Top MBA Entrance Exams To Apply

Master of Business Administration (MBA) is the most sought-after post-graduate degree in business management. Pursuing MBA develops essential business skills (like management skills, leadership, communication skills, negotiation skills etc.) It provides a range of opportunities for career growth. There are numerous colleges/institutes in India offering MBA programs in various fields such as Finance, Marketing, Human Resources, Operations, Entrepreneurship, etc. In this article, we’ll look at some of the Top MBA Entrance exams to apply.

In order to get admission to the B-school of your choice, the first step is to clear one of the entrance exams required by that particular institute. Following is a list of some of the top MBA entrance exams that candidates must consider applying for.

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The details of the top MBA entrance exams one must take, are given below:

CAT (Common Admission Test)

CAT is conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM), and it is the most popular MBA entrance exam. Though CAT score is primarily used to admit students for the 20 IIMs, many other B-Schools also accept CAT score for admission to their institutes.

• Each year, more than 2 Lakh students appear for the CAT.

• CAT mainly consists of 3 sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), Quantitative Aptitude (QA)

Section name	No. of Questions
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)	34
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)	32
Quantitative Ability (QA)	34
Total	100

 

• Examination Type: Computer Based Test / Online
  

• Duration: 3 Hours (exam duration is usually 3 hrs, but due to Covid pandemic the CAT 2020 exam was held as a 2-hour exam in 3 slots)

• No. of Questions: 100

• Exam date: Usually held on the last Sunday of November (CAT 2020 was held on 29 Nov)
  

• Top colleges accepting the scores: All the 20 IIMs, FMS Delhi, SPJIMR, MDI, IMI, IMT and 1000+ Other institutes.

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GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test)

The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is conducted by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) for admission into management programmes offered by several foreign and national institutes and universities. Registration for the GMAT is allowed throughout the year, and candidates can appear for the test up to 5 times in a single year.

• The exam has four separately timed sections.
• GMAT Latest exam pattern: GMAT mainly consists of 4 sections which include

Section name	No. of Questions
Verbal Reasoning	36 questions  (65 mins)
Quantitative Reasoning	31 questions (62 mins)
Integrated Reasoning	12 questions (30 mins)
Analytical Writing Assessment	1 Question: Essay (30 mins)

 

• Examination Type: Online
• Total Exam Time: 3 Hours and 7 Minutes
• Total No. of Objective Type Questions: 79
• Top colleges accepting GMAT scores in India: ISB Hyderabad, SPJIMR, IIM’s (one year MBA Program), IMT, TAPMI, FORE School of Management, LBSIM Delhi, GIM Goa, etc. 

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XAT (Xavier Aptitude Test)

XAT is one of the top MBA entrance exams, and it is conducted by the XLRI Jamshedpur. Usually, the XAT exam is conducted on the first Sunday of January.

Around 600+ Management colleges accept the admission of the students on the basis of their XAT score.

• Each year one lakh+ students appear for the XAT.
• The XAT mainly consists of four sections:

Section name	No. of Questions
Part 1
Verbal and Logical Ability	26
Decision Making	21
Quantitative Ability & Data interpretation	28
Total	75
Part 2
General Knowledge	25

• Examination Type: Computer Based Test / Online
  
• Duration: 3 hours (165 Minutes for Part-1 and 15 Minutes for Part-2)
• Exam date: Usually the XAT exam is held on the first Sunday of January.
  
• Top Colleges: XLRI Jamshedpur, XIMB, IMT, XIME, TAPMI, GIM, Great Lakes, FORE, etc.

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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).

• Every year over 60,000 students from all disciplines take this exam.
  
• The IIFT exam tests a candidate’s aptitude in the following areas:

Section name	No. of Questions
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)	35
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)	30
Quantitative Ability	25
General Knowledge & Awareness	20
Total	110

• Examination Type: Computer Based Test / Online
• Exam duration: 2 hours
• Exam Date: Usually held in the first week of December (However, IIFT 2021 was held on January 24, 2021)
• Colleges accepting IIFT Scores: All the 3 Campuses of IIFT (Delhi, Kolkata, Kakinada) 

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SNAP (Symbiosis National Aptitude Test)

SNAP is a national-level management entrance exam, conducted by the Symbiosis International University for the admission of students into the institutes that fall under the Symbiosis International University.

• It tests candidates on General English, Quantitative, Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency, and Analytical & Logical Reasoning
• SNAP Exam Pattern based on SNAP 2020

Section	No.of questions
General English: Reading Comprehension, Verbal Reasoning, Verbal Ability	15
Analytical & Logical Reasoning	25
Quantitative, Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency	20
Total	60

• Examination type: Online
• Duration: 60 minutes
  
• No. Of Questions: 60
• Exam date: The exam is usually held in December (However, SNAP 2020 was held on December 20, 2020, January 6 & January 9, 2021)
• Top colleges accepting the scores: SIBM Pune, SCMHRD, SIIB Pune, SIBM Bengaluru, all 12 other Symbiosis colleges.
  

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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, PGDM in various institutes across Maharashtra. The MAH-CET scores are accepted by more than 300+ MBA colleges.

•  The MAH-CET question paper has four sections:

Section	No.of questions
Verbal Ability and Reading comprehension	50
Logical Reasoning	75
Abstract Reasoning	25
Quantitative Aptitude	50

• Examination Type:  Online
  
• No. Of Questions: 200 (MCQ Based)
  
• Duration: 150 Minutes (2 Hours and 30 Minutes)
• Exam date: The exam is usually held in the month of March.
• Top Colleges accepting the scores: JBIMS, SIMSREE, Welingkar, PUMBA, Dalmiya, SIES, etc.

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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 taking the test.

• The exam consists of Language Comprehension, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation, General Awareness, and the additional optional section Entrepreneurship & Innovation.

Section name	No. of questions	Duration
Quantitative Techniques	25	180 mins
Logical Reasoning	25
Language Comprehension	25
General Awareness	25
Total	100
New: Innovation &Entrepreneurship (Optional)	25	30 mins (Additional Time)

• Examination Type: Online
• Duration: 3 Hours Plus an additional 30 mins for the new optional section
• No. Of Questions: 100 questions (plus 25 questions in the new optional section)
• Exam Date: The exam is usually held in January (however, CMAT 2021 is expected to be held in April 2021)
• Top colleges accepting the scores: All the AICTE approved Institutes/Department/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.

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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.

• The NMAT exam tests the candidates primarily on Language Skills, Quantitative Skills, and Logical Reasoning.

Latest NMAT Pattern:

Section	No. of questions
Language Skills	36 (in 28 mins)
Quantitative Skills	36 (in 52 mins)
Logical Reasoning	36 (in 40 mins)
Total	108 questions

 

• Testing Modes-  Candidates have the option to take the test either in the Online Proctored Exam from Home or as Online Exam at a Test Centre, this year.
• Examination Type: Online
• Duration: 2 Hours
• No. Of Questions: 108 questions (last year the exam had 120 questions)
  
• Exam date: The candidates can usually take the exam in a 75-day testing window from Oct-Dec (however, the testing window for NMAT 2020 has been extended)
  
• Top colleges accepting the scores: Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) Mumbai, SPJIMR-PGMPW Program, SDA Bacconi Asia Centre, etc.

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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. )

• Exam pattern:
  

Section	Number of questions
English proficiency	30
Mathematics and logical reasoning	30
General Awareness	40
Total	100

 

• Exam mode: Online
• No. of questions: 100
• Exam duration: 100 minutes (1 hour & 40 minutes)
• Exam date: The exam is usually held in January (however, TISSNET 2021 was held on February 20)
• Colleges accepting the TISSNET scores: Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) Mumbai, and all its campuses.

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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 mainly consists of 4 sections: English Comprehension and Language Ability, Quantitative Ability, Logical Ability, Data Interpretation.

Section	Number of questions
English Comprehension and Language Ability	40
Quantitative Ability	40
Logical Ability	40
Data Interpretation	40
Total	160

• Examination Type: Online (MCQ based)

• Duration: 2 Hours

• Exam date: The exam is usually held in February/March.

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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).

Section	Number of questions
Language Comprehension	40
Data Analysis and Sufficiency	40
Mathematical Skills	40
Intelligence and Critical Reasoning	40
Indian and Global Environment	40
Total	200

 

• Examination type: Computer Based Test (CBT), Paper Based Test (PBT) and Internet-Based Test (IBT) mode.
• Exam duration: 150 minutes (2 hrs & 30 mins)
• Exam date: The exam is held 4 times a year (February, May, September, and December)
• Top colleges accepting the scores: SDMIMD (Mysore), Jaipuria Institute of Mgmt., BIMTECH (Greater Noida), JIMS, NDIM (New Delhi Inst. of Mgmt), and 400+ MBA colleges across the country.

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