MBA is a very popular stream for post-graduation in India. India is home to approximately 5500 B schools. A pool of management students, not just from India but from abroad as well keeps trying hard to get entry into these schools. Many of these B-Schools are of international repute too. Since the number of applying students is more, and seats are still limited one has to write competitive MBA exams to get admission to management school.
There are a number of entrance exams being relied upon by each type of institution to test the abilities of the aspirants. CAT being the most prestigious of such exams, the result of a CAT exam is accepted by many of these colleges. Let’s look at CAT and other well-known MBA entrance exams in India that MBA aspirants should consider for admissions to the Top MBA colleges.
Here is the list of Top MBA Entrance Exams in India
National Level MBA Entrance Exams
1. CAT – Common Admission Test
Common Admission Test (CAT) is conducted once a year by IIMs. CAT is the toughest and most prestigious MBA entrance exam out of all MBA entrance exams of India. There is no official CAT Exam Syllabus provided by IIMs, so the students who meet the CAT Eligibility Criteria prepare for this exam with help of CAT previous years’ papers and CAT Mock Tests. CAT score is used by 20 IIMs and over 1000 other management institutes across the country for selecting their candidates. More than two lakh students appear for the exam each year and are being conducted since 1950.
The CAT questions consist of 100 MCQs that need to be solved in 180 minutes. CAT Exam pattern is revised due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In 2020 CAT was conducted in three sessions and the time allotted was 120 minutes. The Exam was held on November 29 and has 3 sections viz. Verbal Ability, Quantitative Aptitude, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning.
Also Read: Admission in IIM without CAT
2. CMAT – Common Management Admission Test
The Common Management Admission Test or CMAT Exam is the next important entrance taken by Management school applicants. This exam is also attended by about 1.5 lakh candidates who satisfied the CMAT Eligibility Criteria. Candidates have to score 90+ percentile in CMAT results for claiming a seat in the top MBA colleges of India. All the applicants are instructed to use the CMAT previous year’s papers and best books for CMAT preparation 2023. The test is convened by the National Testing Agency and was initiated in the year 2012.
The score from the CMAT exam is also accepted by more than 1000 Business schools in India. The exams are held in January. CMAT is an online format exam held for 180 minutes. According to the updated CMAT Syllabus, CMAT Exam is divided into 4 sections: Quantitative Technique, Logical Reasoning, Language Comprehension, and General Awareness.
Also Read: Top MBA Colleges Accepting CMAT Score
3. XAT – Xavier Aptitude Test
XAT is also among the top management entrance tests of India, known as, Xavier Aptitude Test or XAT Exam; this is also a computer-based aptitude test. The exam is conducted by XLRI Jamshedpur and approximately about 1 lakh candidates appear for this exam. The exam is held on the first Sunday of every year in January. The scores are accepted by at least Top 100 management institutes including XLRI. As per the updated XAT Syllabus, four sections of this exam are Quantitative Ability, English Language & Logical Reasoning, Decision Making, General knowledge.
Also Read: XAT Exam Important Dates, XAT Exam Eligibility Criteria, XAT Admit Card
4. SNAP – Symbiosis National Aptitude Test
Symbiosis National Aptitude Test or SNAP is also a national-level entrance exam that is accepted by 15 institutes that work under Symbiosis International University. There are other MBA colleges as well that use SNAP scores to consider candidates for admission. The SNAP Registration starts in the month of August till November. This 2-hour duration exam is held in the month of December.SNAP Test is computer-based and the SNAP Syllabus is divided in three sections, General English, Quantitative, Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency, Analytical & Logical Reasoning
Also Read: SNAP Exam Eligibility Criteria
5. IIFT – Indian Institute of Foreign Trade
Indian Institute of Foreign Trade is a national level MBA entrance exam for the MBA course presented by the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade. Conducted by National Testing Agency, the exam time is 120 minutes. As per IIFT Syllabus and Exam Pattern, it contains 4 sections with negative markings also. This year the IIFT Exam Date is scheduled to be on December 05, 2021. This is also a computer-based exam and is conducted in 68 cities of India. IIFT has its campuses in Kolkata and Delhi apart from the upcoming one in Kakinada.
Also Read: IIFT Exam Eligibility Criteria, IIFT Cut Offs 2021
6. MAT – Management Aptitude Test
Management Aptitude Test/ MAT Exam are also popular National entrance exams for MBA in India. The body convening this entrance is the All India Management Association (AIMA). Since the pandemic is going on there is a Remotely Proctored Internet-Based Test this year. Eligible Applicants can take the exams at home with all the measures of precaution. MAT is conducted four times a year. February, May, September, and December are the months when MAT exams take place, and about 400 MBA/PGDM Colleges accept the MAT scores for admissions.
Also Read: MAT Exam Syllabus
7. NMAT – NMIMS Management Aptitude Test
Conducted by Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), these national-level entrance exams are held three times per year. This year the number of questions has been decreased to 108 from 120 earlier. As per the NMAT exam pattern and syllabus, there are 3 sections to be answered viz. Language Skills, Quantitative Skills, and Logical Reasoning along with each section individually timed. NMAT scores are accepted in 29 institutes in India, 7 in South Africa and 5 in the Philippines accept NMAT scores for admissions. The scores can be sent from India to other accepting institutes in different countries
Also Read: NMAT Exam Eligibility, NMAT Exam Important Dates
8. IBSAT – ICFAI Business Studies Aptitude Test
IBS Hyderabad or ICFAI Business School administers IBS Aptitude Test. The exam is taken to accomplish admission in any of the nine IBS campuses. IBS campuses are situated in Hyderabad, Dehradun, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Jaipur, Kolkata, and Pune. As per the IBSAT Syllabus, Computer-based questions will be asked in 4 sections. The sections are Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Data Adequacy, Quantitative Ability, and Verbal Ability. The computer-based test is conducted as per the IBSAT 2020 pattern.
Also Read: IBSAT Eligibility Criteria, IBSAT Exam Important Dates
9. GMAT – Graduate Management Admission Test
The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) exam is a computer-based test that evaluates the candidates’ analytical writing, quantitative, verbal and reading skills in standard written English. This test is taken to get admission into a graduate management program, such as MBA and related courses in business schools across the world.
Also Read: GMAT Eligibility Criteria, GMAT Exam Syllabus, GMAT Exam Important Dates
10. ATMA – AIMS Test for Management Admissions
AIMS Test for Management Admissions or ATMA is a national-level exam conducted by the Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS) for admission to MBA, PGDM, MCA and PGDBA courses. The exam is organized four times a year.
Also Read: ATMA Eligibility Criteria, ATMA Exam Syllabus
State-Level Management Entrance Exams
Taking state-level MBA exams enable students to get admission in their home states, and even get the advantage of domicile reservation. A few recognized state-level MBA exams are:
- KMAT (Karnataka)
- MAH CET (Maharashtra)
- APICET (Andhra Pradesh)
- TSICET (Telangana)
- TANCET (Tamil Nadu)
- UPSEE (Uttar Pradesh)
- KMAT (Kerala)
- JEMAT (West Bengal)
- OJEE (Orissa)
- HPU MAT (Himachal Pradesh)
- RMAT (Rajasthan)
Also Read: City Wise Top Colleges For MBA in India
University-Level MBA Entrance Exams
A few other exams that are conducted by various universities specifically for entrance into their MBA programs are:
- DUET (Delhi University)
- IPU CET (Indraprastha University)
- AMU MBA (Aligarh Muslim University)
- MONIRBA (Motilal Nehru Institute of Research and Business Administration)
- CUCET (Central Universities)
- MU OET (Manipal University)
- KIITEE (Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology)
- LPU NEST (Lovely Professional University)
- VMOU (Vardhman Mahaveer Open University)
- NMIMS NPAT (Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies)
- IMU CET (Indian Maritime University)
- BMAT (Bharti Vidyapeeth Deemed University)
- NIPER JEE (National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research)
- CUSAT CAT (Cochin University)
Also Read: Top 100 MBA Colleges In India
