Top MBA Entrance Exams 2020-2021: Key Dates, Colleges Accepting

Top MBA Entrance exam dates for admission 2021 have started on November 4, 2020 and will continue till February 20,2021. The largest MBA entrance exam – CAT 2020 was conducted on November 29, 2020 in three slots in 159 cities at 430 test centres. Application process for NMAT and SNAP are closed now. However, there are other very important MBA entrance exams 2021 which are open with admission opportunity in top B-schools. 

If you are looking for updated information on MBA Entrance Exams for admission 2021, you are on the right page. This article by guideyourcareer.in Experts will guide you on all the important MBA Exams, Last Dates, Registration process etc. The details of top MBA entrance exams which include XAT 2021,  IIFT 2020, TISSNET 2021, IBSAT 2020, NMAT 2020, SNAP 2020 are given below. The registration and application dates for many of these exams are open for next few days.

CAT 2020 Closed: What Next? 
IIM Indore conducted CAT 2020 for admission to IIMs on November 29, 2020 in three slots. Registration process for IIM-CAT was closed on September 23, 2020 after getting extended by one week. After CAT, you have the opportunity to apply for equally good MBA entrance exams 2021 for admission to top MBA colleges. Below are given the brief details of top five MBA entrance exams with last date, exam date and top MBA colleges accepting the exam score for admission 2021:

CAT 2020: Key Changes
IIM Indore, which conducted CAT 2020 on Nov 29, has made following key changes in CAT exam pattern, duration, number of questions and testing slots:  

1. CAT 2020 in Three Sessions: Slot Timings
CAT 2020 was conducted on November 29, 2020 (Sunday) in three sessions. Earlier CAT was to be conducted in two sessions.

• Morning Slot: 8.30 AM to 10.30 AM
• Afternoon Session: 12.30 PM to 2.30 PM
• Evening Session: 4.30PM to 6.30 PM

2. CAT 2020 Exam Duration Reduced to 2 Hrs
A big change in CAT 2020 is the revised duration of the test which is of 120 minutes. 

3. Reduced Number of Questions with total score

• Total Questions reduced to 76 in CAT 2020 from 100 in previous years
• Total Maximum score was 228 in CAT 2020 as against 300 in previous years
• Number of MCQs were 54 in CAT 2020 as against 72 in previous years
• Number of Non-MCQs were 22 in CAT 2020 as against 22 in previous years  

4. Section wise time limit Revised to 40 Mins 
Candidates will be allotted only 40 minutes for answering questions in each section as against 60 minutes earlier.

5. CAT 2020 had Three Sections with fewer questions 

• Section I: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension: 26 Questions
• Section II: Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning: 24 Questions  
• Section III: Quantitative Ability: 26 Questions  

XAT 2021: Key Changes
Following changes have been introduced in XAT by XLRI:

1. XAT 2021 application fee increased to Rs.1750/-
2. XAT is now changed to a computer based test from paper based test
3. Single slot exam
4. Test timing changed – 9.30AM to 12.30PM from 10AM to 1 PM
5. Total questions increased to 100 from 99
6. No Essay Writing test
7. NAT Questions without negative marking introduced
8. All questions are of MCQ type
9. GK section not counted for percentile calculation
10. ¼ Negative Marking for wrong answer
11. Visually impaired candidates with scribe are given additional 25 minutes to solve Part 1 of  the exam
12. Marks for every correct answer : 1
13. No Negative marking for General Knowledge section in part-2
14. All the MCQ type questions have five options with one correct option

NMAT 2020: Key Changes in Exam
Substantial changes in NMAT by GMAC have been introduced this year. Important changes are

1. Two Testing Modes: GMAC has introduced Online Proctored Exam from Home along with Centre Based online Exam. Candidates have the option to take the test either at test centre with social distancing protocols or to take the online proctored exam from the comfort of their home.
2. Longer Testing Window: NMAT 2020 testing window has been extended to 88 days from 75 days last year
3. Shorter Registration Window: NMAT registration window has been reduced to 60+ days this year from 90+ days last year
4. Fewer Questions with same Test duration: There will be 108 questions in NMAT exam this year instead of 120 questions earlier, while exam duration remains 120 minutes
5. Equal Sectional Weightage: All the 3 sections in NMAT 2020 will have equal weightage. There will not be any negative marking
6. Check Score Immediately after the Exam: Facility introduced for instant score preview and making available official score card within 48 hours for Candidates and Schools  

SNAP 2020: Key Changes

1. Symbiosis National Aptitude Test (SNAP) 2020 will be held ONLINE and will be held on three dates on December 20, 2020; January 6, 2021 and January 9, 2021
2. Candidate can take SNAP 2020 upto two times. The candidate has to decide well in advance if he/she plans to give SNAP once or two times
3. Test duration for all the 3 SNAP exams is of one hour each from 11 AM to 12 Noon
4. Best of the performance of candidate out of the attempts he/ she has made will be considered for final percentile calculation.
5. The application fee will be Rs. 1750/- for each attempt of SNAP 2020

IBSAT 2020: Key Updates

1. Online computer based test/Internet Based Proctored Test from Home of 2 hours duration
2. Exam Application Fee is Rs.1800/-
3. Total Questions in Exam: 140
4. Questions are of MCQ type and are divided in four sections
5. Moderate difficulty level exam

MBA Entrance Exams for Admission 2021
Broadly speaking, there are 9 popular National Level MBA entrance exams in India for MBA admission. They are CAT, XAT, MAT, CMAT, NMAT, SNAP, ATMA and GMAT. Then are the State Level Exams like MAH CET, TANCET, PGCET, KMAT 2021 which will help you get into MBA colleges in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu etc. Some popular institute/university specific exams are IIFT, TISS NET, IBSAT, KIITEE Management and UPES MET.  

Top MBA Entrance Exams 2021
Here are key details of Top MBA Exams for admission 2021 in top MBA colleges in India. We have categorized them in three types:

1. National level MBA Exams,
2. Institute level MBA test, and
3. State level MBA exams

Let’s understand more about these top MBA entrance exams for admission 2021:

1. National MBA Entrance Exams
MBA Exam dates and schedule with top MBA colleges accepting exam and MBA Entrance Exam Calendar is shared below. The MBA Entrance Exams 2021 Notification for each of these exams is released a few days before start of their application process.

2. Institute Level MBA Entrance Exam
The institute level MBA entrance exams are conducted by the specific management institutes who do not accept scores of other entrance exams. Some of these exams will be conducted in 2020 and some in 2021. Notifications for the top institute level MBA Entrance exams – IIFT, TISSNET, IBSAT, IRMASAT, MICAT are already released. The MBA entrance exams 2021 notification date for KIITEE Management 2021 is to be released shortly.  

3. State MBA Entrance Exams
The state level MBA entrance exams are conducted by the specific state CET cell like MAH CET Cell; Karnataka KEA as well as private MBA entrance exam conducting bodies like KMAT Karnataka. The MBA colleges accepting these entrance exam scores include University B-schools and private PGDM colleges. Some of these exams will be conducted in 2020 and some in 2021. The MBA Entrance exams 2021 notification dates for these state level exams are yet to be released. 

Last date to apply for MBA Entrance Exams
Following are the last dates for each MBA entrance exam 2020 and MBA entrance exam 2021 leading to MBA admission 2021

MBA Colleges Accepting various Entrance Exams
Following are the top MBA colleges accepting different MBA Entrance Exams scores. 

Cost of MBA Entrance Exams Application Form
The MBA entrance exam fee for the upcoming MBA entrance tests has gone up for some exams while for many other MBA entrance exams, the MBA entrance exam cost has been kept at last year level. The table below shares the cost of MBA entrance exam application form for each exam:

It may be noted that if you appear in all the above MBA entrance exams, the cost of MBA entrance tests is around Rs.18,000/-. To avoid such a high MBA entrance exam fee, you may choose the preferred MBA entrance exams the scores of which are accepted by more MBA colleges. For example, CAT, XAT, CMAT, NMAT, MAT are the larger national level MBA entrance exams and cover more than 1000 MBA colleges accepting their exam score. This way you could reduce the burden of the MBA entrance exam cost. 

Let us know about some of the prominent MBA entrance Exams leading to MBA admission 2021:

CAT 2020

Common Admission Test, popularly known as CAT, is the largest MBA Entrance Exam for Admission to 20 IIMs, FMS Delhi, IIT DoMs, SPJIMR, MDI and 500+ MBA Colleges in India. Every year more than 2,40,000 students from all disciplines including Engineering, Commerce, Humanities and even Law take CAT exam to get into  6,500 MBA seats in IIMs. Over the years, CAT has become easier paper but to get a high percentile (90+) it requires 4-5 months of serious preparation. IIM Indore is conducting CAT 2020. The exam is expected to be held on November 29, 2020.  

XAT 2021

Popularly known as XAT, Xavier Aptitude Test is one of the important MBA Entrance Exams for Admission to XLRI, IMT, XIMB, TAPMI and 150+ MBA Colleges in India. Every year more than 1,00,000 candidates from all disciplines including Engineering, Commerce, Humanities, Science, Law apply and appear in XAT exam to get into of the various MBA programs offered by these top B-schools.Based on past trends, XAT in 2021 will be held on Sunday January 3, 2021. XAT is conducted annually by XLRI Jamshedpur and is therefore known as XLRI-XAT. 

IIFT 2021

IIFT entrance test for admission to MBA (IB) 2021-23 batch will be conducted by National Testing Agency as computer based test. Indian Institute of Foreign Trade Admission Test-2021 popularly known as IIFT Exam 2021, is the MBA Entrance Exam and will be held on January 24, 2021 for Admission to all the three campuses of IIFT located at Delhi, Kolkata and Kakinada. Every year around 60,000 students from all disciplines including Engineering, Commerce, Humanities and even Law take IIFT admission test to get admission in MBA (IB) programme at one of three campuses of Indian Institute of Foreign Trade. Read More

NMAT 2020

NMAT is an important national level MBA entrance test leading to admission in top MBA colleges including NMIMS Mumbai, SPJIMR, ISB, VIT, XIMB among other 30 institutes and universities in India. GMAC is the exam conducting body for NMAT by GMAC. NMAT exam 2020 notification was released on September 11, 2020. NMAT 2020 exam dates are from November 4, 2020 to January 30, 2021 at 57 exam centres in India and abroad.  

SNAP 2020

SNAP is the mandatory MBA Entrance Exam for Admission to 16 Symbiosis Institutes in India. Symbiosis International University (SIU) Pune conducts Symbiosis National Aptitude Test, popularly known as SNAP every year as computer based test. There are more than 2,500 MBA seats in Symbiosis colleges. Over the years, SNAP has changed its question paper pattern from paper based to computer based.Based on past trends, SNAP 2020 is expected to be held on December 13, 2020 from 2PM to 4 PM. 

CMAT 2021

Common Management Admission Test (CMAT) is a government organized computer based national level MBA entrance examination for entry into 1000 AICTE approved management programmes (MBA/PGDM) all over India. CMAT 2021 exam will be conducted by National Testing Agency as computer based test.  CMAT 2021 score will be accepted by all AICTE-Approved Institutions/University Departments/Constituent Colleges/Affiliated Colleges like JBIMS, SIMSREE, K J Somaiya Mumbai, Welingkar Mumbai, PUMBA among others. The exam is expected to be held on January 24, 2021. 

MAT 2020-21
Management Aptitude Test popularly known as MAT Exam is one of the most popular National level MBA entrance exams in India after CAT. MAT exam is held four times a year in the months of February, May, September and December. The exam leads to admission opportunity in more than 400 MBA/PGDM Colleges which are accepting MAT exam Scores. Read here all about MAT – its Registration Process, How to Prepare, College Accepting MAT and a lot more 

IBSAT 2020

IBSAT 2020 is an important online computer based MBA entrance test for MBA admission 2021 in 9 ICFAI Business Schools (IBS) located across India. IBSAT Entrance Exam 2020 is scheduled on December 26 & 27, 2020. The exam is conducted by ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education.

IBSAT score is accepted for admission by 9 ICFAI Business Schools (IBS) located at Hyderabad, Dehradun, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Gurgaon, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune 

ATMA 2020-21 Exam
AIMS Test for Management Admissions (ATMA) 2020 is one of the popular National level MBA entrance exams in India. ATMA exam score is accepted by 200+ MBA/PGDM colleges in India. ATMA is a credible, comprehensive and single-window test for admissions to Post-Graduate Management Programs like MBA, PGDM, MCA, MMS and other management post graduate courses. It is an online objective type nationally accepted entrance test. 

MAH CET 2021
MAH CET 2021 is an important MBA entrance exam for admission to MBA colleges of Maharashtra. It’s scores are accepted by more than 330 MBA colleges including some of the best MBA colleges like JBIMS, SIMSREE, PUMBA, K J Somaiya, among others. The exam will be conducted by CET Cell Govt. of Maharashtra in the month of March 2021 as computer based test.

TANCET 2021
TANCET is conducted by Anna university for MBA/MCA admission in the State of Tamilnadu. Good score in TANCET 2021 will offer admission to MBA and MCA and other PG courses 2021 in the prominent colleges affiliated to Anna University, Tamil Nadu and other MBA colleges also.  One of the key features of TANCET entrance exam is that it leads to admission in B-schools with low fee structure. 

PGCET 2021

Karnataka PGCET is the popular MBA entrance exam for admission to MBA colleges in Karnataka. The Karnataka state and All India candidates can appear in PGCET. Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) conducts the MBA PGCET exam for MBA/MCA and other post graduate courses in Karnataka Government colleges as well as private institutes. Karnataka MBA entrance exam is a moderate difficulty level test. 

APICET 2021
Andhra Pradesh Integrated Common Entrance Test (APICET) is conducted by the S.V. University on behalf of A.P. State Council of Higher Education. AP-ICET is the Integrated Common Entrance Test for MBA and MCA regular Courses offered by State Universities and Professional Colleges under the Jurisdiction of A.P State Council of Higher Education.

TSICET 2021
TS ICET-2021 (Telangana State Integrated Common Entrance Test – TSICET) is for M.B.A. and M.C.A. courses of all the Universities in Telangana State and their affiliated colleges. TS ICET exam is conducted by Kakatiya University, Warangal on behalf of Telangana State Council of Higher Education, Hyderabad. 

KMAT 2021
Karnataka KMAT 2021 Exam is important MBA/MCA entrance test for the All India category as well as Karnataka State candidates. KPPGCA, the KMAT exam conducting body conducts KMAT exam for MBA/MCA admission in 180+ institutes located in Bangalore and rest of Karnataka. KMAT has remained a paper based test of moderate difficulty level. 

UPES MET 2021
UPESMET 2021 is the answer to your MBA needs leading to specialized management programs in core sectors. The exam is conducted by UPES School of Business Dehradun. MBA programs at UPES School of Business are specifically designed for core sectors with high growth. UPES University conducts its own entrance exam UPESMET for its MBA programs. UPES conducts four UPESMET exams beginning from the month of January every year for admission in same academic session. Read More