MBA Entrance Exam Pattern 2024: CAT, MAT, XAT & SNAP

MBA Entrance Pattern 2024: MBA Entrance Exams are gaining popularity in today’s times as candidates equipped with an MBA degree become eligible for jobs as Entrepreneurs or Managers. The MBA Entrances Exam is conducted at the National level, State level, and University level. Top Universities conduct the MBA Exams every year and after qualifying for the exams, candidates can be admitted to the College or University of their choice.

➥ MBA is one of the most important programs that is pursued by candidates from different disciplines. Some top National-level MBA exams are accepted by most of the Universities and Institutes across India. Different Institutes have different modes of testing the candidates through the MBA programs. These include the Computer-based Test (CBT), Internet-Based Test (IBT), and Paper-based Test (PBT).

MBA Entrance Paper Pattern 2024

➥ Candidates appearing for the Business Administration Entrance exams must download the MBA Entrance exam pattern 2024 from the official website. The exam pattern is very important as it will help the candidates to get insight into important attributes of the exam like total time for the exams, total marks of the exam marks allotted to each section, difficulty level of the questions, type of questions, and negative marking pattern (if any).

➥ Candidates can download the MBA Entrance paper pattern from the official website of the organizing authorities or the respective colleges. Aspirants, who have already registered with the official portal of the concerned authorities can easily download the exam pattern by logging in with their registered name, date of birth, and email ID.

Overview of the MBA Entrance Paper 2024

Particulars	Details
Name of the Exam	MBA Entrance Exam
Name of the Course	MBA(Master of Business Administration)/PGDM(Post Graduate Diploma in Management)
Type of Course	Postgraduate
	2 years
Level of the Exam	National level  State-level Institute level
Name of the Exam	CAT, MAT, XAT, ATMA, GMAT, CMAT, SNAP, OJEE, KMAT, TANCET
Category	MBA Entrance Exam Pattern
Availability of Exam Pattern	Online
Type of Exam	Computer-based Test (CBT) Internet-based Test (IBT) Paper-based Test (PBT)

How to Download the MBA Paper Pattern 2024?

• Go to the website of the concerned authorities.
• Login by using your username, date of birth, and Registration number.
• Now select the “Exam pattern” link on the homepage.
• Click the Apply option.
• Wait for some time.
• The MBA Exam pattern will appear on the screen.
• Download the exam pattern and save it on your device.
• Take a printout of the exam pattern for further reference.

Let us now take a look at the exam pattern for the popular MBA Entrance Exam 2024

CAT Exam

The CAT Exam pattern is decided by the Indian Institutes of Management which conducts the exam. The exam pattern consists of the Marking scheme, structure of the test paper, weightage of each section, and the total marks of the exam.

Sections, number of questions, and time allotted  in the CAT Entrance exam

Data interpretation and Logical reasoning:

• Time allotted- 40 minutes
• Number of questions- 24

Verbal Ability and Reading comprehension

• Time allotted- 40 minutes
• Number of questions- 26

Quantitative Aptitude

• Time allotted- 40 minutes
• Number of questions- 26

CAT Exam pattern:

• The CAT exam is conducted in online mode.
• CAT has questioned both in the MCQ and non-MCQ format.
• There are a total of 3 sections in the CAT exam.
• 40 minutes is allotted for each section.
• The total time for the CAT exam is 120 minutes (2 hours).
• The total marks for the CAT exam are 228.
• The medium of instruction is English.
• The question type is MCQ with multiple-choice answers.

CAT Entrance Exam Paper Pattern
S.No	Particulars of the Exam pattern	Details
1	Mode of Exam	Online
2	Question Type	Objective type with Multiple-choice Answers
3	Total Number of Sections	3
4	Time Allotted for each Section	40
5	Total Marks	228
6	Total Time of the Exam	120 minutes (2 hours)
7	Medium of Instruction	English

MAT Exam

The MBA Entrance exams pattern for MAT is decided by the All India Management Association. The exam is held for the admission of the candidates to MBA Courses and PGDM Courses. MAT Exams can be taken as Computer-based Tests (CBT), Pen and Paper Tests, and Internet-based Tests (IBT). The exam can also be taken in blending modes as in PBT+IBT, CBT+IBT, and PBT+CBT.

Sections of the MAT exam and the time allotted to each section

Language comprehension

• Time allotted- 40 minutes

Intelligence and critical reasoning

• Time allotted- 40 minutes

Data analysis and sufficiency

• Time allotted- 40 minutes

Mathematical skills

• Time allotted- 40 minutes

Indian and global environment

• Time allotted- 40 minutes

MAT Exam pattern:

• The MAT exam is conducted in both online and offline mode.
• The medium of instruction is English.
• The total number of questions is 200.
• The total time allotted is 150 minutes.
• The questions are objective types with multiple-choice answers.
• 1 mark is awarded for each correct response.
• 0.25 marks are deducted for every wrong answer.
• There is no negative marking for unattempted questions.

NMAT (NMIMS Management Aptitude Test)  by GMAC:

The NMAT exams are conducted online over a period of 70 to 90 days and aspiring candidates can select the date, time, and venue of the exam from the available options. The MBA Entrance Paper pattern for NMAT has been revised by the Graduate Management Admission Council. The medium of the exam is English.

Sections of NMAT exams and time allotted to each section:

Language skills

• Time allotted- 28 minutes

Quantitative skills

• Time allotted- 52 minutes

Logical reasoning

• Time allotted- 40 minutes

NMAT Exam pattern

• The NMAT exam is conducted in an online mode.
• The medium of the exam is English.
• The exam consists of 3 sections.
• Each section has 36 questions.
• The total number of questions is 108.
• The total time allotted for the NMAT exams is 120 minutes.
• Each question carries 3 marks.
• There is no negative marking for any wrong answer.
• No marks are deducted for unattempted questions.

CMAT (Common Management Admission test) 

The CMAT exam is conducted in the online mode and the medium of instruction is English. CMAT exams are conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the exams are held once a year. The MBA Entrance Exam pattern for CMAT will help the candidates to understand the weightage of each portion and help them to score well in the exams.

Sections of the CMAT exams and the total number of questions in each section

Quantitative techniques and Data interpretation

• Total number of questions- 25

Logical reasoning

• Total number of questions- 25

Language comprehension

• Total number of questions- 25

General Awareness

• Total number of questions- 25

Innovation and Entrepreneurship (optional)

• Total number of questions- 25

CMAT Exam Pattern

• The CMAT exam is held in online mode.
• The medium of instruction is English.
• The questions are MCQ-based.
• There are a total of 4 sections and one optional section.
• CMAT is a computer-based test.
• Each section has 25 questions.
• The mark allotted to each section is 100.
• Each correct answer carries 4 marks while 1 mark is deducted for every wrong attempt.
• The total time allotted to the exam is 3 hours.

SNAP (Symbiosis National Aptitude Online Test)

The SNAP exam is conducted once a year by Symbiosis International University (SIU). The exam is held in online mode and the total number of sections is 3. SNAP exam is a speed-based test and the exam is held in the month of December.

Sections of the SNAP exam and the marks allotted to each section

General English

• The total marks allotted is 15

Quantitative, Data interpretation and Data sufficiency

• The total marks allotted is 20

Analytical and Logical reasoning

• The total marks allotted is 25

SNAP exam pattern

• SNAP is an online computer-based exam.
• The mode of the exam is English.
• The total number of attempts for the exam is 2.
• The total duration of the exam is 60 minutes.
• Each question carries 1 mark.
• 0.25 marks are deducted for every wrong response.

ATMA (AIMS Test for Management admission)

ATMA is a National level MBA Entrance exam that is conducted in online mode. The exam will take place in the month of September and the medium of the exam is English. The MBA Entrance exam pattern for ATMA has been prescribed by the Association of Indian Management Schools. The exam paper consists of 6 sections.

Sections of ATMA exam and time allotted to each section

Analytical reasoning skills Part I

• Total time allotted- 30 minutes

Analytical reasoning skills Part II

• Total time allotted- 30 minutes

Quantitative skills Part I

• Total time allotted- 30 minutes

Quantitative skills Part II

• Total time allotted- 30 minutes

Verbal skills Part I

• Total time allotted- 30 minutes

Verbal skills Part II

• Total time allotted- 30 minutes

ATMA exam pattern

• The mode of exam is Internet-based online Test mode.
• The medium of the exam is English.
• The total number of sections is 6.
• The total number of questions is 180.
• The total mark of the exam is 180.
• Each question carries 1 mark.
• 0.25 marks are deducted for every wrong answer

Benefits of knowing the MBA Entrance Exam pattern:

• The Entrance exam pattern is important for preparing and scoring well in the MBA Entrance exams.
• The exam pattern gives an idea of the marks distribution, time duration, and the weightage of each section.
• Candidates who prepare for the exams in accordance with the exam pattern have a maximum probability of scoring good marks.
• The exam pattern also improves the time management skills of the candidates.
• Candidates who solve mock test papers by following the exam pattern get an understanding of their weak areas and drawbacks easily.