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XAT vs SNAP: For lakhs of MBA aspirants in India, XAT and SNAP are some of the popular national MBA entrance exams in the country. XAT and SNAP are the gateways to the top MBA colleges in India. Having said that, these exams differ in terms of exam pattern, difficulty level, admission process, etc.
Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) is conducted by XLRI, Jamshedpur, for admission to over 250 MBA colleges in the country including XLRI, XIMB, IMT Ghaziabad, etc. On the other hand, Symbiosis National Aptitude Test (SNAP) is conducted by Symbiosis International (Deemed University) for admission to its 17 constituent colleges such as SIBM Pune, SCMHRD, SICSR, SIIMS, etc.
In the article below, Jagran Josh has compared the two popular MBA entrance exams in terms of difficulty level, registrations, fees, pattern, etc. Read below to know more.
XAT vs SNAP: Registration, Fees and Key Dates
Check the table below to know the comparative overview of the XAT vs SNAP:
Related Stories
|
Feature
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XAT
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SNAP
|
|
Conducting Body
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Xavier School of Management, XLRI, Jameshedpur
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Symbiosis International (Deemed University)
|
|
Registration last date
|
December 6, 2026
|
November 25, 2026
|
|
Registration fee
|
|
|
|
Exam Date
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January 3, 2026
|
|
|
Number of Attempts
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One attempt
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Three Attempts
|
|
Difficulty Level
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High
|
Moderate
|
XAT vs SNAP Exam Pattern and Difficulty Level: Which Exam is Easier?
XAT and SNAP are both popular MBA exams and lakhs of aspirants take the exam every year. To build a good preparation plan and understand the structure of the exam, it is important for the students to know the exam properly.
XAT tests the candidates’ analytical and intellectual abilities. It does not only analyse the aptitude of the candidate but also their decision making ability and ethical reasoning. On the other hand, SNAP tests the candidates’ speed, accuracy and quick thinking. Check the table below to know the comparison between the exam structures of SNAP and XAT:
|
Feature
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XAT
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SNAP
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Mode of exam
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Online
|
Online
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Duration
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180 minutes or 3 hours
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60 minutes or 1 hour
|
|
Sections
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Verbal Ability, Decision Making, Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation, General Knowledge
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General English, Analytical and Logical Reasoning, Quantitative, Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency, Ethics, Morality and Values
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|
Number of questions
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95 questions
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60 questions
|
|
Marking Scheme
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+1 mark for a correct answer
- 0.25 marks for incorrect answer
- 0.10 marks for more than 8 un-attempted consecutive questions
No negative marking in the GK section
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+1 mark for correct answer and -0.25 marks for each incorrect answer
|
|
Number of Answer Choices
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5 per question
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4 per question
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|
Difficulty Level
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Moderate to High
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Easy to Moderate
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The Decision Making section in XAT exam is built around ethical dilemmas, business case scenarios, and situational judgment. So, to score well in this section, learning formulas and theorems would not work. Students should know how to structure random thoughts or scenarios and solve the problem at hand will be able to score well. Since XAT is the only exam which has a dedicated section on Decision Making, XLRI weighs it heavily in the XAT shortlisting.
SNAP exam 2026 will not have any sectional time limit but students have to solve 60 questions within 60 minutes. In other words, the exam can be grueling as the candidates will only have one minute per question. SNAP is a better choice for candidates who are quick and can calmly answer the questions with accuracy.
And, if reasoning led case based questions are the strengths, then the candidates should opt for appearing for XAT 2027.
Also Read:
Colleges Accepting XAT 2027 Scores
Following list of colleges will be accepting XAT exam scores 2027:
|
College Name
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Expected XAT Cutoff (Percentile)
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Approximate Programme Fees (2 Years)
|
NIRF 2025 Rankings
|
|
96–97
|
₹27.40 Lakhs
|
10
|
|
|
85–90
|
₹23.00 Lakhs
|
33
|
|
|
91–93
|
₹24.60 Lakhs
|
45
|
|
|
90–93
|
₹23.00 Lakhs
|
30
|
|
|
88–91
|
₹23.54 Lakhs
|
40
|
|
|
86–90
|
₹21.45 Lakhs
|
43
|
|
|
82–87
|
₹22.50 Lakhs
|
37
|
|
|
82–87
|
₹19.50 Lakhs
|
-
|
|
|
85–88
|
₹23.40 Lakhs
|
59
|
|
|
78–82
|
₹14.00 Lakhs
|
61
|
Top MBA Colleges Accepting SNAP 2026 Scores
Check the table below to know the top MBA colleges accepting SNAP exam scores:
|
Name of College
|
Programme Offered
|
Expected Cutoff 2026
|
|
98.0 – 98.5+ Percentile
|
|
|
Symbiosis Institute of Computer Studies and Research, SICSR
|
|
80.0 – 83.0 Percentile |
|
92.0 – 94.5 Percentile | |
|
MBA in Digital and Telecom Management
|
81.0 – 84.0 Percentile | |
|
MBA
|
76.0 – 80.0 Percentile | |
|
MBA in Communication Management
|
72.0 – 75.0 Percentile | |
|
85.0 – 88.0 Percentile | |
|
75.0 – 78.0 Percentile | |
|
Symbiosis Institute of Health Sciences
|
MBA in Hospital and Healthcare Management
|
56.0 – 60.0 Percentile |
|
Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, SIBM, Bengaluru
|
|
90.0 – 92.5 Percentile |
|
Symbiosis School of Banking and Finance, SSBF
|
|
62.0 – 66.0 Percentile |
|
SIBM, Hyderabad
|
MBA
|
60.0 – 65.0 Percentile |
|
Symbiosis School of Sport Sciences
|
MBA in Sports Management
|
52.0 – 55.0 Percentile |
|
SIBM, Noida
|
MBA
|
70.0 – 75.0 Percentile |
|
SIBM, Nagpur
|
|
72.0 – 78.0 Percentile |
|
MBA in Food Technology and Food Enterprise Management
|
50.0 – 52.0 Percentile |