XAT 2021 Analysis and Expected Cut Offs

XAT 2021 exam was of moderate difficulty level. Check out in-depth XAT 2021 exam analysis and expected cut offs by MBA experts. 

The XAT 2021 exam analysis comprises in-depth evaluation of the question paper, sectional difficulty level, topic wise distribution of questions, number of good attempts and expected cut offs. 

XAT 2021 exam was held today from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM at multiple exam centres across India. The question paper once again proved it that XAT is the toughest MBA entrance exam. XAT exam analysis by experts reveal that the this year, the difficulty level of the question paper was similar to XAT 2019 and XAT 2018. The VALR section was however slightly easier than previous years. Quantitative Aptitude section was moderate but easier than last year. There were a couple of DI sets which were tricky. The overall XAT 2021 cut off is expected to be around 31-33 marks. Shiksha brings to you in-depth XAT 2021 exam analysis, read below. 

Also Read: XAT 2021 Student Reactions and Reviews

XAT 2021 Analysis: Highlights

• XAT 2021 question paper had 100 questions in MCQ format
• Sectional time limit for Part 1 of the paper was 165 minutes
• Sectional time limit for Part 2 of the paper was 15 minutes
• Verbal and Logical Ability section had 26 questions of moderate difficulty level
• Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation had 28 moderate to difficult questions  
• Decision Making section had 21 questions of moderate difficulty level
• General Knowledge section (Part 2) had 25 questions of moderate difficulty level
• Sectional cut off for Decision Making section is expected to be 8.5-9 marks for both XLRI BM and XLRI HRM programmes
• Sectional cut off for VALR section is expected to be 8-8.5 marks for both XLRI BM and XLRI HRM programmes

• Sectional cut off for QA & DI is expected to be around 10.5-11 marks for XLRI BM and 9-9.5 marks for XLRI HRM programmes

XAT 2021 Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme

The table below indicates XAT 2021 exam pattern and test structure.

Sections	No. of Questions	Total Marks
Decision Making	21	21
Verbal and Logical Ability	26	26
Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation	28	28
General Knowledge	25	25
Total	100	100

• +1 mark for correct answer
• - 0.25 marks for incorrect answer
• - 0.10 marks for more than 8 un-attempted questions
• No negative marking in GK section

XAT Analysis 2021: Section wise

Decision Making

The Decision Making section of XAT 2021 was as based on business decision related cases, as usual. The difficulty level of this section was same as that of XAT 2019 and XAT 2018. Absence of singlets made the task of reading DM passages and solving questions easier. A well prepared candidate should have taken less time in solving this section as all questions were simple situations requiring some decision making.

There were seven situations having three questions each. Four passages were on Business Decisions and three passages were on Ethical Dilemma. The difficulty level of this section of XAT exam was moderate.

Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning

Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning of XAT 2021 had 15 questions in Reading Comprehension with six passages. Three passages had three questions and the other three passages had two questions each. There was a customary poem with two questions, which was of moderate difficulty. The two parajumble questions were of moderate level of difficulty, while fill in the blanks and grammar questions were easy. An attempt of 20 to 24 questions should be considered good.

Reading Comprehension Topics:

• Poem - Sit by Vikram Seth
• Multitasking and Distraction
• Uncertainty in Life
• Importance of the Ability to Process Numbers in Animals
• Microsoft and Windows Phone
• Realization of Truth of Life
• Gender Data Gap

VALR sectional breakup

Topics	Number of Questions	Level of Difficulty
Reading Comprehension (6)	15	Moderate
Critical Reasoning	2	Moderate
Poem (1)	2	Moderate
Conclusions	2	Moderate
Grammar	2	Easy-Moderate
Para-jumble - 5 sentence	2	Moderate
Fill in the Blanks - 4 blanks	1	Easy

Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation

Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation was of moderate difficulty but easier than last year’s section. The section was split into 19 questions from QA and nine questions from DI. The QA questions were dominated by Arithmetic questions. There were some questions from Algebra and Geometry too.

DI part of this section of XAT 2021 had three sets comprising nine questions in total. One set was based on scatter plot, one was logic based, and one was based on Ratio and Proportion.

Students could have attempted 16-17 Quant questions and four to five DI questions in about 65-70 minutes.

QA & DI sectional breakup

Topics	Number of Questions	Level of Difficulty
Arithmetic	7	Moderate
Geometry	4	Easy-Moderate
Algebra	3	Moderate
Number system	2	Moderate
Probability	1	Easy-Moderate
Coding	1	Moderate
Cubes	1	Easy-Moderate
DI	9	Moderate
Total	28	Moderate

General Knowledge

The General Knowledge section of XAT 2021 was similar to last year. This section comprised 25 questions. The key areas from where the questions were asked were static GK (Economy, Geography, Science and Technology) and Current GK (Business economy, personalities, and awards). An attempt of 12-14 questions can be considered good.

General Knowledge sectional break up

Section	Number of Questions	Level of Difficulty
Current Affairs	7	Moderate
Economy & Business	4	Moderate
Geography	4	Moderate
Personality & Awards	2	Moderate
Books & Authors	1	Moderate
Sports	1	Moderate
Total	25	Moderate

Expected XAT 2021 Cutoffs

Check expected XAT cut off for admission to XLRI’s Business Management (BM) and Human Resource Management (HRM) programmes.

Sections	2021 Cut Offs (Expected)
	BM	HRM
Verbal & Logical Ability	7.5	8.25
Decision Making	8.75	8.25
Quantitative Ability	11	6.25
Total Aptitude	33	31

Read More:

• XAT 2021 cut offs
• XAT 2021 result and scorecard
• XAT 2021 answer keys
• XAT call predictor: Get admission call 
• XAT score calulation process
• MBA colleges accepting XAT score

FAQs on XAT 2021 Exam and Paper Analysis

Q: What was the difficulty level of XAT 2021 exam?

Q: What type of questions were asked in Decision Making section of XAT 2021?

Q: Was there any change in the exam pattern of XAT this year?

Q: How many good attempts are considered good to score well in XAT 2021?

Q: Which section of the XAT question paper is the toughest?

Q: How can I score well in XAT?

Q: What is the difficulty level of General Knowledge section of XAT? Is it important to complete that section?

Q: What type of RC passages are asked in XAT? Are they tougher than RC passages of CAT?

Q: How many B-schools accept XAT score for MBA admission?

Q: What is the XAT cut off percentile for Business Management and Human Resource Management courses of XLRI?

Q: When will the next XAT exam be conducted?