Top MBA colleges without CAT 2025; list of management entrance exams
Vaishnavi Shukla | December 3, 2025 | 03:31 PM IST | 2 mins read
CAT 2025: From national-level exams like XAT, GMAT, NMAT, and SNAP to direct admission routes, the options are reshaping how candidates approach MBA admissions.
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Download EbookSeveral leading MBA institutions and B-schools across the country offer MBA admissions without relying on the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2025 exam scores. From national-level exams like XAT, GMAT, NMAT, and SNAP to direct admission routes, these options are reshaping how candidates approach MBA admissions.
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As alternative entrance tests and institute-specific selection processes are becoming common, students have access to a range of pathways to pursue management education.
The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kozhikode conducted the CAT 2025 exam on November 30 in three shifts. The CAT 2025 exam is held for admissions to MBA and other PG management programmes.
Candidates who did not perform well in the CAT 2025 exam or are expecting a lower score can appear for other management exams for MBA admissions . However, the selection process of each management college varies.
CAT 2025: Top B-schools, entrance exams
The list of top B-schools offering entrance exams, other than CAT 2025, for admissions to MBA and other management courses is as follows.
|
Colleges |
Entrance exams |
|
XLRI Jamshedpur |
XAT (and sometimes GMAT) |
|
Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM, Pune) |
|
|
NMIMS School of Business Management Mumbai |
NMAT by GMAC |
|
SP Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR, Mumbai) |
Entrance via exams like XAT / GMAT / institute’s own criteria (not strictly CAT-only) |
|
Indian School of Business (ISB, Hyderabad) |
Accepts GMAT / GRE for its PGP/MBA-equivalent programmes |
|
Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS, Mumbai) |
Central University Entrance Test -Postgraduate (CUET-PG) |
|
Jamnalal Bajaj Institute Of Management Studies |
MAH MBA CET |
|
KIIT School of Management (KSOM) |
KIITEE Management exam |
|
Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai |
Accepts XAT, GMAT, and other tests |
This year, CAT 2025 recorded 86% attendance. Around 2.58 lakh candidates appeared, out of 2.95 lakh registered eligible candidates. The test was conducted at 339 centres across 170 cities in India.
IIM Kozhikode will soon publish the CAT 2025 answer key on the official website iimcat.ac.in. As per the schedule, the CAT exam results will be declared in the first week of January.
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