XAT Question Papers [2011 to 2025]: Download Previous Year Papers with Solutions PDFs

XAT Question Papers [2011 to 2025]: Download Previous Year Papers with Solutions PDFs

Team Careers360Updated on 02 Jan 2026, 11:55 AM IST

XAT Previous Year Question Papers: The Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) is a highly competitive MBA entrance exam conducted annually by XLRI for admission to top B-schools across India. For aspirants targeting XAT 2026, solving XAT previous year question papers with solutions is one of the most effective ways to boost preparation. These past papers provide deep insights into the XAT exam pattern, question types, difficulty level, section-wise weightage, and marking scheme. Practicing with XAT solved papers from previous years also helps improve time management and builds familiarity with real exam scenarios. In this article, you’ll get access to a curated list of XAT previous year papers for practice, designed to help you maximize your score and succeed in XAT 2026.

This Story also Contains

  1. XAT 2025 Question Paper
  2. What are the Benefits of Solving XAT Question Papers?
  3. XAT Question Paper Pattern 2026
  4. XAT Detailed Analysis
  5. XAT Previous Year Question Papers With Solutions
  6. How to Download XAT Question Paper?
  7. How to Prepare for XAT 2026 in 6 Months?
  8. XAT 2026 Preparation Materials
XAT Question Papers [2011 to 2025]: Download Previous Year Papers with Solutions PDFs
XAT Previous Year Question Papers with Solutions

XAT 2025 Question Paper

Understanding and thoroughly going through the XAT 2025 Question paper is crucial for candidates preparing for XAT 2026. With the previous year's papers and questions, candidates can enhance their preparation strategy and optimise their study plan based on their identified strong or weak areas.

What are the Benefits of Solving XAT Question Papers?

By solving XAT previous year papers, candidates will be able to get a better insight into the XAT question pattern, marking scheme, and type of questions that will be asked in the XAT exam. While solving the XAT 2026 sample question papers, candidates can easily discover their weak and strong areas. Candidates should solve XAT past year papers regularly to improve their speed and accuracy rate.

Familiarity with Exam Format: Practising with past question papers helps you get used to the format and types of questions asked in the XAT exam.

Time Management: Working through these XAT papers can improve your ability to manage time effectively during the actual test.

Identifying Weak Areas: By solving various XAT question papers, you can understand your weak areas and focus on improving them.

Understanding Difficulty Level: XAT question papers give the candidates a sense of the difficulty level of the questions, helping them enhance their preparation level.

Boosting Confidence: Regular XAT question paper practice helps build confidence and reduce exam-related stress.

XAT Question Paper Pattern 2026

A total of 95 questions will be asked in XAT 2026. The XAT 2026 exam pattern includes the number and nature of questions, total time duration, and XAT marking scheme. Candidates can check out the pattern of the XAT question paper given below.

XAT 2026 Question Paper Pattern

Section name

Total marks allotted

Negative marking scheme

Verbal and Logical Reasoning (VA and LR)

75

  • A 0.25 mark will be deducted for every incorrect answer.
  • A 0.10 mark will be deducted for more than 8 unattempted questions

Decision Making (DM)

Quantitative Ability (QA) and Data Interpretation (DI)

General Knowledge (GK)

20 (12 Current Affairs questions and 8 static GK questions)


Essay

To be conducted during the selection process


XAT Detailed Analysis

While analysing the XAT previous year papers, you will be able to understand the detailed analysis of the XAT examination pattern. This is the reason why it is necessary to study and analyse the various XAT past year papers. Given below is the section-wise analysis of the XAT examination.

Sections

Number of questions

Difficulty level

Part-1

75 Total MCQs (170 minutes with no sectional time limit)

Verbal and Logical Ability

26

Easy to moderate

Decision Making

21

Moderate

Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation

28

  • QA- easy
  • DI sets- Moderate to difficult

Part-2

20 Total MCQs (20 Minutes)

General Knowledge

20 (12 GK questions from Current Affairs and 8 from Static GK)

Easy

Total questions (Part 1 + Part 2)

95

XAT Trends and Changes Over the Years

Now, let us go through the major changes that took place in the XAT examination over the years.

  • For the XAT 2025 examination, the question pattern of XAT was changed by XLRI. The number of GK questions was set to 2, with 12 questions asked from current affairs and 8 questions from static General Knowledge.
  • This year, the Analytical Essay Writing (AEW) will take place during the Group Discussion and Personal Interview (GD/PI) sessions.
  • In 2024, the Analytical Essay Writing section was scrapped, and the total duration and total number of questions were reduced.
  • The essay-based questions were scrapped after the XAT 2018 examination but were later reintroduced in 2022.
  • There have been changes in the number of questions every year.
  • Previously, the number of allowed unattempted questions before accepting negative marks was 12. Now it has been reduced to 8.
  • Subjective Questions were removed in the XAT 2019 examination, but later reintroduced in XAT 2020
  • Since 2023, the exam timing has increased to 210 minutes.
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XAT Previous Year Question Papers With Solutions

Candidates can download XAT previous year papers or the XAT PYQ PDF, which are provided in the table. These XAT previous year papers with solutions can be used by XAT aspirants for effective preparation. These XAT previous year question papers are easy to download.

XAT Question Papers 2011 - 2024

XAT 2024 Question Paper PDF

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XAT 2023 Question Paper PDF

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XAT 2022 Question Paper with Answer PDF

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XAT 2021 Question Paper

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XAT 2020 Question Paper with Answer PDF

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XAT 2019 Exam Question Paper With Solution PDF

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XAT 2018 Question Paper with Answer PDF

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XAT Exam 2017 question paper with solution PDF

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XAT 2016 Question Paper with Answer PDF

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XAT 2015 exam question paper with solution PDF

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XAT 2014 Question Paper PDF

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XAT 2013 model question paper with answer PDF

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XAT 2012 Question Paper with Answer PDF

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XAT 2011 question paper with solution PDF

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How to Download XAT Question Paper?

Candidates can refer to the following steps to download the XAT sample/ question paper.

Step 1- To download the XAT Question Paper/ Sample Paper (Direct Link)
Step 2- Now, candidates will have to register by entering the necessary details.
Step 3- After completing registration, log in with the created credentials.
Step 4- Candidates can also use their Google or Facebook account to log in to download XAT previous year papers.
Step 5- Now, candidates will have to visit the XAT question paper store and click on the “Download” tab.

Quick Links:

XAT College Predictor
Know your chances of MBA calls through XAT percentile based on category, academics. Check college-wise XAT eligibility and cutoff scores for PI calls.
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How to Prepare for XAT 2026 in 6 Months?

Before following and accepting any preparation strategy, candidates must have a hard copy of the XAT syllabus to know the topics covered under each section. Candidates may get perplexed about the syllabus as XLRI Jamshedpur does not provide any official syllabus for XAT. Thus, making a preparation strategy could get complex when you do not know how to start. Below are tips that can be followed if you are looking for the answer to How to Prepare for XAT in 6 Months.

Months

Plan Schedule

For 3 months (August, September, October)

  • Make the base of each section

For 2 months (November and December)

  • Make a planner
  • Begin practising

For 1 month (January)

  • Solve the previous year's question papers
  • Give a mock test

XAT 2026 Preparation Materials

Choosing the right XAT 2026 preparation materials is crucial for targeted and efficient study. From recommended books to mock tests and previous year papers, these resources cover all key sections to help you prepare smartly and score high in the exam.

Free XAT 2026 Mock Test

Taking XAT mock tests is essential for thorough preparation for the exam. Mock tests simulate the actual XAT exam environment, helping you become familiar with the question types, time constraints, and overall structure. They allow you to identify your strengths and weaknesses, enabling targeted study and practice in areas needing improvement.

Regularly taking XAT mock tests also enhances your time management skills and builds confidence for the actual exam day. After each mock test, analyse your performance to understand where you can improve and adjust your study strategy accordingly. Careers360 has designed an online XAT mock test for the candidates after analysis of the exam pattern. You are strongly advised to practice this XAT mock test to assess your XAT preparation levels.

XAT 2026 Mock Test

Attempt Now

XAT Ebooks

Careers360 has designed a set of eBooks for the overall XAT 2026 preparation. The candidates are encouraged to download and study the XAT materials given below. These XAT preparation materials are designed by experts and are designed to ensure a comprehensive XAT 2026 preparation for the candidates.

Title

Download Link

XAT Sample Paper Section-wise Questions with Expert's Solution

Download Now

XAT Sectionwise Preparation Tips

Download Now

XAT 2024 Question Paper

Download Now

XAT Past 10 Years' Question Paper with Answers

Download Now

Know all about XAT 2024

Download Now

How to prepare for XAT in 6 months?

Download Now

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Is 30 a good score in XAT?
A:

Scoring 30 marks in the XAT exam will put candidates in around the 93 to 96 XAT percentile range, depending on the difficulty level and candidates' performance. 

Q: How can solving previous papers help me identify my weak areas?
A:

After attempting the past papers, you can analyse your performance and identify the topics where you lost the most marks. After identifying these areas, you can give more attention to them during preparation.

Q: What is the expected difficulty level of the XAT 2026 exam?
A:

The overall difficulty level of the XAT exam is generally considered to be moderate to difficult. The Verbal and Decision Making sections are typically moderate, while Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation can be challenging.

Q: What is the role of the essay writing section in XAT 2026?
A:

The Essay Writing section will be conducted during the Group Discussion and Personal Interview Round, rather than as part of the main exam.

Q: Which exam is difficult: XAT or CAT?
A:

Both XAT and CAT exams have a similar difficulty level. However, students may find XAT more challenging due to the more number of sections and questions compared to the CAT exam. In the verbal section, students can expect longer passages in the XAT exam.

Q: Does XAT increase global opportunities?
A:

Yes, XAT exam is applicable for admission in international MBA colleges and hence boost the growth opportunities at global level.

Q: How does the previous year paper help in time management in the XAT Exam?
A:

Working through these XAT papers can improve your ability to manage time effectively during the actual test.

Q: Why are mock tests crucial for the XAT Exam?
A:

Regularly taking XAT mock tests also enhances your time management skills and builds confidence for the actual exam day. 

Q: What is the duration of the XAT 2025 exam?
A:

XAT exam was of 3 hours 30 minutes duration.

Q: Is there any negative marking in XAT?
A:

Yes, for every incorrect answer, the 0.25 mark will be deducted.

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Questions related to XAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to XAT ?

Hi dear candidate,

As per the official cut off list by XISS Ranchi, the cut off for PGDM HRM in XAT exam is 60 percentile for unreserved category (general) which means that your admission is possible there. You follow there official website for admission process.

Know more:

XISS Ranchi: Admission

With a 70 percent in CAT Examination, you can go for various B-Schools or private collages. The S. K. Patel Institute of Management in Gandhinagar is an option for those who score 70-80 percent in their CAT examination or The Gujarat Institute of Management (GIM) in Goa with a cutoff

GIBS Business School in Bangalore accepts multiple national and state-level entrance exam scores for admission to its PGDM program. You can apply using scores from exams like CAT, MAT, XAT, CMAT, GMAT, ATMA, or various state-level CETs.

The admission process typically considers your entrance exam score along with your academic

No, it's not mandatory but if you've those score then your option will be vast. Maximum Universities have their own selection process & own exams. If you have those good score they'll prefer you. But as per AICTE rules you have to have one national or state basis entrance exam

Yes, it is definitely possible for you to get an interview call from Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai for their PGDM program, even with a 73 percentile in XAT 2025. While the typical cutoff for XAT may be higher, around 85 percentile, Great Lakes considers a variety of factors