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How to Crack XAT 2025 in First Attempt
Edited By Team Careers360 | Updated on Nov 13, 2024 02:21 PM IST | #XAT
How to Crack XAT 2025 in the first attempt? - It can be hard to crack the top MBA entrance exam for candidates appearing for the first time. It similarly applies to the XAT 2025 MBA exam as well. But this is not always the case, anyone who has not appeared for the XAT exam before can crack the XLRI entrance exam in the first attempt with a proper study plan and strategy. The XAT 2025 exam is scheduled to be conducted on the 5th of January 2025. Right from how to practice, important tips to prepare, the best books to study to everything that it takes to crack the XAT 2025 entrance exam is covered in this article.
Direct link to fill XAT 2025 registration form
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Is XAT tougher than CAT? XAT preparation is not that much different from CAT. However, the question paper of CAT is more difficult than XAT exam considering the syllabus and CAT exam pattern, one needs to manage their time in the right way during the exam. In this article of Careers360, we have shared some basic and important tips to ace XAT exam in the first attempt. Read the full article to know how to crack XAT exam 2025 in the first attempt along with preparation tips to crack XAT 2025 on the first attempt.
XAT Exam Pattern
The XAT (Xavier Aptitude Test) is an important entrance exam conducted by XLRI for admission to various management programs. It is a three-hour online test comprising five main sections: Verbal and Logical Ability, Decision Making, Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation, General Knowledge and Analytical Essay Writing. Each question carries one mark, with a penalty of 0.25 marks for incorrect answers in the first three sections and a 0.10 mark deduction for more than eight unattempted questions. The complete XAT exam pattern is given below:
Exam Structure | XAT Exam Pattern and Syllabus |
Number of sections | 5 Sections along with Mock Keyboard Testing Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning (VA & LR) Decision-making (DM) Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation (QA & DI) General Knowledge (GK) Analytical Essay Writing (AEW) |
XAT exam time duration | 205 minutes (+5 mins) PwD candidates will be granted an additional 20 minutes for every hour. |
Number of questions | 95 + 1 AEW |
XAT total marks | 95 |
Language of paper | English |
Number of answer choices | Five |
Mode of examination | Online |
XAT marking scheme |
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Why You Should Appear for the XAT Exam?
The Xavier Aptitude Test or the XAT exam is one of the most competitive management entrance exams in India. Every year, thousands of candidates appears for the XAT examination. As far as the XAT 2025 examination is considered, XLRI, Jamshedpur conducts the exam.
Diverse Opportunities: The XAT exam provides access to various top management programs, including those at XLRI and other renowned institutions. This can lead to a range of career paths and opportunities in the business world.
Comprehensive Assessment: XAT exam evaluates a wide array of skills, such as analytical reasoning, quantitative abilities, and general knowledge. This helps ensure that you’re well-rounded and prepared for the challenges of a management career.
Enhanced Career Prospects: Scoring well in the XAT can significantly boost your career prospects by allowing you entry into some of the best management schools. This, in turn, can lead to better job opportunities and career growth.
Global Recognition: XAT is recognized both in India and internationally, which can be beneficial if you’re considering a career that involves global exposure or working in international firms.
Networking Opportunities: Being part of a top institution affiliated with XAT allows you to connect with a network of professionals, alumni, and peers. These connections can be valuable for career advice, job opportunities, and industry insights.
Skill Development: Preparing for the XAT exam helps you develop critical skills such as problem-solving, time management, and effective communication. These skills are not only useful for the exam but also beneficial throughout your career.
Tips To Crack the XAT Exam
- Having a good understanding of the XAT syllabus and pattern of the XAT exam - XAT, being one of the tough MBA entrance exams, requires hard work and dedication. To crack XLRI's entrance exam in the first attempt only, it is necessary to start preparation six to seven months before the XAT 2025 entrance exam. To start their XAT preparation from a good point, aspirants should clearly understand the syllabus and pattern of the exam they are going to attempt on the exam day.
- Syllabus of XAT 2025 - This year, XAT will be comprised of only one paper which will consist of objective or Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs). The questions will be asked from the four sections, namely- Verbal and Logical Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation and General Knowledge.
- Pattern of XAT 2025 - The exam pattern of XAT will specify the number of questions section-wise as well as the total time duration. The XAT exam will be comprised of about 26 questions of Verbal and Logical Ability section, about 21 questions in the decision-making section, about 28 questions of quantitative ability and data interpretation and 20 questions of general knowledge. The time allotted for the XAT 2025 exam is 130 minutes and there is no sectional time limit this year. As per the XAT marking scheme this time, one mark will be awarded for each correct answer and 0.25 marks will be deducted for each wrong answer and 0.1 marks will be deducted for more than 8 unattempted questions.
XAT Sample Paper, Topic wise Questions & Solution
Download latest XAT sample papers with detailed solution designed by MBA hitbullseye for the XAT 2025 examination preparation based on latest exam pattern, Topics and their weightage, difficulty level
Download EBookThe benefit of getting well-versed with the syllabus and pattern of the exam is that the candidates become capable enough to practice and prepare for the exam in a regular manner.
- Emphasize important topics - Aspirants should more emphasis on those topics specified in the XAT syllabus. Here, from the important topic, we mean the topics in the section that cover a major part of a particular section. Focusing more on important and high-weightage topics would lead you to score more.
- Make effective use of online platforms - Nowadays, online available classes, test series, and study materials have become the panacea. Hence, students should go for online classes for effective preparations if they are preparing by themselves at home for the exam and not going to physically established coaching centres. Aspirants may join online study groups as well and can find a mentor to guide them throughout the preparation.
- Take XAT mock test and sectional tests - Without any doubt, it can be stated that XAT mock tests are a must to crack this competitive exam. Therefore, students should dedicate plenty of their time to taking XAT mock tests and analysing them as it would allow them to assess their growth during the preparation.
- The magic of note-making - Regular, precise and good note-making proves to be the most effective weapon for the XAT last-minute preparation. Aspirants should start making notes from various resources, from the very start of their preparation. Mostly, note-making plays a vital role to ace the general knowledge section of XAT and aspirants must inculcate the habit of note-taking on a daily basis from various sources like newspapers, monthly magazines, etc to strengthen their General knowledge.
- Practice from XAT previous year papers - Aspirants, may go for practicing XAT previous year's papers to get an idea about the questions of easy, moderate, and difficult level questions asked in XAT.
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XAT Exam Time Management
Time management for the XAT exam is the process of planning and organizing on how to divide time between different activities. If a candidate is able to manage their time while writing XAT 2023=4, a candidate will end up working smarter, not harder, to get more questions done in less time- even when the time is quite tight and XAT exam pressure is high. Achievers usually manage their time exceptionally well.
XAT 2025 Section-Wise Preparation Strategy Tips by Toppers
Vandan Shah, who belongs to Surat, Gujarat scored 99.7 percentile in XAT 2020. In an interview with Careers360, Vandan shares his section-wise preparation strategy. He says “I practiced a lot from past years XAT question papers. Apart from that, regularly giving the XAT mock tests helped me to decide on how much time I need to allot to each section”. Here is Vandan’s section-wise XAT preparation strategy.
- For VARC - This section is a tad tougher than other exams and a lot of questions are inference based as you can see from the past year's trends. So the key is to devote some quality time while reading passages and comprehend them well.
- For QA and DI - This section is pretty much similar to other exams like CAT, so just practising questions can help you get the job done.
- For DM - This is a make-or-break section for me. I regularly solved past year's papers and analysed how my thinking was different from or aligning with the answer key.
Recommended Study Material for XAT 2025
While preparing for XAT 2025, candidates can refer to the below-provided books suggested by experts and toppers. Check section-wise XAT preparation recommended study material.
Best Books for XAT QA & DI
- Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by R.S. Aggarwal
- How to prepare for Data Interpretation by Arun Sharma
- Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by Abhijit Guha
Data Interpretation for the CAT by Nishit K. Sinha
Recommended Books for XAT 2025 VA & LR
- Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension by Ajay Singh
- A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning by R.S. Aggarwal
- Analytical Reasoning by MK Pandey
- Word Power Made Easy Book by Norman Lewis
- High School English Grammar & Composition by Wren & Martin
Best Study Material for XAT DM Section
- Analytical and Logical Reasoning by Arihant Publications
- Target XAT 2025 (Past papers & Mock tests) by Disha experts
- Jabbing the XAT (with solved papers) by R.K Jha
XAT 2025 General Knowledge Preparation Material
For the XAT General Knowledge section, candidates need to focus on History, Geography, Politics, Science and Technology etc. Candidates can also read magazines, newspapers and journals while preparing for the XAT General Knowledge section.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Why are self-made notes important?
Making frequent, clear, and well-organized notes is one of the most effective strategies to prepare for the XAT exam, particularly in the final stages. Candidates should start taking notes from various study materials as soon as they begin their preparation. This allows for faster revision later on.
2. Why is time management important for the XAT exam?
Managing time properly throughout the XAT exam enables applicants to work smarter, not harder. It enables them to answer more questions even under limited time. Successful applicants are frequently good at time management throughout the test.
3. How is XAT different from CAT?
XAT is recognized both in India and throughout the world, which is beneficial if you desire a career with worldwide chances or want to work for an international company.
4. When is the XAT Exam Schedule?
The examination will be conducted on January 5, 2025.
5. Is XAT harder than CAT?
XAT and CAT preparation are quite comparable, yet CAT is regarded more difficult than XAT owing to its curriculum and test pattern. Time management is critical in both exams.
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Questions related to XAT
Have a question related to XAT ?
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.
Deepti Singh 06 November,2024
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.
sadafreen356 26 July,2024
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
Abhinav Singh 05 March,2024
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
Ishita 20 July,2024
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.
Abhinav Singh 24 February,2024
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