Top MBA Entrance Exams: CAT, XAT, CMAT, TISSNET

Top MBA Entrance Exams

There has always been a high demand for MBAs in the job market. MBA stands for Master of Business Administration. As such, master’s degrees or postgraduate diplomas in management have become a popular option for recent graduates and professionals with considerable experience.

An MBA can be pursued by graduates from almost any field. Students can select from a variety of specialization options during the MBA course that lasts two years. There are many specialized MBA programs offered by top-rated universities in India.

A Master’s degree in Business Administration is one of the most sought-after courses in the country and abroad. MBA examinations are the gateway to a plethora of career opportunities in the corporate world. MBAs are an excellent choice for candidates with bachelor’s degrees. Among the top MBA entrance exams of India are CAT, SNAP, MAH MBA CET, NMAT, IIFT, CMAT, and others.

Various institutions conduct MBA entrance exams every year. Here are some of the top MBA entrance exams:

List of Top B-School under CMAT

CAT Exam

There are 20 IIMs and more than 100 B-schools in India that participate in the CAT 2020 exam, which is the most popular MBA entrance exam in the country.

CAT full form is the Common Admission Test. There are many MBA entrance exams in India, but the most well-known one is the CAT. It is a computer-based exam. There are 3 sections for 3 hours, resulting in 60 min. for each section.  

IIM Ahmedabad will host CAT 2021 this year. In over 100 business schools, the CAT score qualifies as a qualifier.

The top MBA Entrance Exams in India, including top schools like the IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IMT Ghaziabad, MDI Gurgaon, and FMS New Delhi, accept the CAT Score.

Exam Highlights

Features	Details
Exam Name	Common Admission Test (CAT)
Conducting Institute	IIM Ahmedabad
Exam Level	National
Exam Frequency	Once a year
Exam Fees	Rs 2,200 (General category) and Rs 1,100 (Reserved category)
Eligibility	Graduation with 50 % aggregate (45 % for SC/ST students)
CAT syllabus	Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) Quantitative Ability (QA)

XAT Exam

The Xavier School of Management conducts the XAT 2021, which is a national-level entrance exam for MBAs. 

The Xavier Aptitude Test is also called the XAT. It was divided into two parts. The exam lasts three and a half hours.   It is the 2nd most sought-after exam for institutions after CAT.

XAT (Xavier’s Aptitude Test) is an examination for management entrance that is administered by XLRI (Xavier Labor Relations Institute) and XAMI (Xavier Association of Management Institutes). A detailed XAT 2022 Exam Pattern will be included with the XAT 2022 Notification, which includes details such as marking schemes and topical questions. XAT is conducted in an online mode.

There are two parts to the XAT Exam: the aptitude paper and the general knowledge paper. In most cases, only the first paper score counts toward the final score. However, a candidate must take both sections of the test to complete the test.

Exam Highlights

Features	Details
Exam Name	Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT)
Conducting Body	XLRI, Jamshedpur
Exam Level	National
Exam Frequency	Once a year
Exam Mode	Online
Exam Duration	3 hours
Exam Syllabus	Decision Making Verbal & Logical Ability Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation General Knowledge
Exam Fees	Rs 1,750 (General category)

CMAT Exam

Common Management Admission Test or CMAT is the nation’s second-largest management entrance exam, administered to about 1.5 lakh candidates every year.

As a popular alternative to CAT, CMAT is administered by the National Testing Agency. CMAT was first offered in 2012. Over 1000 MBA institutes across the country accept the exam score.  

CMAT comprises 100 questions in the areas of Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Language Comprehension, and General Awareness. CMAT 2021 will include a new section to the question paper. The new section is optional, which includes Innovation and Entrepreneurship. CMAT consists of 500 total points. CMAT is conducted in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode and the duration of the exam is three hours.

List of Top B-School under CMAT

Exam Highlights

Features	Details
Exam Name	Common Management Admission Test (CMAT)
Conducting Body	National Testing Agency
Exam Level	National
Exam Frequency	Once a year
Exam Mode	Online
Exam Duration	3 hours
Exam Syllabus	Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation Logical Reasoning Language Comprehension & Verbal Ability General Awareness Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Language	English
Exam Fees	Rs 2,000 (General category male) Rs 1,000 (General category female)

TISSNET Exam

This test is administered by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai (TISSNET).

Admission to the School of Management and Labour Studies is by way of a national entrance exam. In terms of their management programs, TISS campuses are at par with the best MBA colleges in India. It is expected that TISS will announce TISSNET 2022 options in November 2021. Approximately two years from now, TISSNET 2022 is expected to take place. This test is conducted online, and the test consists of questions about English Proficiency, Mathematics and Logical Reasoning, and General Awareness.

Exam Highlights

Features	Details
Exam Name	Tata Institute of Social Sciences National Entrance Test
Conducting Body	TISS Mumbai
Exam Level	National
Exam Frequency	Once a year
Exam Mode	Online
Exam Duration	100 minutes
Exam Syllabus	English Proficiency, Mathematical Skills & Logical Reasoning, and General Awareness
Exam Pattern	100 questions in MCQ format
Language	English
Exam Fees	Rs 1,030 per course (general category) and Rs 260 per course (for reserved category)

IIFT Exam

The NTA (National Testing Agency) will conduct the IIFT 2022 as an online computer-based test (CBT). Successful completion of the course offers admission to the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi’s prestigious MBA (International Business) program.

In any given year, almost sixty thousand candidates come to IIFT from various major disciplines such as law, commerce, management, humanities, and computer sciences, hoping to get into the esteemed institutes. Candidates who qualify for IIFT 2022 will be offered admission to the Delhi, Kolkata, and Kakinada campuses. After the written assessment, candidates will be notified regarding the GD (group discussion) and PI (personal interview) rounds, which they need to demonstrate proficiency in order to make shortlisting for the flagship PGDM programs at IIFT. 

Exam Highlights

Features	Details
Exam Name	IIFT Exam
Exam Level	National
Exam Frequency	Once a year
Exam Mode	Online
Exam Duration	2 hours
Exam Syllabus	Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension General Knowledge Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation Quantitative Analysis
Exam Pattern	110 questions in MCQ format
Language	English
Exam Fees	Rs 2,500 (General category)
Exam Purpose	Admission into IIFT, Delhi, IIFT Kolkata and IIFT Kakinada

MAH CET Exam

This computer-based management entrance test is called the Maharashtra Common Entrance Test, or MAH CET. Maharashtra’s State Common Entrance Test Cell conducts the exam, officially known as MAH MBA/MMS-CET, for admission to MBA programs at various institutions in Maharashtra. MAH MBA CET contains four modules – Logical Reasoning, Abstract Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, Verbal Ability, and Reading Comprehension.

Based on their scores, candidates for MAH CET MBA will be offered seats in MAH CET participating colleges through Centralised Admission Process (CAP) or Counseling.

Exam Highlights

Features	Details
Exam Name	MAH MBA/MMS-CET or MAH-CET
Conducting Body	State Common Entrance Test Cell, Maharashtra
Exam Level	State
Exam Frequency	Once a year
Exam Fees	Rs 1,000 (General category) and Rs 800 (Reserved category)
Exam Purpose	Admission into over 200 MBA institutes over Maharastra
Course Offered	MBA/PGDM

MICAT Exam

The MICAT (MICA Admissions Test) is the online entrance exam for MICA’s flagship program, the Post Graduate Diploma in Management – Communications (PGDM-C). There are both objective and subjective questions in MICAT, which makes it different from other MBA entrance exams. There are sections such as the Descriptive Language Test and Psychometric Test that are given along with the common sections like Quantitative Ability, Verbal Ability, and Reasoning.

Exams are administered by MICA (Mudra Institute of Communication) in Ahmadabad every two years. MICAT 1 2022 will take place in the first week of December 2021 and MICAT 2 2022 will take place in the second week of February 2022.

Additionally, candidates need to appear for CAT/XAT/GMAT. MICA,  The selection process, and deadlines for MICA, Ahmedabad  2022-24 will be announced shortly.  MICAT exam is conducted in two phases, i.e. MICAT I and MICAT II. The best scores of the candidates are considered for preparing the shortlist. Candidates will be selected based on their performance in the CAT/GMAT/XAT, MICAT, GE, and PI.

Exam Highlights

Features	Details
Exam Name	MICA Admission Test (MICAT)
Conducting Body	MICA, Ahmedabad
Exam Level	National
Exam Frequency	Twice a Year
Exam Duration	2 hours 15 minutes
Exam Syllabus	Psychometric Test, Verbal Ability, Quantitative Ability, General Awareness, Divergent-Convergent Reasoning, Descriptive Test
Language	English
Exam Fees	Rs 1,985 (indicative)
Courses Offered	Post Graduate Diploma in Management-Communications (PGDM-C)

MAT Exam

All India Management Association (AIMA) administers the Management Aptitude Test, also known as MAT, as an entrance exam for MBA/PGDM programs across the country. Four times a year, the exam is conducted – in February, May, September, and December. MAT scores are accepted at more than 800 B-schools.

The MAT is offered in three formats: offline (Paper Based Test or PBT), online (Computer Based Test or CBT), and remote proctored (Internet Based Test or IBT). Following their preferences, candidates can take the exam in any mode. All three modes have a similar fee structure, exam pattern, and syllabus, but the exam dates differ.

Exam Highlights

Features	Details
Exam Name	Management Aptitude Test
Conducting Body	All India Management Association (AIMA)
Exam Level	National
Exam Frequency	Multiple times a year
Exam Mode	CBT, PBT and IBT
Exam Duration	2 hours and 30 minutes
Exam Syllabus	Language Comprehension Data Analysis and Sufficiency Mathematics (Quantitate Aptitude) Intelligence and Critical Reasoning Indian & Global Environment
Language	English
Exam Fees	Rs 1,650 (Rs 1,100 additionally for second test mode)

SNAP Exam

SNAP or Symbiosis National Aptitude Test is an aptitude test administered by Symbiosis International (Deemed) University for admission to its 16 constituent institutes’ MBA/PGDM programmes. A SNAP exam paper includes questions from General English, Analytical & Logical Reasoning, Quantitative-Data Interpretation, and Data Sufficient, and is an online test.

The SNAP exam is followed by Group Exercise (GE), Personal Interaction (PI), and Written Ability Test (WAT), which are administered individually by the SIU institutes in February and March.

Exam Highlights

Features	Details
Exam Name	Symbiosis National Aptitude Test
Conducting Body	Symbiosis International (Deemed) University (SIU)
Exam Level	National
Exam Frequency	Once a year (three attempts)
Exam Mode	Online
Exam Duration	60 minutes
Exam Syllabus	General English Quantitative-Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency Analytical & Logical Reasoning
Exam Pattern	60 questions in MCQ format
Language	English
Exam Fees	Rs 1,750

KMAT Exam

The Karnataka MBA entrance examination or KMAT is held for admission to postgraduate level MBA programs offered by the state’s MBA colleges and B schools. The KMAT exam is conducted three times a year in May, July, and September. However, KMAT 2021 will be delayed because of the COVID-19 second wave. Due to the current COVID-19 conditions in the country, the KMAT exam will be conducted in IBT (Internet-based test) mode this year. Candidates can take the exam from home during a designated time slot on exam day.

Exam Highlights

Features	Details
Exam name	Karnataka Management Aptitude Test or KMAT
Conducting body	Karnataka Post Graduate Private Colleges' Association (KPPGCA)
Exam level	State Level
Mode of examination	Internet Based Test
Duration	2 hours
Syllabus	Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Quantitative Ability, Logical Reasoning
Language	English
Application fees	Rs 800 (excluding GST)

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Which top MBA colleges accept CAT score?

Ans. Ans. CAT score is almost accepted by all top Business schools in India.

2. Syllabus for MBA entrance exam?

Ans. The syllabus for MBA entrance exams include questions from Quantitative Aptitude, Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, English Comprehension and General Awareness.

3. Which is the top MBA entrance exam in India?

Ans. CAT or Common Admission Test is considered the Top MBA entrance in India.

4. Which is the easiest MBA entrance exam?

Ans. CMAT and MAT exams are comparatively easier than the other MBA entrance exams.

5. Which are the state-level top MBA exams?

Ans. MAH CET for Maharashtra, TSICET for Telangana, TANCET for Tamil Nadu, APICET for Andhra Pradesh, KMAT for Karnataka, KMAT Kerala for Kerala, DAVVCET for Madhya Pradesh, UPSEE for Uttar Pradesh, HPU MAT for Himachal Pradesh and OJEE for Odisha are some of the top state-level MBA exams.