XAT 2016 analysis: Difficult paper but no new surprises; Know expected cut-offs

In this article, let us take a detailed look  at XAT 2016 analysis. But before that, let's quickly recap a few important things about XAT exam. 

Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) 2016 exam was held across 47 centres in India on Sunday, January 3, 2016, from 10 am to 1:30 pm. The first MBA entrance exam of Year 2016 started with a bang. More than 90,000 candidates are expected to appear for the exam.

The exam was moderately difficulty with various new changes in exam pattern. The exam was not lengthy, but time management was crucial.

Speaking to Shiksha on XAT exam analysis and level of difficulty, Career Launcher founder Gautam Puri said, "Overall the paper difficulty to last year. The QA section was easier. English and Decision Making sections were similar in difficulty level to the last year XAT paper."

Shiksha reached a test centre in Noida to get a feel of the exam. We also spoke to various students and experts to understand exam pattern and develop XAT analysis. 

Interestingly, all students Shiksha spoke to expressed similar opinion - XAT 2016 exam was not as easy to attempt as proclaimed by XAT authorities.

XAT 2016 scores will be used for admission by various top MBA colleges.

As expected, the exam had the following sections: 

Total time duration was up by 30 minutes.  

XAT 2016 Marking pattern: 

All questions carried equal marks. One fourth of a mark will be deducted for each incorrect answer. Candidates can leave a maximum of 13 questions unattempted. Beyond that, leaving each question will result in deduction of 0.05 marks.  

Each question has five multiple choice alternatives. Candidates are expected to maximise scores in each section.  

XAT 2016 analysis 

Year on year, XAT exam has stands out for it's quality and paper standard. This was too was no different. Some of the topics that students encountered in the exam are Decision making, Reasoning ability, Verbal Ability and Quantitative Aptitude.  

The new paper pattern in the new year is a welcome move. The exam was long and candidates had enough time to attempt each section.

XAT exam, unlike all other MBA entrance exams, tests the candidates managerial qualities and to take risks. The paper was designed in such a way that only the top 10 % students will be able to crack it easily. The paper pushed students to attempt more questions than they are comfortable with, for every unattempted questions (beyond 13) will result in negative marks. 

Let's take a section-wise look at the analysis of XAT 2016: 

XAT 2016 analysis of Paper 1

Verbal and Logical Ability

Many test takers found this section lengthy and difficult. The reading comprehension passage required focus and was not very interesting. The difficulty level is quite similar to XAT 2015. This section had 14 questions of Reading Comprehension and 12 questions in verbal ability. Out of the four sets of RCs, two were easy and rest  moderate to difficult. Verbal Ability consisted of Para jumbles, vocabulary based questions, logical continuations, summary and critical reasoning questions. 

Decision Making

This section was pretty much similar to last year. Some of the questions were sitters in Decision Making. Their were two sets, which were time consuming in nature but doable.This section consisted of two sets with questions based on Analytical Reasoning, ethical reasoning and decision making, created to test a candidate's managerial acumen. 

Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation

Again, like last year, this section wasn't very difficult. A well-prepared candidate wll be able to solve it properly. There were 20 questions of quant and 2 questions of data sufficiency. Some of the topics that came in the exam are Arithmetic, Geometry, mathematics etc.

XAT 2016 analysis of Paper 2

GK Section:

This section was a bit tricky. But a well prepared aspirant, who has been following current affairs, will not find it difficult. There were some questions on trivia and facts. There were also some questions on defining the personality traits -- Candidates had to identify their fields / industry. Under these trivia questions, there were questions on Elon Musk, Agnus Deaton etc. However, there were no questions on static GK.

Essay

This year's XAT essay topic was:

Technology and Nature are natural enemies.

Various test takers Shiksha spoke to, found this essay topic doable.

Please notice, marks for Paper 2 (GK and essay) will not be included in XAT scores. Marks for these sections will be used during second and final round of MBA admissions.

XAT 2016 expected cut-offs

Shiksha correspondents are still talking to various experts to determine the expected cut-offs. So far, this is what we have found:
According to Gautam Puri from Career Launcher, the cut-off for XLRI's Business Management is likely to be 33-35.

According to Shiksha expert Parasharan Chari, COO of Endeavour Careers, "A sectional score of around 5 in verbal, around 10 in Decision making & 8 in quant will be good enough for a sectional cutoff. This means a total of around 28 would take care of a 93-94 percentile. However for an aspirant to sit comfortable, he would have to sit with a score of around 36+ for him to reach a score of 98+ percentile so that he can cash in during the final admissions stage."

Stay tuned for more expert updates on XAT 2016 analysis and expected cut-offs.

Read more 

XAT 2016 student reaction 

XAT 2016 results and scorecard

XAT 2016 expert analysis 

MBA Career Compass & Salary tool

Now that both CAT and XAT exams are over, candidates will need to focus on college selection. Salary and job function are important parameters while choosing an MBA college. To help students know how well college alumni are doing post their MBA, and packages they are earning, Shiksha has developed Career Compass in collaboration with Naukri.com. Click on the image below to find out more.