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XAT 2026 exam will be conducted by XLRI Jamshedpur on January 4, 2026. The exam will be held in over 70 cities at designated test centres in CBT mode. The XAT exam registration will start in the second week of July 2025. The exam is conducted for admission to XLRI as well as more than 800 b-schools across India. Some of the top colleges that accept the XAT score are XIMB, SP Jain, IMT Ghaziabad, KJ Somaiya, TAPMI, and others.
XAT exam is conducted every year by XLRI for the admission to MBA and PGDM programs. The XAT 2026 syllabus consists of three sections, VA&LR, DM, and QA&DI. Last year, there were some major changes in the XAT exam pattern, the number of questions was reduced to 95 and the essay part was completely scrapped.
Here are some important highlights of the XAT 2026 exam:
| Particulars | Details |
| Exam Name | Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) |
| XAT 2026 Conducting Body | XLRI, Jamshedpur |
| XAT Exam Level | National |
| XAT Exam Frequency | Once a year |
| Mode of Examination | Online (Computer Based Test) |
| XAT 2025 Exam Date | First Sunday of January 2026 |
| XAT 2025 Syllabus | VA&LR, DM, QA&DI, and GK |
| XAT 2026 Exam Pattern | 95 Objective Type Questions |
| Exam Language | English |
| XAT 2026 Registration Fees | INR 2200 |
| Courses Offered | MBA/PGDM |
| XAT 2026 Official Website | xatonline.in |
| Help Desk Number | +91-6576653203 / 3204 / 3205 |
These are some important dates for ongoing and upcoming events of the XAT 2026 exam:
| XAT 2026 Events | XAT 2026 Dates |
| XAT 2026 Registration Starts | Second week of July 2025 |
| XAT 2026 Registration Ends | First week of December 2025 |
| XAT 2026 Admit Card | Last week of December 2025 |
| XAT 2026 Exam Date | First Sunday of January 2026 |
| XAT 2026 Answer Key | Second week of January 2026 |
| XAT 2026 Result Date | Third week of January 2026 |
XAT exam registration 2026 will start in the second week of July 2025. The last date of registration is the first week of December 2025. You can register for the XAT 2026 by following the steps below:
Before registering for the XAT 2026, you should check the XAT eligibility criteria for this exam:
XAT 2026 admit card is expected to be released in the last week of December 2025. The admit card will be made available for you through the online mode. You can download the admit card through the official website using your login credentials. Your XAT 2026 admit card will carry some important details, such as your name, gender, roll number, XAT exam centre, and more. You can download the XAT 2026 admit card by following the instructions below:
Here is the list of top 10 colleges that will accept XAT 2026 marks for MBA admission:
XAT cutoff for XLRI is released one week after the announcement of the XAT result. The table below shows the XAT 2025 cutoff for reference.
| XAT 2025 Cut Off: MBA BM | ||||
| Category | QA | VALR | DM | Overall |
| Engineering/Tech Male | 88 | 84 | 84 | 96 |
| Engineering/Tech Female | 82 | 80 | 80 | 91 |
| Non-Engineer Male | 88 | 84 | 84 | 96 |
| Non-Engineer Female | 82 | 80 | 80 | 91 |
| XAT 2025 Cut Off: MBA HR | ||||
| Category | QA | VALR | DM | Overall |
| Engineering/Tech Male | 83 | 90 | 87 | 95 |
| Engineering/Tech Female | 73 | 85 | 80 | 90 |
| Non-Engineer Male | 76 | 90 | 87 | 93 |
| Non-Engineer Female | 78 | 85 | 80 | 87 |
Here are the expected XAT cutoff 2026 for the top ten colleges based on the previous year’s cutoff:
| XAT Accepting Colleges | XAT 2026 Cutoff Percentile (Expected) |
| SPJIMR Mumbai | 90+ |
| XLRI Jamshedpur | 96 |
| XIMB | 90+ |
| IMT Ghaziabad | 90+ |
| KJ Somaiya | 85+ |
| GIM Goa | 85+ |
| TAPMI Manipal | 80+ |
| LIBA Chennai | 80+ |
| MICA Ahmedabad | 80+ |
| Welingkar Mumbai | 75+ |
| XIME Bangalore | 75+ |
| IMT Hyderabad | 90 |
| Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai | 80+ |
| FORE School of Management, New Delhi | 85+ |
XAT 2026 score and percentile might differ from each other. Here is the expected XAT 2026 scores and percentiles are provided in the table below:
| XAT 2026 Score | XAT 2026 Percentile |
| 47 and above | 99 |
| 42 and above | 96 |
| 40 and above | 94 |
| 36 and above | 85 |
| 32 and above | 80 |
| 24 and above | 75 |
This year, XLRI Jamshedpur has made some changes to its XAT exam pattern. Starting this year, Analytical Essay Writing (AEW) will be conducted during the GD & PI rounds, rather than as a part of XAT 2026. The table below shows the XAT exam pattern:
| Sections | No. of Questions | Exam Duration |
| Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning (VA & LR) | 26 | 170 Mins |
| Decision Making (DM) | 21 | |
| Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation (QA & DI) | 28 | |
| General Knowledge (GK) | 20 | 10 Mins |
| Total | 95 | 180 Mins |
There will be four sections in the XAT 2026 exam, and each section will be divided into various topics. The detailed XAT 2026 syllabus is mentioned below:
| Sections | XAT 2026 Topics | XAT 2026 Syllabus PDF |
| Verbal and Logical Ability | Reading Comprehension, Fill in the Banks, Analogy, Para Jumble, Critical Reasoning, Grammar, Vocabulary, etc. | Click Here |
| Decision Making | Seating Arrangement, Logical Reasoning, Premises, Conclusions, Data Arrangement, Grouping, Complex, Arrangement, Assumptions, etc. | |
| Quantitative Aptitude & Data Interpretation | Tables & Caselets, Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Mensuration, Percentage, Surds and Indices, Data Interpretation, etc. | |
| General Knowledge | Business, Politics, Prize and Awards, Worlds, Constitution of India, Government, Science, Economy, Static GK, Sports, etc. |
XAT answer key 2026 is expected to be released a few weeks after the exam is conducted. The answer key is helpful for the candidates to get a probable mark they might score in the exam, alongside analyzing their performance. You will be able to download the XAT answer key 2026 from the official website of XAT 2026. You must go to the official website and select the “XAT answer key” tab to download the answer key.
The exam conducting authority will also release the response sheet along with the XAT 2026 answer key. The response sheet will contain all the answers that you have marked during the examination. You can check your marked answers and raise objections if not satisfied.
XAT result 2026 is expected to be released in the third week of January 2026. The result will be available to download only on the official XAT 2026 website. You will need your login credentials to check and download the XAT result 2026. The result will be released in the form of a scorecard, and it will be valid for one year from the date of declaration. You can download the XAT 2026 scorecard by following the steps below:
After the XAT result 2026 is published, the selection procedure will start. Although there is no unique selection approach for the selected students. You must register on the official website of the desired college to participate in the selection process. Here are the steps involved in the admission process of XLRI institutes:
XLRI will release the official mock test for the XAT 2026 registered candidates in November 2025. If you complete your registration, then you will be able to access the official mock test. The XAT 2026 mock test portal link will be enabled on your application dashboard after you submit your application. The official XAT mock test will cover all the sections, that will allow you to experience the exam’s format and changes firsthand.
These are some preparation tips that will help you in your XAT preparation:
The table shows the section-wise number of questions for each type of XAT 2025:
| XAT Section | Topics | Difficulty Level |
| VA & LR | RC passages Poem Sentence Correction Para Jumble Fill in the blanks Conclusion/Inference | Moderate |
| DM | Event Management Company Law Firm Newspaper: The Pluralist Kindercare Hospital MBA Postgraduate Leadership Trade Suburb | Moderate |
| QA & DI | Linear Equation Coordinate Geometry Mensuration Ratio & Proportion Simple Interest, Compound Interest Probability Surds Averages Circles Grid Numbers Height & Distance Log Data Interpretation | Moderate to Difficult |
| GK | History Geography Economics and Business Personality and awards Science and Tech Sports Entertainment | Easy |
| Essay Topics | -- | Moderate |
Here’s the details of the XAT 2025 toppers:
| XAT Toppers | XAT 2025 Cutoff Percentile |
| Aman Ehtesham | 99.16 |
| Aum Rabara | 99.09 |
| Sidhant Kumar | 99.05 |
| Harsh Dokania | 97.00 |
| Ansh Jain | 96.00 |
| Satyam Trivedi | 95.90 |
| Khushi Tilwani | 94.00 |
Ans: There is no specific age limit and marks requirements mentioned for the XAT 2026 exam. To apply for the XAT, you should have a bachelor’s degree from a recognized institute with a minimum of three years duration.
Ans: XAT exam scores are only valid for one year. So, candidates must seek admission in the same year of qualification for the examination.
Ans: There are a total of four sections in the XAT syllabus and you will be asked MCQ type of question from all four sections. You will be asked 95 questions, and you must answer them within 180 minutes.
Ans: No, the Essay Writing section has been removed from the XAT exam and integrated into the Group Discussion and Personal Interview section.
Ans: After you successfully complete the registration, a verification email will be triggered to your registered email address. Once you complete the verification, you will get a credential mail.
Ans: The difficulty level of the XAT exam is moderate to high. This exam is considered one of the toughest among all the other MBA entrance exams. However, the difficulty level of the XAT completely depends on how you are preparing for the exam.
Ans: The most notable change in the XAT 2026 syllabus is the removal of the Analytical Essay Writing section. Previously, it was part of the main exam, but starting from this year, it will be part of the GD & PI round.
Ans: You can skip up to eight questions without any negative marking. After that, -0.1 marks will be deducted from the total number.
Ans: The GK scores are not added to the total score. So, your percentile will not be affected by the GK score. However, for the selection at XLRI, GK scores are considered for the further rounds to shortlist the candidates.
Ans: No work experience is required to apply for XAT 2026. However, for the Fellow Management Program in XLRI, you should have at least five years of professional experience.
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