XAT Sectional Cutoff 2026 College-wise: For some of the top colleges accepting XAT scores, the sectional cutoffs can range anywhere between 55 and 86 percentile. Given that the difficulty level of the exam can be expected to be moderately high, cutoffs may go lower overall and for the QA and DI section. Sectional cutoffs for XAT are essential since most of the top business schools in India need you to score well in all sections. Even though the percentile obtained in aggregate gives an idea of how well the candidate has done, sectional cutoffs will guarantee that the candidate hasn't fallen behind any one section. Notably, the XAT cutoffs will be announced in February - March 2026 by all participating colleges.

Also Read:

Expected XAT Sectional Cutoff 2026 College-wise

The XAT cutoffs 2026 will vary for different categories and can be checked on the official website of the XAT accepting institutes. Find the expected sectional cutoffs for the XAT 2026 exam at some of the top B-Schools in India:

XLRI Jamshedpur Sectional Cutoff 2026

The expected XAT 2026 sectional cutoffs for both BM and HRM programmes at XLRI Jamshedpur have been provided below:

XLRI Sectional Cutoff for Business Management

Find the marks required for each XAT section below.

Sectional Cutoff for Human Resource Management

Find the marks required for each XAT section below.

XIMB Expected XAT Sectional Cut offs 2026

The expected XAT 2026 sectional cutoffs at XIM Bhubaneswar have been provided below:

SP Jain Institute of Management Expected XAT Sectional Cut offs 2026

The expected XAT 2026 sectional cutoffs at SP Jain Institute of Management have been provided below:

IMT Ghaziabad Expected XAT Sectional Cut offs 2026

The expected XAT 2026 sectional cutoffs at IMT Ghaziabad have been provided below:

TAPMI Manipal Expected XAT Sectional Cut offs 2026

The expected XAT 2026 sectional cutoffs at TAPMI Manipal have been provided below:

Great Lakes Institute, Chennai Expected XAT Sectional Cut offs 2026

The expected XAT 2026 sectional cutoffs at Great Lakes Institute, Chennai have been provided below:

GIM Goa Expected XAT Sectional Cut offs 2026

The expected XAT 2026 sectional cutoffs at GIM Goa have been provided below:

LIBA Chennai Expected XAT Sectional Cut offs 2026

The expected XAT 2026 sectional cutoffs at LIBA Chennai have been provided below:

Welingkar Mumbai Expected XAT Sectional Cut offs 2026

The expected XAT 2026 sectional cutoffs at Welingkar Mumbai have been provided below:

Also Read:

Previous Year Sectional XAT Cutoff for XLRI and Other Top Colleges

XLRI Previous Year XAT Cutoffs

Find the XAT sectional cutoffs for other top colleges from the previous years.

From this comparison in detail, it could be clearly seen that as the overall cut-offs remained somewhat stable over time, few colleges have chosen to just slightly increase their sectional cut-offs for XAT 2026 colleges. This would imply a need to draw slightly better candidates who might belong to specific and indispensable competency profiles.

For example, the XLRI HRM program is a rather much-coveted course like its Business Management counterpart. Thus, the latter seems to need a little more the cut-offs for Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning compared to the former, pointing out the special requirements to train leadership qualities and good communication at the candidate level for these candidates.

Is Sectional Cutoff Important for XAT 2026?

Sectional cutoffs play an essential role in the XAT 2026 admissions process for several reasons:

Balanced Skills Requirement

The reason why section-wise cut-offs are held in very high value by the screening process is because they ensure that students come out quite well in all the broad areas of the skill set required for winning.

In other words, take for example, if a candidate is able to score extremely high in the quantitative aptitude and data interpretation but has flopped terribly in the decision making section of the paper; then she may fail to get a seat in a college that she is eyeing so badly despite an overall very high percentile that makes her score one of the top ranks.

College-Specific Focus Areas

Many colleges tend to emphasize specific sections of entrance exams and tend to do so based on the specific requirements of their academic programs.

For example, XLRI Jamshedpur's famous HRM program focuses more on VA-LR and DM since those are what are important in the HR field.

On the other hand, the BM program will focus more on QA since that is what a student needs to get along well in that area. In this regard, a student should know the sectional cutoff of each college to know what the right academic program is for them.

Differentiator Among High Scorers

XAT is one of the most competitive MBA exams, so not scoring well in absolute percentiles is not good enough. Sectional cutoffs play the role of a differentiator among candidates who may score similar overall percentiles. For example, two students with a similar percentile score; their sectional performance in any domain would determine who will get a move towards the next round of admissions in any B-school.

Percentile-wise XAT 2025 Accepting Colleges

Here are links to the lists of colleges based on the cutoff percentile they accept. Check them out:

If you have resolved to opt for an MBA program at one of the elite colleges through the XAT 2026 exam, you must establish that you score the relevant specific cutoffs necessary at your desired institute. Towards this very goal, start by filling in the Common Application Form (CAF) . More so, our free student counseling service is also open to you, so you can easily navigate through a somewhat confusing application process.

Related Articles:

It will be there to assist you while ensuring you score all of the relevant parameters for the application. You are advised to call our helpline at 18005729877 and also visit the QnA zone for elaborative support and assistance towards any query.