MBA Exams

Are you planning to pursue MBA from one of the best MBA colleges in India? If yes, you must have a complete awareness of the MBA admission process, a list of good MBA colleges, management entrance exams, and others.

Not all the business schools in India follow a similar pattern of the MBA admission process and there are different components that determine the eligibility of candidates for admission to an MBA course. In general, the top B-Schools follow a four-step process for giving admission to MBA courses.

Overview of CAT

Common Admission Test or CAT, the most popular entrance examination of India, is conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM). CAT score is used by 20 IIMs and over 1000 other management institutes across the country for admission. More than two lakh students appear for the exam each year.

CAT started in 1950 and graduated to being an online-entrance test in 2009. The CAT paper consists of 100 questions (MCQs) to be solved in 180 minutes. Last year, CAT exam was conducted in three sessions instead of two due to COVID-19 pandemic and the duration of the exam was 120 minutes. Registration is online and the exam is held at over 400 exam centers. CAT exam consists of three sections: Verbal Ability, Quantitative Aptitude, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning. These segments are grouped into three sections:

• Quantitative Aptitude (QA)

• Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)

• Verbal and Reading Comprehension (VRC)

Overview of CMAT

The second-largest management entrance examination of the country, the Common Management Admission Test or CMAT is taken by roughly 1.5 lakh candidates. Conducted by the National Testing Agency, CMAT is a popular option among MBA aspirants after CAT. The first CMAT exam took place in 2012. The exam score is accepted by more than 1000 MBA institutes across the country. The CMAT exam is held in January every year.

CMAT is a computer-based exam (held for 180 minutes) and tests the candidate’s aptitude in four main sections:

• Quantitative Technique

• Logical Reasoning

• Language Comprehension

• General Awareness

Overview of XAT

Another top management entrance, Xavier Aptitude Test or XAT is a computer-based management aptitude test. Conducted by Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI) Jamshedpur, XAT is taken by approximately one lakh candidates, annually. XAT is held on the first Sunday of the year (January). XAT scores are accepted by XLRI Jamshedpur and more than 800 management institutes. XAT exam tests the candidate on four fronts:

• Quantitative Ability

• English Language & Logical Reasoning

• Decision Making

• General Knowledge

Overview of SNAP

Conducted by Symbiosis International University, Symbiosis National Aptitude Test or SNAP is also a national-level management entrance examination. SNAP score is primarily used for admission to 16 institutes under Symbiosis International University. However, many other MBA colleges use SNAP scores for admission. SNAP registrations take place from August to November and the exam is held in December.

SNAP Test is a computer-based exam and the duration is two hours. It tests candidates on:

• General English

• Quantitative, Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency

• Analytical & Logical Reasoning

Overview of NMAT by GMAC

NMIMS Management Aptitude Test (NMAT) is also one of the popular MBA entrance exams. It was acquired by GMAC in 2015 and rebranded as NMAT by GMAC. NMAT by GMAC is a computer-based exam, held over a 75-day testing window, between October and December. Candidates need to attempt 108 MCQs in 120 minutes. This year, NMAC has provided the facility of taking the test from home in remotely proctored mode, to students. This provision has been made in wake of COVID-19 situation in the country.

NMAT by GMAC has various candidate-friendly options. For instance, candidates can appear for the exam a total of three times and the best of three scores will be used for admission. The NMAT exam has three main sections:

• Language Skills

• Quantitative Skills

• Logical Reasoning

Overview of MAT

Management Aptitude Test or MAT is also a very popular MBA entrance exam. More than 600 institutes accept MAT exam scores for admission to management programmes. Conducted by the All India Management Association (AIMA), MAT is held four times a year – February, May, September and December. The exam is held in Computer Based Test (CBT), Paper Based Test (PBT) mode and Internet Based Test (IBT) mode. Held for 150 minutes, MAT exam has 200 questions. The aspirant is tested on the following subjects:

• Indian and Global Environment

• Language Comprehension

• Data Analysis and Sufficiency

• Mathematical Skills

• Intelligence and Critical Reasoning

Overview of IIFT Exam

IIFT exam is an institute specific entrance test. The exam is conducted by the NTA for admission to the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT). IIFT exam score is valid for admission to IIFT only. It is held in online mode in over 200 cities. IIFT exam is conducted in December. The duration of exam is two hours and the question paper consists of 110 multiple choice questions. It tests a candidate’s aptitude in the following areas:

• English Comprehension

• General Knowledge & Awareness

• Logical Reasoning

• Quantitative Analysis

Overview of ATMA

AIMS Test for Management Admissions or ATMA is also a national-level management entrance test. It is conducted online in internet based test mode and held four times a year--February, May, July and August. ATMA score is used for admission by several management programmes in over 500 MBA institutes. Held for three hours, ATMA question paper consists of the following sections:

• Analytical Reasoning Skills Part 1

• Analytical Reasoning Skills Part 2

• Quantitative Skills Part 1

• Quantitative Skills Part 2

• Verbal Skills Part 1

• Verbal Skills Part 2

Overview of IBSAT

ICFAI Business School Aptitude Test or IBSAT is an institute-level entrance test. The exam is conducted by ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education. IBSAT exam score is used for admission to MBA and PhD programmes at nine ICFAI Business School (IBS) campuses – Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Dehradun, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune.

IBSAT exam is an Internet Based Test (IBT) and it assesses the candidate’s ability in the following:

• Verbal Ability

• Reading Comprehension

• Quantitative Aptitude

• Data Adequacy & Data Interpretation

Overview of MAH-CET

Maharashtra Common Entrance Test or MAH-CET is a state-level MBA entrance exam. The exam is conducted by the Directorate of Technical Education, Maharashtra, for admission to various management courses such as MBA, MMS, PGDBM and PGDM in various institutes in the state of Maharashtra.

MAH CET MBA is held in the month of March. Candidates need to attempt 200 questions in 150 minutes. MAH-CET question paper has three sections:

• Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

• Quantitative Aptitude

• Logical / Abstract Reasoning

MBA admission process 2021 at IIMs

Stage I – Determining Eligibility for MBA Admission: A graduate from any discipline with a minimum of 50% marks at the UG level is eligible to apply for the IIM CAT entrance exam.

Stage II – Apply and Appear for CAT: All the eligible candidates must apply for the CAT exam.

Stage III – Shortlisting by IIMs for MBA Admissions: After the announcement of CAT results, IIMs will release the first shortlist for MBA admission. In the process of shortlisting eligible candidates, IIMs will independently award weightage to CAT exam score, academic diversity, gender, work experience and academic profile etc., Some IIMs shortlist the candidates only on the basis of CAT score. This is also based on the CAT exam analysis.

Stage IV – Final Round of IIMs MBA Admission Process: The shortlisted candidates will be called for the final stage of the selection process that involves WAT (Written Ability Test)/ Group Discussion/ Personal Interview. Popular IIMs give higher weightage to GD/ PI than CAT score.

If your final score after the above round is higher, you will get admission to IIMs.

Note: The shortlisting/ selection criteria, weightage etc., are announced independently by the respective IIMs after the announcement of CAT results.