Entrance Exam for MBA in India

Entrance Exam for MBA in India

Masters in Business Administration (MBA) is the most sought-after professional degree in India, known for its wide career prospects. Since the MBA pairs well with any graduate-level specialization, professional master's degrees are in high demand in India. Students can opt for a core job role in an organization with a graduate level specialization, but an additional MBA degree can unlock the opportunities for top-level positions in the same organization. Owing to the rising number of MBA applicants in India, numerous entrance exams are administered by the National Testing Agency of India, leading B-Schools in India, and Management Education Institutions.

These entrance tests are centralized for a specific academic year. The Educational Institutes providing a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) or Post-Graduation Diploma in Management (PGDM) programs decide the combination of their preferred entrance exam scores with a Personal Interview being mandatory for the admission process. For increasing their chances of getting admitted to a MBA course, an MBA aspirant is advised to appear for at least 2-3 entrance tests for their target year for MBA.

The overall syllabus contains Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, and Verbal Reasoning. The syllabus for all these entrance exams is almost similar, so an MBA aspirant can conveniently appear for multiple exams while preparing for the first exam for an educational year, which is the CAT exam. Starting from a beginner level for these exams 9-12 months before the ideal exam date. Students are advised to check the syllabus for the previous years as well as the upcoming year before applying for these exams.

Here are some entrance exams for MBA colleges and some things you need to keep in mind before starting the preparation and application for these entrance exams.

1. Common Admission Test (CAT) entrance exam for MBA.

Conducted in November-December each year, by Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), a group of Top B-Schools in India, is the most widely accepted exam in amongst all B-Schools that provide MBA programs. In this exam, students are expected to solve 66 questions in 120 minutes. Over 2 lakh students appear for this exam each year. Syllabus for this exam is Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (LRDI) and the Quantitative Ability (QA). There is no change in these 3 sections of CAT but there may be some topics added or excluded from these sections for each year, so a CAT applicant must check for such changes and the entrance exam application fees is on the official website of CAT which is iimcat.ac.in before applying for this exam. You get 3 marks for each correct answer and a negative marking where 1 mark is deducted for each incorrect answer.

2. Xavier Aptitude test (XAT) entrance exam for MBA. 

Conducted by Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur in January every year for admissions to management programs at 149 XAT institute across India. About 95,000 students appear for XAT exam per year. Syllabus for XAT exam consists of Verbal and Logical Aptitude, Quantitative Aptitude and Logical Reasoning along with additional sections like Essay Writing, Decision Making and General Knowledge. In this exam, students are expected to solve 105 questions in 210 minutes. The marking scheme for XAT is +1 mark for each correct answer, -0.25 marks for each incorrect response and -0.10 marks for each unattended question after 8 unattended question. Students are recommended to check the application fees and changes in syllabus for the previous years and the upcoming year to get a fair idea of the syllabus pattern before preparing and applying for this exam.

3. Common Management Admissions Test (CMAT) entrance exam for MBA.

CMAT is the management entrance exam which is conducted by the National Testing Agency, India (NTA) in the month of May for each academic year. In CMAT, students are expected to solve 100 questions of 4 marks each in 180 minutes with a negative marking of -1 mark per question. Around 70,000 students appear for the CMAT entrance exam for every batch. Syllabus for CMAT exam consists of Data Interpretation with Quantitative Techniques, Logical Reasoning, Language Comprehension, General Awareness and Innovation & Entrepreneurship. CMAT has a syllabus pattern which is unique than other management entrance exams. Students must check the application fees and examine the syllabus from past years and the upcoming year to get an idea for the syllabus pattern.

4. Symbiosis National Aptitude Test (SNAP) entrance exam for MBA.

This exam is conducted by Symbiosis International University (SIU) for admissions in Institutes affiliated with Symbiosis International Universities (SIU). Over 1,25,000 Students appear for SNAP exam per year. Syllabus for the SNAP exam comprises General English, which has Verbal Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, and Verbal Ability. Analytical and Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Data Interpretation, and Data sufficiency. This exam is a speed-based exam in which students are expected to answer 60 questions in 60 minutes. Candidates get +1 mark for each correct answer while incorrect answers lead to -0.25 marks.

5. Narsee Monjee Aptitude Test (NMAT) entrance exam for MBA.

NMAT is the next exam for an educational year which is conducted by Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) in the month of October-December each year. In this exam, students are expected to solve 108 questions in 120 minutes.There is no negative marking for NMAT whereas you get +3 for each correct answer. Nearly 75,000 students appear for this exam per year. Syllabus for NMAT is Verbal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude which is very similar to CAT exam. Students must check for the changes in the syllabus and entrance exam fees before applying for NMAT.

You can Visit our Youtube Channel (@cat_prep_with_maxxcell) for basic preparation resources for MBA entrance exams, and for advanced preparation.