Among the two, which exam is tougher: CAT or XAT?

The XAT Exam is harder than the CAT for the Verbal section but easier for the Quantitative section. 

Exam Pattern: The XAT paper syllabus is more vast as compared to the CAT exam. Compared with the CAT exam, the XAT exam pattern includes extra areas such as GK, and the Decision-Making section, which require a new set of skills.

Highlights

Prominent Highlights of the XAT Exam

 Eligibility Criteria 

To be eligible for the XAT exam 2026, candidates should fulfil all the requirements listed by the official body. After that, candidates can fill out the application form and start their preparation for the exam.

XAT Eligibility Criteria for the XLRI Courses 

Below XLRI Course-Wise Eligibility Criteria are mentioned:

1. PGDM General Management, GM

• A candidate must have a 3-year graduation degree from any national or international university.

•  5 years of experience in the management area.

• The fee for the General Management Course is  INR 20.95 lakhs.

• Candidates with full-time working experience only are selected for this course. (Part-time and internship experience not considered).

• The candidate must be involved in a prestigious business, public, or governmental organization.

• For admission in this program, both XAT and GMAT scores are accepted. The GMAT should have been taken between 1st December 2022 and 31st December 2025 and XAT 2026 will be accepted for admission.

2. Human Resource Management, PGDM-HRM

• A candidate must have a 3-year graduation degree from a recognised and approved university.

• All those candidates who are foreign nationals or NRIs can also apply through their valid GMAT score.

• The annual program fee for HRM is INR 11.80 lakh.

3. Business Management, PGDM-BM

• A candidate must have a 3-year bachelor's degree from an approved university.

• All those candidates who are foreign nationals or NRIs can also apply through their valid GMAT score.

• No past work experience is required for this course.

Candidates not allowed to sit for the XAT

Those candidates who fulfil all the conditions given below are not allowed to sit for the XAT Exam.

• If the candidate deposits the XAT exam registration fee late. 

• Candidates who cannot complete their graduation before June 2026.

• Applicants who hold a graduation degree from an unrecognized university.

Policy for Reservations

• XLRI does not offer any form of caste or category-based relief for admission into their managment courses based on XAT.

• No fee concession is there for the candidates who belong to the reserved categories (ST, SC, OBC, or PwD).  

• The application fee for all candidates whether they belong to the reserved category or not is INR 1800.

• The participating universities may offer some reservations to the reserved categories. Therefore, candidates should first go through their desired universities' websites for their reservation policy before sending the applications. 

Colleges Accepting  XAT Scores

Throughout India, XAT marks are accepted. XLRI-Jamshedpur, members of the Xavier Association of Management Institutes (XAMI) and other thousand programs in India accept XAT scores. The table of the top business institutes and universities  that accept XAT marks is given below:

Note: The new XAT Associates are:

1. IIB, Muthugadahalli, Bengaluru

2. ILM University in UP

3. ILM University in Haryana

Syllabus

An Overview of the XAT Exam Syllabus

Note: 

• General Knowledge (GK) Marks: XLRI Jamshedpur will only use GK Section marks for final selection. 

• Writing Analytical Essays (AEW): In 2026, the Analytical Essay Writing (AEW) and GD&PI rounds will be conducted together.

XAT 2025 Syllabus: Section of General Knowledge

XAT 2025 Syllabus: Section of Verbal and Logical Ability

XAT 2025 Syllabus: Section of Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation 

XAT Syllabus: Section of Decision-Making

Exam Registration

Highlights of the XAT Exam Registration Dates 2025

Documents necessary for the XAT Application Form 2026 

The list of documents necessary for the XAT Application Form 2026 is as follows:

• Email Address and mobile phone number.

• Personal Details.

• Aadhaar card.

• Category certificate.

• Mark Sheet of class 10.

• Mark Sheet of class 12. 

• Graduation mark sheet

• Scanned digital photograph ( less than 1 MB  jpg or jpeg format).

• Scanned signature (less than 1 MB  jpg or jpeg format).

• Payment Details

Note: To fill out the XAT 2026 application form, candidates have to use Google Chrome version between 50 to 69, Mozilla Firefox version between  50 to 61, and Internet Explorer version between  11 and above.  

Highlights of the XAT Application Form Fees 2026

XAT Exam Registration/Application Process

• Click this website link: https://xatonline.in/, to open the XAT 2026 website in a new window.

• Press the Registration button. 

• Add your contact information.

• Registration link with a unique XAT ID will be sent to your email address. 

• Click on the given link to approve your registration.

Note: Within 24 hours of registering, if the applicant does not receive the email with their XAT ID and password, they should check their spam or junk mail folder. Email at: admis@xlri.ac.in and Call on this number 1800-209-0835, (8:00 AM - 8:00 PM). Within 48 hours of working days, the exam authorities will reply. 

After the successful XAT registration, candidates have to fill out the application form by following the steps given below:

• Go to the XAT 2026 official website.

• Select the login option from the menu.

• Add your password and email address.

• The XAT 2026 application form will appear.

• Add your job history (only full-time work of the candidates will be considered), personal information, and academic background.

• Candidates have to upload their photo ID, scanned signature, and passport-sized photo.

• Candidates have to select any two of the given test cities for the exam centre.

• Check all the information twice and then tick the declaration box. 

• Now, candidates have to pay the application fees. 

• Modes of payment are credit cards, net banking, debit cards etc.

Documents Guidelines: XAT Exam

There are some important guidelines that the applicants should follow while uploading their documents in the  application form. They are given below: 

Admit Card & Exam Day Instructions

Prominent Highlights of the 2026 XAT Exam Admit Card

How to Download the XAT Admit Card 2025

Candidates can use the steps given below to download their XAT admit card 2026:

Step 1: Click this website link: https://xatonline.in/, to open the XAT 2026 website in a new window.

Step 2: Select the Login tab.

Step 3: After selecting the login page, candidates have to enter their User ID and Date of Birth. 

Step 4: Now, click on the admit card button. 

Step 5: Download it in the PDF format.

Errors to examine in XAT Admit Card

Here are some of the mistakes that the candidate should check  in an Admit Card before the XAT Exam:

• The XAT admit card should contain the correct information of the candidate. 

• The registration number given on the admit card should be the same as the XAT User ID of the candidate.

• The Government proof and the XAT admit card must have the same DOB of the candidate. 

• There should be the candidate's photograph and signature on the 2026 XAT Admit Card.

• Whether the reservation category of the candidate is mentioned on the admit card or not. 

How to resolve any mistake on the XAT Admit Card?

If the applicant finds any error in their XAT admit card, they can call on these helpline numbers: +91 6576653203 and  +91 657665 3204.

Documents Required at the XAT Exam Centre 2026

• Aadhar card

• Voter ID card

• PAN card

• Driving license

• Passport

• Employee ID card

XAT Exam Day Instructions

There are certain instructions that candidates should keep in mind and follow ardently. Some of these instructions are provided below:

• For verification, bring a valid photo ID with the admit card. 

• Ninety minutes before the exam time, you must reach and report to the centre.

• After the start of the exam, no candidate will be allowed to take it.

• Candidates cannot leave the examination centre before the test is over. 

• Bring two physical copies of your admit card. Make sure you put a recent passport-sized photo in the given area. It has to be signed in the presence of the invigilator. 

• Any applicant who tries to use the wrong means to write the exam will not be allowed to take the test.

Things Prohibited Inside the XAT Examination Hall 

Answer Key and Result

Prominent Highlights of the XAT Exam Answer Key 2026

Ways to Download the XAT Exam Answer Key 2026

The process to download the XAT Exam 2026 Answer Key is given below: 

• Click on https://xatonline.in/, to open the XAT 2026 website in a new window.

• Go to the Response Sheet tab.

• Enter your password and user ID.

• Now click Candidate Response Sheet.

• The XAT answer key will come.

• Download the Response Sheet and save it in PDF Form.

Ways to Object the XAT Exam Interim Answer Key 2026?

Step 1:Click on https://xatonline.in/, to open the XAT 2026 website in a new window.

Step 2: The login page of the XAT Exam will come.

Step 3: Now enter your XAT ID and password to log in.

Step 4: Select the "Object" tab.

Step 5: Enter the following information: part name and question paper, ID for the question, the question selection format and the remarks. 

Step 6: Candidates have to submit the proper documents to support their claim otherwise their objection will not be considered.

Step 7: Hit the submit button.

Ways to download the XAT Response Sheet 2026

Candidates can follow the steps given below to download the XAT Exam Response Sheet 2026.

use the steps listed below to download their XAT response sheet

• Click this website link: https://xatonline.in/, to open the XAT 2026 website in a new window.

• Now the candidate has to log in. 

• Enter  XAT login ID and birthdate.

• Select the Answer Tab.

• The response sheet will appear.

• Download and print out the page. 

Cut-off

Factors Responsible for the XAT Cut-Off 2026

The candidates are selected by XLRI and its Associate members based on many parameters, including the XAT cut-off percentiles for admissions. These parameters do not change. The six main elements that decide XAT cut-offs are given below:

• The total number of applicants present in the XAT Exam. 

• XAT Question paper difficulty level. 

• The number of seats that can be obtained through the XAT Exam.

• The highest and average XAT scores for the particular year.

• The overall XAT score for that particular year.

• Patterns from previous years' XAT cut-off.

XAT Cut-off for PGDM-BM 2025

XAT Cut-off for XPGDM-HRM 2025

XAT Cut-off and Percentile for 2023, 

Top MBA Colleges XAT Cut-Off 2025

Admission Process

Once the GD/PI round shortlist is released, the participating institutes will begin the 2025 XAT selection process after that. Students can take part in the selection processes of various XLRI Jamshedpur institutes/colleges if they pass the 2025 XAT cutoff. Given below is the XAT MBA 2025 admissions process for XLRI institutes: 

Phase 1: Shortlisting of candidates after the XAT Exam 2025.

Phase 2: (GD/PI/AEW)-Group Discussion and Personal Interview and Analytical Essay Writing

Phase 3:  Final selection

Phase 1: Shortlisting of candidates after the XAT Exam 2026.

After the declaration of the XAT 2025 results, the selection process starts. Hence, the candidates will be shortlisted for the XLRI, Jamshedpur group discussion, and personal interview (GD/PI) rounds after the exam.

Phase 2: (GD/PI/AEW) Rounds: Group Discussion and Personal Interview and Analytical Essay Writing

In the counselling process of XAT 2026, the shortlisted candidates will be called further for the (GD/PI)-Group Discussion and Personal Interview with (AEW)-Analytical Essay Writing.

Phase 3: Final Selection Process

Along with the XAT scores, GD-PI scores, essay, and GK sectional scores, the candidate's work experience, and previous academic records will be considered while creating the final merit list. Based on their selection criteria, every institute may give these parameters different weightage.

Table 1 given below describes how these factors are weighted (for all XLRI programs) in the final selection process: 

Note:

1. These parameters may vary based on different college's selection criteria.

2. Only XLRI has the authority to modify the component weights following GD/PI data analysis.

3. Regardless of their performance in other components, candidates with the lowest 10% of GD/PI scores may not be selected in the end.

4. A merit list is created for final admissions based on the aggregate score.

5. The selection criteria of different colleges accepting XAT for admissions may vary.

• Below a sample is provided of the admission criteria at XLRI Jamshedpur for the aspirants to better understand the selection criteria used.

An example of XLRI Jamshedpur's Admission Process 2026

Applicants need to apply online via the XAT 2026 official website to get admission into XLRI. Candidates can apply simultaneously for many programs. The application process, candidate shortlisting for GD and PI, announcement of the final admissions list, and cutoff are all part of the XLRI admissions process 2026. Each step of the XLRI admission process is given below: 

Step 1: Filling out the application form is the first step in the admissions process. Therefore, the qualified candidates may go to the college's official website.

Step 2: The cutoff list will be released. So, to be eligible for admission to XLRI, aspirants must complete their application process and then come for the XAT entrance exam. The admission cutoff list is released by XLRI shortly after the results of the XAT are announced. A candidate may appear in the Personal Interview (PI) round of the XLRI course admission process if they meet the XAT cutoff.

Step 3: Moreover, for the GD AND PI rounds, a list of qualified candidates is made. Based on the data provided in the application form and XAT results, XLRI will then choose from the list of applicants for the group discussion and personal interview stages. While creating the final list, the institute takes into account some factors such as required professional experience, academic background, and extracurricular activities, in addition to XAT scores and applicant screening.

Refer to Table 1 below the Selection Process under the Admission Process for the weightage of each component while final shortlisting the candidate.

Step 4: The students on the merit list for final admission will be announced by XLRI. The merit list is based on their achievement in GD and PI exams, among other factors such as academic profile, work experience, etc. 

Documents Required During the XAT Admission Process 2026

• Original and photocopy of the counselling letter

• Admit Card of XAT Exam

• Score Card of XAT Exam

• According to XAT Brochure, a bank draft

• 10th, 12th and Graduation Marksheet

• 4-6 Passport size photographs (color and black and white)

• Caste Certificate

• PwD Certificate

• Medical documents