XAT Xavier Aptitude Test
Management · PG · All India
Overview
Eligibility
XAT is conducted by XLRI Jamshedpur and accepted by XLRI and around a hundred and fifty other management schools.
- Degree: a bachelor's degree of at least three years, or its equivalent, in any discipline.
- Final-year students: eligible, provided the degree is completed by the date the admitting institute specifies.
- Marks: XLRI sets no minimum percentage to sit the exam. Individual member institutes may set their own.
- Attempts and age: neither is limited.
Candidates applying to XLRI apply separately to the institute in addition to registering for XAT — the two are not the same form.
Exam Pattern
Syllabus
Verbal & Logical Ability (VA & LR)
30%Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Grammar, Critical Reasoning, Para Jumbles, Cloze Test
Decision Making (DM)
20%Caselets, Data Arrangement, Ethical Dilemmas, Assumptions, Premises, Conclusions
Quantitative Ability & DI (QA & DI)
30%Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Mensuration, Number System, Data Interpretation (Tables, Graphs, Charts)
General Knowledge (GK)
20%Static GK (History, Geography, Polity, Economy – 8 Qs), Current Affairs (12 Qs)
How to Apply
Registration is online at the official XAT site. A single registration covers the test itself; each institute that accepts XAT is applied to separately, and most charge their own fee.
Register
Create an account on the official XAT website with an email address and mobile number you will still have months from now -- every notice, the admit card and the result reach you there. A registration number is issued; keep it.
Fill the form
Personal details, academic record from class 10 onwards, category, and work experience where it applies. The academic figures must match your marksheets exactly, because they are verified later against the originals.
Choose test cities
Cities are given in order of preference and allotted on availability, so the first choice is not guaranteed. Pick somewhere you can reach the morning of the exam without an overnight journey.
Upload photograph and signature
Both have to meet the format, size and background stated in the notification. A rejected upload is the most common reason a form is left incomplete past the deadline.
Pay the fee
Online, through the official portal only. The amount is set afresh in each year’s notification and is lower for SC, ST and PwD candidates. Keep the payment receipt.
Submit, then check
Print the completed form. A correction window usually opens afterwards -- it is limited, and it rarely covers every field, so it is a repair, not a second chance.
Important Dates
Selection Process
XAT is marked differently from most management entrances, and the differences decide strategy.
- General Knowledge is not in the percentile. It is scored, but the section is used at the interview stage rather than for the shortlist, so it cannot rescue a weak Decision Making score.
- Decision Making is a section no other Indian management exam has. It presents a situation and asks what should be done; there is no formula, and reasoning from the passage beats reasoning from principle.
- Unattempted questions are penalised beyond a stated threshold, so leaving a large number blank costs marks in a way it does not in CAT.
- Shortlisted candidates go to a group discussion and personal interview at XLRI or the member institute.
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