XAT EXAM-2020

Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) is a national-wide test conducted by XLRI Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur. About 700 B-schools consider the XAT score for the admission into MBA/PGDM program at their campuses.

Established in 1949, the prestigious XLRI is one of the oldest management schools in independent India. For fresh graduates, XLRI offers full-time, two-year PDGM courses. And for the working professionals, the premier institute offers the executive and doctoral programs.

XAT Exam Overview

About 95,000 (nearly one lakh) PGDM/MBA aspirants register for the exam every year. An interesting thing is the XAT is said to be tougher than the CAT exam.

Let’s have a look at the exam in detail here below

In the following sections, we cover more about the exam in detail:

• Why XAT Exam
• Events & Registration
• Eligibility
• Syllabus
• Exam Structure
• XAT Score
• FAQs

Why XAT Exam

Cracking the XAT exam meritoriously pays away to get into the prestigious XLRI campuses at Jamshedpur and New Delhi and the Xavier Institute of Management at Bhubaneswar. The test is considered to be one of the toughest in the country. And many B-schools such as S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA), and such other accept the exam score for admissions at their campuses.

After the prestigious IIMs, the Xavier Management Institutes are famed for the management programs they offer.

XAT Exam Registration & Events

Take note of the following exam events and their respective dates.

The dates of the events take place more or less in the same week as tentatively mentioned above. But this time, due to the COVID situation, the XAT exam 2020 notification will be released taking the stock of the prevailing situation.

The exam aspirants are advised to follow the official website now and then.

XAT Exam Eligibility

The following lists the exam eligibility criteria:

Education: A candidate holding a Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university/institution is eligible to apply. Having a relevant experience, however, gives you an edge over others in the XAT admission process. Final year students can apply. But at the time of joining the program, they have to provide proof of passing their degree. 

Citizenship: Indian nationals can apply, but foreign nationals and NRIs can directly apply through their GMAT score. That being said, the candidates from Dubai and Kathmandu can apply only through the exam. Those two cities are on the list of the exam test centers.

Age: There is no prescribed age limit to sit for the exam. 

Check: The detailed notification here.

XAT Syllabus

The exam syllabus comprises the following topics, which intend to gauge the aptitude of the test takers:

General Knowledge: This section covers the basic concepts of general knowledge and current affairs. This section aims to assess how far a test-taker is aware of the developments taking place around him. For example, you may get the questions on Nobel Prizes. 

Verbal & Logical Ability: Here, the questions are asked on grammar, vocabulary, comprehensive passages, and generic questions on logical reasoning, and sundry. 

Quant & Data Interpretation: The Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation cover topics such as basic geometry, number system, algebra, modern maths, and so on. From the DI section, the questions are in the form of case-lets and graphs.

Decision Making: It’s an array of questions that throw a challenge for us to make a decision.

The question can be on ethics, finances, managerial issues, and so on. The section aims to test the candidates’ decision-making ability in the devil and the deep sea situations.

Note: Only the exam has a separate section for the ‘Decision Making’ section.

Exam Structure

The exam pattern for XAT follows as mentioned in the below table:

The exam takes place in a single slot. By the way, there is no negative marking for the General Knowledge section.

XAT Score

The exam score is given in a percentile, just like the other national-level entrance exams in the country. The score obtained and the incorrect attempts from the General Knowledge section will not be considered for the final score calculation.

For the next round of admission process, there will be a section-wise cut-off for each program at XLRI. More importantly, the XAT exam score is valid for only a year.

For foreign nationals and the NRI (other than Dubai and Kathmandu), the GMAT exam score is accepted for admission into the XLRI programs.

FAQs

Check out some of the XAT exam FAQs here below:

1.Can I edit my information after I submitted my application?

A: No, it’s not possible. Hence, you are advised to preview your application before you hit the ‘Submit’ or ‘Confirm’ button.

2.Is it possible for an Indian citizen to apply through GMAT?

A: No, it’s not. All Indian nationals have to appear for the XAT exam in order to pursue a program at XLRI.

3.Can you consider the internship/articleship/work experience before graduation as a ‘Work experience’?

A: No, they won’t be. The experience must be after graduation in a relevant field.

4.How many times can I take the XAT exam?

A: There is no lifetime limit. You can take as many times as possible.

5.I forgot my password. What should I do?

A: Go to the ‘Login’ page and click ‘Forgot Password.’