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By: Kitiyala Jamir on Nov 27, 2023
Students appearing for the examination must understand what type of questions are asked and how the question paper is formed. XAT Exam Pattern would help students understand the above-mentioned questions and score well by preparing in the very right direction. The exam will now be conducted from 2 PM to 5.10 PM, instead of the previous timing of 9.30 AM to 12.40 PM and in Computer Based mode. XAT Exam used to be conducted through Paper and Pen based mode until 2017 and from the year 2018, it has been converted into Computer Based Test (CBT). XAT 2024 Exam Pattern would be the fourth computer-based test conducted by XLRI in its history of more than 60+ years.
Interested students can register themselves on the official website of XAT i.e. xatonline.in.
Know more about XAT Application Procedure
XAT Exam Mode |
Online i.e. Computer Based Test |
Total Number of Questions |
101 |
Total Number of Sections |
5 |
Sections |
Verbal and Logical Ability, Decision Making, Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation, General Knowledge & Essay Writing |
Type of Questions |
Multiple Choice Questions type |
Medium of Exam |
English |
Pattern of Questions |
Each question gives 5 answer Options |
Marking Scheme |
+1 Mark for each correct question |
0.25 Marks deducted for each incorrect answer |
|
Questions without Negative Marking |
Questions from General Knowledge Section |
Duration of XAT Exam |
3 Hours & 10 Minutes |
Percentile Calculation of XAT 2024 |
Only 3 Sections of the exam are considered for marking system |
Sectional Time Limit |
There is no sectional time limit |
Know more about XAT Syllabus
XLRI has announced important changes in XAT Exam Pattern 2024. Now the XAT paper The XAT 2024 exam pattern will consist of five sections with 100 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) and 1 descriptive essay question. This brings the total number of questions to 101 in the revised pattern. The key changes in the XAT 2024 exam pattern are as follows:
XAT Exam Year |
Total Questions |
Section wise no. of questions |
Difficulty Level |
XAT 2023 |
101 |
VA-26 DM-22 QA-28 GK-25 Essay Writing: 1 |
Moderate to Difficult |
XAT 2022 |
101 |
VA-26 DM-21 QA-28 GK-25 Essay Writing: 1 |
Moderate to Difficult |
XAT 2021 |
99 |
VARC – 26 DM – 21 QA – 27 GK – 25 |
Moderate to Difficult |
XAT 2020 |
97 |
VARC – 24 DM – 21 QA – 27 GK – 25 Essay Topic – 1 |
Moderate to Difficult |
XAT 2019 |
97 |
VARC – 24 DM – 21 QA – 27 GK – 25 Essay Topic – 1 |
Moderate to Difficult |
XAT 2018 |
103 |
VARC – 26 DM – 23 QA – 29 GK – 25 Essay Topic – 1 |
Moderate to Difficult |
XAT 2017 |
114 |
VARC – 28 DM – 23 QA – 33 GK – 30 Essay Topic – 1 |
Moderate to Difficult |
XAT 2016 |
113 |
VARC – 28 DM – 24 QA – 31 GK – 30 Essay Topic – 1 |
Moderate to Difficult |
XAT 2015 |
114 |
VARC: 28 DM: 23 QA & DI: 33 GK: 30 One essay topic |
Moderate to difficult |
XAT 2014 |
113 |
VARC: 28 DM: 24 QA & DI: 31 GK: 30 One essay topic |
Moderate to difficult |
As per the notification released on the official website of XAT, it can be seen that the exam pattern for XAT 2024 has been revised with a few changes introduced in it. Essay Writing Section has been reintroduced to which was removed in 2019, is now included in XAT 2024.Candidates appearing for XAT 2024 must note that there is no sectional time limit to attempt the question paper.
Below are the key highlights of the XAT exam pattern for 2024, including the sectional composition with significant changes in the XAT paper and the revised division of questions in the test pattern:
Section in XAT 2024 Exam Pattern |
Number of questions |
Overall Time Duration |
Part-1 |
75 |
165 Minutes |
Verbal and Logical Ability |
26 |
No Sectional Time Limit |
Decision Making |
21 |
|
Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation |
28 |
|
Part-2 |
25 MCQs + 1 Essay Writing Question |
25 Minutes |
General Knowledge |
25 |
Not Counted for Percentile Calculation Will be evaluated if you are shortlisted for PI round |
Essay Writing Test |
1 |
|
Total questions (Part 1 + Part 2) |
101 |
|
Below are shared key changes in XAT Exam pattern & Scoring scheme in last 3 years
XAT exam year |
XAT 2023 |
XAT 2022 |
XAT 2021 |
XAT 2020 |
Exam Duration |
3 Hours 10 Minutes: 2PM to 5.10 PM |
3 Hours 10 Minutes: 9.30AM to 12.40PM |
3 Hours:9.30AM to 12.30PM |
3 Hours:9.30AM to 12.30 PM |
No of Sections |
5 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
No of Questions |
101 |
101 |
100 |
99 |
Type of Questions |
MCQs-100; Descriptive-1 |
MCQs-100; Descriptive-1 |
MCQs |
MCQs |
Subjective Answer Questions |
1 (Essay Writing Test) |
1 (Essay Writing Test) |
No |
No |
Max marks |
100 (Essay Evaluation after shortlisting by XLRI) |
100 (Essay Evaluation after shortlisting by XLRI) |
100 |
99 |
Key Changes |
Essay Writing Test in 2nd Part |
Essay Writing Test Restored |
No Essay Writing Test |
No Essay Writing Test |
Penalty for Unanswered Questions |
None |
0.10 Negative marks penalty for every unattempted question after 8 unattempted questions |
NA |
0.10 Negative marks penalty for every unattempted question after 8 unattempted questions |
Marking Scheme |
+1 Mark for each correct answer; - 0.25 mark for each wrong answer |
+1 Mark for each correct answer; - 0.25 mark for each wrong answer |
+1 Mark for each correct answer; -0.25 mark for each wrong answer |
+1 Mark for each correct answer; -0.25 mark for each wrong answer |
As it is already mentioned above that the exam pattern and syllabus for XAT 2024 has been changed and there have been a few changes introduced in the number of questions asked, total time allotted to complete the examination, and the number of sections the question paper is divided into. The changes have been brought by XLRI Jamshedpur, the conducting authority of XAT 2024.
The total number of questions asked in this section is 28 and the questions are of Multiple Choice Question type. The problems are particularly based upon several topics from Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation section.
Following is the list of frequently asked topic:
Total Number of Questions |
28 |
Type |
MCQ |
Difficulty Level |
Moderate to Difficult |
Total Number of Questions |
21 |
Type |
MCQ |
Difficulty Level |
Moderate to Difficult |
Verbal Ability, Reading Comprehension, and Logical Reasoning
The section analyzes students' knowledge of English Language and their ability to derive logic from the information given to them. The section generally consists of a total of 26 questions where in 4 Reading Comprehension are given to read and there are total 14-16 questions based on the passages. Besides, there could be 14-16 questions based on the verbal ability. There is no sectional time limit to complete the section.
Following are the frequently asked topics:
Total Number of Questions |
26 |
Type |
MCQ |
Difficulty Level |
Moderate to Difficult |
General Knowledge
The General Knowledge section has no such pattern or frequently asked topics. The section generally consists of questions from current affairs, business, economics, social issues, sports, constitution of India, and international and domestic affairs.
Total Number of Questions |
25 |
Type |
MCQ |
Time Allotted |
15 Minutes |
Difficulty Level |
Moderate to Difficult |
Essay Writing
The XAT essay topics comprise past essay topics that appeared in previous Essay writing tests. These topics often revolve around abstract ideas. The Essay Writing Test, which was absent in the XAT exam for three years, has been reinstated. It was removed from the 2019 XAT exam. Additionally, many top MBA colleges also use XAT essay topics in their WAT (Writing Ability Test) process.
The changes were introduced during the last year itself. The examination pattern will remain the same in the next session.
Yes. Candidates can choose to answer any question from any section. They can switch between the sections anytime. They are not required to follow the official chronology of the question paper.
Paper 1 of XAT Question Paper needs to be completed in 165 minutes and the other paper i.e. Paper 2 needs to be completed in 15 minutes.
Yes. Candidates can preview their answers of all the questions before they submit the test. They can preview their answers by clicking on “Preview Submit” option in the XAT Question paper.
Nothing will happen. There will be no negative marking if any question is left unanswered or not attempted. But in case any candidate leaves more than 8 questions then 0.10 marks will be deducted.
There are four sections in XAT Question Paper. The Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation section consists of the maximum number of questions i.e. 28. Verbal Ability and Logical Ability section consists of 26 questions while GK and Decision-making sections have 25 and 21 questions respectively.
No. It used to be conducted through offline mode only till 2018. Since then the exam is being conducted through online mode only.
There are total 100 questions in the exam. Candidates appearing in it will be rewarded with +1 mark for every correct answer and 0.25 marks will be deducted as penalty for every incorrect answer.
XAT 2024 Exam Results were released on January 19, 2024, in the evening. XAT results show that candidates with 38% marks scored 97 percentile, while those with 44% marks scored 98.9 percentile. You can compare your XAT score to the percentile and admission chances in top XAT accepting colleges inclu
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