MBA Operations Admission 2025 – Eligibility, Process, Colleges & Fees

An MBA in Operations Management admissions in India are done in several phases. Many management colleges have already finished the process by May or June and will start the classes by the end of August 2025. The admissions cycle often starts as early as July or August of the previous year with the entrance exam registration. The students can apply to any public or private institute in India.

The most critical process is clearing the MBA in Operations Management entrance exam, and then GD and PI. However, after you take the entrance test, prospective candidates also want to submit applications to their business schools. Some B-schools have not yet closed their application for the 2025 session. Looking forward, the MBA entrance exams for 2026 have their registrations open in July-August 2025. Entrance exams like MAT and ATMA have exams year-round, while the CMAT application will open in November 2025.

Excluding the IIMs, many other top MBA colleges accept online applications that are based on exam scores. Candidates should select their preferred colleges early and apply for the exams. After, they can prepare for their group discussions and personal interviews. Some institutions are still accepting applications for 2025, so it is worth a look to check on their admission status.

For Tier-1 and Tier-2 B-schools all over India, the only principal screening device is via performance in the entrance exams. These tests are based on multiple-choice questions for all competitive exams and Tricky Questions to practice with confusion and difficulty. Read on for a list of the seven most popular management entrance exams.

MBA in Operations Management Admission Process 2026

The MBA admission is based on various national-level and institute-specific entrance exams, such as CAT, XAT, NMAT, or SNAP scores. Typically, the selection rounds start from January, post the December–January testing window.

The MBA Colleges accepting Operations Management entrance exam scores normally start inviting applications from March, and most of the private colleges close their application process by September. The following are procedures that applicants who are prospective ‌regular-mode MBA students should carry out:

Step 1: Choose Your Desired Colleges

Assess the institutes based on the following criteria:

• Government/UGC approval
• Eligibility norms and cut-offs
• MBA specialisations offered
• Tuition fees
• Facilities, quality of teaching staff, and method of teaching
• Placement statistics

Step 2: Requirements for MBA Admission and Selection

Most business schools combine entrance exam scores with a single-stage and multi-stage personality-assessment phase (like Written Ability Test, Group Discussion, Personal Interview). A few of the Tier-3 colleges give direct admission based on the marks in graduation.

Step 3: WAT/GD/PI Rounds

If your target colleges have an entrance followed by WAT-GD-PI, you will have to clear each one of them:

• WAT: You need to write an essay on a recent topic of 250 words in ~15-20 minutes.
• Group Discussion: Discuss a topic with a group of peers. Lead the group, express ideas clearly and convincingly.
• Personal Interview: Interact with a panel interviewing you about your academics, professional experience, and your future career.

Those opting for institutes with direct-admission policies will only have to fill in the application and pay the fees.

MBA in Operations Management Admission Process

Admission to MBA courses at IIMs, IITs, and Top Tier 1 colleges is a multi-step process that begins with the entrance exam. The admissions committee shortlists candidates who meet the cutoff scores for further selection rounds.

• Candidates must register for the entrance exams such as CAT, XAT, MAT, CMAT, SNAP, etc..
• Candidates must submit separate applications to the preferred institutions they are interested in, including their exam scores. The CAT application fee is ₹1,600 for general category candidates and ₹800 for SC/ST/PwD candidates. For XAT and MAT 2025, the application fee is ₹2,200, while it is ₹2,500 for the CMAT exam. Furthermore, the SNAP and NMAT application fees are ₹2,250 and ₹ 3,000, respectively.
• Candidates will be shortlisted based on their MBA entrance exam scores, academic record, and work experience.
• The selection committee invited shortlisted candidates to the final selection stage, which usually includes a WAT, GD, and PI.

Note: The final selections are based on the Institutes. For instance, IIT Kanpur includes a Group Discussion, while IIT Delhi has discontinued the WAT in recent years.

MBA in Operations Management Admission Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for an MBA in Operations Management Admissions, candidates generally need:

• A bachelor's degree with a minimum aggregate of 60% marks or a 6.0 CGPA on a 10-point scale in their undergraduate degree. (Relaxation of 55% or a 5.5 CGPA for SC/ST/PwD candidates.)
• While some top MBA colleges in India accept students from any academic background, others may require a degree in engineering, science, or commerce.
• Work experience is not always mandatory, but it can be an advantage in the selection process.

Top Entrance Exams for MBA Operations Admission

MBA admissions in India are based on national and institute-specific entrance exams. This process runs every year around July-August. There are four national-level Entrance exams, CAT, XAT, NMAT, and SNAP exams, that allow admission to Top MBA Colleges in India, like IIMs, IITs, XLRI, Symbiosis, and NMIMS. CAT is the main entrance exam for IIMs and IITs.

NMAT offers students the opportunity to schedule the exam on an appointment basis and allows them to have multiple attempts to attain a successful grade. The MAT and ATMA exams provide an opportunity to take the exam year-round through standardized exams administered by different state Management Colleges.

Since exam windows and registrations typically overlap from July to December, students can apply for several exams in the same cycle, increasing their chances of securing admission to a variety of MBA programs. Below is the list of the top MBA Operations Entrance Exams for Admission in 2026.

MBA in Operations Management Admission Process: CAT 2025

The MBA Operations Management admission process for the PGP 2026-28 batch depends on performance on CAT 2025. Candidates need to meet the category-wise percentile Operations Management cutoffs to be selected for further rounds. Candidates will be shortlisted based on their scores from an Application Rating, which includes the academic scores for both Class 10 and Class 12, the marks for a bachelor's degree, the work experience, and the gender diversity indicator, with extra scores provided to female and transgender candidates.

A shortlisting process includes a Written Ability Test (AWT) and a Personal Interview (PI) in three stages. The first stage will ensure diversity, and that candidates across every academic stream and category will be included, by separating the top candidates from each academic stream and each category based on a composite score that includes both the CAT and the application ratings.

The final selection will be based on a composite score from the PI, AWT, CAT, and application ratings. The program aims at a multilayered evaluation system to assess the candidates on their academic performance, work experience, and personal attributes.

1. Shortlisting and Selection Criteria for PGP 2026-28 Batch

Preliminary Screening

The CAT 2025 exam will have three sections, i.e., Quantitative Ability (QA), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC). Candidates with a score above the minimum MBA cutoff in the sectional percentile ranks, the overall percentile rank, and who obtain a positive raw score in all sections will be eligible to appear for all the following admission processes.

Table 1: Minimum Cut-offs of CAT-2025 Percentile Ranks

Table 1: Rating Scores for Class 10th (A)

Table 2: Rating Scores for Class 12th (B)

Science Stream

Commerce Stream

Arts/ Humanities Stream

Table 3: Rating Scores for Bachelor’s Degree (C)

AC-1 Category

AC-2 (Professional Courses)

AC-3 Category

AC-4 & AC-6 Categories

AC-5 Category

Table 4: Rating Scores for Work Experience (D)