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MBA entrance exams: GMAT, CAT and which to take

The main MBA entrance exams for applicants in India: five Indian exams and two international ones. What each one tests, when it is held, and which schools use it, with facts as of October 2026.

The exams at a glance

CAT · Common Admission Test

The IIMs' two-year MBA programmes and many other Indian business schools

Sunday 29 November 2026, in 3 sessions

GMAT · GMAT Focus Edition

Business schools worldwide; in India, mostly one-year programmes for experienced professionals

Year-round; you pick the date

XAT · Xavier Aptitude Test

XLRI and the other business schools that accept XAT

Sunday 3 January 2027, 2:00 to 5:00 pm. Registration closes on 6 December 2026

SNAP · Symbiosis National Aptitude Test

MBA programmes at the Symbiosis institutes

13, 19 and 26 December 2026. You may sit up to three tests; the best score counts

NMAT · NMAT by GMAC

NMIMS and the other schools that accept NMAT scores

A testing window from 2 November to 20 December 2026; you book your own slot. Up to three attempts, best score counts

CMAT · Common Management Admission Test

AICTE-approved management institutes

CMAT 2027 has not been announced yet. CMAT 2026 was held on 25 January 2026

GRE · GRE General Test

Many business schools abroad and some Indian programmes, alongside or instead of the GMAT

Year-round, at a test centre or at home

How to choose

Start from the schools

Each programme names the tests it accepts. List the schools you want first; the exam follows from them.

India, two-year MBA

The CAT opens the IIMs and most other schools. XAT, SNAP, NMAT and CMAT add XLRI, the Symbiosis institutes, NMIMS and the AICTE-approved institutes.

Abroad, or a one-year MBA

Business schools abroad ask for the GMAT or the GRE, and so do most Indian one-year programmes for experienced professionals.

Mind the calendar

The Indian exams sit once a season, mostly between November and February. The GMAT and the GRE run all year, so they fit around the rest.

Deciding between the two most common choices? GMAT vs CAT, compared side by side.

Each exam in detail

CAT

Common Admission Test

We prep this exam
Run by
The IIMs (CAT 2026: IIM Indore)
Used for
The IIMs' two-year MBA programmes and many other Indian business schools
Next sitting
Sunday 29 November 2026, in 3 sessions
Format
Computer-based, at test centres
Pattern
68 questions in 120 minutes in the 2024 and 2025 papers: VARC 24, DILR 22, QA 22, 40 minutes each, in a fixed order
Marking
+3 correct, −1 wrong multiple choice, no penalty on type-in (TITA) questions
Fee
₹2,700 (₹1,350 for SC, ST and PwBD)

Facts as of October 2026. Dates and fees change: check the official site before you register.

Go to CAT prep

GMAT

GMAT Focus Edition

We prep this exam
Run by
GMAC
Used for
Business schools worldwide; in India, mostly one-year programmes for experienced professionals
Next sitting
Year-round; you pick the date
Format
Computer-adaptive, at a test centre or online
Pattern
64 questions in 2 hours 15 minutes: Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning and Data Insights, 45 minutes each
Marking
Total 205 to 805; adaptive, with no fixed penalty for a wrong answer
Fee
From about US$275 (test centre) or US$300 (online); prices vary by region

Facts as of October 2026. Dates and fees change: check the official site before you register.

Go to GMAT prep

XAT

Xavier Aptitude Test

Run by
XLRI Jamshedpur, for the Xavier Association of Management Institutes
Used for
XLRI and the other business schools that accept XAT
Next sitting
Sunday 3 January 2027, 2:00 to 5:00 pm. Registration closes on 6 December 2026
Format
Computer-based
Pattern
About 95 questions in 3 hours, with no section time limits: Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation, General Knowledge
Marking
+1 correct, −0.25 wrong; leaving more than 8 questions unanswered costs 0.1 each after the eighth. General Knowledge is not counted in the percentile
Fee
Listed on xatonline.in at registration

Facts as of October 2026. Dates and fees change: check the official site before you register.

SNAP

Symbiosis National Aptitude Test

Run by
Symbiosis International (Deemed University)
Used for
MBA programmes at the Symbiosis institutes
Next sitting
13, 19 and 26 December 2026. You may sit up to three tests; the best score counts
Format
Computer-based
Pattern
60 questions in 60 minutes: General English (10), Analytical and Logical Reasoning (20), Quantitative, Data Interpretation and Data Sufficiency (20), Ethics, Morality and Values (10)
Marking
+1 correct, −0.25 wrong
Fee
₹2,550 per test, plus ₹1,000 for each programme you apply to, plus taxes

Facts as of October 2026. Dates and fees change: check the official site before you register.

NMAT

NMAT by GMAC

Run by
GMAC
Used for
NMIMS and the other schools that accept NMAT scores
Next sitting
A testing window from 2 November to 20 December 2026; you book your own slot. Up to three attempts, best score counts
Format
Computer-based
Pattern
108 questions in 120 minutes across three separately timed sections: Language Skills, Quantitative Skills, Logical Reasoning
Marking
Scored 36 to 360, with no negative marking
Fee
₹3,000 plus taxes per attempt

The 2026 window and fee are as GMAC announced them in August 2026; check mba.com before booking.

Facts as of October 2026. Dates and fees change: check the official site before you register.

CMAT

Common Management Admission Test

Run by
NTA (National Testing Agency)
Used for
AICTE-approved management institutes
Next sitting
CMAT 2027 has not been announced yet. CMAT 2026 was held on 25 January 2026
Format
Computer-based
Pattern
100 multiple-choice questions in 180 minutes, 20 in each of five sections: Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Language Comprehension, General Awareness, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Marking
+4 correct, −1 wrong; 400 marks in all
Fee
Set in each year's information bulletin

Facts as of October 2026. Dates and fees change: check the official site before you register.

GRE

GRE General Test

Run by
ETS
Used for
Many business schools abroad and some Indian programmes, alongside or instead of the GMAT
Next sitting
Year-round, at a test centre or at home
Format
Computer-based; section-level adaptive
Pattern
About 1 hour 58 minutes: one Analytical Writing task, two Verbal Reasoning sections, two Quantitative Reasoning sections
Marking
Verbal 130 to 170, Quantitative 130 to 170, Analytical Writing 0 to 6
Fee
US$249 from 1 August 2026; the rupee price is shown on the ETS India site

Facts as of October 2026. Dates and fees change: check the official site before you register.

MBA entrance exams: common questions

Start from the schools. The IIMs and most Indian two-year MBA programmes use the CAT; XLRI uses the XAT; the Symbiosis institutes use SNAP; NMIMS uses the NMAT; AICTE-approved institutes accept the CMAT. Business schools abroad, and Indian one-year programmes for experienced professionals, ask for the GMAT or the GRE.

Yes, and many candidates do: most of the Indian exams fall between November and February, on different dates. Preparation overlaps most between CAT, XAT, SNAP, NMAT and CMAT, which all test quantitative ability, reasoning and English.

CAT 2026 is on Sunday 29 November 2026. NMAT runs a testing window from 2 November to 20 December 2026. SNAP 2026 is on 13, 19 and 26 December 2026. XAT 2027 is on Sunday 3 January 2027. CMAT 2027 had not been announced as of October 2026. The GMAT and the GRE run all year.

Yes, mainly by one-year MBA programmes for experienced professionals, such as ISB's PGP and IIM Ahmedabad's PGPX, and by some schools for foreign or NRI applicants. Indian applicants to the IIMs' two-year MBA use the CAT.

Not yet. Hire A Clanker covers the GMAT and the CAT today. More exams are on the way, and this page will link to them when their apps are ready.

Preparing for the CAT or the GMAT?

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