XAT 2026 Entrance Exam for MBA/PGDM

About XAT

The Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT), conducted by XLRI Jamshedpur on behalf of XAMI members for over 75 years, is one of India’s most trusted national-level entrance exams for admission to MBA/PGDM programs.

With its unique approach to testing decision-making and critical thinking, XAT helps identify future business leaders beyond just academic excellence.

It is accepted by 250+ premier B-Schools and conducted in 100+ test cities across India, making it one of the most accessible and comprehensive MBA/PGDM entrance exams.

Latest News and Updates

Deadline Extended:

XAT 2026 applications close on 11th Dec, 2025.

XAT Mock Test Window

10th Dec (12 PM) to 11th Dec (12 PM)

Eligibility: Submission of XAT 2026 application by 9th Dec 2025

Application Edit Window

8th Dec 2025 (9 AM) - 10th Dec 2025 (9 AM)

New XAT Associate Institutes

Institute of Engineering and Management, Kolkata

Parul University, Gujarat

Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology, Bengaluru

NITTE School of Management, Bangalore

Mulshi Institute of Business Management, Pune

LM Thapar School of Management, Punjab

Svyasa Deemed To Be University, Bengaluru

SIES School of Business Studies, Navi Mumbai

Maharaja Agrasen Business School, Delhi

Management Development Institute, Murshidabad

Institute of Management Studies, Ghaziabad

Birla Global University, Bhubaneswar

Registration closes

December 11, 2025

Admit card download

December 20, 2025 (Tentative)

XAT Exam date

January 04 , 2026, 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm

One of The Most Preferred MBA/PGDM Entrance Exams

Trust & Credibility

Legacy of 75+ years in management entrance testing
Many CEOs and CXOs of India Inc. have taken XAT in their MBA/PGDM journey

Preferred. Diverse. Future-Ready

Accepted by 250+ reputed B-Schools, including NIRF-ranked, AACSB, and AMBA-accredited institutions
Many leading B-Schools prefer XAT takers for admissions
Offers access to institutes providing a wide range of MBA/PGDM specialisations including new age specialisations

Strategic Advantages

Held in January – gives an additional month to prepare after CAT
No extra preparation required – aligned with other MBA/PGDM entrance prep, except for the decision-making section
Seen as a smart parallel choice, not just a backup

Competitive Edge

No sectional time limits – attempt sections in your preferred order
Ability to switch between sections – stay in control during the exam
Single-slot exam – ensures fairness and no normalization bias
A distinct applicant pool compared to other major exams, giving you a better opportunity to differentiate yourself and stand out.

Trust & Credibility

Legacy of 75+ years in management entrance testing
Many CEOs and CXOs of India Inc. have taken XAT in their MBA/PGDM journey

Preferred. Diverse. Future-Ready

Accepted by 250+ reputed B-Schools, including NIRF-ranked, AACSB, and AMBA-accredited institutions
Many leading B-Schools prefer XAT takers for admissions
Offers access to institutes providing a wide range of MBA/PGDM specialisations including new age specialisations

Strategic Advantages

Held in January – gives an additional month to prepare after CAT
No extra preparation required – aligned with other MBA/PGDM entrance prep, except for the decision-making section
Seen as a smart parallel choice, not just a backup

Competitive Edge

No sectional time limits – attempt sections in your preferred order
Ability to switch between sections – stay in control during the exam
Single-slot exam – ensures fairness and no normalization bias
A distinct applicant pool compared to other major exams, giving you a better opportunity to differentiate yourself and stand out.

XAT Associates
XAMI Members

Top B-schools Across India Accepting XAT scores

IEM

SSIM

NITTE

Parul University

Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Teachnology

BGU

ISB&M

NITTE School of Management

We school

MABS

MDI

IMS

KIET-School-of-Management

Centonion University

IRMA

S Vyasa

SIES

PDPU

LMTSM

NIBM

Soil

IMDR

CIMP

TAXILA

ADITYA

DMI

BIMTECH

CHRIST

MYRA

IIHMR

IFIM

FIREBIRD

LOGO

RBS

Sdmimd

Shiv Nadar University

IILM UNIVERSITY

AIMS Institutes

BML Munjal University

DKS

FLAME University

CBM SBE

IMB

MIT-WPU

Prestige University

SYMDUTTA Institute

KIET

RCM

IIBS

MIBM

EIIB

Bennett University

LOGO

GIM

SIBM PUNE

NTPC School

NDM

VJIM

FBS

LOGO

FIIB

HSB

IAME

SSIM

LOGO

GREAT lakes

GIBS

IMT

ISB&M

PIBM

Kalinga University

TAPMI

VIT

GITAM

Manipal University

ASBM University

LAL BAhadur Shastri IOM

IFMR

IIFM

INDUS B School

IMI

ITM Group

ISME

LOGO

IPE

Woxsen

NL Dalmia

Amrita

BIM

DBS Global

LOGO

GIMS

IIRM

School of Management

IMI

ISBR

Somaiya

NIA

SBS

Paari School

Logo

BITS Plani

Alliance University

EDI

FUM

JIMS

Praxis

MICA

LPU

BADRUKA

IIEBM

Ahmedabad University

NICMAR

ABBS School

LOGO

BFiT

Gitam HBS

EvolveBPM

APIM

LOGO

Apply Now for XAT 2026

Top B-schools Across India Accepting XAMI Members

XIME

XIDAS

XLRI

XIME

XIDAS

XLRI

MIBM

LOGO

MIBM

LOGO

XIM University

LIBA

LOGO

XIM University

LIBA

XISS

LOGO

QUINLAN

XISS

LOGO

QUINLAN

LOGO

XIME

XIDAS

LOGO

XIME

XIDAS

XLRI

MIBM

LOGO

XLRI

MIBM

LOGO

Exam Pattern & Overview

Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning

Decision Making

Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation

General Knowledge

Section	Important Topics	Number of Questions (Approx)	Time (minutes)
Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning (VALR)	The VA&LR section will encompass critical & analytical reasoning, reading comprehension (including poems, cartoons & passages etc.), vocabulary, English grammar, and other related exercises such as para jumbles, cloze tests etc.	26	170
Decision Making (DM)	The DM section will present scenarios drawn from both personal and professional lives. Candidates will be required to apply critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and prioritization to make informed decisions.	21
Quantitative Aptitude & Data Interpretation (QA & DI)	In this section, the questions are designed to assess the quantitative aptitude of candidates who possess foundational understanding of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, mensuration, modern Maths, etc. The questions on DI are about clear interpretation, summarization, and insightful analysis of the data.	28
General Knowledge (GK)	In the GK section, 08 questions will focus on static GK, while the remaining 12 will delve into current affairs.	20	10
Total		95	180

Marking Scheme

Marks per Question: Each question carries 1 mark, with 95 questions expected. Negative Marking for Incorrect Answers: 0.25 marks will be deducted for every incorrect answer.

Penalty for Skipping Questions

You can skip up to 8 questions without any penalty. For each question skipped after the 8th one, a penalty of 0.1 marks per question will be applied.

General Knowledge (GK) Section

The GK section has no negative markings. It will not contribute to your overall percentile or cutoff score but will be considered in the selection process (only for XLRI programs).

Marking Scheme

Marks per Question: Each question carries 1 mark, with 95 questions expected. Negative Marking for Incorrect Answers: 0.25 marks will be deducted for every incorrect answer.

Penalty for Skipping Questions

You can skip up to 8 questions without any penalty. For each question skipped after the 8th one, a penalty of 0.1 marks per question will be applied.

General Knowledge (GK) Section

The GK section has no negative markings. It will not contribute to your overall percentile or cutoff score but will be considered in the selection process (only for XLRI programs).

Test Cities Across India

Check the spelling or city is not available

Agra

Ahmedabad

Ajmer

Aligarh

Allahabad

Ambala

Amravati

Amritsar

Anantapur

Arrah

Aurangabad City

Baddi

Balasore

Bareilly

Bhatinda

Bhagalpur

Bhilai Nagar

Bhopal

Bhubaneswar

Bikaner

Bilaspur

Bengaluru

Berhampur

Chandigarh/Mohali

Chennai

Chikkaballapur

Coimbatore

Cuttack

Darbhanga

Davanagere

Dehradun

Delhi-NCR

Dhanbad

Dhenkanal

Dibrugarh

Durgapur/Asansol

Ernakulam

Gandhinagar

Goa

Gorakhpur

Guwahati

Gwalior

Haldwani

Hazaribagh

Hisar

Hooghly

Hubballi (Hubli)

Hyderabad

Indore

Jabalpur

Jaipur

Jalandhar

Jammu

Jamshedpur

Jodhpur

Jorhat

Kalaburagi (Gulbarga)

Kalyani

Kannur

Kanpur

Karimnagar

Kolhapur

Kolkata

Kota

Kottayam

Kurnool

Kurukshetra

Lucknow

Madurai

Mangalore

Mehsana

Moradabad

Muzaffarnagar

Muzaffarpur

Mumbai

Mysuru (Mysore)

Nagpur

Naharlagun

Nanded

Nashik

Patiala

Patna

Pune

Raipur

Rajahmundry

Rajkot

Ranchi

Roorkee

Rourkela

Salem

Sambalpur

Shimla

Shillong

Sikar

Siliguri

Surat

Tejpur

Thiruvananthapuram

Tiruchirappalli

Tirupathi

Tiruvallur

Udaipur

Udupi

Ujjain

Vadodara

Varanasi

Vellore

Vijayawada

Visakhapatnam

Apply Now for XAT 2026

Important Timelines

01

Registration opens

July 10, 2025

02

Registration closes

December 05, 2025

03

Admit card download

December 20, 2025 (Tentative)

04

XAT Exam date

January 04 , 2026, 2.00 PM to 5.00 PM

01

Registration opens

July 10, 2025

02

Registration closes

December 05, 2025

03

Admit card download

December 20, 2025 (Tentative)

04

XAT Exam date

January 04 , 2026, 2.00 PM to 5.00 PM

The Registration Process

Tips From Toppers

Sarthak Kumar

BM, 2018-20

Snigdha Singh

HR, 2017-19

Aastha Sharma

BM, 2017-19

Sarthak Kumar

BM, 2018-20

Snigdha Singh

HR, 2017-19

Aastha Sharma

BM, 2017-19