The Xavier School of Management (XLRI), Jamshedpur will close the registration window for the Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) 2026 today, December 11, 2025. Eligible candidates who have not yet applied can complete their registration on the official website, xatonline.in.
The national-level management entrance exam will be conducted on January 4, in a single shift from 2 pm to 5 pm. Candidates are required to pay a registration fee of ₹2,200 to apply for the test. XAT 2026 will be administered in computer-based test (CBT) mode across more than 70 designated exam centres nationwide. The hall tickets for the exam will be issued on December 20.
XAT scores are recognised by over 250 B-schools for admission to MBA and PGDM programmes. Participating institutes include top management schools such as XLRI Jamshedpur, MICA Ahmedabad, XIM Bhubaneswar, IMT Ghaziabad, and S P Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai. The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) do not accept XAT scores.
The XAT 2026 question paper will consist entirely of multiple-choice questions (MCQs). As per the marking scheme, candidates will receive one mark for each correct answer, while 0.25 marks will be deducted for every incorrect response. An additional penalty of 0.10 marks will apply for more than eight consecutive unanswered questions. The General Knowledge (GK) section, however, will have no negative marking.
Candidates are advised to complete the registration process before the deadline and review exam-day guidelines once the hall ticket is released.