Home (/) > A Beginner's Guide To XAT From A 99.

16%iler (XAT)

A Beginner's Guide To XAT From A

99.16%iler (XAT)
17 May, 2017 | 4 minutes Read

! 23 !

By Karan Madangeri (/author/karan_madangeri)

Student | XLRI Jamshedpur

XAT is a real-life example of Hare and Tortoise Story.

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Once the CAT is done, maximum of the aspirants take a break. CAT would be around December and after that
many are left with least momentum to prepare for XAT. This is the case with the hare.

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But believe me, if you manage to be the tortoise, have the patience and keep the momentum alive just for a
month after CAT, you will be amused by your own results in XAT.

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(https://insideiim.com/a-chance-to-visit-all-of-your-dream-b-schools-even-before-you-get-in-insideiim-kampus-
pass?src=articlepagead)
XAT (https://insideiim.com/exams/xat/) gives you the chance to major institutes like XLRI, SPJAIN, XIMB, IMT. Still
many undermine the importance of XAT since only a few prestigious institutes are on the list. But do not fall into
the trap since cutoffs are achievable, also the number of test takers are half as much as CAT
(https://insideiim.com/exams/cat/).

XLRI BM- 96%

XLRI HR- 93%

XIMB - 91%

SPJAIN - 85%( the catch here is you need a sparkling profile)

IMT- 90%

Now let's see the -

-" (/)(https://insideiim.com/exams/xat/syllabus-exam-pattern/), What are you looking

XAT 2018 Exam Pattern #
for?
Login (/auth/login)

Section No. of Optimal Difficulty Good Expected Cutoff

Questions Time in Level Attempts
BM HR
Mins

Verbal Ability and 26 55 Difficult 17-19 7-7.5 6-6.5

Logical
Reasoning

Decision Making 21 45 Moderate 16-17 8.5-9 7.5-8

Quantitative 27 70 Moderate 18-19 12-13 9-10

Ability and Data
Interpretation

Total 74 Moderate- 54-55 35-36 31-32

Difficult

- XAT 2017 Exam Pattern,

Paper Section Name No. Of Total Total Negative Marking

Questions Marks Time

Paper 1 Verbal and Logical 26 26 170 0.25 for any wrong answer, 0.05 for
Ability Mins more than 13 unattempted questions

Decision Making 23 23

Quantitative Ability and 29 29

Data Interpretation

Paper 2 General Knowledge 25 25 35 Mins No Negative Marking

Essay Writing 1 essay No Negative Marking

CAT level preparation should take care of. No one would just prepare for XAT, but some extra preparation
(https://insideiim.com/exams/xat/preparation-tips/) would be needed along with the CAT.

Verbal and Logical Ability [a bit harder than CAT, but the pattern of questions are usually the same and can
be referred from previous year papers]

Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation [easier than CAT]

For XAT, you need to concentrate especially on

Decision Making

This is a crucial section. Some do extremely well and some often land in dilemma. If you have worked in any
organisation before and have a good understanding of how the corporate world works, you can do this well. But
for Freshers, I would recommend to go through coaching material specific to this and solve as much as possible.
The idea here is to grasp how one should think for the company, also as an employee and also the solution to the
issue.

Tip: Avoid the answers which seem too harsh or too lenient

Tip2: Some require out of the box thinking, so don't get your mind conditioned with the question completely, be
neutral

This section if you have practised well and can take quick decisions, will be done in just 20 - 30 minutes. This can
be the best return of marks for your time. So don't neglect this section.

Then Paper 2:

General Knowledge

Questions will be of moderate difficulty asked on both static and current GK. One who is constantly in touch with
happenings around the world won't find it difficult to crack this portion. Although this won't be counted into your
final percentile, it can be a deciding factor once you are called in for an interview. 10-12 right answers out of 25
can get you 90%+, which would be considered a safe region.

Tip: Have Newsinshorts installed and be updated. https://news.google.co.in/ (https://news.google.co.in/) <- This
can also help.

Final Verdict

XAT isn't time intensive exam, rather it is time extensive. You will find a lot of time to solve the questions, so
pace accordingly.
The paper goes for 3.5 hours, make sure you practice sitting patiently and solving for such long hours. Also
on D-day not to forget the necessary stationery and water bottle.

"0.05 for more than 13 unattempted questions" Seeing this many try to attempt more and end up with more
negative marks, but this is nothing to worry about. Thus do not over attempt.
You might also like to read -

CAT And XAT: 2 Sides Of The Same Coin (https://insideiim.com/cat-xat-2-sides-

coin/)
‘Practise All The RCs You Can Find’ – Shelly Saksena, 99.62 In Verbal Ability, XAT
(https://insideiim.com/practise-rcs-can-find-shelly-saksena-99-62-verbal-ability-
xat/)
XAT – A Second Chance To Redeem Yourself – Tips By An SPJIMR Student
(https://insideiim.com/xat-second-chance-redeem-tips-spjimr-student/)

----------------------

About the Author:

Karan Madangeri is a student at XLRI - HR class of 2017-2019. He scored 99.16%ile in XAT 2017 and bagged
final admission offers from XLRI, NMIMS, XIMB, SIBM.

(This article was updated on 30th November 2018 - 11:45 AM)

! $  
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