XAT 2026: ‘More foreign colleges to accept XAT score for admissions’

As registrations for XAT 2026 continue, management aspirants across India are gearing up for one of the country’s most prominent MBA entrance exams, conducted by XLRI Jamshedpur on behalf of the Xavier Association of Management Institutes (XAMI).

Shukla highlighted how the test includes elements like pop-culture references, such as Harry Potter (a series of novels by JK Rowling on a fictional wizard), in its questions, what makes it different from other mainstream management entrance exams among other things.

Pop-culture references make XAT less stressful

In an unprecedented move for an MBA entrance test, XAT 2025 incorporated questions featuring Harry Potter characters and themes. The response was extraordinary.

The reasoning is both practical and compassionate. When test-takers encounter familiar characters they love, even if the challenge remains rigorous, it provides a moment of connection and ease.

“This philosophy extends throughout the exam’s design. XAT has introduced poems as reading comprehension passages and cartoons from The New Yorker for interpreting visual humor,” in one memorable instance, students tracked down the actual cartoonist on Instagram to discuss the question, Shukla shared.

Recognising that reading lengthy passages on screens differs from paper, test-makers deliberately reduced passage lengths. Everything now fits on one screen, doing-away with the need for excessive scrolling.

‘Not difficult, just different’: Debunking the XAT myth

For years, XAT has carried a reputation for being one of the “toughest” MBA entrance examinations. Shukla clarifies that the test isn’t difficult; it’s structurally different in what it measures and how it measures.

“The distinction lies in XAT’s holistic approach. While most MBA entrance tests focus heavily on mathematical intelligence, XAT goes several steps further with two additional sections: decision making and general awareness,” he said.

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“We try to understand if students can think logically. At the same time, can students think clearly and thoroughly; whether they can think of different stakeholders when they are solving problems because that would be needed when they would become managers tomorrow,” Shukla explained.

The exam deliberately avoids questions where students can simply plug in memorised formulas.

How? In verbal ability sections, reading comprehensions never feature direct questions, everything hinges on interpretation. “Even for quantitative sections, we never ask questions where you have to directly use formulas. Majorly what we try to do is you have to understand the applications of those formulas, and what to apply in that particular question,” he said.

How XAT promotes critical-thinking to beat cramming

A distinctive element of XAT is its Decision Making section, which initially puzzled both students and coaching centres, Shukla shared. Unlike other sections that can be “gamed” through intensive practice, Decision Making requires genuine critical thinking in context.

The section presents real-world scenarios and asks candidates to consider multiple stakeholders, distinguish between symptoms and core problems, and evaluate solutions that serve everyone involved.

“Decision making is a section where we don’t need you to think using a particular framework or a particular mental model. You have to think on the move, and you have to think in a context,” said Shukla. “This section is very difficult to attempt, you cannot practice and come and follow certain ways and get the right answer. You will have to apply your brain.”

‘XAT caters both to engineers and non-engineers without any bias’

One of XAT’s defining features is its inclusivity across different types of intelligence. While most mainstream MBA entrance tests heavily favour candidates with strong mathematical abilities, and candidates from a technical-engineering background, XAT takes a more balanced approach.

The numbers speak for themselves: in recent years, XAT’s topper has been a non-engineer, Shukla shared. There’s been a consistent 10% increase in women candidates from the previous year.

Source: XAT registration data shared by XLRI

“The exam measures linguistic intelligence through verbal ability, interpersonal intelligence through decision making, mathematical intelligence through quantitative sections, and general awareness. This multi-dimensional assessment ensures that candidates from diverse academic backgrounds can showcase their strengths,” Shukla explained.

Familiar context without societal-role biases

Before any set of questions is finalised, they undergo review by committees from diverse backgrounds to identify and eliminate potential biases, both in terms of cultural context and gender representation.

Shukla recalled a specific example: “There was a question about bike racing in an early draft. Somebody objected saying if a candidate doesn’t know about bike racing, how will that person be able to answer in that context?” Such questions get rejected because they assume familiarity with niche interests.

Beyond avoiding obscure topics, XAT also carefully eliminates gender bias. The principle: questions should use contexts familiar to everyone, rooted in daily activities rather than scenarios that might advantage certain demographic groups.

“We try to bring those contexts which are more familiar to everybody. And they are not tilted towards a particular section of society or towards a particular gender. So that these are neutral, and relatable,” Shukla explained.

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For instance, instead of a question about “a woman planning her household budget” or “an engineer troubleshooting a machine” — which reinforce stereotypes — XAT might ask: “A group of friends decides to split expenses equally on a trip. If the total cost is Rs 12,000 and two friends drop out, how does this affect the individual contribution?”

The scenario is universally relatable and assigns no gender-specific roles to any participant.

The anti-AI Philosophy: Why humans must keep making the questions

In an era where AI has infiltrated nearly every aspect of education, XAT takes a deliberately contrarian stance: it doesn’t use AI to create questions.

Shukla explains that AI operates on algorithms and cannot think like humans. Since XAT’s questions are rooted in realistic, contemporary scenarios from daily life, they require human insight to craft effectively: “We help them understand how to use AI, but to an extent where it doesn’t impact your thinking patterns,” Shukla explains. “Today, AI is helping you. But imagine if you keep relying on AI for the next 10 to 15 years, what will it do to your critical thinking?”

XAT registrations have increased over the years, but do toppers still sit for the test?

Last year, XAT received 1,45,000 registrations, and projections suggest this year will surpass that figure. While CAT receives more registrations (approximately 2.9 lakh), the top 20-30% of candidates overlap considerably between the two tests.

More importantly, the narrative around XAT has shifted dramatically. Where social media once echoed with complaints about difficulty, recent years have seen increasingly positive discussions. Students appreciate the contemporary content, relatable contexts, and thoughtful design that respects both their intelligence and stress levels.

The test is accepted by over 250 B-schools and is one of only six tests recommended by AICTE for MBA admissions.

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