XAT
Admission to XLRI Jamshedpur and Delhi-NCR (BM, HRM and other PGDMs) and to 160+ XAMI member and associate institutes such as XIM Bhubaneswar, IMT, GIM Goa and TAPMI.
Eligibility
A recognised bachelor's degree of at least three years in any discipline; final-year students may apply. There is no minimum percentage for XAT itself, though individual institutes may set one. There is no age limit or attempt cap.
Age limit: No age limit
Exam pattern
Computer-based test lasting 3 hours (180 minutes). Part 1 (170 minutes) has about 75 MCQs: Verbal and Logical Ability (about 26), Decision Making (about 21), and Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation (about 28); Part 2 is about 20 General Knowledge questions in 10 minutes. Part 1 sections are not individually timed, so you can move between them. Each correct answer earns +1 and each wrong Part 1 answer costs -0.25, and XAT has also deducted 0.10 marks for each unattempted question beyond 8. GK carries no negative marking and is not counted in the percentile, but XLRI uses it at the final selection stage.
Syllabus at a glance
Verbal and Logical Ability: dense, often abstract RC passages, critical reasoning, para-jumbles, and poem- and philosophy-based questions. Decision Making: ethical, business, HR and allocation caselets, unique to XAT. Quant and DI: arithmetic, algebra, geometry, modern maths and data interpretation, typically harder and more calculation-heavy than CAT. GK covers current affairs and static general knowledge.
Upcoming dates
| Event | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Registration window (open) | 15 Jul - 6 Dec 2026 | confirmed |
| Admit card release | Around 20 Dec 2026 | expected |
| XAT 2027 exam (2-5 pm) | 3 Jan 2027 (Sunday) | confirmed |
| 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
- Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT - Nishit K. Sinha
- How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT - Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay
- XAT Decision Making past-paper compilations (XAMI papers)
- Manorama Yearbook (for GK)
How toppers play it
- Decision Making is XAT's most scoring and most distinctive section. Solve every past XAT DM set and judge answers by stakeholder fairness and practicality, not by idealism.
- With -0.25 for each wrong answer and a penalty for skipping too many questions, aim to attempt all but about 8 questions, making educated guesses where you can eliminate two options.
- XAT Quant is lengthy, so budget around 60-65 minutes for it and do not let the untimed layout drain VALR or DM time. Sectional cut-offs still apply at XLRI.
- Do not skip GK: although it does not count towards the percentile, it does feature in XLRI final selection. Revise six to eight months of current affairs.