XAT 2026
XAT 2026 will be conducted on Sunday, January 4, 2026. XLRI conducts XAT on behalf of XAMI. For more than 75 years XLRI is conducting XAT at all India level to select the most appropriate students for management education. The XAT score is being used by more than 250+ institutes for the admission.
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XAT 2026 Exam Dates
The schedule of XAT 2026 has been announced by XLRI July 9, 2025. Check below XAT 2026 dates:
XAT 2026 Events | XAT 2026 Dates |
XAT 2026 registration starts | 10-Jul-2025 |
XAT 2026 registration ends | 05-Dec-2025 |
Release of XAT admit card 2026 | 20-Dec-2025 |
XAT exam 2026 | 04-Jan-2026 |
XAT 2026 answer key release and challenge | Second week of January 2026 |
XAT 2026 result announcement | Third week of January, 2026 |
XAT Eligibility Criteria
- XAT 2026 aspirant must hold a bachelor’s degree of minimum three-year duration or equivalent in any discipline from a UGC recognized university.
- Final year graduation students are also eligible to appear for XAT exam.
- There is no minimum score requirement for XAT but for MBA course, candidate need to have minimum 50 percent for General category and 45 percent for Reserved category.
XAT Exam Pattern 2026
XAT exam pattern was revised for the 2025 exam session. As per the latest XAT exam pattern, there will be no essay writing. Check the highlights of XAT exam pattern 2026 as shared by XLRI below:
XAT Exam Structure | Details |
Exam mode | Computer Based Test |
Exam sections | Part 1: Decision Making, Verbal & Logical Ability and Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation (170 minutes) Part 2: General Knowledge (10 minutes) |
Duration of exam | 180 minutes |
Number of questions | 95 |
Total marks | 95 |
Question Type | MCQ |
Number of answer choices | Four |
XAT marking scheme | +1 mark for correct answer – 0.25 marks for incorrect answer – 0.10 marks for more than 8 un-attempted questions No negative marking in GK section |
Part | Section | No of question | Time |
1 | Verbal ability and logical REASONING | 26 | 170 min |
Decision Making | 21 | ||
Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation | 28 | ||
2 | General Knowledge | 20 | 10 min |
XAT Syllabus 2026
XAT syllabus includes Quantitative Ability, Data Interpretation, Verbal & Logical Ability and General Knowledge. XAT has a unique section call Decision Making. Check below the main topics of XAT syllabus 2026:
XAT Sections | XAT Topics |
Verbal and Logical Ability | Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Analogy, Para Jumble, Grammar, Critical Reasoning, Fill in the Blanks |
Decision Making | Seating Arrangement, Logical Sequencing, Assumptions, Premises, Conclusions, etc. |
Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation | Tables and Caselets, Percentage, Surds and Indices, Algebra, Mensuration, Bar Diagrams, Pie Charts, etc. |
General Knowledge | Science, Economy, Business, Politics, Static GK, Sports, Prize and Award, World, Government, Constitution of India, etc. |
Top B schools taking admission through XAT
College | Approx. Cutoff (XAT Percentile) | Famous/Flagship Program | Fees (₹ Lakh) | Avg. Package (₹ LPA) |
XLRI Jamshedpur | 95+ | PGDM – Business Management (BM) & Human Resource Management (HRM) | 27–30 | ~30 |
XIMB (Bhubaneswar) | 91–92 | MBA – Business Management (BM) & Human Resource Management (HRM) | 21–24 | 19–20 |
MICA Ahmedabad | 90–91 | PGDM – Communications (PGDM-C) | 21–23 | 19–20 |
IMT Ghaziabad | 90–91 | PGDM – General Management | 19–21 | 17–17.6 |
IMI New Delhi | ~91+ | PGDM – General Management | ~20 | ~17 |
Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai | 85–87 | PGDM | 20–21 | ~15 |
GIM (Goa Institute of Management) | 85–86 | PGDM – General Management | 20–21 | ~15 |
TAPMI Manipal | 85–87 | PGDM – Banking & Financial Services / PGDM – HR / PGDM – Marketing | 18–19 | ~14 |
LBSIM (Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management), New Delhi | 80–82 | PGDM – General Management & Finance | 16–17 | ~12 |
KJ Somaiya Institute of Management, Mumbai | 80–82 | MBA – General / MBA – Healthcare / MBA – Sports Management | 20–22 | 12–14 |
IRMA (Institute of Rural Management, Anand) | 83–84 | PGDRM – Post Graduate Diploma in Rural Management | ~16 | ~15 |
