All about XAT: A to Z of the Xavier Aptitude test (XAT)

An in-depth review of XAT and its structure exams, exam dates, best B-schools, places, and many other questions.

Table of Contents

What is XAT?

What is the format of the XAT exam?

Syllabus for XAT 2023

When will the XAT test conducted?

Who is eligible to take the XAT test?

Which institutions and colleges will accept XAT scores?

Admission Process

What's the ROI for MBA programs that are offered by XLRI?

How to Prepare for XAT 2023?

FAQs Regarding XAT 2023

"To know that we know what we know, and to know that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge." Nicos Copernicus

That's the purpose of this article: to give you the essential information about XAT test. If you've set your sights on taking XAT it is essential to be aware of all pertinent information prior to commencing your preparation.

What is XAT?

Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) is an all-India-level MBA entrance test administered through Xavier Labour Relation Institute (XLRI) Jamshedpur on the behalf of Xavier Association of Management Institutes (XAMI). Since the past 70 years, XLRI is conducting XAT at an all-India scale to choose the best candidates for its management programs. As one of the most difficult entrance tests, XAT scores are considered for admission to MBA/PGDM courses offered at the 11 XAMI member institutes and 83 associate institutes and more than 600 other B-schools.

A lot of students are hoping to get admittance to XLRI and then pursue management programs. XLRI is regarded as among the top B-schools . Recently it has also introduced numerous executive and certificate programs to meet the growing requirements of the business industry. XLRI has a wide range of classes to offer including, PGDM HRM, PGDM BM (Full-time residential programs), Exec- FPM and BM (Part-time programmes for working Executives) just to mention some.

The most brilliant minds in the nation aspire to gain admission into the courses that are offered by XLRI and its affiliated institutions. Over 90,000 candidates are enrolled in the examination each year.

What is the format of the XAT exam?

Similar to other competitive tests, XAT is moderately difficult in terms of the difficulty and nature of questions. Prior to 2017 XAT was administered in a paper-based format. However, since the year the year 2018, XAT is a computer-based test. Its length is 190 minutes. It comprises five sections:

Verbal Ability & Logical/Analytical Reasoning

Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation

Decision Making

General information

Essay Writing

XAT comprises 100 questions that are objective and one essay on a topic. The test is split into two sections. Part-I is comprised of the initial three sections, which are considered to determine the final score Part II is comprised of GK Section and Essay Writing. There is no time limit for Part-I, so you need to manage the whole duration (165 minutes) effectively. For Part-I, there's negative mark of 0.25 for each wrong answer, and an additional penalty of 0.10 for every 8 attempted questions. But no marks are removed during Part II. Even though your GK score isn't included on the end XAT percentile, it is a crucial factor in the admissions process for B-school. Additionally, the essay will be assessed only after the applicant is chosen for an interview.

Additionally, there is the possibility of NAT questions being introduced during XAT 2023. There will not be negative markings for these questions, and candidates will be required to write the correct numerical answer.

Syllabus for XAT 2023

There is no set syllabus for XAT, applicants must prepare according to the pattern of the test and the questions of previous papers. In the past several years, the pattern of examination of XAT has been varied, and so have the types of questions.

The test is designed to evaluate the candidates' ability to reason and data analysis, interpretation and math. Additionally, the candidate is evaluated on their ability to make decisions and general knowledge. Here are some important aspects to be aware of to be aware of for the XAT syllabus:

*) Quantitative abilities are primarily focused on geometry, arithmetic and algebra.
*) Ability to communicate verbally and logically includes critical thinking, inference-based questions sentence corrections, reading comprehensions and many more.
*) The section for decision-making is based on managerial dilemmas, ethical issues and other situational questions. This section is exclusive to XAT because other entrance tests do not typically include any of these sections.
*) GK section is focused in static, general information and recent developments from the fields of politics, economics and more.
*) Essay Topics are generally abstract or general in their the sense that they are abstract or general in. They are also based on current issues and happenings.

When will the XAT exam held?

XAT is held during early January. The event is conducted for a single day within one session. The complete notification is published between August and September at the site of the institution (xatonline.in). It will provide information about important dates, fees for applications MBA/PGP programs, and other important information in the announcement. The process of registering to apply for XAT or XLRI is done through the identical application form. There is the possibility of having be prepared to cover an extra sum depending on the XLRI program.

XAT 2023 registration opens on 10 August 2022 until the test will be held on January 8th, 2023.

The test is held in more than 80 cities across India However, the city numbers may differ each year. Official XAT answer key as well as OMR sheet is made available by XLRI during the final month of January. The final results are posted on the internet in the first week of February.

The selection process for XAT for all participating institutes begins following when the institute announces the results and cut-off. XLRI provides a hard copy of the XAT scorecard to address of the candidates' registered. The candidates are asked to keep the scorecard until admission process is completed. After passing the entrance test the students are invited for personal interview and a group discussion session.

Take note that XLRI accepts students on XAT scores alone while the other colleges accept scores from other entrances, such as the CAT.

Who can take part in XAT test?

Since its beginning, XAT eligibility conditions have been the same, and are considered the easiest exam to pass. The XAT applicants must hold a bachelor's degree or an equivalent of at least three years of duration. There is no requirement of minimum qualification marks to be able to take part in XAT. Additionally, students in their final year are also eligible to submit an application for XAT.

Yet, XLRI also specifies programmed-wise qualifications for applicants.

Which colleges/institutes will accept Scores from XAT?

In all, about 700 schools in India accept scores from the XAT. But, it is wise to choose a top-rated MBA from a B-school to ensure a promising career. Here are a few of the top XAT-accepting institutions:

Some of XAMI Member Institutes

Xavier Labour Relations Institute, Jamshedpur (XLRI)

Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar

Xavier Institute of Management & Entrepreneurship, Bangalore/ Chennai

Loyola Institute of Business Administration, Chennai

Xavier Institute of Social Service, Ranchi

Xavier Institute Of Management & Research, Mumbai

Others Management Institutes that accept XAT:

Goa Institute of Management

SP Jain, Mumbai

Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad/Nagpur/Hyderabad

MICA, Ahmedabad

TAPMI, Manipal

Great Lakes Institutes of Management, Chennai

Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal

KJ Somaiya, Mumbai

Did you know that: XLRI is a member of the UN-supported Initiative PRME (Principles for Responsible Management Education). It supports various social initiatives throughout the year, and puts a special importance on sustainability.

Admission Process

The majority of B-schools start their selection process in February. They then finish the admissions lists before April. Following each XAT participating institute announces the cut-off criteria, candidates are then shortlisted for the following selection process that consists the following: Group Discussions (GD) as well as Group Exercises (GE) as well as written Ability Tests (WAT) along with Individual Interviews (PI). B-schools have different cut-off guidelines, with some indicating both the sectional and overall cut-offs for different management programs. In addition the different weightages that are attributable to different evaluation metrics (XAT percentile academic profile as well as the performance of GD/WAT/PI in work experience* etc.). Then, the candidates are given admission according to the mentioned guidelines.

*Note : Work experience isn't a required requirement for all MBA programs. However, certain MBA programs may require 1-2 years of work experience.

What is the ROI of MBA programs provided through XLRI?

The country's best talent wants to pursue an MBA at the top management institutes in India. The return on investment (ROI) for these top B-schools is high. Also getting a high score on XAT assures you a job at the top company for recruiting. Top recruiting professionals from India and around the world look at these institutes during their placement season.

XLRI is famous for its highest salary positions of. 50-60 lakhs annually. Check out some fascinating details about MBA places at XLRI:

In 2022 the Highest CTC was at more than INR 60 LPA was provided from BFSI Sector. BFSI Sector whereas the Average CTC was INR 30.73 LPA. The Median CTC was at 29 LPA. About 40.28 percent of students got Pre-Placement offers.

PGDM Batch 2020-22 received 437 domestic job offers to 99 recruiters. The most sought-after roles came in the BFSI, Consulting, and Sales & Marketing domains.

Bain and Co., BCG, Accenture, Amazon, ITC, PayTM, and Microsoft were the main contributors to the largest quantity of offers from recruiters.

In the last five to six years, XLRI has seen an increase in the amount of CTC provided for PGDM students.

How to Prepare for XAT 2023?

The success of the XAT test requires a lot of work commitment, determination, and concentration. Experts suggest that you require approximately 6-8 months to prepare for the XAT. It is therefore important to organize your plan and test strategy carefully. For XAR the goal is not just to increase your chances of passing, but to also increase to improve the precision of your responses. To achieve an excellent score on the test, you need to be aware of the following points in your mind:

First, begin your preparations earlier. A lot of students delay their actual preparation until the final few months and ultimately have an impact on their performance XAT.

After you've reviewed the most recent exam syllabus and pattern Divide your plan of preparation into a couple of stages, beginning with the concept of building and finishing with regular practice of the mock test.

Make reading part of your routine. This will allow you to develop strong reading and comprehension abilities, a strong vocabulary and general knowledge. The most important thing is to take your time reading a variety of highly-rated publications, magazines websites, newspapers, etc. In addition reading business and financial articles can help you when making decisions.

Note down the most fundamental formulae, tricks and shortcuts when learning about math concepts.

Test yourself on chapter-wise or topic-wise questions after having reviewed the fundamental ideas and the formulae.

Once you've mastered a few of the key topics by taking chapter-wise tests, you can begin doing sectional tests in a scheduled way.

Then, you can begin attempting the previous year's XAT exams and mock tests within the time frames stated.

After each test, you need to analyze your performance and determine the strengths as well as weaknesses. The analysis of your test will help you adjust your test strategies and pass the test with a high scores.

Make sure to utilize shortcuts, techniques for approximation elimination technique, as well as similar techniques in the exam when you can. Only way for you to use these techniques is to implement them into routine practice.

Because XAT does not impose any sections with time limits in any section, you have to decide on the exact amount of time you will spend for each section. As an example, you may spend 55-60 minutes on the Quant section, 50-55 mins for decision-making, etc.

Don't limit yourself to completing only the questions that are interesting to you. Most of the time, there are a few surprises on the test each year.

FAQs Regarding XAT 2023

1. What's the credibility in XAT scores?

Scores from XAT are only valid for one year.

2. What is the fee for application for XAT?

The cost for standard XAT Registration is Rs. 2000. Additionally, you must pay an amount of Rs. 200 for each management program of XLRI.

3. What is the price of the course at XLRI?

The course fee at XLRI ranges from Rs. 20.95 up to 23.6 lakhs as per the specific MBA course.

4. What is a high score on XAT?

If you're trying to gain admission to XLRI and you want to be admitted, you should aim for the 96th percentile on XAT. But, for other colleges that are decent that offer admission, an average of 90+ percent in XAT will suffice.

5. How old are limits for XAT?

No age requirement to be a part of XAT.

6. How many times do I have to take the XAT test?

There's no limit on the amount of times you can use XAT.

7. Is XAT more complicated or simpler than CAT?

Both both XAT and CAT are tough with regard to the types of questions and sections. Additionally, the syllabus for reasoning, verbal and quantitative remain the similar for CAT as well as the XAT exam. However, both the reasoning and GK sections are separate elements of the an XAT test. Furthermore, both exams are distinct in its the marking scheme and type of sections. In CAT, for instance, DILR section is considered to be the most demanding and lengthy while in XAT, it is the quantitative section that's the toughest one. But both tests are among the most well-known management entrance exams , and provide a pathway to the best B-schools in the nation.