XAT 2026 or Xavier Aptitude Test is a national-level entrance exam conducted by XLRI, Jamshedpur for admission to MBA/PGDM programs across over 160 institutes in India. Known for its unique Decision-Making section, XAT is one of the most competitive management entrance tests after CAT. Some of the popular colleges that accept XAT scores include XIMB, SP Jain, IMT Ghaziabad, KJ Somaiya, Tapmi, and many more.
XAT Registration for 2026 began on July 10, 2025, and will continue until December 5, 2025. The recently released official notification announced the exam date. It is to be held on January 4, 2026. The admit card is expected to be released on December 20, 2025.
Candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree of at least three years’ duration in any discipline. XAT has no age limit for aspirants to appear for the exam. Final-year students are also eligible to apply.
XAT 2026 will be a computer-based test featuring four sections: Verbal & Logical Ability, Decision Making, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, and General Knowledge.
In this article, you will find all the important details about XAT 2026 - including the exam date, syllabus, pattern, eligibility, top colleges accepting XAT scores, and more - that will help you prepare better for your MBA journey.

XAT 2026 Highlights

Here are some important highlights of the XAT 2026 exam:

XAT 2026 Dates

These are some important dates for ongoing and upcoming events of the XAT 2026 exam:

XAT Registration 2026

XAT exam registration 2026 start 10th July 2025. And the last date of registration 5th December 2025. You can register for the XAT 2026 by following the steps below:

• Step 1: Visit the official website of XAT 2026 at xatonline.in and click "Register.”
• Step 2: Fill out the registration form to register yourself.
• Step 3: Then verify your email address.
• Step 4: Fill out the XAT online application form before the deadline of November 30.
• Step 5: Upload all the required documents. You must upload your class 10^th mark sheet, class 12^th mark sheet, graduation mark sheet, address proof, Aadhaar card, etc.
• Step 6: Pay the application fee of INR 2200.
• Step 7: Submit the application form.
• Step 8: You will get a confirmation message on both your registered mobile number and email ID.

You can visit our XAT Registration 2026 page for further details on the application process.

XAT Eligibility 2026

Before registering for the XAT 2026, you should check the XAT eligibility criteria for this exam:

• You must have a bachelor’s degree from a recognized university with a minimum of three years of duration.
• Final-year bachelor’s students waiting for the results can also apply.
• There is no minimum age limit or mark requirements for XAT 2026.

XAT 2026 Admit Card

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:

• Visit the official website of XLRI Jamshedpur.
• Select the login tab and login to your account.
• Click on the hall ticket tab.
• Download the XAT 2026 admit card in the form of a PDF.
• Make sure to take a printout of the XAT admit card for future reference.

Get the details on our XAT 2026 Admit Card page. 

XAT Accepting Colleges 2026

Here is the list of top 10 colleges that will accept XAT 2026 marks for MBA admission:

XAT Cut-off (Previous Year's)

XAT cut-off for XLRI is released one week after the announcement of the XAT result. The table below shows the XAT 2025 cutoff for reference.

XAT Cut-off 2026 (Expected): Top 10 Colleges

Here are the expected XAT cut-off 2026 for the top ten colleges based on the previous year’s cutoff:

XAT 2026 Score vs Percentile (Expected)

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 Exam Pattern 2026

This year, XLRI Jamshedpur has made some changes to XAT 2026 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:

XAT 2026 Marking Scheme

• There will be a total of 95 questions that you have to answer within 180 minutes.
• For every correct response, there will be 1 mark, and for each incorrect response, 0.25 marks will be deducted.
• For more than 8 attempted questions except GK, 0.10 marks will be deducted.

XAT 2026 Syllabus

There will be four sections in the XAT 2026 exam, and each section will be divided into various topics. Detailed XAT syllabus 2026 is mentioned below:

XAT 2026 Answer Key and Response Sheet

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 analysing 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.

You may read more from our XAT 2026 Answer Key page.

XAT Result 2026

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:

• Visit the official website of XAT 2026.
• Login to your account with the XAT application number and password.
• Select the XAT scorecard tab.
• XAT result 2026 will appear on your screen.
• Download the PDF and take a printout of the XAT result 2026.

XAT Selection Process 2026

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:

• Shortlisting of Candidates: Candidates will be shortlisted based on the marks obtained in the XAT 2026 exam.
• Selection Round: Shortlisted candidates will be called for the GD and PI rounds.
• Final Selection: After the selection round, a final list of selected students will be published.

XAT Mock Test 2026

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 first-hand.

XAT Preparation Tips 2026

These are some preparation tips that will help you in your XAT preparation:

• Make a daily routine and dedicate six to seven hours to studies.
• Carefully examine the XAT 2026 syllabus and prepare a list of topic-wise strengths and weaknesses.
• XAT exam pattern has been revised, so you have to understand the exam pattern and test structure to make a time-bound exam preparation strategy.
• Try to solve as many practices sets or XAT mock tests as possible.
• While solving the practice sets and mock test, allot a time limit to each section and time yourself. You should not overstep the time limit.
• You should dedicate the last month to practicing XAT mock tests and assessing your growth.

XAT Exam Analysis 2025

The table shows the section-wise number of questions for each type of XAT 2025:

XAT Toppers 2025

You may check the following list with details of the XAT 2025 toppers: