How to choose amongst CAT 2017, XAT 2018, NMAT 2017, SNAP 2017, IIFT 2017

Now, with the exam dates for all the national level MBA entrance tests announced, candidates are contemplating which 2-3 exams they should write since it is difficult to appear in all the MBA entrance exams. It is of utmost importance to choose the best fit exam which can offer you best suitable MBA admission opportunity in desired B-school.

It is recommended by past toppers of CAT, XAT, IIFT and other exams not to write all the exams. Instead select the ones that suit your will to prepare, based on the difficulty level in the exam that you can overcome, your key strengths and the desired B-school. For example, if you are not interested in doing MBA in International Business, there is no point to write IIFT 2017 entrance test for MBA (IB) 2018-20. But if you wish to excel in International Business only, you need to choose only those exams through which you can get the best B-schools offering MBA (IB) programmes whether it is IIFT, IIMs or others.

Not only this, the more exams you target, the bigger hole will be there in your pocket as none of the MBA entrance exams would cost you less than Rs.1500/-. Writing more than 3 exams means to shell out not less than Rs.4500/-. On the top of it, you need to add the travelling, lodging and boarding expenses for the exam day.

The notifications for all the top MBA entrance exams are out now and the registration and application process for the same have started. In fact, a few top MBA entrance exams like CAT 2017 and IIFT 2017 will close their application process in the month of September 2017.

The exams like CAT 2017, XAT 2018 can offer you admission opportunity in hundreds of B-schools out of which many are top B-schools of India. But again viewing the difficulty level of the exam and your preparation level, you will need to assess yourself whether to go for IIMs, XLRI, FMS, MDI, SPJIMR, SIBM, IIFT or some other B-schools accepting these exam scores.

A comparison of different MBA entrance exams will guide you which way to go.

Comparative Guide in detail
A detailed comparative study  with the MBA entrance exam pattern and mode of test, level of difficulty as compared to other entrance tests,  Admission opportunity in top MBA colleges accepting the related MBA entrance exam scores, key components of exam and other unique features of these MBA entrance tests is shared for the benefit of MBA aspirants.

The comparative study will equip you to understand all about the various MBA entrance exams like Common Admission Test (CAT) conducted by IIMs; Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) conducted by XLRI; Symbiosis National Aptitude Test (SNAP) conducted by SIU Pune; NMAT by GMAC conducted by GMAC; IIFT MBA entrance conducted by IIFT among others.

With the clarity on the difficulty level and exam pattern and the top B-schools accepting the exam scores, you will be able to take a decision which exam you should appear for MBA admission 2018-20 batch.

Common Admission Test (CAT) 2017 conducted by IIMs 

Exam mode, date & duration: Computer based test on November 26, 2017; 2 test sessions of 3 hours each  

Registration & Application: Open date- August 9; Closing date-September 20, 2017 at 5PM

Exam fee: Rs.1800/- for General Category; For SC/ST-Rs.900/-

Test sections: 3 of 60 minutes each. The test sections with number of questions and individual time limit are:

Exam format: 100 questions of MCQ and Non-MCQ type

Negative marking: Yes but only for MCQs. 1/3 Negative mark for each wrong answer for MCQ and No negative marks for Non-MCQs

Level of Difficulty (LoD) on a scale 1-10: 8 ( A few questions are easy to moderate, DILR questions are lengthy and tricky, Quant is usually moderate except a few questions which are very difficult)

Top Participating B-schools: 20 IIMs including IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, IIM Indore, IIM Kozhikode and all other new and newest IIMs. Top B-schools in Non-IIM category include – FMS Delhi, SPJIMR Mumbai, MDI Gurgaon, IMI New Delhi, IMT Ghaziabad, JBIMS Mumbai, Management departments of IITs, TAPMI Manipal, IRMA Anand, MICA Ahmedabad, NITIE Mumbai and 500 other B-schools.

Unique features of CAT 2017:

• CAT 2017 is a Computer Based Test (CBT) and is conducted by IIM Lucknow
• Minimum 50% marks in graduation required to appear in the exam
• All the exam related activities including payment of Exam fee is to be done only online
• Individual sectional time limit of 1 hour for each of the three sections
• All the IIMs require minimum score of 70/80 percentile in each section to qualify for shortlisting
• Out of 32 or 34 questions in each section there are about 7 to 10 questions which are of Non-MCQ type and do not carry penalty of negative marking
• CAT is the largest MBA entrance exam. 2.32 lakhs candidates registered for CAT last year. CAT 2017 may get higher number of registrations and applications.
• Exam pattern revamped to attract more non-engineers. A graduate in Arts/humanities who scores 90+ percentile in CAT 2017 and has good academic record can expect to receive a call from IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore or Calcutta.

Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) 2018 conducted by XLRI

Exam mode, date & duration: Online computer based test on January 7, 2018; single test session of 3½ hours 

Registration & Application: Open date- August 16; Closing date-November 30, 2017

Exam fee: Rs.1650/-

Test sections: 3+2. First 3 sections allotted overall time limit of 170 minutes and are taken into account for percentile calculation. Next 2 sections are allotted 35 minutes and are not counted for percentile calculation. 5 minutes are for turnover time.

XAT 2018 Exam: Sectional composition
XAT 2018 question paper is to consist of following sections and number of questions mentioned against them. 

Part-1: Time limit to solve – 170 minutes

Part-2: Time limit to solve - 35 minutes

Exam format: 72 questions in first three sections and 25 questions in 4^th section are of MCQ type. Essay writing is descriptive test.

Negative marking: Yes 1/4 Negative mark for each wrong answer for MCQ and No negative marks for Essay Writing Test

Level of Difficulty (LoD) on a scale 1-10: 9 (Candidates find it difficult to attempt 40 questions out of 72. Questions are moderate to difficult. Decision making, Data Interpretation are a bit more difficult. RC passages are mostly abstract. Quant is usually moderate to difficult.

Top Participating B-schools: There are more than 150 B-schools accepting XAT 2018 scores for admission to MBA/PGDM 2018-20 batch. All the 11 XAMI member institutes including XLRI Jamshedpur, LIBA Chennai, XIM Bhubaneswar, XIME Bangalore, XISS Ranchi, SPJIMR Mumbai, IMT Ghaziabad, BIMTECH Greater Noida, GIM Goa, Great Lakes Chennai, VIT Vellore among others will accept XAT 2018 exam scores for admission to their management programmes commencing 2018. 

Unique features of XAT 2018:

• XAT 2018 will be the first online computer based XAT exam in more than 60 years since XLRI has been conducting XAT.
• Graduates who have scored less than 50% marks in bachelor’s degree can also appear in XAT 2018
• XAT 2018 has allowed the facility of online registration with late fee also. Candidates can apply for XAT 2018 after November 30 to December 11, 2017 by making payment of Rs.2000/- as exam fee.
• XAT 2018 test paper will be divided in 2 parts: Part I with A,B,C sections and Part II with GK and Essay writing sections.
• Score in Part I of XAT 2018 exam paper will be accounted for while determining the merit position and shortlisting for PI round
• XAT 2018 exam will not only impose the penalty of negative marking for wrong answers but the XAT 2018 test takers will also be imposed with the penalty of deduction of 0.05 mark per question if more than 12 questions are left unattempted in XAT 2018 question paper.

NMAT 2017 (NMAT by GMAC) conducted by GMAC

Exam mode, date & duration: Online computer based test in 75 days test window from October 5 to December 18, 2017. NMAT 2017 will be of 2 hours duration exam.   

Registration & Application: Open date- July 4; Closing date-October 3, 2017 (Online only)

Exam fee: Rs.1800/-

Test sections: 3 sections with individual time limit. Test sections with number of questions and time limit are:

Exam format: All questions of MCQ type

Negative marking: No

Level of Difficulty (LoD) on a scale 1-10: 6 - questions are easy to moderate. Only a few questions are difficult

Top Participating B-schools: NMAT 2017 scores will be accepted by 17 B-schools and universities including SVKM's Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad; Xavier University, Bhubaneswar; VIT University, Vellore; MISB Bocconi, Mumbai; ICFAI Business School (IBS), Hyderabad; Alliance University, Bangalore; UPES Dehradun among others.

Unique features of NMAT 2017:

Take the test multiple times: You can take the NMAT by GMAC three times in a given admissions cycle. This gives you the confidence that you have more than a single opportunity to perform your very best.

Choice to select order of sections: The NMAT by GMAC allows you to choose the order in which you respond to each of the sections on the test. This allows you to play to your strengths.

You can revise your answers: You can review your answers at the end of each section so you always have the opportunity to revise if you’re not sure of your original response.

No negative marking – Instead of skipping a question, you can use your calculated guess and mark the answer without the fear of a penalty for a wrong answer. The system of no negative marking is in line with global practices.

Choose the exam date, time and location of your convenience: The long testing window of 75 days allows you to choose a convenient test date. The test window opens on October 5 and extends through December 18, 2017.

Self-scheduling: You can choose your test appointment date, time and location in real-time based on the availability of seats at each test centre.

Send your scores to up to 5 programmes for free. 

Apply to B-Schools after reviewing results. 

SNAP 2017 conducted by SIU Pune

Exam mode, date & duration: Computer based test on December 17, 2017 in single session of 2 hours from 2PM to 4PM 

Registration & Application: Open date- August 10; Closing date-November 24, 2017

Exam fee: Rs.1750/-

Test sections: 4 sections. Candidates have the facility to attempt any section in any order within overall allotted time of 2 hours. The test sections with number of questions and maximum sectional score are:

Exam format: Online computer based test with 150 questions of MCQ type

Negative marking: Yes ¼ mark for each wrong answer.

Level of Difficulty (LoD) on a scale 1-10: 7. Questions are easy to moderate, and a few questions are very difficult also. Reasoning questions are tricky and bit more difficult. GK is limited to past 2 years’ events and developments.

Top Participating B-schools: 15 MBA institutes will offer admission to their respective MBA 2018-20 batch on the basis of SNAP 2017 scores. A few of the Symbiosis institutes are Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM, Pune), Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development (SCMHRD, Pune), Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Bengaluru (SIBM, Bengaluru), Symbiosis Institute of International Business (SIIB, Pune), Symbiosis School for Media & Communication, Bengaluru (SSMC, Bengaluru) among others.

Unique features of SNAP 2017:

• SNAP 2017 will be conducted in 102 test cities in India
• You need to apply separately to the preferred Symbiosis institute as per your choice
• Symbiosis B-schools are highly ranked in imparting management education.

IIFT 2017 – MBA (IB) entrance test conducted by IIFT

Exam mode, date & duration: Paper Based Test (PBT) on December 3, 2017 in single session of 2 hours from 10 AM to 12PM 

Registration & Application: Open date- July 25; Closing date- September 15, 2017

Exam fee: Rs.1550/- for General category and rs.775/- for SC/ST/PWD candidates

Test sections: 4 sections. Candidates have the facility to attempt any section in any order within overall allotted time of 2 hours. The number of questions may vary in each section.

Exam format: Paper Based Test with total 100 marks awarded for the MCQs

Negative marking: Yes  1/3 mark for each wrong answer.

Level of Difficulty (LoD) on a scale 1-10: 8. Questions are moderate to difficult. Cut offs go very low. At a score of 45, you can expect 99 percentile.  A few questions are very difficult also. Reasoning, GK questions are tricky and bit more difficult.

Top Participating B-schools: IIFT 2017 is the entrance exam for admission to MBA (IB) 2018-20 batch in IIFT Delhi and Kolkata campuses. There are 200 seats in IIFT Delhi campus and 160 in IIFT Kolkata campus. In total admission to 360 seats of MBA (IB) 2018-20 is offered on the basis of IIFT entrance exam. 

Unique features of IIFT 2017  entrance exam

• There are no fixed number of questions in IIFT entrance test, their number may go anywhere in the range of 115 to 130. IIFT 2016 had 123 questions while IIFT 2015 had 124 questions in MCQ format.
• Going by the IIFT MBA entrance exam pattern , out of the total 100 marks the distribution of marks in IIFT 2017 entrance with number of questions and weightage assigned to each of them varies from section to section and from question to question
• Around 60000 candidates appear every year in IIFT entrance exam for an intake of 360 seats.
• GK in IIFT MBA entrance exam plays very important role and is taken into account in calculation of Percentile score.

Choose the best fit!
It is advisable to scan through the similarities and dissimilarities in these MBA entrance exams, choose only those exams that would lead you to your desired MBA programmes. It will be better to choose 2-3 exams you wish to prepare for. Another fact is that CAT 2017 and XAT 2018 will have a number of institutes who will accept scores of both the exams. You may opt for both the exams or may choose either of the two. However, while IIMs will not accept XAT 2018 scores, XLRI will not accept CAT 2017 scores. If you are an IIM aspirant, you need to register and apply for CAT 2017 without fail.

SNAP 2017 and NMAT 2017 are a bit less difficult exams. If you wish to explore admission opportunity in Symbiosis institutes or NMIMS, it is advisable to apply for these two exams.    

Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more updates on MBA Admission exams for MBA 2018-20

Related links:

• CAT 2017: 43 days online Registration window finally opens; first clarify all key points
• CAT 2017: Exam pattern to benefit second timers more; may get edge in IIMs shortlist
• CAT 2017 Registration: 5 Steps guide to fill CAT application form error free; don’t waste Rs.1800/-