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As you prepare for the XAT exam, you should know about the best books available for the subject. Having detailed knowledge about the best books for the XAT exam General Knowledge is very important. In this article, we have analyzed all the top books and their benefits.
As we know the XAT General Knowledge syllabus consists of diverse topics and is very vast, choosing the correct books during XAT preparation is an absolute necessity. A strategic approach to subjective and objective types of XAT General Knowledge books will result in a good score in this section. In this article, we will discuss XAT 2025 GK preparation books in depth and answer some of the questions students ask about this topic like:
What are the best books for XAT GK?
Which books cover the overall XAT General Knowledge syllabus?
Why is choosing the correct XAT exam GK resources necessary?
Choosing the right XAT preparation books for XAT GK preparation is necessary for many reasons.
Exam-specific insight: The right GK books will provide the latest XAT exam pattern, previous year's papers, and detailed syllabus of XAT.
Book structure: The structure of the books is very important. The right type of books often offers a well-organized approach, starting from basic static GK chapters like history, science, and geography to advanced chapters like polity, and economics.
Current affairs coverage: Top books for XAT GK section also cover recent important current events which will be very helpful for students.
Quality practice sets: Best books include quality practice sets along with questions from the previous year.
Some of the top recommended books for XAT 2025 GK section are:
Lucent’s GK book
Arihant’s GK book
Manorama Yearbook
Banking & Economy Awareness by Disha Experts
Pearson General Knowledge Manual
Right GK books can improve your scores in many ways.
Equip you with relevant knowledge and boost your confidence for the actual exam.
Keep you up to date with the most important and relevant content in a single place to save your time.
Provide exercises, previous year's XAT sample papers, and XAT mock tests which are key for revision.
Offer exam-specific tips, relevant information, and questions that will be helpful in the XAT exam, giving you a better idea of what to expect.
The right XAT Books are a necessity for achieving high marks in the XAT exam.
Here are the names of some of the top GK books for the XAT 2025 exam.
Lucent's General Knowledge:
Key features of this book are:
Covers a wide range of static GK topics like history, geography, polity, science and economics.
The contents are well structured.
Information is shared concisely.
Gradually increase the difficulty level of the topics.
Affordable for every student.
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Arihant’s General Knowledge:
Key features of this book are:
Covers static GK and current affairs combinedly.
Annually updated to include recent developments and current affairs.
Includes practice questions after each topic.
All the information is well organized.
Banking Awareness by Disha:
Key features of this book are:
Focus on banking sectors, financial systems, and monetary policies.
Covers the latest information on government schemes, bank mergers and new regulations.
Contains practice questions.
Manorama Yearbook:
Key features of this book are:
Covers the latest national and international events comprehensively.
Provides data, charts, and tables to present facts understandably.
Published annually
Competition Success Review:
Key features of this book are:
Published monthly.
Provides detailed coverage of national and international news, government schemes, summits, appointments and economic developments.
Includes quiz sections and practice sets at the end.
Provides exam-related articles, tips and strategies for exams like XAT, CAT, UPSC and banking exams.
Affordable for students every month.
This is a comparison of all the top books in the market and their strengths.
Book title | Topic | Strengths | Ideal for |
Lucent's General Knowledge | Static GK | Structured manner, easy language and covers important points | Building basic concepts and revision |
Arihant’s General Knowledge | Static GK + Current affairs+ Practice questions | Balanced coverage of both static GK and current affairs. Offers practice sets. | All in one book and good for practice |
Banking Awareness by Disha | Business and Economy | Detailed coverage of banking sectors and economic policies. | Business-oriented students preparing for XAT |
Manorama Yearbook | Current affairs | Comprehensive coverage of current events of a year | Detailed knowledge about important events of the past 1 year |
Competition Success Review | Current Affairs mainly + Static Gk | Monthly updates and GK quizzes | Staying up to date monthly. |
These are the top XAT General Knowledge books that experts suggest.
Static GK | Current Affairs |
|
Newspapers like:
Magazines like:
|
Manorama yearbook is very useful for Current Affairs.
Other than that, here are the names of some magazines.
Competition Success Review
Business Line
Business Today
Management Compass Journals
The daily newspaper also helps us to stay updated about recent events. These are the names of some newspapers that can be useful for current affairs.
The Hindu
Economic Times
The Indian Express
Detailed knowledge of the syllabus and key topics is essential for any exam preparation.
Here is a detailed list of the topics covered in General Knowledge.
Static GK | |
History | Economics |
Geography | Sports |
Science & Technology | Important Organizations and their headquarters |
Politics | Important books and authors |
Important national awards and winners |
Current Affairs | |
Recent national and international events | Recent deaths of famous personalities |
Recent scientific breakthroughs | Recent awards and winners |
Recent published important books | New applications and schemes |
Recent sports events | Recent Summits and Conferences |
Important topics in the GK section for the XAT 2025 exam are:
Current affairs
Business
Politics
Economics
Indian Constitution and laws
Books and authors
Famous personalities
History and Geography
Awards and Winners
Aligning the right XAT GK study materials with the XAT GK Syllabus is very essential for effective preparation. There are many ways to efficiently do it.
Understand the syllabus: Before choosing books, it is important to understand the full syllabus of the XAT exam. There are static GK chapters like history, geography, polity, economy, and science in the syllabus.
Choose the right book:
Choose a book where these chapters are explained thoroughly and study them to build your base.
The book should also contain the past 6-12 months' important current events.
Also, there should be an ideal amount of exercises and mock test sets in the book for adequate practice.
Study plan: After choosing the right books, create a XAT study plan and divide your syllabus into that plan so that you can cover every chapter.
Mock tests: To fully align your preparation with the XAT GK syllabus, practice 3-4 mock tests every week to evaluate your progression.
A detailed preparation strategy for the XAT General Knowledge section is mentioned below.
Random reading of books will not help students during XAT 2025 General Knowledge preparation.
Here are some ways to use books effectively in preparation.
Build basic concepts from the NCERT textbooks of various subjects like history, geography, Indian polity, science and economics.
Rely on daily newspapers and the Manorama yearbook for current affairs.
Practice from objective-type books and increase your knowledge about these chapters.
Frequent revision is very important for the GK section. Spend 1-1.5 hours every weekend to revise the topics you read during the weekdays.
Only some chapters from the book are equally important. Understand the trends from the previous year's sample papers and focus more on those topics.
Study various books in the GK section to gain more knowledge about important topics.
Read business and economy-related questions more as these questions frequently appear in the XAT exam.
Here is a structured study plan for 1 month. Students can change as per their preferences.
Weekdays | Weekends | ||
Week 1 | History and Indian Polity | National politics and economics | Topic-wise tests and revision of important points |
Week 2 | Geography and the Indian economy | Business news financial policies | Full-length Mock tests |
Week 3 | Science and technology | Sports, awards, international treaties, summits | Topic-wise tests and revision of important points |
Week 4 | Revision of the whole static GK | Revision of the whole month's current affairs | Full-length Mock tests |
After analyzing the previous year's questions, we see the trend that more questions come from the Static GK section than from Current Affairs. But to achieve good marks in the exam, we have to give the same focus on both sections.
Static GK refers to the sections which can not be changed and happened in the past. Current affairs cover the recent important national and international events and developments. Generally, questions from this section come from events that happened in the last 1 or 2 years. So prepare accordingly to get familiar with the topics and questions.
Selecting the right book which covers all the static GK chapters that are in the XAT 2025 syllabus is very important.
These are the names of the top books which will be helpful for static GK preparation.
Lucent’s General Knowledge
General Knowledge by Arihant
General Knowledge 2024 by Disha Experts
General Knowledge by Tarun Goyal
Static GK parts cover topics like:
History
Geography
Polity
Economics
Science and technology
Sports
Important Organizations
Books and Authors
Awards and Winners
Here are some ways to maximize your score with static GK books.
Understand important topics: Review the past year's sample papers to identify important chapters that are frequently tested in the XAT exam.
Divide your study time: The next step is to make a timetable incorporating those chapters. This should give you ample time to prepare for the exam. Give extra focus to those high-weightage topics like history, polity and geography.
Use various techniques to revise: After reading a chapter, try to write important points without watching the book and recheck them after writing. Use flashcards to point out important points. You can also use mind mapping or diagrams for history and geography to remember them better.
Regular revision: Regular revision plays a dividend role in the preparation process. Revise all the chapters from time to time for effective preparation.
Linking static GK to current affairs: Many static GK questions are based on current events. So when you read some important news about any country or topic, cover all the relevant static GK points about that country and topic.
Current affairs knowledge is also very important to score high in the XAT 2025 GK section.
Current affairs also hold significant weightage in the XAT GK section. Current affairs tests your knowledge about recent events all over the world.
Here are other reasons why current affairs matter.
Current affairs questions generally cover the past 6-12 months and cover important topics such as major political developments, global economic changes, government schemes and reforms, awards, summits, and sports.
It is also a scoring section as the questions are straightforward and if you give enough attention to important events of recent times, you can score high in this section.
Unlike static GK, current affairs are ever-changeable. So staying updated is the only option to ace this section.
The below-mentioned books are very helpful for mastering current affairs.
Manorama Yearbook
Competition Success Review (CSR)
Pratiyogita Darpan
General Knowledge 2024 by Disha Experts
The Hindu Review (Monthly Compilation)
These are some renowned websites that can help you to stay updated.
GKToday
AffairsCloud
Bankers Adda
Jagran Josh
Beginners face the toughness of the XAT GK section firsthand and need help from some of the top study materials and books to get a good grasp on the GK section.
Here are the names of some books which will help beginners to learn the basics of the GK section
Lucent’s General Knowledge
Manorama Yearbook
General Knowledge by Arihant
Due to the vast syllabus of the General knowledge section in XAT, the preparation for this section is often overwhelming for students.
Here is a systematic approach which students can follow to score high in this section.
Start with Static GK: Static GK information doesn't change with time such as history, geography, and the constitution. Study these subjects for the first 2-3 weeks.
Incorporate current affairs: After an initial 2-3 weeks, use resources like the Manorama yearbook and daily newspapers to read current events.
Note down important information: from the beginning of the preparation, if any information seems important, note it in flashcards or notebooks to revise in the future. Use the same approach with current affairs.
Quiz and exercises: Many objective-type GK books provide quiz and practice exercises. Use them to test your knowledge as you progress.
Beginners should approach the XAT GK section strategically.
Here is a step-by-step approach for beginners to handle the XAT GK section.
Get accustomed to the syllabus: Review XAT notification and previous year's papers thoroughly. Understand important static GK topics and current affairs trends.
Pick a decent book: Choose a decent subjective book that covers all the topics and builds the basics from them. Start with some relatively easier topics like history and geography.
Start reading newspapers: Read daily newspapers to stay updated with the latest events around the world.
Increase difficulty: After some time, gradually increase the difficulty level of the topics. Start reading politics and economics.
Attempt mock tests: After clearing the basics, start attempting mock tests and track your progression.
Revision and review: Start revising all the chapters frequently. Revise all the current affairs of the week at the weekends.
Students should also have an idea about other important resources other than traditional books and newspapers and take help from those resources when needed.
Newspapers help us to stay updated to date with current events. At Least spend 30 to 45 minutes every day reading major news articles like:
National and International politics
Recent economic development
Business related articles
Science and technology
Environmental issues
Nowadays various news applications post important articles which we can easily read from our mobile phones.
Apps which post important news are:
The Hindu
BBC News
This will also save us time and we can read from these applications anytime anywhere.
Newspapers and Magazines offer in-depth coverage and analysis of important topics in the XAT GK section.
Use of Newspapers: Read newspapers like The Hindu, Economics Times, and The Indian Express every day and focus on editorials, opinion pieces and key news articles.
Use of Magazines: Magazines like Pratiyogita Darpan, Competition Success Review and Frontline cover important events all around the world every month. These magazines also highlight the relevant information for competitive exams.
Students often get bored reading from books and magazines. Visual representation is also a good way to prepare for the exam. Students can listen to podcasts and learn from the discussions on politics, economics, and national & global issues by the experts.
Some of the top podcasts are:
All Things Policy by Takshashila
The Daily by The New York Times
BBC Global News Podcast
Mint Business Podcasts
Several YouTube channels also discuss current affairs and important static GK questions which are important to this year's XAT exam.
The names of these YouTube channels are:
Study IQ
Drishti IAS
The Print and The Wire
Revision is the key to success in the GK section as the syllabus is enormous and students have to revise important topics from time to time to remember them clearly. If you do not revise the GK portion, you will not be able to remember it for a long duration.
For the first 1-2 months during preparation, build your base around all the chapters and collect as much important information as you can. Note or highlight important information so that when you revise, you can identify them quickly.
Here is a timetable after those initial 1-2 months, to revise all the chapters efficiently. You can make necessary changes according to your preparation.
Subjects to be revised | |
Monday | History |
Tuesday | Geography |
Wednesday | Indian Polity |
Thursday | Economics and Business |
Friday | Science and technology |
Saturday | Miscellaneous topics |
Sunday | Full-length mock test |
For quick revision of static GK, these books are helpful.
Lucent’s General Knowledge
Manorama Yearbook
Arihant’s General Knowledge
These magazines will help to revise the current affairs:
Competition Success Review
Pratiyogita Darpan
Yojana
Kurukshetra
Also, read the handwritten notes and important points written in the flashcards before the exam.
To cover the enormous GK syllabus, here are some tips to retain GK information.
Active recall and spaced repetition are very helpful in this section.
Use Mnemonics and acronyms to remember long lists or complex data.
Use mind maps, flowcharts and diagrams to remember topics like the Indian constitution, and geographical features like states, rivers and mountains.
Join online communities or study groups and discuss among the fellow peers to gain new perspective and information about the GK section.
Regular practice of mock tests will reinforce the learning.
As the XAT 2025 exam date comes closer, it is important to maintain a well-rounded approach for the XAT GK section.
Topics like history, geography, polity, economics, and science need consistent practice to have a good grasp of them. Use the right books and study materials to learn the basic and important concepts. Then revisit them frequently to sharpen those knowledge and learn new questions from different sources on those topics.
Books help to prepare for static GK sections and real-time GK sources help students to stay updated about current events. Combining these resources will provide students with both breadth and depth in the XAT GK section.
Use mock tests to test both areas together and apply your book-based and real-time learning from resources.
Last-minute tips are always important for effective revision. Here are some of the important last-minute tips.
Focus on the high-weightage topics for one last time.
Revise all the important current events you have already noted and search through the internet if you have missed anything important.
Check the flashcards or lists you have made writing the important facts.
Practice 3-4 mock tests on GK to fine-tune your preparation.
Read More:
How to Prepare for XAT in One Month
Here are the names of some books where students can get both static GK and current affairs.
Manorama Yearbook
Competition Success Review (CSR)
Pratiyogita Darpan
In the right GK book, there should be:
Both static GK and current affairs of the past 6-12 months.
Structured formation of topics.
Updated the latest version of events and developments.
Some mock test sets and practice questions.
Sample papers of past year's exam.
Apart from books, students can learn these resources to prepare for the XAT GK section.
Online portals
News applications
Magazines
Podcasts and YouTube channels
In general, the important events of the past 6-12 months appear in the XAT exam. Still, to be safe, check the past 2 years' important events but give more attention to the past 6-12 months' events.
Though eBooks and online resources provide lots of information and help students stay updated on current events, studying hardcopy books is also necessary for structured and detailed content, especially for static GK.
Hello,
Yes, you can also join IIMs two years after graduation, depending upon the justification in interviews and your performance in entrance exams. If you are not sure about CAT, try those other management exams less hard:
Common Management Admission Test: Easier than CAT; 4-5 months of continuous preparation will suffice.
MAT : Much easier and takes place thrice a year.
SNAP (Symbiosis National Aptitude Test): A bit easier than CAT, apt for Symbiosis Institutes.
Xavier Aptitude Test or XAT : Hence, easier than CAT but the unique decision-making section.
Use exams like CMAT and MAT as a challenge to be competitively prepared. This can be given about 4-5 months, along with a few rounds of mock tests and smart studying.
XAT scores are valid for 2 years hence you can easily download it again Visit the official website of XAT 2025 i.e xatonline.in. and then Click on 'scorecard' tab.login with your credentials XAT ID and password type the security text shown on screen. Click on candidate scorecard and download a PDF copy of the same hope it helps.
Hello
Here is the list of colleges you can get with 68%ile
JIMS Rohini Delhi
IMT Hyderabad
SOIL Institute of Management
Jaipuria Institute of Management Jaipur
Jaypee Business School
Dayananda Sagar Business School Bangalore
NSB Academy Bangalore
NDIM New Delhi
Hello Aspirant
Seeing your marks, it is evident you are good in academics. Thus, you can get into a good MBA college but mind you, it won't be easy because there are thousands of students who are as good as you, if not better. MBA colleges do not choose candidates solely based on academic performance, although it has a big weightage in their selection process. They test your presence of mind, intellect, and communication skills through Group Discussions and Interviews.
The safest way to get into a good MBA college is to score 96-97+ percentile and do really well in GD and PI. Top MBA colleges in India are IIMs, XISS (Ranchi), TISS, Delhi School of Business, and Symbiosis.
Hope this helps
Hello Aspirant
Congratulations on your score, There are many good B schools at 80-85%ile in CAT and XAT
1)Great Lakes, Chennai
2)IRMA
3) Goa Institute of Management
4) NIBM
5) TAPMI
Do your research about these colleges as to what is their average package, the roles offered.
Colleges like NIBM specialize in Finance, and IRMA has a lot of sales marketing Roles. So ultimately the choice is yours which specialization you want to pursue.
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In a business analyst job role a lot of analysis is done, things are learned from past mistakes and the successful strategies are enhanced further. A business analyst goes through real-world data in order to provide the most feasible solutions to an organisation. Students can pursue Business Analytics to become Business Analysts.
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