XAT Exam is one of the biggest MBA entrance exams which most MBA aspirants attempt along with CAT. Many top colleges accept XAT score for admissions. Same as CMAT the level of difficulty of XAT exam is increased by general knowledge section which is considered as hard. XAT is held in two parts. First part includes quantative aptitude, logical reasoning and dfata intrepretation and reading comprehension and second part consist of general knowledge. XAT exam is generally held in january. XAT was earlier a paper and pen exam but then it changed its pattern in 2018 and shifted it in a computer based exam.
| SECTIONS | NUMBER OF QUESTIONS | TIME LIMIT |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | 75 questions | 165 minutes |
| Verbal and logical ability | 26 | no sectional time limit |
| Decision making | 21 | no sectional time limit |
| Quantative and data intrepretation | 28 | no sectionmal time limit |
| Paper 2 | 25 questions | 15 minutes |
| General knowledge | 25 | 15 minutes |
| Total | 100 questions | 180 minutes |
Earlier, the XAT Paper Pattern included a question on essay writing but it has been removed from the XAT Exam Pattern since 2018. All the questions in the XAT Exam Pattern 2020 were MCQs with 5 options compared to the 4 options in CAT. However XAT Exam Pattern 2020 also included a new type of question called the Numerical Aptitude Type (NAT) in which the candidates have to input the answer using the virtual keyboard on the screen. This type of question can be expected to remain in XAT Exam 2021.
| XAT exam pattern and structure | |
|---|---|
| Questions | 100 |
| Marks for correct answer | +1 |
| Marks for wrong answer | -0.25 |
| Number of options per question | 5 |
| sections | QA and DI LR VR |
| Total time | 180 minutes |
XAT has consistently made changes in their exam pattern. following are the changes that XAT has made in last couple of years.
It is there by requested by students to keep eye on pattern in XAT.
Below is the pattern for XAT in previous years to get an estimate that what has changed
| EXAM | TOTAL NUMBER OF QUESTIONS AND DURATION | CATERORISATION OF QUESTIONS | MARKING SCHEME |
|---|---|---|---|
| XAT 2017 | 98 - 3.5 hours | VA-24 DM-21 QA-27 GK-25 Essay type-1 |
+1 and -0.25 penalty of 0.05 for every unattempted questions above 12 |
| XAT 2016 | 104 - 3.5 hours | VA-26 DM-23 QA-29 GK-25 Essay type-1 |
+1 and -0.25 penalty of 0.05 for every unattempted questions above 13 |
| XAT 2015 | 114 - 3 hours | VA-28 DM-23 QA-33 GK-30 Essay type-1 |