MBA entrance exams you must take for getting into Top B-schools in India
Often billed as the ultimate pathway for careers an MBA entrance exam is a regular fixture on the calendars of undergraduate students across the country. This holds true for students cutting across subjects and specializations and across experience spans with professionals with multiple years of experience rubbing shoulders with fresh graduates. There are certain similarities among these exams including the content and format of the examinations with most exams objective being objective type and testing the students on four primary subjects:
• Quantitative Aptitude
• Data Interpretation
• Verbal Ability
• Logical Reasoning
However these entrance exams differ from each other primarily with respect to the following aspects:
• The colleges that you can apply to by clearing a particular exam
• The pattern of the examination and marking scheme
• The mode of examination (Online or Offline)
Today we are listing the top MBA entrance examinations that candidates should appear. Please note that we are limiting this article to national exams and there are state specific exams that candidates can appear for as well
1. Common Admission Test (CAT)
Common Admission Test or CAT is the most popular MBA entrance exam in India with over 2 lakh aspirants every year. Conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM), the CAT is the entrance exam for all IIMs and many other B-schools including but not limited to management schools of the Indian Institutes of Technology. Every year one of the IIMs is entrusted with the responsibility of conducting the exam. Traditionally the notification is released near the middle of the year (In the months of July-August). The exam happens over a span of multiple days and slots in a month in the later part of the year (October-November).
CAT Pattern : The exam is a an online computer based test multiple choice objective type exam with 100 questions divided into three sections, Quantitative Ability, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning and Verbal and Reading Comprehension. CAT is a section wise time bound exam with each section having 1-hour duration. The total duration is three hours. The total number of questions is 100. Each question carries three marks and for each wrong answer, there is negative marking scheme of -1 mark. The final scores are also scaled for bringing tests done across several days at par.
CAT Eligibility: The candidate must satisfy the below specified criteria’s:
• Hold a Bachelor’s Degree, with no less than 50% or equal CGPA (45% if there should arise an occurrence of the aspirants having a place with Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Persons with Disability (PWD)/Differently Able (DA) classification)
• The degree should be granted by any of the Universities consolidated by an act of the central or state statutory body in India or other instructive organizations built up by an act of Parliament or pronounced to be considered as a University under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, or possess an equivalent qualification recognized by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India.
• Competitors appearing for the final year of bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification examination and the individuals who have finished degree prerequisites and are anticipating results can likewise apply. If selected, such applicants will be permitted to join the program temporarily conditional on them qualifying for the degree.
2. Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)
The Graduate Management Admission Test or GMAT is a computer adaptive test intended for admission to MBA programs in US based institutes and multiple other institutes across the world. In India many prominent business schools like Indian School of Business use GMAT scores as one of the criteria for admitting students. It is administered by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). The test can be taken throughout the year in most destinations at a date convenient to the candidate. It can be taken up to five times a year. Each attempt however must be at least 16 days apart.
GMAT Pattern: The GMAT exam consists of four sections: an analytical writing assessment, an integrated reasoning section, a quantitative section, and a verbal section. Total testing time is three hours and seven minutes. In the analytical writing assessment the candidates have to type out an essay under 30 minutes time duration. The Integrated reasoning section consists of 12 questions (30 minutes). The quantitative section consists of 31 questions (62 minutes) and the verbal section consists of 36 questions (65 minutes)
GMAT Eligibility: There are no specify eligibility criteria for appearing for GMAT. However, as the GMAT score is just one part of the admission process of Masters or Post Graduate programs, test takers are typically required to have an undergraduate degree utilize these scores effectively.
3. Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT)
Xavier Aptitude Test or XAT is the MBA entrance exam conducted by XLRI Jamshedpur for the admission in the Xavier Associate Management Institutes and over 100 other B-schools across India. The test has over 90000 takers.The exam is conducted in online mode. The registration for XAT typically starts in August and the examination is conducted in the month of January of the following year.
XAT Pattern: The nature of the test is both objective and subjective in nature. The paper is typically divided into two sections.One unique section in the XAT exam is the section on decision making which includes several situations in which the candidate is supposed to select the decision he/she would take. The number of questions in the exam keeps varying. Each question contains 1 mark and each wrong answer will get a negative marking of 0.25 marks. The duration of the test is 3 and a half hours.
XAT Eligibility: Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline from a recognised university or institute. The minimum duration of the programme has to be three years. Final year graduation students are also eligible to apply provided they complete the programme within the stipulated schedule. There is no age limit to apply for XAT.
4. Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT)
The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade conducts this examination for admission to its flagship MBA in International Business (MBA-IB). The registration for the exam begins in the month of July-August and the exam is conducted in the month of November-December. IIFT entrance exam is taken by around 60,000 candidates vying for nearly 300 seats in the institute’s Delhi and Kolkata campuses.
IIFT Pattern: IIFT is held in a paper pencil based format and the duration is two hours. It is a multiple choice objective type test with 4 sections, Quantitative Ability, Data Interpretation & Logical Ability, Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension and General Awareness. The number of questions varies from year to year. There is differential marking system in this exam, i.e. each section has different marks for each question ranging from 0.50 to 1 mark per question. For each wrong answer, there is negative marking scheme of 1/3 of the allotted marks. One unique feature of the exam is that it has a section on general awareness that is not present in any of the other exams. Additionally there are sectional cut-offs for each section of the exam.
IIFT Eligibility: Applicants should be graduates in any discipline of minimum three years duration from a recognized institute or university. Final year graduation students can also apply.Candidates in their final year of Graduation can also apply. Candidates belonging to General category must have secured at least 50% marks in graduation, and candidates belonging to SC/ST/PWD categories must have secured a minimum of 45% in graduation. There is no age limit for the applicants
5. Common Management Aptitude Test (CMAT)
The Common Management Aptitude Test or CMAT is conducted by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) from the year 2012. It has replaced the erstwhile MAT exams conducted by several states and multiple other MBA colleges. The exam happens in the month of February-March and is taken be nearly 80000 candidates. The CMAT scores are accepted by over 1500 B-schools across India which offer over 35,000 seats. Prominent institutes that accept CMAT scores include Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS), Goa Institute of Management (GIM), Goa etc.
CMAT Eligibility: The candidates should be graduates in any discipline from a recognized institute with minimum 50 per cent marks in aggregate or equivalent CGPA. Final year graduation students are also eligible to apply.
CMAT Pattern: CMAT has a computer based online format with multiple choice objective type questions.The sections are Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Language Comprehension and General Awareness. The general awareness section is one prominent difference from the other exams. Each section consists of 25 questions, making the total number of questions to be 100. The duration of the exam is three hours. Each question carries four marks and for each wrong answer, there is negative marking of one mark.
6. Symbiosis National Aptitude Test (SNAP)
This examination Symbiosis International University (SIU), Pune conducts MBA entrance exam for the admission in its 15 B-schools, which is known as Symbiosis National Aptitude Test or SNAP. There are around 1,900 seats across the 15 B-schools. The university has not divulged the number of test takers for SNAP but based on past trends, around 30,000 candidates take the test.
SNAP Eligibility: The candidates should be graduates in any discipline from a recognized university or institute with minimum 50% aggregate marks or equivalent CGPA. Final year students can also apply.
SNAP Exam Pattern: SNAP is a paper pencil based test of 2 hours duration. There are 4 sections, namely General English, Quantitative & Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency, General Awareness: General Knowledge, Current Affairs & Business Scenario and Analytical & Logical Reasoning. The total number and marks of the exam is 180. While the first 3 sections have 40 questions, the last section has 60 questions. For each wrong answer, there is negative marking of 25% of the alloted marks.
7. Narsee Monjee Aptitude Test (NMAT)
NMAT or the Narsee Monjee Aptitude Test is conducted by Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) Mumbai. Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) and has been renamed as NMAT by GMAC. The scores will be accepted by 20 odd B-schools across India. Nearly 40000 students take this exam.It is typically conducted between October and December every year and can be attempted multiple times. A candidate can make two attempts followed by the original attempt. The best of the three scores will be considered during the admission process.
NMAT Eligibility: The NMIMS aspirants should be graduates in any discipline from a recognised institute or university with minimum 50 per cent marks in aggregate. Final year Bachelor’s degree students can also apply.
NMAT Pattern: The format of the NMAT exam is computer based online test. The questions are multiple choice objective type and the exam is of a two hours duration. The exam consists of three sections namely, Language Skills, Quantitative Skills and Logical Reasoning questions. The total number of questions 120 but keeps varying. There is no negative marking scheme in the exam.