Jamshedpur: With an enduring legacy of over 75 years, the Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) remains the most time-honoured and trusted entrance examination for MBA/PGDM admissions in India. Conducted by XLRI – Xavier School of Management on behalf of XAMI (Xavier Association of Management Institutes), XAT 2026 is scheduled for Sunday, January 4, 2026, and registration is currently underway at xatonline.in.
What sets XAT apart is not just its extensive acceptance by over 250 top B-schools across India, but also its longstanding tradition of nurturing management talent through a holistic, aptitude-based evaluation model.
75+ Years Strong: A Legacy of Leadership
XAT stands as the only MBA/PGDM entrance test in India with a 75+ year heritage, establishing it as the gold standard for MBA/PGDM aspirants seeking excellence in management education. XLRI, which has conducted the test since its inception, has continuously adapted the exam to meet the evolving needs of education and industry, while maintaining its core value of student-centric integrity.
“XAT is not just an entrance test, it’s a tradition of excellence that has shaped leaders for over 75+ years. With XAT 2026, we are not only continuing that legacy but also evolving to meet the changing needs of today’s aspirants. Our goal is to provide more than just a test. We aim to deliver guidance, mentorship, and a truly aspirant-first experience from day one.” — Prof. Rahul Shukla, Convenor, XAT 2026
Pan-India Test Centres: Bringing Opportunity Closer to Home
XAT 2026 will be conducted in over 100 cities across India, ensuring accessibility for candidates from both metropolitan and non-metropolitan regions. Whether you’re in a major city or a smaller town, XAT ensures you have access to a testing centre near you.
Test cities include Agra, Ahmedabad, Ajmer, Aligarh, Allahabad, Ambala, Amravati, Amritsar, Anantapur, Arrah, Aurangabad City (Maharashtra), Baddi, Balasore, Bareilly, Bhatinda, Bhagalpur, Bhilai Nagar, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Bikaner, Bilaspur, Bengaluru, Berhampur, Chandigarh/Mohali, Chennai, Chikkaballapur, Coimbatore, Cuttack, Darbhanga, Davanagere, Dehradun, Delhi-NCR, Dhanbad, Dhenkanal, Dibrugarh, Durgapur/Asansol, Ernakulam, Gandhinagar, Goa, Gorakhpur, Guwahati, Gwalior, Haldwani, Hazaribagh, Hisar, Hooghly, Hubballi (Hubli), Hyderabad, Indore, Jabalpur, Jaipur, Jalandhar, Jammu, Jamshedpur, Jodhpur, Jorhat, Kalaburagi (Gulbarga), Kalyani, Kannur, Kanpur, Karimnagar, Kolhapur, Kolkata, Kota, Kottayam, Kurnool, Kurukshetra, Lucknow, Madurai, Mangalore, Mehsana, Moradabad, Muzaffarnagar, Muzaffarpur, Mumbai, Mysuru (Mysore), Nagpur, Naharlagun, Nanded, Nashik, Patiala, Patna, Pune, Raipur, Rajahmundry, Rajkot, Ranchi, Roorkee, Rourkela, Salem, Sambalpur, Shimla, Shillong, Sikar, Siliguri, Surat, Tejpur, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirappalli, Tirupathi, Tiruvallur, Udaipur, Udupi, Ujjain, Vadodara, Varanasi, Vellore, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam.