What are CAT and XAT?

CAT and XAT are the two most important management entrance exams in the nation for admission to the best MBA schools. As a result, when management aspirants start preparing for an MBA, they often question whether the CAT or the XAT is more beneficial. The most frequently asked questions concern the degree of difficulty, the parallels and differences in their syllabus and whether or not they should study independently for the two tests. Which colleges accept CAT or XAT scores is another important question. This article answers all these questions:

Main features of CAT and XAT:

The table below contains details about the CAT and XAT exam dates, conducting bodies, starting year, eligibility criteria and exam fees.

Exam Patterns of CAT and XAT:

The table below lists the differences between the CAT and XAT's sections, time duration, total questions and marking scheme:

Syllabus of CAT and XAT: 

CAT Exam Sections and Syllabus:

The CAT exam is divided into three sections. Here's a brief summary of what to expect in each section:

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension: This section includes approximately 10 multiple-choice questions (MCQs). The questions cover a wide range of topics including jumbled paragraphs, reading comprehension, verbal reasoning, grammar, fill-in-the-blanks, sentence completion, syllogisms, sentence correction, idioms, phrases, antonyms/synonyms and analogies.

The reading comprehension section contains 14 questions based on passages that may cover topics such as science, history, politics, economics, the environment, literature, society and mythology. Most of these passages require you to make inferences.

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning: This section consists of 22 questions including MCQs and non-MCQs. You will encounter logical reasoning topics such as blood relations, propositions, direction sense, puzzles and data interpretation tasks such as table and graph arrangement. There are also concepts about clocks, calendars and binary logic.

Quantitative Ability: This section contains 22 questions, a mix of MCQs and non-MCQs and is entirely focused on maths. Expect to cover LCM and HCF, algebra, profit and loss, geometry, probability, mensuration, equations, surds and indices and work and time.

XAT Exam Sections and Syllabus

The XAT question consists of four sections; here are some key details for each: 

Decision Making: To succeed in this section of XAT, one must thoroughly prepare for topics such as logical reasoning, arithmetic, conditions and grouping, assumptions, and data arrangement among others.

Verbal and Logical Ability: This section of the XAT exam focuses on Verbal and Logical Ability (VA-LR). Topics covered are sentence completion, word usage, antonyms and synonyms, editing and omitting and jumbled paragraphs. You'll notice that the reading comprehension passages can be dense and difficult. Typically you will encounter 2-3 reading passages, one of which may be a short poem.

Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation: This segment covers topics such as profit and loss, probability, percentages, averages, geometry, partnerships, algebra, simple and compound interest, LCM and HCF, graphs, pie charts, mensuration, data analysis time, speed and distance, ratios and proportions, linear and quadratic equations and inequalities.

General Knowledge: To succeed in this section, make reading the newspaper a habit. Keeping up with national and international news, as well as current events, will undoubtedly help you navigate this section. There is no negative marking in this section.

Which exam is easy and which is difficult, CAT or XAT?

The following table lists the difficulty level of the CAT and XAT exams as well as their respective sections:

Experts' opinion on the difficulty level of CAT and XAT

Considering the three sections of the CAT and the three sections of Part A of the XAT (as general knowledge in Part 2 of the XAT is not considered in percentile calculation and is only applicable to the XLRI section process), the following conclusion can be reached.

1. When comparing CAT's VARC (Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension), which is lengthy but straightforward to XAT's VA&LR (Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning), which is logic- reasoning based.

This difference arises because the CAT is administered by the IIMs, which are government-funded autonomous institutes. These institutes attempt to bridge the gap between schools with advanced English curricula and those with foundational grammar education. However, students with a strong English background will benefit more from the XAT's VA&LR section. 

2. When comparing the Quant and DILR sections of the CAT to the Quant section of the XAT (which includes both quant and DI), it is clear that this section of the XAT is easier than the CAT's QUANT and DI. This section of the XAT is suitable for aspirants who lack advanced mathematical and intensive calculation skills. 

The Quant Section in XAT requires more analytical thinking than the CAT. The questions asked in the XAT cannot be classified into a specific topic and there is no hard and fast rule for determining the solution. XAT is a better option for candidates who do not know the formula but have strong analytical thinking skills. Many experts believe that XAT is a better exam for smart test takers.  

3. The decision-making section of the XAT is a make-or-break section (there is no such section in the CAT) and is considered quite difficult because it assesses aspirants' ability to solve problems that arise in the workplace. 

Such questions are uncommon elsewhere, so there is not much of a question bank available aside from the previous year's XAT questions.

Colleges accept CAT, XAT or both scores:

The information for colleges that accept CAT, XAT, and both CAT and XAT scores is shown in the following table:

CAT and XAT percentile cutoffs for Management Colleges

CAT cutoff percentile for leading management institutes like top IIMs, IIT Delhi, IIT Mumbai, MDI Gurugram and SPJIMR and XAT cutoff percentile for top private colleges such as XIM, IMT, IMI and more have been given in the following tables 

CAT Cutoffs of Leading IIMs and Other Colleges: 

Though the minimum cut-offs for the colleges listed below are lower, we are providing the actual CAT percentile when calls are made.

XAT cutoffs for XLRI:

The table shows the XAT cutoffs for various categories:

CAT AND XAT cutoffs for leading colleges accepting both scores

The cutoff percentile at which calls are made to the students by colleges accepting both CAT and XAT scores: