Key takeaways
- CAT is the main route to the IIMs. XAT, SNAP and NMAT each open additional schools.
- XAT is conducted once a year and has a Decision Making section. SNAP and NMAT allow up to three attempts.
- CAT, XAT and SNAP carry negative marking in their main sections; NMAT has none.
- Patterns, dates and deadlines change every year. Confirm them on each exam's official website before you plan.
If you are aiming for an MBA in India, CAT is usually the first exam to come to mind, but it is not the only one. Several other tests are accepted by well-regarded schools, and writing one or two of them can widen your options without doubling your preparation. Here is a comparison based on the official websites of each exam, checked on 2 October 2026.
The four exams at a glance
| CAT | XAT | SNAP | NMAT by GMAC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conducted by | One of the IIMs, rotating each year (IIM Indore for CAT 2026) | XLRI Jamshedpur, on behalf of the Xavier Association of Management Institutes | Symbiosis International (Deemed University) | GMAC |
| Accepted by | The IIMs and a listed set of other institutions | XLRI, XIMB, IMT Ghaziabad, TAPMI and more than 250 other schools, according to the XAT website | Symbiosis institutes | 56 business schools across India, including NMIMS, ISB, SPJIMR, K J Somaiya and FLAME, according to GMAC |
| Paper | Three sections of 40 minutes in a fixed order: VARC, DILR, QA. Recent papers have 68 questions (VARC 24, DILR 22, QA 22) in 120 minutes | Part 1 (170 minutes): Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation. Part 2 (10 minutes): General Knowledge. About 95 questions in all | 60 questions in 60 minutes: General English (10), Analytical and Logical Reasoning (20), Quantitative Ability with Data Interpretation and Data Sufficiency (15) and Ethics, Morality and Values (15). Sections can be attempted in any order | 108 questions in 120 minutes: Language Skills, Quantitative Skills and Logical Reasoning, 36 questions each. You choose the section order, and each section has its own time limit |
| Marking | +3 for a correct answer, −1 for a wrong multiple-choice answer, no negative marking for type-in-the-answer questions | +1 for a correct answer, −0.25 for a wrong answer in Part 1, and a small penalty for unattempted questions beyond 8. No negative marking in General Knowledge | 25% of the question's marks are deducted for each wrong answer | No negative marking |
| Attempts | One attempt per year | Once a year, typically on the first Sunday of January | Up to three attempts; the higher score is used | Up to three attempts in a testing year, with at least 15 days between attempts |
| 2026 dates | Sunday 29 November 2026 | Check the XAT website | Test dates of 13, 19 and 26 December 2026 were listed on the SNAP website | Test window 2 November to 20 December 2026 |
The 2026 dates in the last row are time-sensitive. Registration deadlines for some of these exams can fall close to the date you are reading this, so check each official website before you decide.
What makes each exam different
- CAT: the strictest on time. Each section has its own timer and you cannot return to a finished section.
- XAT: the only one of the four with a Decision Making section, which tests how you handle ethical and practical business situations. The General Knowledge part is scored separately and is used by XLRI in its own selection.
- SNAP: a short, fast paper. With 60 questions in 60 minutes, speed and selection matter more than depth.
- NMAT: the most flexible. You pick your test slot within the window, choose the order of sections and can retake the exam, and there is no negative marking.
How to decide which exams to take
- Start with your target schools. Check which exams each school accepts and how it weighs them.
- Prepare for CAT as your core. The skills tested in the other exams overlap heavily with CAT's VARC, DILR and QA. This is our own view of how preparation overlaps, not an official statement.
- Add exams for specific gaps. If you want XLRI, plan extra time for Decision Making. If you want more than one attempt, NMAT and SNAP allow it.
- Watch the calendar. Exam dates and registration windows overlap, so build a timeline that does not clash with your mock schedule.
A realistic preparation split
For most aspirants, the bulk of the time goes to CAT-style preparation. The remaining time covers the specific features of the other exams: the Decision Making section for XAT, the speed and the Ethics, Morality and Values section for SNAP, and the section choice and attempt strategy for NMAT. Do not start a second plan from scratch; extend the first one.
Where to practise
Build the common core here: use the full-length CAT mock for exam rehearsal and the sectional tests for VARC, DILR and Quant. Our guide to CAT previous year papers explains how the paper has evolved, and our study plan shows how to sequence the months before the exam.
Sources checked: the official websites of XAT, SNAP and NMAT by GMAC, and the IIMs' published CAT notices at iimcat.ac.in. Last checked 2 October 2026.