XAT
Admission to PGDM/MBA programmes at XLRI Jamshedpur and Delhi-NCR and to 160+ other B-schools, including XIMB, IMT Ghaziabad, GIM Goa, SPJIMR (accepted) and the Xavier Associate Management Institutes.
Eligibility
Bachelor's degree of at least three years' duration in any discipline; students in the final year of graduation may apply. There is no minimum percentage set by XAT itself (individual institutes may set one), no age limit and no limit on attempts.
Age limit: No age limit
Exam pattern
Computer-based test of 180 minutes in two parts. Part 1 (170 minutes, no sectional time limit) has about 75 MCQs across Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning, Decision Making, and Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation. Part 2 (10 minutes) has 20 General Knowledge questions. Part 1: +1 correct, -0.25 wrong, and -0.10 for every unanswered question beyond the first 8. GK carries no negative marking and is not counted in the percentile, but XLRI may use it at the selection stage.
Syllabus at a glance
Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning covers reading comprehension, critical reasoning, para-jumbles, vocabulary in context and poetry-based questions. Decision Making presents business and ethical case-lets requiring the most appropriate course of action. Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation spans arithmetic, algebra, geometry, modern maths and data sets, generally tougher than CAT. GK covers current affairs and static general knowledge.
Upcoming dates
| Event | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Registration window | 15 Jul – 6 Dec 2026 | confirmed |
| Admit card release | Around 20 Dec 2026 | expected |
| XAT 2027 exam | 3 Jan 2027 (Sunday), 2:00–5:00 pm | confirmed |
| Provisional answer key | Mid-Jan 2027 | expected |
| XAT 2027 result | Late Jan 2027 | expected |
Expected dates follow the usual calendar; confirm on the official notification before planning.
Free prep material
Standard books
- How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT – Arun Sharma (McGraw Hill)
- How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT – Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay (McGraw Hill)
- Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT – Nishit K. Sinha (Pearson)
- Quantum CAT – Sarvesh K. Verma (Arihant)
- Manorama Yearbook (Malayala Manorama) – for GK
How toppers play it
- Mind the unattempted penalty: leaving more than 8 questions blank in Part 1 costs 0.10 each, so make educated guesses where you can eliminate even one or two options.
- Start with Decision Making – it is the most scoring section for well-prepared candidates and sets your rhythm; solve every past XAT DM set and study the official answer logic.
- With no sectional timer, fix your own split (for example 55-60 minutes each for Verbal and DM, the rest for Quant) and practise it in mocks; there is a sectional cut-off.
- XAT Quant is usually the hardest section; aim for accuracy on 12-15 questions rather than attempting all.
- Do not neglect GK: it is not in the percentile, but XLRI reviews it at the shortlisting and interview stage, so read current affairs daily from October.