An MBA Entrance Exam is the 1st step to getting admission to a Top B-School. Earlier, B-school admissions were granted on the basis of merit, but due to an increased number of applicants, most B-Schools have revised their MBA admissions criteria and now consider admissions through entrance exams.

There are multiple entrance exams that students can take for getting admission to MBA programs across different B-Schools. This page will help you understand the various types of entrance exams, their acceptance criteria, test dates, exam pattern, colleges that accept exam scores, and so on.

Types of MBA Entrance Exams in India 2023 – 2024

Overall, there are 6 nationalized tests approved by AICTE. The list of all MBA entrance exams in India are GMAT, CAT, MAT, NMAT, XAT, CMAT, IIFT, TISSNET, and IBSAT.

While the CAT, MAT, XAT, IIFT, NMAT, SNAP, etc., are accepted by only the related institutions and limited B-schools, GMAT is accepted by a larger range of B-schools across India and abroad. By taking the GMAT exam, a candidate has the advantage of applying to business schools across the globe.

In addition to these nationalized tests, there are individual institute specific tests also which can help you get admissions to institutes not associated with the nationalized exams.

Here is the list of various types of MBA exams that happen in India.

Overview of Various MBA Entrance Exams

TGMAT Exam 2023

Graduate Management Aptitude Test or GMAT, is a standardized entrance exam accepted by the top business schools. It is a computer adaptive test. GMAC is the owner and administers the GMAT exam, the first and only standardized test specifically designed for graduate business and management programs. GMAT exam helps in getting a graduate management program, such as MBA and Master’s in Finance-related courses. More than 1,00,00 lac students appear for the GMAT exam every year.

The duration of the GMAT exam is 3 hours and 7 minutes. It tests the candidates on the below mentioned sections:

. Analytical Writing Assessment

. Integrated Reasoning

. Quantitative Reasoning

. Verbal Reasoning

CAT Exam 2023

Common Admission Test or CAT, is an entrance examination of India conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM). CAT score is used by 20 IIMs and over 1000 other management institutes across the country for admission. Registration for CAT is online and the exam is held at over 400 exam centers.

The question paper consists of 100 questions (MCQs) to be solved in 3 hours. CAT exam consists of three sections:

. Quantitative Aptitude (QA)

. Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)

. Verbal and Reading Comprehension (VRC)

XAT Exam 2023

Xavier Aptitude Test, also known as XAT, is an important MBA Entrance Exam for Admissions to XLRI, IMT, XIMB, TAPMI, and 150+ MBA Colleges in India. The XAT exam is conducted once a year & exam date for 2024 will be released soon. XAT is conducted by Xavier Labor Relations Institute (XLRI) Jamshedpur and is thus referred to as XLRI-XAT.

The question paper consists of 105 questions which need to be solved in 3 hours and 30 minutes. XAT exam tests the candidates on four fronts:

. Quantitative Ability (QA)

. English Language & Logical Reasoning

. Decision Making

. General Knowledge

NMAT Exam 2023

NMAT is a national level MBA entrance exam that leads to admission to top MBA colleges such as NMIMS Mumbai, SPJIMR, ISB, VIT, and XIMB, among 30 other institutes and universities in India. GMAC is the exam conducting body for the NMAT. The NMAT exam date for 2024 will be released soon. NMAT is offered in two formats: online proctored test and online exam, with 76 exam centers located in 73 cities. NMAT by GMAC has various candidate-friendly options. For instance, candidates can appear for the exam a total of three times and the best of three scores will be used for admission.

The candidates need to attempt 108 questions (MCQs) in 2 hours. The NMAT exam has three main sections:

. Language Skills

. Quantitative Skills

. Logical Reasoning

SNAP Exam 2023

SNAP is an MBA Entrance Exam for Admission to 16 Symbiosis Institutes in India. Symbiosis International University (SIU) Pune conducts Symbiosis National Aptitude Test, SNAP every year as a computer based test. Over the years, SNAP has changed its question paper pattern from paper based to computer based. SNAP 2023 is likely to be held as a computer based test in December 2023.

The question paper consists of 60 questions to be solved in 1 hour. It tests candidates on:

. General English

. Quantitative-Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency

. Analytical & Logical Reasoning

MAT Exam 2023

The Management Aptitude Test, also known as the MAT Exam, is one of the most popular national level MBA entrance exams in India. The exam leads to admission to more than 400 MBA/PGDM colleges that accept MAT exam scores. Conducted by the All India Management Association (AIMA), MAT is held four times a year – February, May, September and December. The exam is held in Computer Based Test (CBT), Paper Based Test (PBT) mode and Internet Based Test (IBT) mode.

Held for 1 hour and 30 minutes, the MAT exam has 5 sections with 40 questions in each section, making it a total of 200 questions. The candidates are tested on the following subjects:

. Indian and Global Environment

. Language Comprehension

. Data Analysis and Sufficiency

. Mathematical Skills

. Intelligence and Critical Reasoning