CAT, XAT, SNAP: Which entrance exam should you take?

For graduates planning to pursue an MBA in the 2027–28 academic session, this comprehensive guide brings together the key management entrance exams, covering their eligibility criteria, registration timelines, exam patterns, participating institutes and other important details to help candidates plan their preparation and applications.

CAT 2026

The Common Admission Test (CAT) is the most competitive MBA entrance exam undertaken by students seeking admission to top B-schools. This exam is conducted annually by the top Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) on a rotational basis. CAT acts as the only entrance exam for aspiring students to get admitted to the prestigious 22 IIMs across the country.

This year, the CAT will be conducted by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore in November 2026. As the registration process for the exam has started, candidates who want to apply for the CAT 2026 can visit the official website – iimcat.ac.in to fill the application form by paying the prescribed examination fee.

Exam details

Check CAT 2026 schedule

Candidates can check the exam schedule below:

To know more about the eligibility, exam pattern and syllabus, candidates can download the information bulletin available on the above-mentioned portal.

Read More | CAT 2026 registration begins, check important dates

XAT 2027

The Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) is conducted by the Xavier School of Management (XLRI) Jamshedpur. It is a national-level entrance exam carried out in over 100 test cities across India for admission to MBA or PGDM programs. The exam is currently accepted by more than 250+ premier business schools. The registration for the XAT 2027 has started on its official website – xatonline.in. Candidates can refer to the table given below to know the exam schedule:

Check registration fees

The exam will be conducted offline in Computer-based testing (CBT) mode. Candidates will be required to attempt a maximum of 95 questions in 180 minutes or 3 hours. The institute will conduct an XAT 2027 mock test on August 31, 2o26 for those candidates who register by August 27.

CMAT 2026

The Common Management Admission Test (CMAT) is a national-level entrance examination conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on behalf of the Ministry of Education for admission to courses offered by management institutes in the country. The CMAT score is accepted by all the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) affiliated colleges, universities, and approved institutes across India.

The notification for the forthcoming CMAT 2027 exam cycle has not been released yet. NTA conducted the previous exam cycle, CMAT 2026, on  January 25 in a single shift in 110 cities at 259 test centers across the country in computer-based test (CBT) mode. As per the official data, a total of 53,453 candidates registered for the exam, out of which as many as 41,872 candidates appeared in the examination.

Exam Pattern

Candidates preparing for the exam can check the exam pattern for CMAT below:

The registration process for the CMAT 2027 is expected to begin in the month of October 2026. Candidates are required to keep a close check on the official website, cmat.nta.nic.in, for more updates regarding the 2027 exam cycle.

SNAP 2026

The Symbiosis National Aptitude Test (SNAP) 2026 is a national-level MBA entrance examination conducted by the Symbiosis International (Deemed University) for admission to various postgraduate management courses offered by its 17 institutes located across six cities, including Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Hyderabad, Noida and Bengaluru.

This year, the SNAP 2026 exam will be conducted offline in computer-based mode. Candidates have an option to appear for up to three attempts, with the best score considered for percentile calculation. The test will consist of 60 questions carrying 60 marks, to be attempted in 60 minutes. The exam will have 25% negative marking for every incorrect answer.

Exam schedule

Candidates can visit snaptest.org to submit the registration form. The SNAP test fee is Rs 2,550 per attempt, while a separate programme registration fee of Rs 1,000 is applicable for each selected programme.

Read More | SNAP 2026 registrations open, check application fee and exam dates

NMAT 2026

The NMIMS Management Aptitude Test (NMAT) is conducted by Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) for admission to MBA and other postgraduate management programmes. The examination will comprise 108 questions, which candidates will have to attempt within 120 minutes. All three sections carry equal weightage. The NMAT by GMAC exam is accepted by more than 58 institutions in India

GMAC has started the registration process for the exam from August 20. Candidates seeking admission in post-graduate management courses for the academic year 2027-28 can apply for this exam through the official NMAT website at mba.com/nmat. For the 2026 testing cycle, the NMAT will be carried out by GMAC exclusively at physical test centres from November 2 to December 20 in a computer-based test (CBT) mode. As per the announcement, GMAC will conduct the entrance test at a total of 64 test centres across 59 cities in India.

MAT 2026

The Management Aptitude Test (MAT) also stands as the topi choice for every MBA aspirant. It is a national-level MBA entrance examination conducted by the All India Management Association (AIMA). MAT is conducted four times in a year, mainly in the month of February, May, September and December.  The exam score is currently accepted by more than 600 business schools in India for admission to management courses.

The exam can be undertaken by candidates in both Paper-Based Test (PBT) and Computer-Based Test (CBT). They can use their best score for MBA or PGDM Admissions.

Detailed schedule 

The registrations for the MAT September 2026 are currently underway; candidates can go through the table given below to know important dates.

Those interested in appearing for the exam can visit mat.aima.in to check the exam pattern, syllabus, and register for the September 2026 session.