The short answer is NO. Taking CAT is not compulsory for pursuing an MBA. The candidates trying to get into the IIMs must take the CAT mandatory, as the IIMs will not accept the scores of the MBA entrance exam other than the CAT. There are many other MBA entrance tests other than the CAT exam, which scores are accepted in many prestigious MBA colleges in India. The MBA Entrance tests other than CAT, which includes XAT, MAH CET, TISSNET, IIFT, NMAT, GMAT, CMAT, SNAP, etc., are some of the most popular MBA entrance tests that accept in the prestigious B-schools such as XLRI Jamshedpur, JBIMS Mumbai, JBIMS Mumbai, TISS Mumbai, IIFT Delhi, SIBM Pune, etc. One can take any of these exams besides the CAT to get into these Institutes.
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Having a good score does not decide your MBA admission to these colleges. Candidates must have some additional qualities to get an MBA admission which includes academics, work experience, Extra-circular activities, etc. Let us see what aspects make a strong MBA application.
Contents
- 1 What Does A Strong MBA Application Look Like?
- 2 Top MBA Entrance Exams In India Other Than CAT
- 2.1 XAT (Xavier Aptitude Test)
- 2.2 IIFT (Indian Institute of Foreign Trade)
- 2.3 SNAP (Symbiosis National Aptitude Test)
- 2.4 CMAT (Common Management Admission Test)
- 2.5 MAH-CET (Maharashtra Common Entrance Test)
- 2.6 NMAT (Narsee Monjee Management Aptitude Test) by GMAC
- 2.7 TISSNET (Tata Institute of Social Sciences National Entrance Test)
- 2.8 SRCC-GBO (Global Business Operations)
- 2.9 MAT (Management Aptitude Test)
What Does A Strong MBA Application Look Like?
Entrance Test Scores
Many b-schools require a good MBA entrance score to get admission to MBA programmes. A high score on your entrance test can help your aptitude for the MBA program.
Academics
Your past academics are the most important factors during your MBA admission process. There will be some specific weightages for your past academics, which are used in finalising your composite score, which is used to shortlist the candidates for the personal interview process.
Prior Work Experience
Many MBA colleges prefer candidates with relevant work experience for admission to their MBA programs. Usually, the candidate’s work experience is preferred to be around 3 to 5 years. This experience should demonstrate your leadership and problem-solving skills.
Extracurricular Activities
Participating in some extracurricular activities, such as volunteering, leadership roles, sports, etc. These can demonstrate your well-roundedness and commitment to your community.
Top MBA Entrance Exams In India Other Than CAT
For students looking to pursue an MBA, it is essential to be aware of the top MBA entrance examinations in India. The following are some of the most prestigious MBA entrance tests that you can apply to pursue an MBA, along with their exam patterns and the list of colleges that accept the respective test scores.
XAT (Xavier Aptitude Test)
XAT is one of the top MBA entrance exams, and it is conducted by the XLRI Jamshedpur. The XAT exam is also one of the most popular entrance exams in India. The difficulty level of the XAT is similar to the CAT exam. The XAT score is also accepted in many MBA institutes for their admission process. Now let us have a look at the XAT 2023 exam pattern in detail.
XAT 2023 Exam Pattern
| Section | Questions |
| Verbal and Logical Ability | 26 |
| Decision Making | 21 |
| Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation | 28 |
| Total | 75 |
| General Knowledge | 25 |
| Essay Writing Test | 1 |
Top MBA Colleges Accepting XAT
XAT score is also accepting many top MBA institutes such as XLRI Jamshedpur, XIMB, IMT, XIME, TAPMI, GIM, Great Lakes, FORE, etc.
IIFT (Indian Institute of Foreign Trade)
The IIFT (Indian Institute of Foreign Trade) conducts the IIFT exam every year for entrance into the MBA International Business Program in IIFT Delhi, IIFT Kolkata, and IIFT Kakinada (new campus). These institutes admit candidates into its Global MBA/ MBA (International Business), the flagship programme of the institutes. Every year around 70,000 students appear for this IIFT examination. This exam tests the candidate’s aptitude skills, and the exam pattern is as shown below.
IIFT 2023 Exam pattern
| Section name | questions | Marks per Question | Total marks | Negative Marks |
| Quantitative Ability (QA) | 25 | 3 | 75 | -1 |
| Logical Reasoning (LR) & Data Interpretation (DI) | 30 | 3 | 90 | -1 |
| Verbal Ability (VA) | 19 | 3 | 57 | -1 |
| Reading Comprehension (RC) | 16 | 3 | 48 | -1 |
| General Knowledge & Awareness | 20 | 1.5 | 30 | -0.5 |
| Total | 110 | 300 |
Top MBA Colleges Accepting IIFT
The IIFT score will only accept in the IIFT campuses as mentioned earlier IIFT(Delhi, Kolkatta & Kakinada).
SNAP (Symbiosis National Aptitude Test)
SNAP is a national-level management entrance exam conducted by Symbiosis International University. It is a postgraduate entrance examination conducted by Symbiosis International (Deemed University) for admissions into the 26 MBA programmes offered at its 15 institutes. The students can take this exam 3 times. The admission of students into the institutes that fall under Symbiosis International University.Â
This exam is designed to test the candidate’s General English, Quantitative, Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency, and Analytical & Logical Reasoning.
SNAP Exam Pattern
| Section name | questions | Marks per correct answer | Total marks |
| General English: Reading Comprehension, Verbal Reasoning, Verbal Ability | 15 | 1 | 15 |
| Quantitative Ability(QA), Data Interpretation (DI) & Data Sufficiency | 20 | 1 | 20 |
| Analytical & Logical Reasoning | 25 | 1 | 25 |
|
Total |
60 | 60 |
Top MBA Colleges Accepting SNAP
SIBM Pune, SCMHRD, SIIB Pune, SIBM Bengaluru, and all 12 other Symbiosis colleges.
CMAT (Common Management Admission Test)
Common Management Admission (CMAT) is a popular national-level MBA entrance examination conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). The CMAT tests the ability of candidates in areas such as Language Comprehension, Quantitative Techniques, Logical Reasoning, and General Awareness. Each year there are over 1.5 lakh students take the test.
CMAT 2023 Exam Pattern
| Sections | Questions | Maximum Marks |
| Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretations | 20 | 80 |
| Logical Reasoning | 20 | 80 |
| Language Comprehension | 20 | 80 |
| General Awareness | 20 | 80 |
| Innovation & Entrepreneurship | 20 | 80 |
| Total | 100 | 400 |
Top MBA Colleges Accepting CMAT
All the AICTE-approved Institutes/departments/Universities/Colleges. Some top colleges include JBIMS, SIMSREE, Great Lakes Institute of Management, K J Somaiya Mumbai, Welingkar Mumbai, PUMBA, GIM Goa, Jaipuria, N L Dalmia etc.
Download CMAT Previous Question Papers PDFs
MAH-CET (Maharashtra Common Entrance Test)
MAH-CET, also known as MBA/MMS CET, is an MBA entrance exam conducted by the Directorate of Technical Education, Maharashtra, for admission to various management courses such as MBA, MMS, and PGDM in various institutes across Maharashtra. The MAH-CET scores are accepted by more than 300+ MBA colleges in India.
MAH-CET Exam Pattern
| Section name | questions | Maximum Marks |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | 50 |
| Logical Reasoning | 75 | 75 |
| Abstract Reasoning | 25 | 25 |
| Verbal Ability/ Reading Comprehension | 50 | 50 |
| Total | 200 | 200 |
Top MBA Colleges Accepting MAH-CET
One of the top MBA institutes in India, JBIMS, also known as the CEO factory, will accept the MAH-CET scores for its MBA admissions. And also other top colleges such as SIMSREE, Welingkar, PUMBA, Dalmiya, SIES, etc.
NMAT (Narsee Monjee Management Aptitude Test) by GMAC
NMIMS Management Aptitude Test (NMAT) is also one of the popular MBA entrance exams. The NMAT is organized by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). The candidates can appear for the exam upto a total of three times, and the best of three scores will be considered for admission. The facility of taking the test from home in a remotely proctored mode has also been provided due to the Covid pandemic situation.
NMAT Exam Pattern
| Section | questions | Time limit | Score range |
| Language skills | 36 | 28 Mins | 12-120 |
| Quantitative skills | 36 | 52 Mins | 12-120 |
| Logical Reasoning | 36 | 40 Mins | 12-120 |
| Total | 108 | 120 Mins | 36-360 |
Top MBA Colleges Accepting NMAT
Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) Mumbai, SPJIMR-PGMPW Program, SDA Bacconi Asia Centre, etc.
TISSNET (Tata Institute of Social Sciences National Entrance Test)
Tata Institute of Social Sciences National Entrance Test (TISSNET) is a popular entrance exam conducted by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, for all the Master’s programmes offered in TISS-Mumbai, and all its campuses across the country (Tuljapur, Hyderabad, Guwahati etc.Â
TISSNET Exam Pattern
| Sections | questions | Total marks |
| General Awareness | 30 | 30 |
| Mathematics and logical reasoning | 30 | 30 |
| English proficiency | 40 | 40 |
| Total | 100 | 100 |
Top MBA Colleges Accepting TISSNET
The TISSNET score will accept by the Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) Mumbai and all its campuses.
SRCC-GBO (Global Business Operations)
SRCC Global Business Operations (GBO) Exam is a management entrance exam for the Post Graduate Management Program offered by the Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), Delhi University. The exam gives an opportunity to the candidates to pursue PGDM in the Global Business Operations program at SRCC, Delhi University.
SRCC-GBO 2023 Exam Pattern
| Section name | questions | Marks per correct answer, Total marks |
Time Limit |
| English Comprehension & Language Ability | 40 | 4 Marks for Correct ANswer | |
| Quantitative Ability | 40 | -1 for Incorrect ANswer | |
| Logical Ability | 40 | 4 Options per qstn | |
| Data Interpretation | 40 | Â | |
| Total | 160 | 640 Marks Total | 2 Hours |
MAT (Management Aptitude Test)
Management Aptitude Test (MAT) Exam is also a popular MBA entrance exam in India. It is a national-level MBA entrance exam conducted by the All India Management Association (AIMA) to offer admission to different management programmes across the country. The exam is held 4 times a year (February, May, September, and December).
MAT 2023 Exam Pattern
| Section Name | Number of Questions |
| Language Comprehension | 40 |
| Intelligence and Critical Reasoning | 40 |
| Data Analysis and Sufficiency | 40 |
| Mathematical Skills | 40 |
| Indian and Global Environment | 40 |
| Total | 200 |
Top MBA Colleges Accepting MAT
SDMIMD (Mysore), Jaipuria Institute of Mgmt., BIMTECH (Greater Noida), JIMS, NDIMÂ (New Delhi Inst. of Mgmt), and 400+ MBA colleges across India.
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