How to Crack XAT Decision Making Section? - Tips, Tricks and Important Questions
Xavier Aptitude Test 2025 ( XAT )
Most of the candidates find XAT Decision Making section daunting, because there is no one correct answer in it. One has to choose the closest option which will be most beneficial to the given business situation. Decision Making section is unique but can be seen as a type of Logical Reasoning. Find out how to crack Decision Making section of XAT 2025 exam. Read key tips and tricks to solve XAT Decision Making questions.
Decision Making section of XAT exam is a unique section. No other MBA entrance exam in India has this section, thus there is no reference point for it. The study material for Decision Making section of XAT is not readily available either. So, candidates naturally find it tough to prepare for it. However, this section may appear tough but it is very much doable if you understand the fundamental logic of solving the questions. It can be seen as a type of Logical Reasoning with Reading Comprehension, where you have to determined the correct option based on the given situation. This can be worked upon with practice. In this article, we will discuss about how to prepare for XAT Decision Making.
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There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.Let’s start with knowing the weightage of Decision Making in XAT exam. The Decision Making section makes up for almost a quarter of the XAT question paper with 21 questions. Until 2012, the Decision Making section was a part of Analytical Reasoning section and not more 8-10 questions were asked. In 2013, the XAT exam pattern was modified and Decision Making was made a separate section. Since then, it has 21 questions.
Q: In how many months can I prepare for XAT?
Q: Is XAT tough for candidates from non-Engineering background?
Yes, XAT is slightly tougher for candidates with non-Engineering background as the Quantitative Aptitude section is of higher difficulty level. However, they can crack it if they work on the fundamentals of Math and practice questions of all difficulty levels. It will take time but they will be able to crack XAT's quant section if they dedicate extra hours to it. Aspirants can find XAT study material online in various online study groups. Students’ groups on Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, etc. share study material with each other. One can also download MBA exam preparation apps to get relevant and useful study material.
The good part about XAT is that, it has different cut offs for candidates belonging to different academic backgrounds. As part of its commitment to academic diversity, the institute has lower cut offs for candidates from non-engineering background than candidates from engineering background.
Q: How can I prepare for XAT by self study?
If you are planning to prepare for XAT 2025 exam by self study, you need to start early. At least six months before. XAT exam is conducted on the first Sunday of January every year. So, if you start preparing for the XAT 2025 in June or July, you will have good six months to prepare. Make a preparation plan that includes XAT syllabus coverage, problem solving sessions, mock tests and revision. Get hold of best books for XAT. Consult mentors or previous year toppers for selecting the best books for preparation. Join online study groups where you can get the help of mentors and peers for problem solving and clearing of doubts in topics. Work in tough topics first and then move to easier topics.
Solve a large number and variety of XAT mock tests to master the syllabus. You will need to do a rigorous work on XAT mock tests as for candidates who opt for self study, have to rely on practice.
The XAT Decision Making section is very important from scoring point of view because Decision Making is the only section in XAT which is a single section. Quantitative Aptitude is clubbed with Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning is clubbed with Verbal Ability. Moreover, it is critical to assessment of business aptitude for which XAT is conducted. Thus, you don’t have the option of being ill-prepared for Decision Making before the XAT 2025 exam.
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What is XAT Decision Making?
In Decision Making section of XAT, questions are based on long passages pertaining to business and ethical decision making only. One is required to read and understand the passages and answer questions that includes logically interpreting and/or rearranging arguments, events, information presented.
Decision Making questions for XAT are the test of your interpretation skills and thinking ability viz-a-viz the given business problem. It requires you to provide/choose the best solution in favour of the larger good. This decision making requires ethical judgemen which is essential to being a good manager or an entrepreneur.
Q: Can I prepare for XAT with CAT preparation material?
Q: Which is the best book for the Quantitative Aptitude section of XAT?
Q: How can I cover the XAT syllabus by self study?
If you are planning to appear for the XAT exam by self study, you must start early as the syllabus is vast and tough. To cover the XAT syllabus by self study, candidates must refer to the books recommended for XAT preparation. You can take help from the following books to cover the XAT syllabus but do join a study forum to get help from mentors and peers when need be:
- How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT by Arun Sharma
- Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT Common Admission Tests for Admission into IIMs by Sarvesh K Verma
- Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by Abhijit Guha
- Data Interpretation and Data Sufficiency by Ananta Ashisha/Arihant
- Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
- Objective General English by Dr RS Agarwal and Vikas Agarwal
- High School English Grammar by Wren & Martin
- Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning by Gautam Puri
- Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT by Nishit K. Sinha
- Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency by Ananta Ashisha
- How to Prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT by Arun Sharma
Q: What is the difficulty level of the XAT exam?
XAT is one of the tougher MBA entrance exams. The difficulty level of the XAT question paper is usually moderate to high. The XAT 2024 question paper was of moderate difficulty level. The Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation section is usually tougher than other sections. Verbal and Logical Reasoning section is usually moderate. However, some candidates find the Verbal Ability section tough as it has questions based on Reading Comprehension passages and poem. Decision Making and General Knowledge sections are moderate to easy.
Out of 100 questions, about 70-75 attempts with 70 to 80 per cent accuracy is considered a good attempt in the XAT exam. The test takers must strive to attempt 2/3 rd of the total questions in each section for a decent overall score. If a candidate scores 95 percentile, they will be in a position to get a good college.
Q: What is the difficulty level of the Quantitative Aptitude questions in XAT?
Types of Decision Making Questions Expected in XAT 2025
There will be mainly two types of Decision Making questions in XAT exam 2025. They are:
- Mathematical questions
- Behavioral and managerial questions
Mathematical questions are often based on Data Interpretation or Logical Reasoning sets. One can apply techniques of DILR to solve such questions of XAT Decision Making section but should remember that since these questions are data-intensive, they might consume more time. Thus, one must solve these type of questions only if they are sure they can do it accurately in the given time limit.
Behavioral and managerial questions are often based on a situation where multiple problems arise and have to be addressed. The candidate is required to choose the most correct course of action. These types of questions are essentially a test of ones interpretive skills. The passages for these types in XAT are mostly based on ethical/ management/ human dilemmas. To crack this section, one must have good English comprehension and critical reasoning skills.
Also Read:
In XAT exam, three types of Decision Making questions are asked:
- Single Question Prompts: In this type, a single passage is followed by one question.
- Two to Three Question per Prompt: In this type, moderate caselets are followed by two to three questions.
- Four to Five Questions per Prompt: In this type, long caselets that are followed by four to five questions. This is the most confusing type of caselets with multiple or divergent point of views.
Also Read:
- Best Books to Study for XAT 2025
- How to prepare for XAT 2025 in 1 month
- How to prepare for XAT in 3 months
- How to prepare for XAT in 6 months
How to Crack Decision Making XAT 2025: Tips and Tricks
It is now amply clear that one needs to develop logical and critical reasoning skills as well as reading comprehension to crack Decision Making section of the XAT. Given below are a few tips one can follow for exam preparation:
- Practice Decision Making questions from previous years’ XAT question papers of past 10 years.
- While solving Decision Making questions, look for multiple stakeholders and analyse the situation from the point of view of each stakeholder.
- Do not apply method of elimination in this section. Look at the questions and options given, holistically.
- In many Decision Making questions there is no correct option, one has to choose the closest option that will be beneficial for all stakeholders in the given situation. So, keep this in mind.
- Do not allow your personal opinion to affect selection of the correct answer. Also, in many questions, opinions are presented as facts. Do not get swayed by the play of words that appeal to your emotions. Stick to critical thinking.
- All the XAT Decision Making questions are situation-based. Thus, practice a variety of sample questions to gain expertise in solving all types of questions.
- Do not attempt Decision Making questions you are not sure of attempting accurately or if it is taking too much time. XAT has negative marking.
Also Read:
XAT Decision Making Questions for Practice
Given below is a question from XAT 2018 question paper to provide you an idea of the type of Decision Making passages in XAT 2025.
Ava is the CEO of Ratan Brothers, a bicycle manufacturing company. The organization is doing well financially, with a steadily increasing share price. Recently, Ava promoted Bhushan, her nephew, to the position of head of procurement after he completed five years in the organization. After the promotion, he was automatically inducted into the quality council headed by Ava.
Dev and Sons is a supplier to Ratan Brothers. It supplies “ball bearings”, an important part of any bicycle. After Bhushan took over, he switched to a new supplier citing quality deficiencies in Dev and Sons’ product. Dev and Sons responded by publicly declaring that quality was not compromised. Further, it alleged that its competitor bribed Bhushan to get the contract.
Under pressure from media and suppliers, Ava constituted a cross-functional committee of senior executives to investigate Dev and Sons' allegation against Bhushan. The committee exonerated Bhushan. However, rumors within the organization began to spread that the decision was influenced by nepotism.
Which of the following should be the best response from Ava?
(A) Do nothing, as the committee has exonerated Bhushan.
(B) Force Bhushan to resign temporarily. Make an independent enquiry, if found innocent, reinstate Bhushan.
(C) Communicate to all shareholders that these kinds of practices are very common in organizations.
(D) Sack all those employees who questioned the authority of Ava.
(E) Explain in a town hall meeting, open to all the employees, how the decision to exonerate Bhushan was taken.
You can take the free XAT mock test below to know the types of questions asked, difficulty level of questions and your exam preparation level.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 18 hours ago
Candidates seeking admission to PGDM in Human Resource Management are required to secure a minimum XAT percentile of 95 for male engineers. For female engineers, the XLRI HRM cutoff 2025 is 90. These are the interview cutoffs released officially for PGDM courses of XLRI based on gender and engineeri
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 18 hours ago
XLRI Jamshedpur announced the XAT 2025 cutoffs for admission to its PGDM courses, including a two-year full-time Business Management course. As per the official website, the XAT cut off 2025 for male engineers for BM is 96 percentile. For the female engineers, the XLRI Jamshedpur XAT 2025 cutoff is
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
Surely! Several MBA colleges in India take XAT scores and charge minimal fee structures. Here are some you might want to look into:
Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Technology and Management Offers MBA and PGDM courses with a total fee between INR 1,10,000 and INR 1,80,000.
Abasaheb Garware Institute
T
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 5 days ago
Yes, XAT is required for MBA at Shanti Business School.
S
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 5 days ago
Yes, XAT is among teh emultiple national-level entrance exams accepted for admission to the PGDM (Post Graduate Diploma in Management) courses at Shanti Business School. In addition to XAT, the school also accepts other entrance exams such as CAT, MAT, CXAT, and ATMA for admission to its PGDM progra
N
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
With a percentile score of 65.5 in the XAT, you have several good options for pursuing an MBA. Here are some top colleges that typically accept candidates within this percentile range:
1. Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB): Known for its excellent faculty and strong industry connecti
A
Contributor-Level 9
Answered a week ago
Jiwaji University PGDM admissions are granted based on various national-level exam scores, including XAT. As per the institute's cutoff data for 2023, the XAT cutoff percentile for General All India category students stood at 50.
Students must note that this cutoff can vary depending upon the diffic
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
XAT 2025 exam had only 2 sections in the question paper, Part 1 had Quantitative Aptitude, Decision Making and Verbal Ability. Part 2 consisted of General Knowledge section. Essay Writing has been removed from the entrance test. It is a part of XLRI PI selection process. The total time duration of X
P
Beginner-Level 3
Answered 2 weeks ago
XAT 2025 exam was of moderate difficulty level. The students who had appeared for the exam last year, said the XAT 2025 question paper was not much different. Section wise, Quantitative Aptitude questions were on the tougher side, Verbal Ability and Decision Making were easy to moderate and GK was e
S
Beginner-Level 3
Answered 2 weeks ago
A XAT percentile of 7.2471 is approximately equivalent to a score of 17-18 out of 100. This score is below the typical cutoff for most top MBA colleges that accept XAT scores. For instance, institutions like XLRI Jamshedpur and MICA Ahmedabad generally require a minimum percentile of 85-90 for cons
A
Contributor-Level 9
Ideally, XAT preparation takes six to nine months, but if candidates have prepared for CAT too, XAT preparation can be done in lesser time as one will have to only work on Decision Making and General Knowledge topics. Those who are weak in English Comprehension must start reading practice early on. The ideal time to start XAT preparation is May, so you can cover the whole syllabus by October and dedicate two months to mock test practice.
If you start studying for XAT late, by July or so, make sure you complete the syllabus by October only. Remember that XAT syllabus is tough, so you’ll need to study at least 6-8 hours daily from start until the end. Give ample time to yourself to complete the XAT syllabus.