XAT Syllabus, How To Prepare & Score Vs Percentile – A Complete Guide For XAT Exam 2023
XAT Syllabus, How To Prepare & Score Vs Percentile – A Complete Guide For XAT Exam 2023
XAT Syllabus – If you are appearing for XAT 2023, one thing is for sure – the XAT syllabus is not defined by XLRI Jamshedpur, offering the conducting body freedom to set the XAT exam flexibly. According to the trends over the years, the XAT question paper includes questions from verbal & logical ability, decision-making & analytical reasoning, quantitative ability & data interpretation, general knowledge, and essay description. On January 8, XLRI Jamshedpur will hold the XAT 2023 in the CBT format.
You can prepare from the CAT and other management exams’ syllabuses to get ready for the XAT syllabus. The XAT 2023 question paper will include a total of 22–27 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) with five possible answers in each section (apart from the essay writing section). After being shortlisted for the XLRI admissions personal interview, your essay will be evaluated.
XAT Syllabus
The XAT exam is a computer-based test (CBT) with a total time of 190 minutes. You should get ready in light of the XAT exam paper’s wide variety of sections. Before planning your studies, you should analyze the previous year’s question paper for the XAT exam and the syllabus for each section. Read the entire article to learn about the XAT syllabus, how to prepare, and the XAT score vs percentile.
XAT Syllabus and Exam Pattern
According to the previous year’s pattern, the entrance exam will comprise 101 questions, with a time slot of 180 minutes to complete the entire XAT question paper. You will be provided extra 10 minutes for writing the essay. The XAT exam pattern 2023 will be divided into five sections —
- Verbal and Logical Ability (VA and LR)
- Decision Making (DM)
- Data Interpretation and Quantitative Ability (DI & QA)
- General Knowledge (GK)
- Essay Writing
Please note that only Verbal and Logical Ability, Decision Making, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation are used to determine your XAT percentile; while essay writing and GK will be taken into account during the shortlisting process. Another good thing about the XAT exam is that it does not have a sectional time limit, unlike the CAT exam, and you can choose to devote as much time to a section as you deem fit. The idea is to maximize the score from the area which you think is your strength, be it VALR, DM, or QADI. Just bear in mind that you are supposed to clear the sectional cutoffs for these sections, though.
Below is the exam pattern for XAT 2023 —
| Sections in XAT 2023 | Number of questions | Time Limit |
| Part-1 | 75 MCQs | 165 minutes |
| Verbal and Logical Ability | 26 | No sectional limit |
| Decision Making | 21 | No sectional limit |
| Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation | 28 | No sectional limit |
| General Knowledge | 25 | 15 minutes |
| Part-2 | 1 Question | 10 minutes |
| Essay Writing (250 words) | 1 | |
| Total questions (Part 1 + Part 2) | 101 | 190 minutes |
Section-wise XAT Exam Syllabus
Here is a detailed section-by-section XAT syllabus that covers all of the topics on which questions will be asked.
XAT Syllabus – Verbal and Logical Ability Section
The XAT Verbal and Logical Ability section will consist of 26 questions. The majority of the questions will be from Reading Comprehension. There will be a few verbal reasoning/verbal reading questions. The topics listed below, from which questions in this section will be sourced, are available for you to consult.
XAT Verbal and Logical Ability Topics
| Analogy-Based on Vocabulary | Fill in the blanks | Critical Reasoning/ Inference |
| Sentence Correction | Reading Comprehension | Para Jumble |
| Vocabulary | Para Completion | Grammar |
| Pronunciation | Poem | Paragraph Formation Questions |
| Cloze Test, etc. | – | – |
XAT Syllabus – Decision-Making Section
The XAT Decision-Making section will include 21 questions. You will be required to read specific passages to answer Decision Making questions. You are tested in this section on your decision-making process, your reaction to various scenarios, etc. You can prepare for the XAT Decision-Making section by practicing the following topics —
- Analytical Reasoning
- Arithmetic
- Situational
XAT Syllabus – Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation Section
The majority of the questions will be from the Quantitative Ability section, with the remainder coming from the Data Interpretation section. The previous year’s trends indicate that 28 questions will be asked. There will be a few logical questions. You should be proficient in performing mathematical and numerical calculations. The following can be included in your XAT 2023 preparation —
XAT QA and DI Topics
| Algebra | Arithmetic | Data Analysis and Interpretation |
| Geometry | Percentage | Table |
| Venn Diagram | Time & Work | Bar Charts |
| Polynomials | Profit and Loss | Data Sufficiency |
| Mensuration | Permutation & Combination | Numbers |
| Functions & Graphs | Trigonometry | Probability |
| Equations | Scatter Plots | Progressions |
| Time and Distance |
XAT Syllabus – General Knowledge Section
The XAT GK syllabus includes a variety of topics with a total of 25 questions. All XAT GK questions will be divided into two categories: current affairs and static GK questions. The majority of the questions are based on topics like science, history, geography, business, books and authors, and the economy, among others. Look over all the XAT General Knowledge section-related topics below —
XAT GK Topics
| General Knowledge | Current Affairs |
| History | Film & Television |
| National Capital | Politics |
| Business | Economics |
| Science | National Issues |
| Personality | Sports |
| Important dates | Ecosystem and Diversity |
| Culture | Geography |
| Currency | Films |
| Books & Authors |
Aside from the above-mentioned General Knowledge topics, you should read the following newspapers or magazines while preparing for the XAT 2023—
- Economic Times
- The Financial Times
- Competition Success Review
- Business Today
- Business World
- Hindu Business Line
- The Hindu
- Wall Street Journal
- Financial Express
XAT Exam – How To Prepare
In the last month of preparation, your strategy for the XAT 2023 should include thorough revision, reiterating what you have studied in the preceding months, and correctly answering the questions. The experts advise that during the final month of preparation, you should only concentrate on your strengths and steer clear of any news topics.
You should take the XAT mock test more frequently in the 30 days before the final day. Following the XAT 2023 preparation strategy, you must split your whole day so that you not only solve the previous year’s question papers section-by-section but also take mock tests and review key points from the flash notes you created during the preparation phase. This is an important stage, and you must ensure you stick to the timeframe when answering question papers or taking XAT mock tests. Aside from studying, you should take care of your mental health while preparing for the XAT 2023 exam. This can only be done by getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, attempting to be as happy as possible, etc. Follow these XAT 2023 exam preparation tips —
- Take as many XAT mock tests as you can during this one month of preparation because doing so will be more effective than learning new material as one month is not enough to learn new material for an exam like XAT.
- If you have been studying for the XAT for a while, you are aware of your strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, it is recommended that you focus more on strength during the final days of preparation for XAT 2023 to score high.
- XAT is a timed exam. As a result, you must enhance your pace to match the rate of time during the exam. And since each incorrect response results in a negative score of 0.25, you must work hard to improve your accuracy rate.
- Practice from earlier years’ XAT questions as much as possible to become familiar with the exam pattern and understand the various questions based on the same concept.
- Plan your approach to each section of the paper while taking mock tests or practicing with the previous years’ question papers. Also, keep enough time for each section so that you can utilize the last 4-5 minutes for review.
- Review the brief notes or bullet points you created during preparation a few days before the exam. Making revisions to your notes will aid in long-term memory retention.
- Attend online learning groups during the last month to encounter many simple, moderate, and complex questions that make up the XAT paper.
- Whether or not you are enrolled in a coaching center for your entrance exam preparation, do not be anxious to buy a test series from various coaching centers as it will reveal your ability to pass the exam.
- Feel free to seek guidance from good tutors who can help you with the preparatory work and encourage you to stay confident about your preparation.
XAT 2023 Score Vs Percentile
The XAT cutoff is the score that you must achieve to be shortlisted for subsequent rounds of selection at XAT participating institutes. The official XAT cutoff will be made available online once the XAT results are announced. This cutoff is based on several variables, including the total number of applicants taking the XAT exam, the level of difficulty of the question paper, and the number of MBA admissions seats available.
- The flagship PGDM-BM XLRI XAT cut-off is expected to be 95%ile.
- The XLRI XAT cut-off for PGDM-HRM is 93%ile.
Have a look at the XAT anticipated cutoff for different institutions below —
Previous year XAT Cutoff (Other Colleges)
| XLRI XAT Colleges | XAT Score | XAT Percentile |
| XIMB-Bhubaneswar | 30.5-32.5 | 90-93 |
| IMT-Ghaziabad | 30.5-32 | 90-92 |
| SPJIMR-Mumbai | 32.5-34.5 | 93.50-95 |
| GIM-Goa | 27.5-30.5 | 85-90 |
| IRMA-Anand | 26-27.5 | 80-85 |
| TAPMI-Manipal | 26-27.5 | 80-85 |
| MICA-Ahmedabad | 26-27.5 | 80-85 |
| LIBA-Chennai | 26-27.5 | 80-85 |
| Great Lakes Institute of Management | 26-27.5 | 80-85 |
| KJ Somaiya-Mumbai | 27.5-30.5 | 85-90 |
Previous year XAT Sectional Cutoff
Here are the sectional XAT cut-offs for XLRI PGDM BM and HRM programs —
| Section | BR | HRM |
| VA & LR | 75 (male)/ 72 (female) | 80 (male)/ 80 (female) |
| DM | 72 (male)/ 72 (female) | 70 (male)/ 70 (female) |
| QA & DI | 80 (male)/ 75 (female) | 70 (MNE), 75 (ME)/ 60 (FNE), 64 (FE) |
| Total | 93 (male)/ 90 (female) | 90 (MNE), 92 (ME)/ 87 (FNE), 90 (FE) |