XAT 2026 - Dates, Eligibility, Notification, Pattern, Syllabus, Best Books, Preparation Tips

The XAT 2026 exam will be conducted annually by XLRI Jamshedpur for candidates seeking admission to the MBA program at XLRI and other top MBA colleges nationwide. The XAT 2026 exam is India's second most anticipated MBA entrance exam after CAT. The score of the XAT exam is accepted by almost all the top B Schools in India accept IIMs. Over one lakh candidates appear for the XAT exam every year. Candidates can complete the XAT 2026 registration by paying the XAT fees 2026 of Rs. 2,100. The XAT 2026 dates will be announced along with the XAT notification 2026.

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This Story also Contains

1. XAT 2026 Overview
2. XAT 2026 Important Date
3. XAT 2026 Eligibility Criteria
4. XAT 2026 Registration Process
5. XAT 2026 Application Form
6. XAT 2026 Syllabus
7. XAT 2026 Exam Pattern
8. XAT 2026 Preparation Tips and Strategies
9. XAT 2026 Topicwise Weightage
10. Books For XAT 2026
11. XAT 2026 Mock Tests
12. XAT 2026 PYQs
13. XAT 2026 Admit Card
14. XAT 2026 Answer Key and Response Sheet
15. XAT 2026 Score vs Percentile (Expected)
16. XAT 2026 Result
17. XAT 2026 Selection Process
18. XAT 2026 Cutoff Score
19. XAT 2026 Accepting Colleges

This article is a great one in all places to get complete information on the upcoming XAT 2026 exam for MBA aspirants. It covers almost all the important points related to the XAT exam 2026 like eligibility, registration, admit card, exam pattern, XAT syllabus, result, selection process, and XAT cutoff.

XAT 2026 Overview

Candidates can check out the complete overview of the XAT 2026 exam covering all the details given in the table below.

XAT 2026 Important Date

The dates for the XAT 2026 events will be out once the XAT 2026 notification is released. The important dates and updates for events related to XAT 2026 are mentioned in the table below.

XAT 2026 Eligibility Criteria

Candidates thinking of appearing for the XAT 2026 must meet the required eligibility criteria. The candidates must satisfy the XAT 2026 eligibility criteria. The XAT 2026 eligibility criteria stated by XAT exam authorities is listed below.

• Candidates must hold a three-year Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in any discipline from a recognized university
• Candidates in the final year of graduation are also eligible to apply given that they fulfill the eligibility criteria at the time of admission.
• There is no age bar for candidates wishing to take the XAT 2026 exam.

XAT 2026 Registration Process

The XAT 2026 registration process will commence from the date stated in the XAT 2026 notification. Candidates can find the link for registration on the official XAT 2026 website. Only eligible candidates can apply for the XAT 2026 registration. The XAT 2026 registration process is necessary for generating the login credentials that will be required later for downloading the XAT 2026 admit card and XAT 2026 Result. Candidates can follow the stepwise procedure given below to complete the XAT 2026 registration process.

How to Register for XAT 2026

1. Visit the official website of XAT xatonline.in
2. Click On ‘New Registration’ for XAT 2026
3. Now enter the required details to register for the XAT 2026 exam.
4. The login credentials will be sent to the email address used during the XAT 2026 registration.

XAT 2026 Application Form

Filling out the XAT 2026 application form is the next step after XAT 2026 registration. The XAT application form is available on the official XAT website. Candidates can log in to the portal using the login credentials generated during registration. The email address used for the registration will have the required login credentials. To fill the XAT 2026 application form follow these steps.

Steps to Fill the XAT 2026 Application Form

1. Go to the official XAT 2026 website.
2. Click on the ‘Registered Candidate Login’ tab.
3. Enter login credentials.
4. Enter the security code and Click on the ‘Submit’ tab.
5. On the next page, candidates can start entering all the details as required.
6. Upload the required documents.
7. Enter work experience details (if any).
8. Choose the program from the given options.
9. Pay the XAT 2026 application fee.

10. Download the payment invoice and application form for future reference.

The XAT 2026 Application fee details are given in the table below.

XAT 2026 Syllabus

The syllabus for the XAT exam is different from other MBA entrance exams. The syllabus for the XAT exam is spread across five different exam sections Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning (VA & LR), Decision-making (DM), Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation (QA & DI), General Knowledge, and Analytical Essay Writing (AEW). The detailed syllabus and important topics for the XAT 2026 exam are given in the table below.

XAT 2026 Exam Pattern

The candidates must be familiar with the XAT 2026 exam pattern. The exam pattern of the XAT 2026 exam comprises five different sections along with mock keyboard testing. The total duration prescribed for the XAT 2026 exam is 3 hours and 30 minutes. An additional 20 minutes will be allotted to the PwD candidates for every hour. The complete XAT 2026 exam pattern is provided in the table given below.

XAT 2026 Preparation Tips and Strategies

The XAT 2026 is considered to be fairly difficult and lengthy by the candidates. The candidates should prepare smartly as per the requirements for each section of the XAT 2026 exam. The candidates can also implement different strategies and tips in order to maximize learning efficiency and have enough time in hand for revision, mock tests, and solving PYQs.

Some useful preparation tips and strategies for the XAT 2026 exam are given below.

1. Divide the time remaining for the examination into 6 equal parts.
2. First, 4 parts should be dedicated to covering the syllabus for all the subjects.
3. Once the syllabus is covered completely, it is time for mock tests, PYQs, and revision.
4. One of the remaining two parts should be for solely solving Mock tests and PYQs. You can use online test platforms like Testbook and Oliveboard for real-time exam simulation.
5. Keep the last part for the revision. General knowledge will require strong revision to remember the learned information during the exams.

XAT 2026 Topicwise Weightage

The topics and concepts asked in the XAT 2026 exam have different weightages. The topicwise weightage in percentage terms for different exam sections of the XAT 2026 exam is given in the table below.

Books For XAT 2026

The books needed for the XAT 2026 exam are mostly the same as those for any other MBA entrance exam. The books chosen by candidates should be as per the latest XAT 2026 syllabus and exam pattern. The books with more practice sets can be a bit more useful than others. The books recommended for XAT 2026 by the exam experts and previous aspirants are mentioned in the table below.

XAT 2026 Mock Tests

Mock tests are a great way to identify and improve the weak sections. Candidates can take the XAT mock test available at the official XAT portal. The mock tests allow the candidates to experience the real-time exam situation and the pressure of the ticking clock. It can come in handy in improving the time management skills. Candidates should try to take as many mock tests as possible to be exam-ready. Candidates can also take mock tests for a particular section of the XAT exam.

XAT 2026 PYQs

Solving the XAT PYQs is probably the most important thing to do for the candidates preparing for the upcoming XAT 2026 exam. The PYQs are the best way to understand the exam pattern and the difficulty level of the questions for the XAT 2026 exam. The PDF link to download XAT PYQs for different years is given in the table below.

XAT 2026 Admit Card

The XAT 2026 admit card will be made available to the candidates via online mode. The candidates can download the XAT 2026 admit card through the official website using the login credentials generated earlier. The XAT 2026 admit card will contain important candidature details like name, gender, roll number, XAT 2026 exam centre, XAT 2026 exam shift, and XAT 2026 exam timing. The XAT 2026 admit card will not be sent through post to any candidate. The stepwise process for downloading the XAT 2026 admit card is given below.

How to download the XAT 2026 Hall Ticket

Step 1 - Visit the official website of XLRI Jamshedpur.

Step 2 - Click on the “Login” tab.

Step 3 - Now candidates will have to provide XAT User ID and Date of birth (DOB) after clicking on the “Login” tab.

Step 4 - Now click on the hall ticket tab.

Step 5 - The option to download the XAT 2026 admit card will be displayed on the computer screen.

Step 6 - Click on the download tab and save the XAT admit card as PDF.

XAT 2026 Answer Key and Response Sheet

The XAT 2026 answer key will be released a few weeks after the XAT 2026 exam is conducted. The XAT 2026 answer key is helpful for candidates to get an approximation of the marks they might score in the XAT 2026 exam alongside analyzing their performance. The XAT 2026 answer key will be available for candidates to download on the official XAT 2026 website. Candidates can simply go to the website and click on the ‘XAT 2026 answer key’ tab to download the XAT 2026 answer key.

The response sheet will also be provided with the XAT 2026 answer key. The response sheet will have the answers that are marked by the candidates for the questions attempted by them. The candidates can see their marked answers and raise objections if not satisfied.

XAT 2026 Score vs Percentile (Expected)

The XAT 2026 score and XAT 2026 percentile are very different from each other. To understand, the XAT 2026 score is the total score obtained by a candidate after accounting for the normalization process. The XAT 2026 exam percentile on the other hand is the figure indicating the percentage of candidates above which the particular candidate has performed. The expected XAT 2026 scores and percentiles are provided for the candidates in the table given below.

XAT 2026 Result

The XAT 2026 result will be released after the release of the XAT 2026 answer key. The XAT 2026 result will be available only on the official XAT 2026 website. There is no offline method for checking the XAT 2026 result. The candidates have to use their login credentials to check and download the XAT 2026 result. The XAT 2026 result will have the XAT 2026 scorecard of the candidate. The validity of the XAT 2026 is exactly one year from the date of declaration. A valid XAT 2026 result will be required for seeking admission to the MBA colleges. The process for downloading the XAT 2026 scorecard is provided below.

Steps for downloading the XAT 2026 Scorecard

Step 1- Go to the official website of XAT 2026.

Step 2- Now, enter the XAT 2026 application number/ registered ID and password.

Step 3- Now click on the “XAT Scorecard” tab.

Step 4- The XAT 2026 result will appear on a computer screen.

Step 5- Download and take a printout of XAT result 2026.

XAT 2026 Selection Process

The XAT 2026 selection process comprises Group Discussion and Personal Interviews. The shortlisting of candidates for these rounds is done based on the XAT 2026 scores obtained by them. The XAT 2026 cutoff would be the threshold that the candidates need to cross to become eligible for the selection process. Candidates who are shortlisted will have to participate in the XLRI selection criteria which includes Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI). The final merit list will be prepared based on the performance of candidates in all stages of the XAT selection process for 2026.

XAT 2026 Cutoff Score

The XAT 2026 cutoff score is expected to be between 95-96 percentile. The XAT 2026 is impacted by certain factors like:

1. Difficulty level of the XAT 2026 exam.
2. Total qualifying candidates.
3. Total seats offered.
4. Normalization Process
5. Previous Year XAT Cutoff
6. Reservation Criteria

The expected XAT 2026 cutoff for different programs for candidates from engineering and non-engineering backgrounds across different XAT 2026 exam sections is given in the table below.

XAT 2026 Accepting Colleges

There are more than 200 XAT 2026 accepting colleges in India for admission to their MBA/PGDM courses. The list of colleges accepting XAT 2026 scores as well as their expected XAT 2026 cutoff is mentioned in the table below.