Interested in pursuing MBA but unsure about which one should you be applying to? Fret not! In this article, we have covered all the major MBA entrance examinations in India along with the list of accepting colleges and institutes. Previously, MBA entrances were purely on the basis of merit. However, with the increase in the number of applicants, most B-Schools have started accepting the scores of the MBA entrance exam for taking admissions into their degree programs.
In this article, we will list down all the major MBA entrance examinations along with the exam pattern, syllabus, and preparation tips to crack the particular exam.
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Table of Content |
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Overview
There are various entrance examinations that you can target if you’re aspiring for MBA. Some of these include GMAT, CAT, MAT, ATMA, NMAT, XAT, SNAP, and CMAT. While CAT and GMAT are accepted by a large number of B-Schools in India, other MBA entrances are mostly institution-specific. Further, if you’re aspiring to pursue MBA from abroad, then you should be targeting the GMAT or GRE.
Let’s have a brief overview of some of the popular MBA entrance exams:
|
Entrance Exam |
Conducting Body |
Eligibility for the exam |
Tentative Month of Exam |
Official Website |
|
GMAT |
Graduate Management Admission Test |
Graduation in any Discipline ( except for people opting for early/advanced admissions) |
All year around (365 days)- by Appoints Only |
https://www.mba.com/ |
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CAT |
Indian Institute of Management |
50% in Graduation |
November |
www.catiim.in |
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IRMA |
Institute of Rural Management Anand |
50% in Graduation |
November |
www.irma.ac.in |
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MAT |
All India Management Association |
Graduation in any Discipline |
September, December, February & May |
www.aima-ind.org |
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SNAP |
Symbiosis International University |
50% in Graduation(regular degree) |
December |
www.snaptest.org |
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IBSAT |
ICFAI |
50% in Graduation |
December |
www.ibsat.org |
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NMAT |
NMIMS |
50% in Graduation |
December |
www.nmims.edu |
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XAT |
XLRI, Jamshedpur |
50% in Graduation |
January |
www.xlri.ac.in |
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TISS |
Tata Institute of Social Sciences |
Graduation in any Discipline |
January |
www.tiss.edu |
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ATMA |
Association of Indian Management Studies |
50% in Graduation |
February |
www.atma-aims.org |
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CMAT |
AICTE |
50% in Graduation |
February |
www.aicte-cmat.in |
MBA Entrance Exams along with Participating Institutions
Let us look at the top institutes accepting the exam scores of each of these MBA entrance examinations.
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MBA Entrance Exams |
Top Institutes Accepting Exam Scores |
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CAT |
20 IIMs, FMS, MDI, SPJIMR, IITs, IMI, IMT, TAPMI, K J Somaiya + 500 others |
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XAT |
XLRI, IMT, XIMB, XIME, GIM, Great Lakes, TAPMI, FORE, LIBA + 140 Others |
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SNAP |
SIBM Pune, SCMHRD, + 13 Other top Symbiosis Institutes |
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NMAT by GMAC |
NMIMS Mumbai + 20 other MBA colleges & Universities |
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IIFT |
3 Campuses of IIFT at Delhi, Kolkata, and Kakinada |
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CMAT |
K J Somaiya, Great Lakes, BIMTECH, GIM, VIT, and all the Institutes and Universities offering AICTE-approved MBA/PGDM programs |
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IBSAT |
IBS Hyderabad & all the other 8 campuses of ICFAI B-Schools |
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MAT |
300 MBA/PGDM colleges across India |
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ATMA |
More than 200 MBA/PGDM colleges in India |
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TISSNET |
Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, and all its campuses |
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MICAT |
MICA Ahmedabad |
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KIITEE Management |
KIIT School of Management; KIIT School of Rural Management |
Read More
Section-Distribution in MBA Entrance Exams
The most popular sections that are asked in almost all the MBA entrances are Quantitative Aptitude, Verbal Ability, Logical Reasoning, and Data Interpretation. Hence, if you’re preparing for MBA entrances, make sure to have a good hold on each of these sections. Let us check the section distribution in the top five MBA entrances in India:
|
Section Description |
GMAT |
CAT |
XAT |
SNAP |
NMAT |
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Quantitative Aptitude |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Verbal Ability |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Logical Reasoning |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Data Interpretation |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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General Awareness |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
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Writing Ability Test |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
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Decision Making |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
Conclusion
So, which MBA entrance should you give? It depends on your dream MBA college. If you’re targeting MBA from abroad, then you should give GMAT or GRE. However, if you want to pursue your MBA from any of the IIMs, then CAT should be the exam of your choice. Further, there are various popular institution-specific exams like XAT, SNAP, and NMAT that, together with CAT, will make you eligible to take admissions in any of the top 100 MBA colleges in India.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)
Q1. Which MBA exam is the toughest?
Ans- CAT is considered one of the toughest MBA entrance exams because of its competitiveness. Around 2 lakhs MBA aspirants write this exam making it one of the most popular MBA entrances. It is also the most prestigious MBA entrance exam because it is conducted by IIMs, the mecca of Management education in India.
Q2. Which MBA exam is easy?
Ans- SNAP Exam is considered one of the easier exams amongst the five most popular MBA entrances namely GMAT, CAT, XAT, NMAT, and SNAP. However, you can only apply for MBA admissions in SIBM Pune, SCMHRD, + 13 Other top Symbiosis Institutes with the SNAP score.
Q3. Is GMAT more difficult than CAT?
Ans- The verbal section of the GMAT is considered more difficult than the CAT owing to the different types of comprehension passages are allied questions that are asked in GMAT. However, QA is arguably easy. So, overall, both GMAT and CAT are at par with each other.
Q4. Which one is more difficult - XAT or CAT?
Ans- The difficulty level of the Quant and DI section is higher in XAT than in CAT. However, overall, CAT is a more difficult exam to crack than XAT.
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