MBA Entrance Exam: A Detailed Guide to Every Notification

Mainly seen as an entry route to pursue a Master’s in Business Administration Program across several domains of expertise, MBA entrance exams notifications are what has become the center of focus of today’s generation. MBA Entrance exams are not as old as the concept of aptitude assessment. In the Pre-Entrance era, B-Schools used to grant admission solely on the academic merit of a candidate, let alone an MBA entrance exam. But now, as the population of students wanting to pursue post-graduation in business management is on the incessant rise, almost all the major b-schools of the country accept admissions based on MBA entrance exams notifications=, which gives them a right sense of judgment and the ability to select candidates who survive and outperform a highly competitive environment and win the rat race of MBA entrance exams.

This article is a one-stop destination for candidates to find the main MBA Entrance Exam Notifications. Given the importance of MBA entrance exam notifications as well as the tendency of the B-Schools/conducting bodies to remain rigid in terms of the deadlines, it is immensely important for each candidate to keep track of the MBA Entrance Exams Notifications as well as the top B-School Information. Read on to have an in-depth understanding of the major running MBA exams in the country, B-school notification, registration, eligibility criteria, selection procedure, and much more.

MBA Entrance Exams Notifications

As per the regular norms, the MBA entrance exam notification 2022 cycle is expected to commence in the month of September or October 2021 and end in February- March 2022. While the registration of the b-schools will commence from June-July 2022 and will end somewhere between August-September 2022. Some of the prominent entrance exams like CAT, XAT, NMAT, SNAP, MICAT, IIFT were conducted during November 2021, December 2021, and January 2022.

Career Launcher helps you keep track of the MBA Entrance Exam Notifications with the table given below:

MBA Admissions 2022

Starting January 2021, many b-schools had already started declaring their results or are presently in the process of doing the same. As per the AICTE notice, a good number of decent b-schools like JBIMS Mumbai SIMSREE, KJ SIMSR and Welingkar, all the IIMs, IIFT, MDI Gurgaon, MICA, SPJIMR Mumbai, FMS New Delhi, IMT Ghaziabad will be actively accepting applications of candidates through CAT 2021, XAT 2022, MAH CET 2022, IIFT 2022 etc adhering to the latest guidelines of AICTE regarding sticking to the status quo of the previous year’s fee structure for the batch of 2021-23.

MBA Admissions 2022 can be a difficult judgment call for candidates preparing to pursue MBA the next year. Due to the impact of the current situation, many top tier institutes like IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Indore, FMS Delhi, MDI Gurgaon, etc. came up with the idea of cutting short the selection procedure in the interest of candidate’s and their family’s safety. Hence, they started conducting online personal interviews instead of traditional group discussions.

 

Candidates were interviewed by the admission panel through skype or zoom instead of going through the ordeal of regular GD-WAT-PI. The final composite score of the candidate was calculated after revising the weightage of different parameters of admission I.e., the academic scores, graduation scores, work experience, gender diversity, and social category. This proved to be a major advantage in terms of clearing the sense of uncertainty among the candidates who are on the fence about continuing their studies.

MBA Entrance Exam Notification: A Closer Look

As the name suggests, MBA entrance exam notification is a list of details related to major MBA exams that are going to be conducted in the year. The majority of the country’s B-schools accept MBA entrance exams as a qualifying criterion for admission into MBA/PGDM programs. In recent years, pursuing MBA/PGDM has gained immense popularity based on several factors. The primitive concern related to MBA is the amount of time and effort a candidate has to put in before and after MBA admissions. There is no point in doing an MBA if you have not understood everything about it. 

Also check out : MBA Beginner’s guide

Apart from the freshers, MBA is advantageous for professionals who have 3-4 years of industry experience. It is only after being a part of the corporate world that people realize the importance of a master’s degree in business administration. MBA is an extremely helpful way to jump up to middle/senior management within any organization or to start one’s own business. Some people go a notch higher than others and pursue their MBA from abroad by clearing International MBA exams.

MBA Entrance Exams Notifications: AICTE and UGC

Pursuing an MBA/PGDM program from high-end MBA institutions of our country e.g IIMs, FMS, SPJIMR Mumbai, IIFT, XLRI, ISB, etc. can bring home a fortune. However, it is not possible to pursue MBA without an entrance exam. Since all these B-Schools accept different examinations for MBA, the protocol is to appear for only those examinations whose scores are primarily accepted by your targeted institution. 

All the important details mentioned in MBA entrance exam notification 2021 pertaining to major entrance examinations like CAT (for IIMs, FMS, and other A-listed B schools), GMAT (for ISB Hyderabad, MICA, or any of the major IIMs), XAT (for XLRI and its 11 member institutes), IIFT (for IIFT Delhi, Kolkata, and Kakinada), NMAT (for NMIMS Mumbai and 50 other B-schools), CMAT, ATMA, MAT, etc. have been approved by AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education or UGC (University Grants Commission) for the purpose of candidates who wish to get admission in these coveted institutions and move up the management ladder.

MBA Admissions: Important Parameters

Each year, there are lakhs of aspirants who leave no stone unturned to score admission in the top-tier B-School of the country. Apart from gearing themselves up for different MBA entrances such as CAT, XAT, MAT, CMAT, NMAT, ATMA, TISSNET, MAH CET, etc., they try to factor in other important parameters required to land themselves in their targeted b-schools.

• Qualifying exam of top B schools
• Eligibility criteria for Entrance exams
• Types of Entrance Exams
• Admission procedure 2022
• Group Discussion and Personal Interviews
• Things you need during exam registration
• Last minute tips

Qualifying exam of topmost B schools

The first and the foremost concern of the aspirants should be related to categorizing the b-schools based on which entrance exam scores are accepted by them. The given list may prove helpful to the aspirants:

Important notice: This is to be kept in mind that all the twenty running IIM (Indian Institute of Management) branches strictly accept CAT scores. Find a defined list of section-CAT cut off for all the IIMs by clicking here.

Visit Top B-school Info to know more about the admission criteria and shortlisting procedure of all the major running B-Schools of our country accepting MBA entrance exam scores.

Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for all the management entrance exams i.e CAT, MAT, XAT, IIFT, NMAT, SNAP, PGDBA IBSAT, IRMASAT, TISSNET, MAH-CET, etc is somewhat similar, given as under:

• A candidate must have completed his bachelor’s degree (10+2+3) or (!0+2+4) from a recognized institute with a minimum of 50% marks or equivalent grade point average (45% for reserved category candidates)
• There is no specific age limit to appear for the exams.
• The students who are Indian citizens can give university-level, state-level, and national-level papers. International students can only give national-level papers and they need to visit India for the same.
• Final year candidates are also eligible to apply.

Types of MBA exams

Generally, students opting for MBA prefer to appear for CAT (Common Admission Test) which is a national level entrance test. One of the major reasons behind this is that CAT scores are accepted across 150+ b schools in the country. However, top colleges accepting CAT scores, especially IIMs are far more selective when it comes to shortlisting candidates for admissions mainly because of the heterogeneous nature of the group of students hailing from different educational, societal and economic backgrounds.

Another reason for the selective nature of IIMs is the uneven ratio of the number of students taking CAT every year (approx. 2.5 lakh candidates for last year) and all the IIMs and each one has its individual way of shortlisting candidates for admissions.

Know more: How to get into an IIM?

• Common Admission Test (CAT): CAT is the oldest and the leading national-level MBA entrance examination in our country. It is the only examination that is conducted in November every year in a computer-based CBT mode. Being the only entry route to all the IIMs of our country, CAT attracts almost 2.5 lakh students every year. Apart from the IIMs, all the A-listed B schools like S.P Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), Management Development Institute (Gurgaon), Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS), International Management Institute (IMI), National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE) accept CAT scores as a qualifying criterion to their PGP/PGDM programs. CAT scores on a majority for their business administration programs. Visit CAT 2021 Exam Pattern to understand this year’s examination structure and CAT cut-offs to know more about last year’s cut-offs.

• Also Read: How to prepare for CAT 2021

• Management Aptitude Test (MAT) - Also One of the oldest MBA entrance examinations in the country, MAT is conducted four times in a year and accepted in over 600+ b-schools as a qualifying criterion for MBA. View Last year's MAT analysis here. here.

• Common Management Admission Test (CMAT) - Like other management entrances, CMAT is also a 3-hour long test held in an online (CBT) mode and is organized annually by NTA (National Testing Agency). The scores are accepted by 1000+ AICTE approved institutions. View the exam pattern and syllabus of CMAT by clicking here.
• XAT 2022: XAT is a flagship entrance test which is the only qualifying criterion of XLRI Jamshedpur, XIM Bhubaneswar, and other 10 Xavier member institutes. The test is conducted by XLRI and XAMI and taken by approx. 75000 candidates every year. The normalization process of XAT is different from other MBA exams. The registration of XAT 2021 ended on 10th December 2020 and the examination was held on 3rd January 2021. XAT is the second most popular entrance test taken by candidates who wish to pursue MBA from a top A listed b school as XAT scores are accepted in major b schools I.e SPJIMR, TAPMI, Great lakes Chennai, etc.

• Symbiosis National Aptitude Test: SNAP is a national-level MBA entrance test. It is a path for admission to some premier b schools of the country. The paper is conducted by Symbiosis International (Deemed) University, a b school that has been irrevocably churning out some of the best business minds of the nation every year. SNAP is the only way to secure admission in SIBM Pune, SCMHRD Pune, and other 14 member institutes of Symbiosis International University.

• TISSNET 2021:  TISS’s National Entrance TISSNET 2021 is one of the most coveted entrance exams which is administered by Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai for admission into its flagship programme i.e M. A in Human resource management and other MA programmes offered by this prestigious institution. A candidate can apply for a maximum of 3 programmes across 2 TISS campuses. TISSNET will be held on 20th February 2022 across more than 40 test centers of the country. In addition to TISSNET, students interested specifically in MA (HRM &LR) and MA (ODCL) programmes need to appear for another short exam called TISSNET. know more.

Also Read: How to prepare for TISSNET and TISSMAT?

• IIFT 2021: IIFT is an institute-level examination which is conducted by the Indian Institute of foreign trade for the purpose of selecting students to pursue their flagship MBA (International Business pogramme) which is one of the most selective programmes in international business with an immense global reputation and prominence. IIFT is convened by NTA (National Testing Agency) annually in an online mode. Approximately 80,000+ students from all over the country appear for IIFT which makes it one of the most popular MBA entrance exams in the country. Click here to know about IIFT 2021 analysis and cut-offs.
• NMAT: Administered by the same agency which runs the most popular MBA entrance exam in the world, ie. GMAT, NMAT is a national-level MBA entrance exam conducted primarily for admission in the residential PGDM programme of NMIMS Mumbai, VIT Vellore XIMB along with thirty established B schools in India. Students need to know in detail about the top colleges they would like to target through NMAT to know more about the specialized programmes which are affiliated with the topmost global accreditation boards. NMAT can be taken thrice and the examination is held in two modes i.e either through a test centre or online proctored more. Read more.

Also check :

NMAT 2020 Exam Analysis

How to prepare for NMAT

Apart from the above-mentioned exams, some other major entrance exams for MBA course are MAH-MBA CET, GMAT, PGDBA, ATMA, IRMASAT, IBSAT, PGCET, KCET, TANCET, UPESMET, etc

What will be the MBA Admission procedure through MBA entrance exams?

The data/statistics formulated every year in form of cut-offs, weightage, Batch Profile, Gender Diversity, Academic Diversity, summer placements and final placements play a mandatory role in shaping up the repute of the institute. If I talk about the topmost b schools in our country, most of the institutes’ admission procedures can be drawn along similar lines.

Written Ability Test, Group Discussion and Personal Interview for MBA Admission

Written Ability test, Group Discussion and Personal Interview are important rounds of the MBA admission procedure. GD is usually conducted in batches. Written Ability Test has gained immense prominence nowadays and all the top 1 listed b-schools have replaced the group discussion round with this round. Different institutes have different methods to assess the candidates based on these but the most common of all is that each candidate of a batch is handed over a common topic to discuss and write about.

Post Group discussion, the institute conducts a personal interview session with the selected candidates. A personal Interview is a face-to-face interview where a candidate is put through a series of questions related to personal as well as professional life deliberately. Asking critical questions gives an overall evaluation of the candidate’s confidence, presentation skills, and whether he/she is a fitment for pursuing the management programme or not.

MBA Entrance Exams Notification: Things you need during Exam Registration

While applying to a B-school, you will be required to upload copies of important documents mentioned as under:

• MBA Entrance Test Report and Hall Ticket

• Graduation Passing Certificate/Consolidated Mark sheet

• 10th and 12th Grade Passing Certificates and Scorecards

• Government ID proof

• Work Experience Certificate (if any)

MBA Entrance Exams notification: Tips to Remember

Here are some worth remembering tips which will help you prepare and ace many MBA entrances that come your way.

Eligibility Criteria

• MBA Admission protocol has instructions for who can or cannot take part in it. These instructions, known as the eligibility criteria, explain the characteristics that should be common in all the candidates. The eligibility criteria for all the main entrance exams is almost similar. It includes age, gender, number of attempts, nationality etc.

Gearing Up for the entrance exams

• In case you are not on board with preparation at present, there is still a silver lining. CAT and all the management entrances will be either held towards the end of or in the beginning of the year 2022. You might want to begin with a relevant mock test to analyze your current performance and then break down the syllabus into two parts I.e., weak topics and strong topics. Start from the basics and settle down on a perfect preparation strategy that will be conducive to your learning style and will help you achieve your desired percentile in the exam.

Taking more than one entrance Exams

• Taking more than one entrance exam helps proliferate your chances of getting shortlisted by your targeted B-school by giving more edge to our MBA application over other students. For example, there are colleges like SPJIMR, PUMBA, JBIMS, and SIMSREE that accept more than one management entrance test. Gearing up for multiple examinations simultaneously would mean the institute will consider all scorecards and choose the one with your best performance to shortlist you.

Knowing the ROI of your MBA degree

• One of the most important factors to keep in mind is which MBA program will fetch you the highest return on investment. It is a known fact that MBA is a costly affair. Hence, the prospective students have the right to be concerned about the cost of their MBA programme. The top five b schools with the highest ROI in India are FMS Delhi, JBIMS Mumbai, Department of Management Studies (IIT Delhi), SJMSOM (IIT Bombay), VGSOM (IIT Kharagpur).

Placement Reports and Alumni Base

• Placements, as reflected in the best b-schools of the country, have grown significantly in all numbers. The average salary offered by most of the cluster 1 b schools is between 12-20 lakhs per annum. Most of the MBA colleges have a huge gap between the highest and the average monthly packages. With the rising demand for fresh MBAs, the hirers have become more eager to present more jobs to MBA. Each institute releases its placement report wherein they mention the number of students who have got placed, their name and background information, salary statistics, and diversity data. It is mandatory to look out for such reports if you are targeting MBA admission.

Campus tours

•  Campus visits are critical to the entire cycle of selecting which institute would be correct for you. One looks at the university from a completely different perspective when he/she arrives at a campus. There is a feeling, a feeling of pride on how far they have come in their careers to be a part of a stellar B School. Seeing the hostel rooms, tasting the food, interacting with the faculty members, exploring the campus etc. are critical elements to acknowledge which school will be right. 

Preparing well for GD-WAT-PI

• WAT, GD, and PI are also some of the key parameters for MBA admission 2021. Let’s assume you received a great percentile in the entrance exam, you submitted your application along with your scorecard to your dedicated B-School and you were fortunate enough to receive a callback. WAT-GD-PI is the latter selection round that every candidate must attend in order to get selected for admission. However, there are some misnomers regarding the rounds of GD-WAT(Written Ability Test)-PI. If you have been selected for further selection rounds, it is highly unlikely that you will get rejected in the same. There could have been thousands of others standing where you are, but they are not. You had been shortlisted because you are a notch above the rest. A great entrance score goes a long way. Do not stammer during the WAT-GD-PI rounds and make sure you give your best and stay confident. 

Don't let your demeanor hesitate while turning up for a group discussion or a personal interview. Furbish your communication skills starting today. Visit the Personality Development Program to know more.

Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE)

The GATE exam is one of the most widely taken entrance exams. Engineers, who aspire to work in some of the most reputed PSUs of our country and the government sector appear for GATE every year. This year, more than 8.5 lakh engineers appeared for GATE and only a few thousands were able to make their way into IITs/NITs/IISc, etc. for a master’s degree. The result was released on March 27, 2021. Apart from the stated future prospects, GATE is a GATEWAY to a different set of opportunities for a graduate engineer in entry-level positions of world-renowned companies, getting an opportunity to join fellowship programs from CSIR, and so on.

GATE 2022 is expected to be conducted in second of third week of February 2022.

Visit GATE official website to know more.

Premium engineering colleges like IIT Mumbai, IIT Guwahati, IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur, IIT Roorkee, IISc Bangalore, NITIE Mumbai etc accepts valid GATE 2021 scores to allow admission into admissions to PG Diploma programmes in Project Management, Manufacturing Management and Industrial Engineering. To know more about the GATE Exam Pattern and other details, click here.

MBA Admission: Latest Admission Guidelines by AICTE

AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education) is a body that approves PGDM programmes offered by the top b schools of India. AICTE had released the notice regarding re-opening of b-schools and colleges on 7th November , 2021 Below is the instruction given by AICTE to all the B schools:

To know more, visit AICTE Official Circular