XAT Exam Pattern 2025 (Revised): Check Latest Paper Structure, Marking Scheme, Total Marks, Exam Duration

Yes, the XAT exam has negative marking of -0.25 marks for wrong attempt. Unanswered questions have no negative marking but if there are 8 consecutive unanswered questions, 0.10 marks will be deducted. Thus, the candidates must select questions to solve very carefully in the XAT exam. They should solve only those questions which they know they can solve accurately. The XAT exam has sectional time limit too, so you may not want to waste time on a question that you cannot solve accurately. You stand to lose both time and marks. So be careful in selecting questions in the XAT exam.  The sectional cut off for XAT is usually 80 percent accuracy. Practice a lot of mock tests to develop this skill.

There is no set time limit to prepare for XAT exam, but you need a minimum of six months for preparation. Ideally candidates need to start XAT preparation by April, however, if they start by June or July too, they can complete the syllabus within time and have ample time for practice of sample papers and mock tests. In order to utilize six months that you have for XAT preparation, do the following:

• Make monthly, weekly and daily time tables to study and don’t deviate from that routine.
• Start with subjects which you are your weak spots. We suggest start with studying Quantitative Aptitude and English.
• For Reading Comprehension, read editorials of newspapers and magazines every day. Read fiction, non-fiction, autobiographies, etc. for strengthening English vocabulary and comprehension.
• Download MBA exam preparation apps on your phone so that you can revise topics, solve reasoning or English puzzles anywhere when you get time.

Yes, there is sectional time limit in XAT. As per the latest exam pattern, the XAT question paper 2025 will be divided into two sections – Part 1 and Part 2. Candidates have to complete the questions of a given session within the time limit only. Since, XAT is an online test, there will be on screen clock indicating the time and as soon as the time of one section will be over, the screen will automatically move to the next part. Candidates need to ensure that they have answered the required number of questions and saved them within the time limit. Here’s how the XAT question paper is divided as per section and time duration.

Part 1- Verbal and Logical Ability, Decision Making and Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation  (170 minutes)

Part 2-  General Knowledge (10 minutes)

As per the latest XAT exam pattern, there will be 95 questions in XAT 2025 in MCQ format.

• Verbal Ability section of XAT will have 26 questions
• Decision Making section of XAT will have 21 questions
• Quantitative Ability section will have 28 questions
• GK section will have 20 questions

There will be no essay writing this year. It will be conducted during the selection process.

It is not mandatory to solve all the questions. Candidates should solve only those questions which they can solve correctly as there is negative marking in XAT. During the exam preparation, focus on the chapters from which majority of the questions are added. This will help them in achieving the sectional and overall cut offs are required.

Xavier Aptitude Test is a very popular Master of Business Administration entrance exam as it is a gateway to about 800 Business-schools in India. About 95,000 students appear for Xavier Aptitude Test every year. Students from diverse fields and academic backgrounds appear for Xavier Aptitude Test to pursue Master of Business Administration courses at top B-Schools in India. In Xavier Aptitude Test 2023, about 98,000 students registered for the Xavier Aptitude Test exam. In XAT 2024, about 1.35 lakh applied. For more information, you may visit the Shiksha Xavier Aptitude Test exam page. (https://www.shiksha.com/mba/xat-exam). I hope this will help you.

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:

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.

The Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation section of Xavier Aptitude Test 2025 will have the maximum number of questions that is 28, followed by Verbal and Logical Ability with 26 questions. General Knowledge will have 20 questions while Decision Making will have 21 questions in the Xavier Aptitude Test. For more details, you may visit the Shiksha Xavier Aptitude Test exam pattern page. (https://www.shiksha.com/mba/xat-exam-pattern). I hope this will help you.

The General Knowledge section of XAT 2025 will have 20 questions, each carrying one mark. Students are advised to attempt the General Knowledge section in 10 minutes as that is the time limit given for it. Since the questions are memory based, it will not take more time than that to solve the questions. For more information, you may visit the Shiksha Xavier Aptitude Test exam syllabus page. (https://www.shiksha.com/mba/xat-exam-syllabus). I hope this will help you.

XAT exam is more Quantitative Ability and Verbal and Logical Ability based. Which is why these two sections have more weightage than rest of the section. And between these two, Quantitative Ability has more weightage. In terms of marks too, the Quantitative Ability has maximum weightage, i.e. 28 marks, followed by Verbal and Logical Ability with 26 marks, General Knowledge carries 25 marks and Decision Making carries 22 marks.

XAT score is calculated on the basis of raw scores obtained a candidate in each section. In the XAT exam, every correct answer carries 1 mark and every incorrect entry carries – 0.25 marks. There is no negative marking for skipping a question. But, in case of eight consecutive unanswered questions, 0.10 marks will be deducted. XAT has about 99 questions on which the score calculation is done. So, for example, if you have got 70 questions correct and 8 questions in correct, then your raw XAT score will be 70 – 1 = 69.

If you have not answered 8 questions consecutively, then your score will be 69- 0.10 =  68.90. This raw score will be further calculated to arrive at XAT percentile. Check here the XAT percentile calculation process: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/xat-score-vs-percentile-how-much-xat-score-will-get-me-99-percentile-blogId-52337

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.

A candidate should practice at least 35 to 40 XAT mock tests during the entire preparation period. The mock tests should be of different varieties and various difficulty levels. Candidates should ideally start practicing XAT mock tests after completing the syllabus. They should start with easy mock tests, then move to moderate mock tests and then to tough mock tests. The motive should be to score above 98 percentile in the high difficulty level XAT mock test by the time the exam day arrives.

In the last two weeks before the XAT exam, candidates must practice at least five mock tests and analyse their performance. It is most likely that by the end of the exam preparation, candidates will be scoring 98 plus percentile in the mock tests. If that happens, they must be rest assured of surpassing that score in the actual exam.

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.

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.

No change has been announced in the XAT exam. The test will be administered just like yesterday. The duration of the exam will be 210 minutes and the questions will be in MCQ format. There will be a total of 100 questions on Decision Making, Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation, Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning and General Knowledge.

There will be one essay-based question too. XAT 2025 will have a sectional time limit which means candidates will have to complete a section of the test within the given time limit.

Marking scheme is also the same as last year. For each correct answer, candidates will get 1 mark and for each incorrect attempt, 0.25 marks will be deducted. The XAT result will be based on several correct and incorrect entries. The essay will be evaluated for PI selection process only.

XIM University offers various MBA and Master's programs with specific eligibility criteria and admission tests.

1. MBA programs, including Business Management and others, require a bachelor's degree with specific marks and accept scores from exams like XAT, CAT, GMAT, or XGMT.

2. Executive MBA-Business Management requires a bachelor's degree with work experience and similar admission test options.

3. Other post-graduate programs have distinct eligibility criteria.

The last date to apply for most programs is December 8, 2023.

You can apply for multiple programs using a single form and through different admission tests.

Interviews are part of the admission process for shortlisted candidates.

Residences are compulsory for MBA and MMS-BF programs but optional for other post-graduate programs.

XIM University has two campuses near Bhubaneswar.

For specific details, refer to the official Admission Bulletin-2024 on the university website.

The application fee varies based on the number of programme choices and is non-refundable.

You can apply using multiple admission tests, such as XAT and XGMT.

Please visit the official university website for the latest information and application details.

XAT (Xavier Aptitude Test) and CAT (Common Admission Test) are both popular management entrance exams in India. Both exams are known for their high level of difficulty and are considered challenging to crack. In terms of difficulty, it is difficult to compare XAT and CAT as both exams have their own unique characteristics.

However, XAT is considered to be more challenging than CAT in certain aspects such as:

1) Exam Pattern: XAT has a more varied exam pattern as compared to CAT. XAT has an additional section of General Knowledge, Essay Writing, and decision-making which requires a different skill set as compared to CAT.

2)Time Management: XAT has a higher number of questions as compared to CAT. And the time allotted for the exam is also relatively less. This makes time management a critical aspect for XAT aspirants.

3) Verbal Ability: XAT has a stronger focus on Verbal Ability as compared to CAT. The Reading Comprehension passages in XAT are usually longer and more complex than CAT. Which makes it more challenging. However, it is important to note that the level of difficulty of these exams varies from year to year, and it ultimately depends on the individuals preparation and skill set.

Sectional cut off for XAT refers to the minimum percentile fixed for each section of the exam that candidates have to meet. For example, if the Quantitative Aptitude cut off is 85 percentile for XAT, that means a candidate must have scored 85 percentile or more in the section of XAT to be eligible for group discussion and personal interview shortlisting. Check the below tables for PGDM BM and PGDM HRM for XAT 2023.

XAT Sectional cut offs for PGDM BM

XAT Sectional cut offs for PGDM HRM

XAT is an MCQ based test and all questions carry equal marks. The total marks of the exam is 100 and every question carries 1 mark. Decision Making carries 22 marks, Verbal and Logical Ability carries 26 marks, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation carries 28 marks and General Knowledge carries 25 marks.

There is negative marking too in XAT, that you should be aware of. Check below the marking scheme of XAT.

• One mark is awarded for each right answer
• 0.25 marks is deducted for each wrong answer
• 0.10 marks is deducted for more than eight unanswered consecutive questions
• There is no negative marking in General Knowledge section
• Scores of General Knowledge section will not be considered for calculating XAT score 
• The score of Essay Writing will be taken into consideration at the time of PI shortlisting

XAT exam was held for 3 hours and 30 minutes. However, with the revision of exam pattern, it will be held for 180 minutes in 2025. There is sectional time-limit in the test. 170 minutes are allotted to Part 1 comprising Decision Making, Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation and Verbal Ability. Part 2 has General Knowledge section to be solved in 10 minutes. No bio-break is allowed during the exam. Candidates have to finish the test in the given time limit only. The test screen will move from part 1 to part 2 the moment 170 minutes get over and once the 10 minutes of part 2 will be over, the test window will be locked. Candidates must keep saving their entries after every attempt as there is no provision in XAT to go back and review your answers once the time limit for that part is over.

XAT syllabus includes all important topics related to Verbal and Logical Ability, Decision Making and Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation and General Knowledge. You can check below subject wise important topics included in the XAT syllabus. Majority of the questions are asked from these topics.

XAT Verbal and Logical Ability syllabus: Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Analogy, Antonym/Synonym, Parajumble, Para Completion, Grammar, Critical Reasoning, Series Completion, Fill in the Blanks, etc.

XAT Decision Making syllabus: Data Arrangement, Conditioning, Grouping, Complex Arrangement, Caselets, Assumptions, Premises, Conclusions, etc.

XAT Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation syllabus: Arithmetic, Geometry, Mensuration, Percentage, Surds and Indices, Algebra, Mensuration, Bar Diagrams, Pie Charts, Tables, Data Interpretation, etc.

XAT General Knowledge syllabus: Science, Economy, Business, Politics, Static GK, Sports, Prize and Award, World, Government, Constitution of India, etc.