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Pursuing an MBA course in a prestigious institute is a dream for many aspirants. In India, you can take different entrance exams to join an MBA. Every year, at least 35,000 candidates appear for various MBA entrance exams. The CAT, XAT, and MAT exams are among the top three entrance exams for this course.
If you are looking to pursue an MBA course, this blog might help you decide whether the CAT, XAT, or MAT might be easier to crack.
Common Admission Test (CAT)
Likewise, in 2021, the CAT exam is in November. You have two hours to complete this exam. You get three marks for every correct answer, whereas you will lose a mark for each wrong answer. However, you will neither gain nor lose any marks for questions that you don’t attempt.
The exam comprises three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA). So, you will get 40 minutes to answer each section.
Also, note that you must have completed a bachelor’s degree by obtaining at least 50% marks to appear for this exam.
Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT)
The XAT exam, conducted by XLRI, Jamshedpur, can grant you admission into over 700 renowned B-Schools across the country. Like the CAT exam, XAT also consists of four sections, including Verbal and Logical Ability, Decision Making, General Knowledge, and Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation, that you must attempt and complete within three hours.
Like the CAT exam, in the XAT exam too, you would be getting a mark for a correct answer, whereas, you will lose a quarter of the marks for the wrong ones. Also, you can leave up to only eight questions unattempted. If you leave more than eight questions, then, you would be losing a tenth of the marks for each question that you leave unattempted.
The significant difference between the two is in the eligibility criteria. You must have completed a bachelor’s degree by securing at least 50% marks to be eligible for the CAT exam, whereas there is no such requirement for XAT.
Management Aptitude Test (MAT)
The Management Aptitude Test (MAT) is another popular entrance exam that lets you pursue an MBA program in a recognized university of your choice. MAT scores are valid across over 600 institutions offering MBA courses in the country. The exam consists of 200 questions distributed across five sections, where each question carries a mark. So, this means you get a mark for each correct answer. However, note that you will be losing a quarter of the marks for every wrong answer. MAT is an online, computer-based exam where you would be getting questions from areas like Mathematical Ability, Language Comprehension, Data Analysis and Sufficiency, and Critical Reasoning and Intelligence.
Each question in MAT carries a mark, and you would be losing 0.25 marks for every wrong answer.
Moreover, you must have completed a bachelor’s program from a recognized institute, securing at least 50% marks, to be eligible to write the MAT exam.
Which MBA Entrance Exam is Easier to Crack?
Among the three most popular MBA entrance exams, MAT, XAT, and CAT, the Xavier Aptitude Test is supposed to be the hardest to crack. You would be getting questions from areas like Decision Making and Logical and Verbal Ability with similar options to pick from. So, this means that the MAT and CAT exams are relatively easier to crack, and you can come out in flying colors if you work hard enough.
Final Thoughts
While XAT is harder to crack as compared to MAT and CAT, this, in no way, means you don’t need to work hard for the other two. All three entrance exams are competitive. You will need to come out on top if you want to secure admission into a prestigious university or institution of your choice. So, if you are among those hoping to pursue an MBA in such universities, make sure that you plan effectively and work hard to crack these entrance exams.
