Pursuing an MBA degree has a lot of benefits such as, it provides a solid theoretical foundation in business concepts and helps to develop essential skills such as leadership, management, communication, motivation, & negotiation.
It also opens up a host of opportunities for career growth; offers practical experiences through internships; individual/group projects, & assignments; and equips students to start their independent businesses after graduation.
In India, over a thousand reputable management institutes/colleges offer specialised MBA programmes in fields such as Finance, Marketing, Operations Management, Consulting, Entrepreneurship, and Human Resources, among others. However, choosing the best MBA course to pursue your career can be challenging due to the plethora of options available.
To gain admission to your preferred B-school, the first step is to clear one of the entrance exams relevant to your choice of course and institute. The following are the entrance exams for MBA that candidates must clear to get a spot in top management institutes across India.
Top Ten MBA Entrance Exams in India
Here’s a list of some of the most sought-after entrance exams for an MBA:
CAT (Common Admission Test) Entrance Exam
The Common Admission Test (CAT) is the most popular and challenging MBA entrance exam conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM). While CAT scores are primarily used to admit students to the 20 IIMs, many other B-Schools also accept CAT scores for admission to their respective centres. As a result, more than 2 Lakh students appear for the CAT entrance exam every year.
CAT comprises four main parts: Verbal, Quantitative, Data Interpretation, and Logical Reasoning. These parts are grouped into three sections – Verbal & Reading Comprehension (VRC), Quantitative Aptitude (QA), and Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR).
| Examination Mode | Computer-Based Test (CBT) |
| Exam Duration | 120 Minutes (2 Hours) |
| Number of Questions: | 66 Objective-Type Questions |
| CAT 2023 Registration Opens | First Week of August 2023 (tentative) |
| CAT 2023 Exam Date | November 26, 2023 (tentative) |
NMAT (Narsee Monjee Management Aptitude Test) Entrance Exam
The NMAT (Narsee Monjee Management Aptitude Test) is a national-level entrance exam organised by the Graduate Management Admission Council. It offers admission to MBA and several other graduate management degree courses offered by different institutes/colleges, such as Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) and various other institutions.
NMAT primarily tests a candidate’s Quantitative skills, Language skills, and Logical Reasoning Abilities.
| Examination Mode | Computer-Based Test (CBT) |
| Exam Duration | 120 Minutes (2 Hours) |
| Number of Questions: | 108 (Multiple Choice Questions) |
| NMAT 2023 Registration Opens | To be Announced |
| NMAT 2023 Exam Date | To be Announced |
CMAT (Common Management Admission Test) Entrance Exam
The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) conducts the Common Management Admission Test (CMAT), a national-level MBA entrance exam, to assess candidates’ abilities in various segments such as General Awareness, Quantitative Technique, Logical Reasoning, and Language Comprehension.
The CMAT score is recognised at all AICTE-approved institutes, departments, universities, and colleges. The exam evaluates General Awareness, Language Comprehension, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative & Data Interpretation skills.
| Examination Mode | Online |
| Exam Duration | 180 Minutes (3 Hours) |
| Number of Questions: | 100 |
| CMAT 2023 Registration Opens | February 13, 2023 |
| CMAT 2023 Exam Date | To be announced |
GMAT (Graduate Management Aptitude Test) Entrance Exam
The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is conducted by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) for admission to undergraduate management programmes offered by various foreign institutes and universities. Although registration for the GMAT is open throughout the year, candidates can take the test only up to five times in a single year.
GMAT mainly comprises four sections, including Verbal, Quantitative, Integrated Reasoning, and Analytical Writing Assessment.
| Examination Mode | Online |
| Exam Duration | 187 Minutes (3 Hours and 7 Minutes) |
| Number of Questions: | 80 |
| GMAT 2023 Registration Opens | Can be done any time of the year |
| GMAT 2023 Exam Date | Candidates can choose the date |
MAT (Management Aptitude Test) Entrance Exam
The Management Aptitude Test (MAT) is a national-level MBA entrance examination administered by the All India Management Association (AIMA) to offer admission to various management programmes. MAT is conducted four times a year (typically in February, May, September, and December) and is available in both online (computer-based test) and offline (written test) formats.
The exam assesses candidates’ abilities in five areas, including Mathematical Skills, Language Comprehension, Indian and Global Environment, Intelligence and Critical Reasoning, and Data Analysis and Sufficiency.
| Examination Mode | Computer-Based Test (Online) and Paper Based Test (Offline) |
| Exam Duration | 150 Minutes (2 Hours and 30 Minutes) |
| Number of Questions: | 200 Objective-Type Questions |
| MAT 2023 Registration Opens | December 28, 2022 |
| MAT 2023 Exam Date (For February MAT) | PBT 19th FebruaryCBT 26 FebruaryCBT2 4 March 2023 |
XAT (Xavier Aptitude Test) Entrance Exam
Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) is another popular MBA entrance exam conducted by the Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI) in Jamshedpur. Around one Lakh students appear each year for XAT, typically held on the first Sunday of January. More than 100 management colleges accept students’ admission based on their XAT scores.
XAT mainly consists of four sections: Quantitative Ability, Decision Making, English Language and Logical Reasoning, and General Knowledge and Essay. However, the General Knowledge and Essay tests are conducted only after students are shortlisted for XLRI courses.
| Examination Mode | Offline Test (Pen and Paper Based) |
| Exam Duration | 190 Minutes |
| Number of Questions: | 100 Objective Type Questions |
| XAT 2023 Registration Opens | August 10 to December 11, 2022 |
| XAT 2023 Exam Date | January 8, 2023 |
ATMA (AIMS Test for Management Admissions) Entrance Exam
ATMA (AIMS Test for Management Admissions) is a national-level MBA entrance exam administered by the Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS) to offer admission to various Management Programmes such as MBA, PGDBA, PGDM, MCA, MCM, etc. The exam is conducted four times a year.
The ATMA exam aims to analyse the following skills in a candidate:
- Verbal Skills
- Analytical Reasoning Skills
- Quantitative Skills
| Examination Mode | Online |
| Exam Duration | 180 Minutes (3 Hours) |
| Number of Questions: | 180 |
| ATMA 2023 Registration Opens (For February 2023) | December 24, 2022 |
| ATMA 2023 Exam Date | February 25, 2023 |
MAH-CET (Maharashtra Common Entrance Test) Entrance Exam
MAH-CET, also known as MAH-MBA and MMS-CET, is an entrance exam conducted by the Directorate of Technical Education, Maharashtra. Its purpose is to admit students to various management courses offered by different institutes in the state of Maharashtra, such as MBA/MMS, BE/B Tech, B.HMCT, MCA, M.Arch, and M.HMCT.
Admission to courses such as MBA/ PGDM/ PGDMB/ MMS is facilitated by the Competent Authority of the State of Maharashtra through a centralised process known as CAP (Centralised Admission Process). The MAH-CET exam is held in various sessions, and the Competent Authority calculates scores for each session using the standardised equi-percentile method.
The exam tests Logical Reasoning, Verbal Ability, Reading Comprehension, Quantitative Aptitude, and Abstract Reasoning.
| Examination Mode | Computer-Based Test (CBT Mode) |
| Exam Duration | 150 Minutes (2 Hours and 30 Minutes) |
| Number of Questions: | 200 (Multiple Choice) |
| MAH-CET 2023 Registration Opens | February 23 to March 4, 2023 |
| MAH-CET 2023 Exam Date | March 18, March 19, 2023 |
SNAP (Symbiosis National Aptitude) Entrance Exam
The Symbiosis National Aptitude Test (SNAP) is a national-level management entrance exam conducted by Symbiosis International University (SIU) for admission to 15 institutes under SIU and for other MBA or equivalent courses. Since 2017, SNAP has been conducted through an online mode instead of the traditional pen and paper-based exam.
The test comprises three main sections, which include Analytical and Logical Reasoning, General English and Quantitative, Data Interpretation, & Data Sufficiency.
| Examination Mode | Online |
| Exam Duration | 60 Minutes (1 Hour) |
| Number of Questions: | 60 |
| SNAP 2023 Registration Opens | 1st week Aug 2023 (tentative) |
| SNAP 2023 Exam Date | 10, 18, and 23 Dec 2023 (tentative) |
