Amity University-Noida MBA Admissions 2026
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XAT exam pattern 2027 is expected to be the same as the previous year. The first part of the XAT question paper will include the following sections: Decision Making, Verbal Ability, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, which will be concluded in 170 minutes. The second part will be the GK section of 10 minutes. Overall, the total duration of the XAT 2027 exam will be 180 minutes. The format of the questions asked in the XAT exam will be MCQ. The XAT 2027 exam will be held on January 3, 2027. Keep reading to find more information on the XAT exam pattern, marking scheme, and important topics.
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The XAT exam will be held in the English language only. Part I of the XAT 2027 question paper will comprise Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning (VA & LR), Decision-making (DM), and Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation (QA & DI). Part II will include the General Knowledge (GK) section.
The candidate can expect the total number of questions to be 95. Last year, XAT paper had a total of 95 MCQ questions.
Also Read: How to Prepare for XAT in One Month
Check out the following highlights on the XAT exam pattern 2027. However, it is expected that the information mentioned below can be changed depending on the official notification that will be released.
| Exam Structure | XAT Exam Pattern and Syllabus (Tentative) |
|---|---|
Number of sections | 5 Sections along with Mock Keyboard Testing
|
XAT exam time duration | 180 minutes |
Number of questions | Around 95 |
XAT total marks | 95 |
Language of the paper | English |
Number of answer choices | Five |
Mode of examination | Online |
XAT marking scheme |
|
*Note that the above-mentioned data about the XAT exam is not final and can be changed depending on the changes made by the exam authority.
The XAT (Xavier Aptitude Test) has a total of 95 marks, with 95 questions across different sections, where each correct answer gets +1 mark, and each wrong answer incurs a penalty of -0.25 marks (except GK, which will have no negative marking). The XAT 2027 question paper will include the following sections: Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning (26 marks), Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation (26 marks), General Knowledge (20 marks), plus a Decision Making section.
The XAT exam pattern will have multiple-choice questions. The sections from which questions will be asked in the XAT exam for MBA are: Decision-making, Verbal & Logical Ability, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, and General Knowledge. The duration of the XAT 2027 exam is expected to be 180 minutes with no sectional time limit. Let us check the variable distribution of questions in the XAT exam paper.
| XAT Exam Pattern for MBA | Number of Questions | Duration | Question Types |
|---|---|---|---|
XAT Part-I | |||
Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning (VA&LR) | 26 | 170 | The VA&LR section will encompass critical & analytical reasoning, reading comprehension (including poems & passages), vocabulary, English grammar, and other related exercises such as para jumbles, cloze tests, etc. |
Decision-making (DM) | 21 | The DM section will present scenarios drawn from both personal and professional lives. Candidates will be required to apply critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and prioritisation to make informed decisions. | |
Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation (QA & DI) | 28 | In this section, the questions are designed to assess the quantitative aptitude of candidates who possess a foundational understanding of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, mensuration, modern maths, etc. The questions on DI are about clear interpretation, summarisation, and insightful analysis of the data. | |
XAT Part-II | |||
General Knowledge (GK) | 20 | 10 | In the GK section, 10 questions will focus on static GK, while the remaining will delve into current affairs. |
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One of the key aspects of the XAT exam paper is the marking scheme. The XAT marking scheme pattern is different from other test papers. Based on last year's XAT exam paper, there is no XAT negative marking for questions asked in the General Knowledge sections. However, there might be a penalty of 0.25 marks for every incorrect answer. In addition to this, if the candidate leaves 8 questions unattempted, then a negative marking of 0.10 marks is applied. Check out the marking scheme of XAT.
The scores of the General Knowledge section will not be considered for calculating the XAT score.
Keep in mind that the XAT marking scheme for 2027 can be changed. In case there are any changes, we will update the data.
There is a variable distribution of questions in the XAT entrance exam, i.e., one section has more questions than another section. Apart from MCQs, one essay-writing question will be asked in this test. Check out the sectional break-up of the XAT 2027 question paper.
| XAT sections | Number of questions | Section-wise XAT total marks |
| Decision Making | 21 | 21 |
| Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning | 26 | 26 |
| Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation | 28 | 28 |
| General Knowledge | 20 | 20 |
| XAT 2027 Exam Pattern Sectional Weightage | |
| Section | Weightage |
| Decision Making | 21% |
| VARC | 26% |
| QA and DI | 27% |
| GK | 25% |
More than 150 top B-schools accept XAT scores in India, such as XLRI Jamshedpur, MICA Ahmedabad, XIM Bhubaneshwar, IMT Ghaziabad, and S P Jain Mumbai. XAT is amongst the most transparent MBA entrance exams, as it releases question papers, answer keys, and also allows candidates to ask for a recounting of the score.
Exam Year | Total Number of Questions | Section-wise number of questions | Marking Scheme |
|---|---|---|---|
| XAT 2026 | 95 | VARC: 26 DM: 21 QA & DI: 28 GK: 20 | +1 for each correct answer -0.25 for each wrong answer -0.10 for more than 8 unanswered questions |
| XAT 2025 | 95 | VARC: 26 DM: 21 QA & DI: 28 GK: 20 | +1 for each correct answer -0.25 for each wrong answer -0.10 for more than 8 unanswered questions |
| XAT 2024 | 101 | VARC: 26 DM: 21 QA & DI: 28 GK: 25 Essay: 1 |
|
| XAT 2023 | 100 | VARC: 26 | +1 for each right answer |
XAT 2022 | 100 | VARC: 26 | +1 for each right answer |
XAT 2021 | 100 | VARC: 26 | +1 for each right answer |
XAT 2020 | 100 | VARC: 26 | +1 for each right answer |
XAT 2019 | 99 | VARC: 26 | +1 for each right answer |
XAT 2018 | 97 | VARC: 24 | +1 for each right answer |
The XAT preparation includes the understanding of the XAT exam syllabus and exam pattern, along with the XAT test structure. Candidates are advised to refer to the XAT books and study material suggested by the experts and previous year toppers. Apart from that, candidates should take XAT mock tests at regular intervals for better understanding.
The XAT 2027 syllabus is expected to include topics from each section from which questions will be asked in the XAT test. With the help of the XAT syllabus, candidates can make their XAT preparation strategy. All the XAT topics related to the XAT exam syllabus are listed below.
Sections | Topics |
Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation |
|
Verbal and Logical Ability |
|
Decision Making |
|
General Knowledge |
|
Candidates preparing for XAT 2027 must go through the XAT sample papers along with the previous year's XAT question papers. It is important to get familiar with all aspects of the XAT exam. One can get a fair idea about what they can expect from XAT 2027. It will also help the candidate to assess their overall and section-wise performance.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Those candidates who score 25 to 30 marks in XAT can expect their XAT percentile to be between 90 to 95 percentile.
The duration of the XAT exam is 180 minutes.
The questions asked are multiple-choice based questions and one subjective question.
The XAT 2027 exam will be held on January 03, 2027.
The XAT 2027 exam pattern features a 3-hour exam which is divided into two parts, with a total of 95 questions across four sections: Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, and General Knowledge.
The XAT exam is scored on a scale of 0 to 100, with a higher score correlating to a better percentile. Generally, a score above 35-40 can lead to a percentile above 90, whereas as a score of 45-50 is likely to get a 95 percentile or more.
Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) is considered to be more difficult than CAT.
There will be a total of 5 sections in XAT namely- Decision Making, Verbal & Logical Ability, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, and General Knowledge.
There will be a total of 95 questions in XAT paper.
Yes, 0.25 marks will be deducted for every incorrect response.
On Question asked by student community
You can find all the information here:
CAT- https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/cat-exam-dates
SNAP- https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/snap-exam-dates
You can check the XIMB XAT Cutoff 2026 to determine the percentile for non-domicile female candidates.
The IRMA XAT 2026 cutoff is expected to be in the range of 55 to 60 percentile for ST category candidates. At an XAT score of 47 percentile, it is unlikely to get a PI call for the IRMA MBA admission 2026.
Assuming the candidate is from the general category with a decent academic profile, sectional scores, and work experience can get PI calls from XLRI, Jamshedpur, XIMB, GIM, Goa, SPJIMR, and more. You can refer to XAT college predictor for more information.
IMT Ghaziabad XAT 2026 cutoff varies in the range of 85-90+ percentile. You may get a PI call from IMT Ghaziabad, depending on your academic profile and category. For more information, you can refer to the XAT 2026 cutoff .
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