What is XAT Exam? | Complete information about XAT 2026 | MBAROI

XAT is the best entrance exam for MBA admissions? The simple answer is that there are several amazing exams that help students get into the best management institutes and XAT is one of them. Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) is one of India’s most competitive MBA entrance exams, conducted by XLRI Jamshedpur on behalf of XAMI. It opens doors to 250+ top B-schools such as XIM Bhubaneswar, Welingkar Mumbai and Bengaluru, etc. These institutes are offering modern and industry ready MBA/PGDM programs.

This entrance exam is renowned for its tough format, XAT evaluates a candidate’s decision-making, ethics, and analytical reasoning, areas rarely tested in other exams. With over 1.35 lakh aspirants each year, XAT remains a preferred choice for many serious MBA candidates. XLRI Jamshedpur also provides more than 100 test cities across India, so that students do not have to face issues with test centers.

Some of the Colleges that use XAT scores are:

1. XIM Bhubaneswar
2. IMT Ghaziabad
3. GIM Goa
4. TAPMI Manipal
5. FORE School of Management
6. IRMA Anand
7. AIMS Institutes (Acharya Institute of Management and Sciences)
8. Sri Balaji University, Pune
9. Xavier Institute of Management & Research Mumbai
10. IFMR GSB
11. Welingkar Mumbai and Bengaluru
12. Taxila B school Jaipur
13. Loyola Institute of Business Administration
14. Quinlan School of Business, Loyola University, Chicago
15. ST. Francis Institute of Management and Research
16. Indian Institute of Forest Management
17. Birla Institute of Management Technology
18. Ahmedabad University and etc.

XAT 2026: Exam Dates and Schedule

XAT 2026 will be held on Sunday, January 4, 2026. The exam sticks to its annual tradition of being conducted on the first Sunday of January.

Note: Check more about the dates from the official website of XAT

Syllabus breakdown for XAT

XAT entrance exam syllabus is divided into 4 sections that tests core management skills of a student.

These four sections are following:

1. Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning (VALR)
2. Decision Making (DM)
3. Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation (QA & DI)
4. General Knowledge (GK)

These sections test different abilities of an individual as the VALR section tests a student’s English comprehension and logical thinking, while the Decision Making section checks their ability to handle real-life situations with good judgment and ethics. QA & DI evaluates mathematical skills and the ability to interpret data accurately, and the GK section measures overall awareness of current events, business, economy, and general world knowledge.

So, read all the sections thoroughly to understand the basics of your management journey.

You can also read XAT bulletin for more information on syllabus: Xavier Aptitude Test-2026 Overview of syllabus

Eligibility criteria for XAT entrance examination

This entrance examination does not have any age limit but you will need a bachelor's degree (With 3 years in duration) from a recognized university. You can also apply if you are in your final year of the bachelor’s degree. But your degree must be completed before June 2026, so that you can take admissions in MBA programmes using XAT score card. Also there is no specific percentage and attempts, so you can give this exam without much restrictions.

This exam does not have reservation for any category and it sees all students as an equal. That means if you belong to SC/ST category then there is no deduction in exam fee but for MBA admissions all colleges and universities have their own reservations rules, so you need not to worry about your MBA admissions.

To get into your favourite college you have to clear cut off for the respective college, for example XLRM Jamshedpur has 95–96 percentile cut off, so you need at least 95-96 percentile to get your admission into it.

Download overview of XAT entrance exam: XAT Bulletin 2026

Documents required to get admission

There are several documents which you will need after your entrance exam. These are following:

1. Graduation mark sheets with degree certificate (You can use provisional certificate if you don’t have your degree with you right now)
2. ID proof (Aadhaar, PAN, etc.)
3. XAT scorecard (You need to clear cut off to able to use this scorecard which released by institutes)
4. Category certificate (if applicable)
5. Work experience letters (if required)

After qualifying the cut off you will be shortlisted for the next round that includes group discussions followed by an interview. You need to clear both of them to get your admission. So don't sit ideally after giving your MBA entrance exam and start preparing for your interview and group discussions.

Exam pattern for the XAT entrance exam

This exam is a computer-based test (CBT) conducted over 3 hours. It evaluates across four sections with time-bound slots. As mentioned above there are four sections of the XAT entrance exam and a total of 100 questions. The time duration of this exam is 3 hours (180 minutes).

This exam has a negative marking of 0.25 marks for wrong answers and +1 for correct answers. So you must keep this in mind and not attempt any unnecessary questions. This pattern focuses on testing clarity of thought, precision, and problem-solving under pressure.

XAT 2026 Registration Process

The entire registration is conducted online at xatonline.in

The first step will be to visit the official website of XAT (as mentioned) and create your account (if you are new), after registering you need to fill in your personal and academic details with your photo and signature. You also need to choose test city preferences and in the end pay the application fee. Download and keep the application form for future reference.

After this whole process and successful submission you will get a confirmation email sent by XLRI Jamshedpur.

One last tip, always register early so that you can avoid last-minute glitches and get your preferred test centers, also keep that in mind if you fill form late then it may include extra charges.

Also read:

1. XAT 2026 Cutoff Analysis and Trends
2. XAT 2026 Admit Card: Complete Guide
3. Why Choose an MBA in Technology Management?