{"id":17775,"date":"2025-09-27T06:37:36","date_gmt":"2025-09-27T06:37:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/blog\/?p=17775"},"modified":"2025-10-07T06:36:42","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T06:36:42","slug":"complete-guide-to-xat-exam-2026-exam-dates-schedule-eligibility-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/blog\/complete-guide-to-xat-exam-2026-exam-dates-schedule-eligibility-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Complete Guide to XAT Exam 2026: Exam Dates, Schedule, Eligibility &#038; More"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) 2026 is one of the most prominent national-level MBA entrance exams accepted by XLRI, XIMB, and over 160 B-schools across India. If you&#8217;re planning to take the XAT 2026, this blog serves as your go-to guide for detailed information including exam dates, eligibility criteria, registration details, and preparation tips.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>XAT 2026 Overview<\/b><\/h2>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Feature<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Details<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Exam Name<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) 2026<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conducting Body<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">XLRI \u2013 Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mode of Examination<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Computer-Based Test (CBT)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Frequency<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once a year<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Exam Duration<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">210 minutes<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tentative Exam Date<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First Sunday of January 2026<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h2><b>XAT 2026 Exam Dates &amp; Schedule (Tentative)<\/b><\/h2>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Event<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Expected Date<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Notification Release<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">July 2025<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Registration Starts<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">August 2025<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Last Date to Apply (Without Late Fee)<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">November 2025<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Admit Card Release<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">December 2025<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">XAT 2025 Exam Date<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">January 5, 2026 (Tentative)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Result Announcement<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Third week of January 2026<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3><b>XAT 2026 Eligibility Criteria<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To appear for XAT 2026, candidates must fulfill the following eligibility conditions:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Must hold a <\/span><b>Bachelor\u2019s degree<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (minimum 3 years) in any discipline from a recognized university<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Final year students<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can also apply, provided their results are declared by June 2026<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>No minimum percentage<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> requirement in graduation<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>No age limit<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for applying to the XAT exam<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>No restriction on the number of attempts<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Note<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Eligibility for XLRI programs (BM, HRM, etc.) may include specific academic or professional criteria. Always check the program-specific requirements on the official XLRI website.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>XAT 2026 Exam Pattern<\/b><\/h3>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Section<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>No. of Questions<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Time Allotted<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Verbal and Logical Ability<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">~26<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Part of 175 mins total<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Decision Making<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">~21<\/span><\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Quantitative Aptitude &amp; Data Interpretation<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">~28<\/span><\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">General Knowledge<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">~25<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">15 minutes (separate)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Essay Writing<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1 descriptive essay<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">10 minutes (evaluated for XLRI)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><b>Marking Scheme:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">+1 mark for each correct answer<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-0.25 for each incorrect answer (except for GK &amp; Essay)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-0.10 marks for more than 8 unanswered questions in total (excluding GK)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GK scores are not used for percentile but considered during the interview stage by some institutes<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Final Thoughts<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">XAT 2026 offers a unique challenge, especially with its Decision-Making section and Essay component, making it distinct from other MBA entrance exams. To ace the XAT, candidates should develop analytical thinking, practice reading comprehension extensively, and regularly attempt XAT-specific mocks. Focus on time management and build a balanced preparation plan across all sections.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the latest updates on <a href=\"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/exam\/33\/xat-2025\">XAT<\/a> 2026 registration, admit card release, and result notifications, visit the official website: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/careermantra.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">career mantra\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) 2026 is one of the most prominent national-level MBA entrance exams accepted by XLRI, XIMB, and over 160 B-schools across India. If you&#8217;re planning to take the XAT 2026, this blog serves as your go-to guide for detailed information including exam dates, eligibility criteria, registration details, and preparation tips. XAT [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18499,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,721],"tags":[767,764,768,766,770,769,765],"class_list":["post-17775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-mba-colleges","category-xat-exam","tag-b-schools-by-xat-score","tag-mba-admission-through-xat","tag-mba-colleges-for-low-xat-score","tag-xat-accepting-colleges-2026","tag-xat-exam-pattern-and-eligibility","tag-xat-percentile-vs-college","tag-xlri-cutoff-for-xat"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17775"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17778,"href":"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17775\/revisions\/17778"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careermantra.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}