XAT 2025 Exam Preparation Tips from Toppers - Know Strategies, Study Material

XAT 2025 preparation tips from toppers - Those aspirants who start their preparation in advance, all have enough time to cover the entire syllabus and memorize all the basic concepts. Since XAT is one of the toughest MBA entrance exams, they need a plan as well as a fool proof preparation strategy.

Ideally, one needs 6-9 months for XAT preparation, but the question is how many hours one can study in a day toward XAT preparation. Know more on XAT 2025 preparation tips from toppers in this complete article. To excel in XAT 2025 with a high percentile, the preparation process should include the right preparation material, accurate guidance, and dedication. The XAT preparation should be in accordance with the syllabus and exam pattern.

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This Story also Contains

1. XAT Paper Pattern 2025
2. How to prepare for XAT 2025
3. XAT 2025 Preparation Tips from Toppers
4. Farzan's section-wise XAT preparation strategy
5. Malav's section-wise XAT preparation strategy
6. Recommended Books for XAT 2025 by Toppers

Apart from practicing with study material candidates should take mocks and quizzes during their XAT preparation days. In this article, Careers360 shares some tips from past years' XAT toppers and recommended books by XAT toppers.

XAT Paper Pattern 2025

Before proceeding to XAT 2025 preparation tips from toppers, let’s get familiar with the paper pattern of XAT.

• Verbal & Logical Ability

The Verbal & Logical Ability section is well known for its dominating behavior in the XAT exam. The major part of this section is covered with Reading Comprehension, reasoning skills, and vocabulary-based questions. To excel in this section one needs to take ample mock tests.

• Decision Making

The most unique section in the XAT entrance is Decision making. One needs to do their practice for the DM section on a daily basis because of variations in topics and questions. Basically, in the Decision Making section questions will be asked about financial issues, ethical dilemmas, company management issues, general management scenarios, etc.

• Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation

While preparing for the QA & DI section, candidates need to focus on accuracy. The topics which need to be focused on for Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation are Number systems, Geometry, P & C, Probability, and Functions.

• General Knowledge

While preparing for the XAT General Knowledge section, candidates need to get updated with current affairs apart from that they have to read the newspaper on a regular basis because most questions come from Static GK.

How to prepare for XAT 2025

Before going in-depth on the XAT 2025 Exam Preparation Tips from Toppers, it is necessary that the XAT exam aspirants are aware of the XAT exam pattern. Preparing for XAT 2025 requires a strategic and organized approach to cover all essential topics effectively. Here’s a detailed plan to guide you through your preparation.

Understand the Exam Pattern and Syllabus

Begin by familiarizing yourself with the XAT exam pattern and XAT exam syllabus. The test includes sections on Verbal and Logical Ability, Decision Making, Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation, and General Knowledge. Understanding the types of questions and the weightage of each section is crucial for effective preparation. Make a checklist of the topics to cover and prioritize them based on your strengths and weaknesses.

Create a Structured Study Plan

Develop a structures XAT study plan that spans several months, ideally starting 3 to 6 months before the exam. Break down your preparation into weekly goals, focusing on one or two sections at a time. Allocate specific days for each topic, ensuring you cover all areas thoroughly. Include time for revision and practice tests. Consistency is key, so stick to your schedule and adjust it as needed based on your progress.

Focus on Core Concepts and Practice

As you study, emphasize understanding the core concepts, especially in Quantitative Ability and Decision Making. Practice is vital, so work on a variety of problems and case studies. Use online resources, XAT preparation books, and previous years’ papers to find question sets. For Verbal Ability, read extensively from newspapers, journals, and fiction to enhance your comprehension and vocabulary. Additionally, engage with logical reasoning puzzles to sharpen your analytical skills.

Take Regular Mock Tests

Incorporate XAT mock tests into your preparation at regular intervals. These tests help simulate the exam environment and improve your time management skills. After each mock test, analyze your performance to identify areas that need improvement. Focus on accuracy and speed, and adjust your study plan to address any weaknesses. Aim to take at least 8-10 full-length mock tests in the lead-up to the exam.

Stay Updated on General Knowledge

General Knowledge is a significant part of the XAT, so dedicate time to stay informed about current affairs and important events. Read newspapers, follow news websites, and use apps designed for competitive exam preparation. Regularly revise static general knowledge topics as well, such as history, geography, and significant milestones in various fields.

Maintain a Balanced Routine

Finally, ensure you maintain a balanced study routine. While it's important to dedicate time to your studies, make sure to include breaks and leisure activities to avoid burnout. Engage in physical activities, maintain a healthy diet,

XAT 2025 Preparation Tips from Toppers

Those who have topped the XAT entrance test share their preparation strategy as well as the study material that they consulted during the preparation for XAT. Let’s take a look at the key tips from previous year's XAT toppers.

Farzan Shaikh (99.94 Percentile)

While asking about the XAT preparation strategy, Farzan Shaikh says - “I was born in Jamshedpur but brought up in Mumbai. I did my high school at Kendriya Vidyalaya and completed my graduation in B.Tech Chemical engineering from Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology. And I am currently working as a Senior Analyst - Consulting at GEP Worldwide based in Mumbai. I love playing football and reading books”.

I practiced a lot from the past year's XAT question papers. Apart from that regularly giving the mocks helped me to decide, how much time do I need to dedicate to each section.

Farzan's section-wise XAT preparation strategy

For VARC: I am an avid reader so this section comes easy to me. It is imperative to build a reading habit. To build the reading habit we can start reading whatever excites us and slowly move out of our comfort zone. Reading articles/books belonging to genres that are unfamiliar helps develop comprehension skills and also makes you aware of the surroundings. I believe that to become a business leader, one should live like one, and the skills required by any MBA entrance exams are not any different from those a good leader would possess.

For QA & DI: Since I have an engineering background, the Quant section is comparatively easier for me. For Quant when I started preparation, I covered all the basic formulas to understand the problem, and then I started solving a lot of questions that are available on the iQuanta platform. Secondly, I gave a lot of mock tests and later analyze the questions I was not able to solve.

For Decision Making: For the DM section, I prepared by solving and analyzing past XAT papers which are easily available. Do not blindly solve these questions while practicing, finding out the rationale behind the correct answer is of utmost importance.

Malav Shah (99.54 Percentile)

Another XAT 2021 Malav Shah shared his preparation strategy for XAT. Before the section-wise preparation strategy of Malav have a look at his section-wise percentile. Quants - 97.8, Verbal - 91.3183, and Decision Making - 99.5.

Malav's section-wise XAT preparation strategy

For Quants - As it was my stronger section of the 3 and have prepared this section extensively during my CAT prep, I used to just regularly brush up my concepts and formulas once every 2 days and would revise geometry regularly as its weightage in XAT is comparatively high as compared to other management exams.

For Decision Making - This is a very subjective and innovative section that is unique to only the XAT exam. Hence to master this section, one must be unbiased in his viewpoint and be as objective as possible in solving this section. One must solve at least 5-6 sets each day and more importantly understand the viewpoint of the author and incorporate that ideology in further questions. Here, solving as many questions as possible is the key as each and every set of DM sections is unique to each other but the thinking and solving process remain the same.

For Verbal - As I was comparatively weaker in this section, I divided this section into 2 parts. i.e. The RCs and the CR part. One should try to identify his strength in each section and try to maximize his score there. As RCs was my Achilles heel, I practiced a lot of CR questions and managed to maximize my score in this portion of the section.

Recommended Books for XAT 2025 by Toppers

Check the section-wise XAT 2025 study material. As these books are recommended by past-year toppers. One can use them while preparing for XAT 2025.

Books for XAT 2025 Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation

Best Books for XAT 2025 Verbal Ability

Recommended Books for XAT 2025 Logical Reasoning

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