Are you also someone aiming MBA entrance exams to target the top business schools? Then you must be very confused in thinking about the fact that should you give only CAT or only XAT or should you give both? Well, there are similarities and differences in both the exams. But students usually prepare for both and give them so as to apply in many business schools. Thus, giving both is a great idea. For this you can start online coaching for MBA. Therefore, we will now explore the similarities as well as differences between the CAT syllabus and the XAT syllabus. Also, there are other factors of differences as well that exists between the two MBA entrances.
First, let’s have a glance at both the exams.
CAT vs XAT Eligibility Criteria
CAT (Common Admission Test)
The CAT is an MBA entrance test which is yearly conducted by the Indian Institute of Management or IIM. Furthermore, CAT exam requires a scholar to have a graduate degree with aggregate at least of 50% marks. While the aggregate percentage of 45% is the requirement for the reserved categories. Moreover, mode of conduction for the CAT exam is Online mode.
XAT (Xavier Aptitude Test)
XAT or the Xavier Aptitude Test is another MBA entrance test which is yearly conducted by XLRI, Jamshedpur. Furthermore, it requires the scholars to have a graduate degree in any discipline and from a recognized university. Also, the mode of conduction of the XAT exam is Online mode.
Now, as we know about the two entrances, let’s have a glance at the similarities between both the exams. To get a more better understanding, checking with the XAT previous year papers will help you understand better.
Similarities Between the CAT and the XAT Exam
So both the CAT and the XAT are important and prominent entrance exams undertaken by a number of business scholars. However, both the exams share some similarities and some differences. These are:
Key Differences
Features | CAT | XAT |
| Full form | Common Admission Test | Xavier Aptitude Test |
| Conducting body | Indian Institute of Management | XLRI Jamshedpur |
| Purpose | Admission to the Indian Business schools such as IIM’s and many more. | Admission to the Indian Business schools such as XLRI and many more. |
| Test format | Computer based test | Computer based test |
| Sections |
|
|
| Duration | 120 minutes | 180 minutes |
| Number of questions | 66 | 95 |
| Question type | MCQ + TITA (Type in the answer) | MCQ |
| Validity of scores | 1 year | 1 year |
| Frequency | Once a year | Once a year |
| Test fee | INR. 2500 | INR. 2200 ( 200 additional for program application) |
| Negative marking | yes | yes |
CAT vs XAT Exam Detail Difference
CAT | XAT |
Verbal Ability | Verbal Ability |
Logical Reasoning | Decision Making |
Quantitative Aptitude | Quantitative Aptitude |
General Knowledge |
Frequency
CAT and XAT exams take place only once a year.
Validity of Score
The scores of the CAT and XAT exams are only valid for 1 year.
CAT vs XAT Difficulty Level
Both the MBA entrance exams, CAT and XAT, have a level of difficulty as moderate to difficult levels.
CAT vs XAT Exam Pattern
There are varied type of questions in both the entrances CAT and XAT. Such as in the CAT syllabus, the basis of questions is Analytical Ability, Logical Reasoning and English Communication Skills. And similar type of questions may be included in XAT as well. Such as the questions in XAT are based on Analytical Ability, Logical Reasoning, English Communication Skills, Decision Making, General Knowledge
Now, let’s have a glance at some differences between CAT and XAT.
CAT vs XAT Registration Fee
XAT registration fee is INR 2200 and INR 200 extra for each MBA program you wish to apply in. Whereas, the registration fee for CAT is 2,500 for general candidates and NC-OBC but for SC/ ST/ PwD category it's INR 1,200.
CAT vs XAT Exam Syllabus
Both the prominent MBA entrances of CAT and XAT have varying syllabus. Such as the CAT exam has 3 sections of VARC, DILR and Quantitative Aptitude. On the other hand, XAT comes with 2 additional sections, XAT Decision Making and GK, which are not present in CAT.
TOPICS OF CAT Syllabus | Topics in precise |
| Verbal ability and Reading Comprehension | It includes para jumbles, para summary, odd one out, sentence completion questions. Along with 4 RC’s having 4 questions each. |
| Data interpretation and Logical Reasoning | It includes tables, bar graphs, pie charts, line arrangements, circular arrangement and selection based questions. |
| Quantitative Aptitude | It includes arithmetic, algebra, geometry, number system and modern math's based questions. |
TOPICS OF XAT SYLLABUS | Topics in precise |
| Verbal ability | Questions based on poem, critical reasoning, RC, vocabulary, Synonyms, antonyms, jumbles paragraphs, sentence completion, etc. |
| Decision making | Based on assumptions, premises, ethics, HR, business issues and analytical reasoning. |
| Quantitative Aptitude | Diagrams, charts, graphs, permutation combination, probability, trigonometry, inequality, binomial, progression, Venn diagrams, logarithm, linear equations mensuration, speed time distance, percentages, algebra, geometry, etc. |
| General Knowledge | Based on business, finance, economics, constitution laws, personalities, awards, current affairs of national and international importance. |
CAT vs XAT Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme
The number of questions also vary in both the exams. So, CAT has 66 questions that scholars need to attempt while the XAT has 95 questions to be attempted by the scholars. The more you practice, the better you get.
Furthermore, CAT and XAT differ widely in their marking schemes as well. In case of CAT, 3 marks are awarded for correct answer while there is a negative marking of 1 mark for every incorrect answer. And in case of XAT exam, 1 mark is granted for correct answer and a negative marking of 0.25 is imposed in case of an incorrect answer. After 8 unattempted questions, -0.1 marks will be deducted for every unattempted question. So, make sure you don't leave more than 8 unattempted questions.
CAT exam | Marks awarded |
| Correct answer | +3 |
| Incorrect answer | -1 (not for TITA questions) |
XAT exam | Marks awarded |
| Correct answer | +1 |
| Incorrect answer | -0.25 |
| >8 unattempted Questions | -0.1 per unattempted question |
CAT vs XAT Time Limits
Thus, CAT exam gives 40 minutes to complete each of its 3 sections. While the XAT exam has the following sectional time limits: 170 minutes for VA, QA and DM, 10 minutes for GK
Therefore, both the MBA entrances differ widely in their sectional time limits.
CAT exam sections | Time duration in minutes |
| VARC (Verbal ability and Reading Comprehension) | 40 |
| LRDI (Logical Reasoning) | 40 |
| QUANTS (Quantitative Ability) | 40 |
XAT exam parts | Time duration in minutes |
Part 1: - Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning (VA & LR) - Decision-making (DM) - Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation (QA & DI) | 170 |
| Part 2: General Knowledge (GK) | 10 |
Number of Questions in CAT vs XAT Exam
The number of questions present in the CAT and XAT exam differ a lot because of the difference present in the sections. Thus, you can have a look at the following table so as to understand the number of question in each exam.
Sections in the CAT exam | No. of questions |
| VARC (Verbal ability and Reading Comprehension) | 24 |
| LRDI (Logical Reasoning) | 20 |
| QUANTS (Quantitative Ability) | 22 |
| Total: | 66 |
Sections in the XAT exam | No. of questions |
| Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning (VA & LR) | 26 |
| Decision-making (DM) | 21 |
| Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation (QA & DI) | 28 |
| General Knowledge (GK) | 20 |
| Total: | 95 |
How to Prepare for XAT after CAT
Both CAT and XAT has a significant overlap in their syllabus. Some newer sections of XAT include Decision making, Poem RCs, Grammar, Vocabulary, Critical thinking, etc.
- To get a better understanding of the exam, attempting a XAT mock test will help you understand the exam better.
- The LOD of both XAT and CAT is almost similar. Practice is the key.
Wrapping Up
So, the CAT syllabus and the XAT syllabus differs widely. In fact, the college that you’ll get after getting a good score on these tests also differs widely. You could also use a XAT score calculator to check your expected XAT score after the exam.
Moreover, if you are someone who is dreaming of IITs and IIMs, then CAT must be a priority for the business scholars. And the reason to it is that the top IITs, IIMs and the business schools of the country accept the valid CAT scores of the scholars to admit them into their various postgraduate courses. Such as the IIT Ahmedabad, IIT Kanpur and other consider CAT as an important component in determining the merit of the scholars. Hence, start practicing CAT exam papers from today itself.
