Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Institute for Management Development News & Updates 2026: Notifications, Notice, Result

MAT vs CAT: When it comes to MBA entrance tests in India, CAT and MAT will feature at the top of the conversation. CAT score has a premium value and is accepted by 21 IIMs & 1000+ reputed B-schools across the country. On the other hand, MAT is accepted by over 700 management institutes. Some of the top b-schools accepting MAT are GL Bajaj Institute of Management & Research, Dr. D.Y. Patil B School-Pune, ITM University, Christ University, JIMS Rohini, Amity University, OP Jindal Global University, Jain University, etc. The CAT is conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) once a year while the MAT is conducted by the All India Management Association (AIMA) four times a year (February, May, September, and December). Notably, candidates must obtain a minimum of 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD candidates) in their Bachelor's degree programme but no minimum percentage criterion has been mentioned for MAT. While CAT has a duration of 2 hours for 66 questions, MAT is held over a duration of 2.5 hours for 200 questions. CAT has a negative marking of 1 mark for each incorrect answer while there is no negative marking in MAT.Even though it might seem like the two tests have an uncanny similarity in their syllabus, they are quite different in other aspects. However, the CAT is more difficult to attempt than the MAT exam. Here, we will discuss the difference between CAT and MAT. The biggest distinction as we divide into the CAT vs MAT discussion is the frequency of these exams. While the CAT exam is only conducted once every year, one can appear for the MAT exam 4 times a year. Understanding the distinctions between the CAT and MAT exams can aid you in placing your best foot forward.

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XAT's Verbal Ability section doesn’t just test your vocabulary; it tests your grammar understanding pretty heavily, too. A lot of students skip grammar prep, thinking they know it already, but the questions can get tricky, especially under time pressure. For spotting errors, sentence correction, or understanding sentence structure, having your grammar basics strong is important for XAT. You don't need to memorize every rule, but refreshing the key concepts will definitely help you score better. Let's go through the most important grammar topics you should focus on for XAT 2026 VA & LR.

Also Read: Top Recommended Books for XAT 2026 RC

The XAT 2026 RC top recommended books are a must for anyone aiming to score high in the test. About 26 questions are asked in the VA and LR section, out of which you can expect 12 to 15 questions on RC passages and poems. The excerpts are based on social issues, economics, literature, philosophy, current affairs, etc. Hence, to understand and infer responses from the passages, strong RC skills are essential. 

IIM Indore selection criteria 2026-28 consists of shortlisting students based on the CAT 2025 scores, last academic performance and a GD & PI round. The total selection process is divided into three phases.  The IIM Indore Provisional PI Shortlist will be made available most likely in the second of January 2026, and the Personal Interview will be conducted soon after. Candidates targeting IIM Indore through the CAT 2025 exam must be aware of the requirements they need to fulfil to get an MBA seat in the college. Let's have a look at the detailed IIM Indore admission criteria for 2026-28, important dates, and more below.

The IIM Bangalore admissions for the PGP 2026-28 batch will tentatively begin in January 2026. To be eligible for IIM Bangalore admissions 2026, students must have appeared for the CAT 2025 examination and achieved a minimum score of 85 percentile. Students who belong to the General category must have scored IIM Bangalore CAT cutoff of 85 percentile to get selected for the Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI) rounds. As per the IIM Bangalore selection criteria, students receive 40% of their marks for their CAT scores, 40% of their marks for the PI round, and 10% of their marks for the WAT. Shortlisting students based on the IIM Bangalore PGP 2026-28 batch selection criteria is expected to begin in January 2026. Students will be required to score marks in accordance with the CAT 2025 cutoffs to be eligible for the IIM Bangalore admission process 2026.

Well, if you're thinking about the decision-making questions in XAT, you might think those questions should be about feelings and ethics. But the facts are that most of the DM questions actually call for analysis of data, spotting logical patterns, and making decisions on the basis of numbers and facts. Some questions give you tables, percentages, or business information that needs to be looked at before choosing what seems to be the best option. Timing and knowing when to use the analytical brain and when to turn to ethical thinking are super important in the scoring of this section.