

S

Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

XAT cut off different for male and female candidates to promote diversity in the candidate pool. However, the difference in cut offs is not too big. There's usually a difference of 1 or 2 percentile between XAT cut offs for male candidate and female candidate. Infact, the difference is not limited t

...Read more

E

Esha Singh

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 2 months ago

XAT score is the only examination score accepted for domestic candidates for admission to full-time MBA programmes offered by XLRI Jamshedpur. Check below the stages of XLRI MBA admission through XAT.

1. Apply for XAT exam

2. Appear for XAT exam

3. Participate in AEW/PI round

3. Final selection list rel

...Read more

M

Manisha Singh

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 2 months ago

Yes, you can apply for Jagannath University, Haryana MBA 2025 using XAT scores. Students first need to ensure that they qualify for the eligibility criteria for MBA programme and XAT exam. Secondly, register yourself for the XAT exam. Generally, the registration window starts in July and is availabl

...Read more

M

Ms Shruti Gupta

Contributor-Level 10