XAT 2026 Exam Dates, Registration, Syllabus, PYQs & More [Check Latest Updates]

Overview: The XAT exam date 2026 is January 4, and it will be conducted at various XAT centres across India. This national-level entrance exam, which attracts over one lakh students every year, serves as your gateway to XLRI Jamshedpur and other top Business Schools.

• The Xavier Aptitude Test exam will be conducted on Sunday, January 4th, 2026. XAT registration commenced on 10th July 2025.
• The last date to apply for the XAT entrance exam is 5th December 2025.

Download Free Study Material for XAT 2026 by Supergrads

What's New for XAT 2026?

• There is no sectional time limit in the XAT 2026 exam. You can now move freely between sections during the exam.
• The number of XAT test cities has increased to 109 this year.
• You can choose two preferred test cities when you fill out your application.
• The application fee for XAT remains the same.
• The XAT last date to apply 2026

Let's continue the blog to learn more about the XAT exam date and deadlines, eligibility criteria, registration process, and more.

Latest Updates XLRI has announced the XAT exam date 2026. It will be conducted on January 4, 2026. XAT 2026 registration started from July 10, 2026. The last date to fill out the XAT registration form is 5th December, 2025.

Read More | Everything About XAT Admissions

XAT 2026 Exam- Overview

The XAT, or Xavier Aptitude Test, is one of the most popular MBA exams in India, conducted by XLRI, Jamshedpur, for admission to MBA/PGDM programs.

The XAT exam is conducted annually in January. There are 10 XAMI member colleges and 250 participating B-schools that accept XAT scores for admission to their postgraduate management courses, such as MBA, PGDM, and Executive MBA. 

The XAT 2026 registration began on July 10, 2025, and will remain active until December 5, 2025. 

Continue reading to get more clarity about the important dates and the XAT 2026 application form filling process.

XAT 2026 Registration Out- Apply with Direct Link

Exam Name	Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT)
Full Form	Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT)
Conducting Body	XLRI, Jamshedpur
Purpose	Admission to MBA/PGDM programs at XLRI and other participating B-schools (250+ participating institutes, 11 XAMI institutes)
XAT 2026 Registration Date	July 10, 2025
XAT 2026 Registration Last Date	December 5, 2025
XAT 2026 Exam Date	January 4, 2026
Mode of Exam	Online (computer-based)
Exam Level	National
Exam Duration	3 hours 30 minutes (180 minutes total, usually split as 170 mins for Part A (VA, DM, QA-DI) and 10 mins for Part B (GK))
Key Sections	Decision Making, Verbal & Logical Ability, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, General Knowledge

Check out | XAT Exam Important Dates for 2026

XAT 2026 Exam Dates & Overview

XAT Exam Registration Start Date	Monday, 10 July 2025
XAT last date to apply 2026	5th December 2025
XAT Exam Admit Card 2026 Download	From Friday, 20 December 2025, tentatively
XAT Exam Date 2026	Sunday, January 4, 2026
Result Date	January 31, 2026 (tentative)
Score Card Release Date	Download between January 31 and March 31, 2026
XLRI PI	March- April 2026
Mode	Computer-Based Test (CBT)
Duration	3 hours (2:00 PM to 5 PM)

Check | XAT Exam Analysis 2025

XAT 2026 Registration Process 

The XAT 2026  Notification has been released by XLRI (Xavier School of Management) for admission into management courses in India. Here are the steps you need to follow to qualify for the XAT exam registration:

1. Visit the official website of XLRI & fill out the XAT online application form

• Visit www.xatonline.in and click "Register" to complete the XAT application form.
• Enter your Name, email address, and contact details, and then set a password. You will receive a system-generated email/message. 
• A candidate must verify their email by clicking on the link and proceed to complete the application procedure.

2. Upload the Photo and Documents

The candidate is supposed to upload a photo, signature, and proof of ID. Click on the declaration and verify the XAT exam details thoroughly before submitting the XAT 2026 application form.

Photograph Image

• Dimensions 200 x 230 pixels (preferred).
• The file should be between 20 KB and 50 KB in size.
• Ensure that the scanned image is no larger than 50KB. 

3. Pay the registration fee using online payment modes

Payment of Fees

• The XAT Registration Fee is INR 2200/- for all the candidates.
• Candidates who wish to apply to XLRI programs must pay an additional fee of INR 200/-each.
• Indian Candidates are applying for GMP through GMAT INR 2500/-
• NRI/Foreign Candidates are applying for one or more programs through the GMAT, with a fee of INR 5000/-.

4. Receive the XAT Entrance Exam Admit Card and take a printout for future reference

Candidates may download the XAT exam admit Card for 2026 from www.xatonline.in starting from December 20, 2026.

Attempt Free XAT Mock Test by SuperGrads

XAT 2026 Exam Fees

As per the official XAT exam details, the following is the XAT 2026 exam form fee for fresh registrations.

Description	Fee
XAT exam Registration Fees (without late fee)	Rs. 2200/-
Additional XAT fees for the XLRI program (per program)	Rs. 200/-
Indian candidates applying for PGDM (GM) through GMAT/GRE	Rs. 2500/-
NRI/Foreign candidates applying for one or more programs through GMAT	Rs. 5000/-

Note:

• Indian candidates can apply through the GMAT/GRE for the PGDM (GM) program, whereas NRI/foreign nationals can apply through the GMAT for all programs. Please note that GRE scores are only valid for PGDM (GM). 
• Candidates need to apply to the XAT Associate Institutes using their XAT entrance exam score by obtaining their 2026 Application Form separately (as and when available) after registering online by making the appropriate payment.

XAT 2026 Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the XAT exam 2026, as per the official XAT exam details, the candidates need to fulfil the following basic requirements:

• You must have a bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification in any discipline from a recognized university or institution.
• There are no minimum percentage or mark criteria for the XAT Exam 2026.
• Candidates in their final year are also eligible to appear for the XAT 2026 exam.
• There is no specific age limit to register for the XAT Exam 2026. 

Does that short list of XAT eligibility requirements surprise you? The XAT exam eligibility criteria are probably the simplest among all the national-level management entrance exams!

Explore | Take a Free XAT Mock Test Now!

XAT 2026 Exam Pattern (Major Updates)

The XAT exam pattern will be similar to that of last year. There will be no sectional time limit; thus, candidates will have 180 minutes to solve the entire paper.

The XAT exam 2026 is divided into two parts: PART A (170 Minutes) and PART B (General Knowledge only -10 minutes). 

The XAT exam timing is 180 minutes. Let's understand the detailed XAT exam pattern for 2026 so you can start preparing for the exam.

XAT Syllabus and Exam Pattern	No. of Questions	Total marks	Good Attempts
PART – A (170 minutes) No Sectional Timing within Part – A
Verbal and Logical Ability	26	26	14-15
Decision Making	21	21	12-13
Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation	28	28	19-20
Total	75
PART – B (10 Minutes)
General Awareness	20	20

XAT 2026 Syllabus

XAT syllabus generally consists of 3 parts, as seen in the above table. Let's summarize the three parts again:

• Part 1: XAT Decision Making, Verbal and Logical Ability, Quantitative Ability, and Data Interpretation (175 minutes)
• Part 2: Mock keyboard testing in part two (5 minutes)
• Part 3: Essay writing and general knowledge (30 minutes).

Read More | XAT Exam 2026 Preparation Tips

Now, let's briefly look at the XAT exam syllabus for each of the sections of each part in the following table.

XAT Syllabus	Important Topics for the XAT Exam Pattern and Syllabus
Verbal and Logical Ability	Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Analogy, Para jumble, Grammar, Critical Reasoning, Fill in the Blanks, etc.
Decision Making	Data Arrangement, Conditioning, Grouping, Complex Arrangement, Caselets, Assumptions, Premises, Conclusions, etc.
Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation	Arithmetic, Geometry, Mensuration, Percentage, Surds and Indices, Algebra, Mensuration, Bar Diagrams, Pie Charts, Tables, Data Interpretation, etc.
General Knowledge	Science, Economy, Business, Politics, Static GK, Sports, Prize and Award, World, Government, Constitution of India, etc.

Learn More | XAT Exam Answer Key

XAT 2026 Exam Centers

The XAT 2026 has introduced 34 new cities. Here is the complete list of the XAT 2026 test cities:

XAT Exam Centers	XAT Centre States
Agra	Uttar Pradesh
Ahmedabad	Gujarat
Aurangabad City (Maharashtra)	Maharashtra
Allahabad	Uttar Pradesh
Ambala	Haryana
Amravati	Maharashtra
Amritsar	Punjab
Bengaluru	Karnataka
Berhampur	Odisha
Bhatinda	Punjab
Bhilai Nagar	Chhattisgarh
Bhopal	Madhya Pradesh
Bhubaneswar	Odisha
Chandigarh/Mohali	Punjab and Chandigarh
Chennai	Tamil Nadu
Coimbatore	Tamil Nadu
Cuttack	Odisha
Dehradun	Uttarakhand
Delhi-NCR	Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon
Dhanbad	Jharkhand
Dibrugarh	Assam
Durgapur/Asansol	West Bengal
Ernakulam	Kerala
Gandhinagar	Gujarat
Goa	Goa
Gorakhpur	Uttar Pradesh
Guwahati	Assam
Gwalior	Madhya Pradesh
Hooghly	West Bengal
Hubballi (Hubli)	Karnataka
Hyderabad	Telangana
Indore	Madhya Pradesh
Jabalpur	Madhya Pradesh
Jalandhar	Punjab
Jaipur	Rajasthan
Jammu	Jammu and Kashmir
Jamshedpur	Jharkhand
Kannur	Kerala
Kanpur	Uttar Pradesh
Kolkata	West Bengal
Kota	Rajasthan
Kottayam	Kerala
Kurnool	Andhra Pradesh
Lucknow	Uttar Pradesh
Madurai	Tamil Nadu
Mangalore	Karnataka
Mumbai	Maharashtra
Mysuru (Mysore)	Karnataka
Nagpur	Maharashtra
Nashik	Maharashtra
Patna	Bihar
Pune	Maharashtra
Raipur	Chhattisgarh
Rajahmundry	Andhra Pradesh
Ranchi	Jharkhand
Roorkee	Uttarakhand
Rourkela	Odisha
Sambalpur	Odisha
Siliguri	West Bengal
Surat	Gujarat
Thiruvananthapuram	Kerala
Tiruchirappalli	Tamil Nadu
Tirupathi	Andhra Pradesh
Tiruvallur	Tamil Nadu
Udaipur	Rajasthan
Udupi	Karnataka
Vadodara	Gujarat
Varanasi	Uttar Pradesh
Vijayawada	Andhra Pradesh
Visakhapatnam	Andhra Pradesh
Warangal	Telangana
Tejpur	Assam
Jorhat	Assam
Rajkot	Gujarat
Shillong	Meghalaya
Naharlagun	Arunachal Pradesh

Read More | Best Books to Prepare for XAT Exam

Practice: XAT Previous Year Papers with Answers

Conclusion

The XAT 2026 registration process began on 10th July 2025 and will continue until 5th December 2025. Aspirants interested in applying for the XAT 2026 entrance exam can register on the official website or through the direct link provided in this blog. For any quarry, visit the official website.