Shiksha has collated official XAT question papers of previous years (2015 to 2024) for exam aspirants. Download these past years' XAT question paper PDFs for free. Also read XAT preparation tips 2025.
XAT previous year question papers are of great help in exam preparation. Candidates preparing for XAT 2025 must practice questions and topics from previous years' question papers to have a better control on the important topics. Practicing official question papers of XAT exam has many benefits, the most important being, practical experience of actual exam and understanding of the types of questions asked. XAT 2025 will be held on January 5, 2025 so candidates must solve official XAT question papers now so that the understanding of questions and effort required is fresh in memory.
Despite being a computer based test, XAT previous year papers are available online, as the exam conducting institute XLRI, Jamshedpur releases the question paper every year along with answer keys. Shiksha has collated official XAT question papers of last 10 years for aspirants. They can download these XAT question papers from 2015 to 2024 here. But first understand the benefits of practicing XAT previous year papers.
When to Start Practicing XAT Previous Year Question Papers and Sample Papers?
The best time to start practicing XAT previous year papers, sample papers and mock test series is after completing the syllabus. Since, XAT exam is held in the first week of January, the aspirants must complete their XAT syllabus by October and dedicate November and December to solving question papers and mock tests.
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There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.Benefits of Practicing XAT Previous Year Papers/Sample Papers
The best way to prepare for any entrance exam is to practice sample questions. For XAT 2025, practicing mock test series is not enough. Candidates must solve XAT previous year question papers of at least five years to know the latest trend of the exam and questions. It will help them in understanding the XAT 2025 exam pattern and marking scheme as well as help them in knowing how to tackle different type of questions. Given below are some benefits of practicing XAT previous year papers and sample test:
- Solving official XAT question papers will help aspirants in familiarising themselves with the pattern of the exam and marking scheme.
- XAT previous year papers will help candidates in identifying the trend of types of questions asked in previous exams and thus assessing what type of questions will be asked in the upcoming exam.
- XAT is the only MBA entrance exam that has a poem as RC passage. And to sove RC questions based on a poem, no resource other that XAT questions psper is appropriate.
- It will help candidates in identifying weightage given to each topic of XAT syllabus 2025 in the exam.
- It will help aspirants in discovering tricks and shortcuts to solve questions faster with 100 per cent accuracy.
- Practicing XAT previous year papers in time bound manner will help candidates in improving their speed, accuracy and time management skills.
- The XAT sample papers will prepare candidates for all types of questions – tough, easy, lengthy, tricky, calculation-based, etc.
Download Past 10 Years XAT Question Paper PDFs with solutions:
XAT Question Paper Highlights 2025
XAT question paper consists of MCQs from Decision Making, Verbal & Logical Ability, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation and General Knowledge. Maximum number of questions are asked from Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation and the least number of questions are asked from Decision Making.
Since there is no sectional time limit in XAT exam, the candidates can choose the order of answering the questions, within Part 1 and Part 2 of the test. 95 MCQs are to be solved in three hours.
- XAT question paper 2025 will be divided into 2 parts
- Part 1 of XAT question paper will consists of Decision Making, Verbal & Logical Ability Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation
- Part 2 of the question paper will consist of GK questions
- XAT used to have Essay Writing section (clubbed with GK in part 2). It was scrapped in 2019. XAT Essay Writing was reintroduced in 2022 but it was not evaluated in calculation of XAT score. It was evaluated at the time of PI shortlisting.
- The Essay Writing section has been scrapped again. For XAT 2025, it will be conducted during PI round of XLRI.
- Decision Making section is all about analytical and logical reasoning. The questions are based on situational passages on business ethics and decision.
- The Reading Comprehension (RC) section of XAT usually includes four passages and one poem. The RC questions are inference based.
Q: What is the XAT question paper pattern?
XAT question paper is similar to other MBA entrance exams, i.e. it has a limited number of MCQs. Check the table below for th pattern of XAT question paper 2025:
XAT Exam Structure | XAT Exam Details |
|---|---|
Mode of examination | Online |
XAT sections | Part 1- Decision Making, Verbal & Logical Ability, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation Part 2- General Knowledge |
Duration of exam | 3 hours |
Number of questions | 95 |
Total marks | 95 |
Number of answer choices | Five |
XAT marking scheme | 1 mark awarded for every correct answer 0.25 marks deducted for every incorrect answer - 0.10 mark deducted for more than 8 un-attempted consecutive questions No negative marking in GK section |
Candidates must check out previous years' XAT question papers to have an understanding of the paper pattern, topic-wise weightage and types of questions. These official XAT question papers are available in PDF format for free download. They can download the question paper PDFs for practicing XAT questions.
Q: Which section of XAT question paper is lengthiest?
It depends upon each candidate which section of XAT exam paper they find lengthy. It also depends on the questions chosen for the exam in that particular year. However, it has been seen that Data Interpretation questions are usually lengthy. Overall, the Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation section has the maximum number of questions i.e. 28 and candidates have to solve at least 22-24 questions to meet the desired cut off. So, this section may appear lengthy to the candidate.
To some candidates, the Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning section appears to be lengthy, because of dense reading comprehension passages and reasoning questions based on analogy, series, etc. The fact that both these sections are from the Part 1 of the XAT exam which is of 175 minutes makes it manageable as along with Decision Making, one can solve a decent number of QA-DI and VA-LR questions in 175 minutes.
Q: Is solving XAT question paper helpful in exam preparation?
Yes, solving XAT question paper is of immense help in exam preparation as one can get an idea of the exam pattern, difficulty level of the questions, and learn time management. The XAT question papers of previous years also give you an idea of what type of questions (Reading Comprehension passages and poem) are asked in XAT. In fact, preparation of Decision Making section is totally dependent on XAT question papers. XAT question papers of previous years also act as practice test providing you with the opportunity to master speed and time management.
Candidates must solve previous years’ XAT questions paper of at least last five years, so that they are aware of the latest type of questions especially poem, RC passages and Decision Making passages.
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XAT 2025 Question Paper: Expected Difficulty Level
The XAT is a high difficulty level exam. Given below is the break up of XAT 2025 question paper for reference:
| XAT Sections |
No. of Questions |
Total Marks |
Level of Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decision Making |
21 |
21 |
Moderate |
| Verbal and Logical Ability |
26 |
26 |
Moderate |
| Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation |
28 |
28 |
Tough |
| General Knowledge |
250 |
20 |
Tough |
XAT Question Paper: Marking Scheme
XAT exam has negative markingfor incorrect attempts. Given below is the marking scheme of XAT exam:
| XAT Marking Scheme |
|
|---|---|
| Correct answer |
+1 |
| Incorrect answer |
-0.25 |
| More than 8 unanswered questions |
-0.10 |
Also Read:
XAT Mock Test
Shiksha has prepared free XAT mock test for practice. Candidates preparing for XAT 2025 can take this mock test and check the preparation level:
| XAT_Mock_Test_1 | XAT_Mock_Test_Solutions_1 |
| XAT_Mock_Test_2 | XAT_Mock_Test_Solution_2 |
Also read:
XAT Exam Preparation Articles |
|
|---|---|
Q: What is the composition of the XAT question paper?
Q: How many questions will be on the XAT 2024 question paper?
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 4 days ago
Hello Sudhanshu,
If you're aiming for MBA colleges that accept XAT scores up to the 90th percentile and require separate registration before the exam, here are some options:
XLRI Jamshedpur
XAT Cutoff: 94-95 percentile Fees: ?24.80 Lacs Average Salary: ?32.70 LPA Registration: Separate registration re
A
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 4 days ago
For the General AI category students, the Manipal University XAT cutoff 2023 was 85 percentile for admission to the MBA in Banking and Financial Services, MBA in Human Resources Management, MBA in Marketing, and MBA in International Business courses. For Master of Business Administration (MBA), the
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
Yes, Osmania University does accept XAT scores for admission to their MBA program. However, the cutoff for XAT scores can vary each year based on the number of applicants and the competition. For the academic year 2024-25, the cutoff for XAT scores is around 25-27 percentile.
It's always a good idea
A
Contributor-Level 8
Answered a week ago
EMPI Business School accepts multiple national-level management exams, including XAT, for admitting students to its PGDM courses. In 2024, the XAT cutoff percentile for admission to the PGDM in International Business course was 60 for the students belonging to the General AI quota. So, candidates se
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
The expected CAT/XAT percentile for GLIM G is about 80+.
Scholar-Level 18
Answered 3 weeks ago
Top MBA colleges offering average CTCs above 12 LPA, with ST out-of-state reservations and accepting CMAT or XAT scores, include XLRI Jamshedpur (32 LPA, XAT), XIM Bhubaneswar (20 LPA, XAT), Great Lakes Institute of Management (15–17 LPA, CMAT/XAT), Goa Institute of Management (14–15 LPA, CMAT/XAT),
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
Hii, The difficulty of XAT, CAT, or CMAT depends on individual aptitude and preparation, but generally:
- CAT: Considered the toughest, with high competition and emphasis on VARC, DILR, and Quant.
- XAT: Moderate, with an additional Decision-Making section and essay writing, testing analytical thinking.
- CM
A
Contributor-Level 9
Answered a month ago
No, a college ID card is not considered valid for identity verification in the XAT 2025 exam. Acceptable documents typically include a government-issued photo ID such as an Aadhaar card, PAN card, voter ID, passport, or driving license. Ensure your ID is original, valid, and matches the name on your
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
Yes, IIFT (Indian Institute of Foreign Trade) admits students through XAT and GMAT scores other than the CAT scores for their MBA (International Business) program. Here are the respective :-
XAT (Xavier Aptitude Test):
The candidate using XAT can apply at IIFT for the MBA (IB). XAT is one of the tests
A
Contributor-Level 9
Answered a month ago
Sandip University accepts various national-level exams for MBA admissions, including XAT. The XAT 2025 dates have been released. As per that, the exam is scheduled to be held on 5 Jan, 2025. Moreover, the applications for the same are expected to be released in the middle of December 2024.
S
Contributor-Level 10
i need the colleges name through XAT exam upto 90 percentile which need to be separately registered before exam?