XAT 2024 Syllabus

Xavier Aptitude Test
XAT   Online
Exam Dates: 7th Jan 2024

By: Avantika Bhardwaj on Sep 08, 2023

XAT 2024 is scheduled to be conducted on January 7,  2024 and the registration window will remain open until 30 November 2023. Candidates who wish to apply for XAT 2024 can visit the official website of XAT i.e. xatonline.in and register themselves for the exam.

Xavier Aptitude Test shortened as XAT is one of the most important examinations conducted for admission to Management programs in reputed institutions across the country. Qualifying XAT 2024 would get students admission to the leading MBA colleges such as XLRI, SPJIMR, IMT, XIMB, TAPMI, XIME, and other 150 MBA colleges across the country. The exam is generally conducted in the month of January every year. XLRI Jamshedpur being the conducting authority of XAT Exam finalizes the date of examination and release all other important dates concerning XAT Exam on its official website. XAT 2024 is a computer based test conducted in a single session across the country and is one of the most sought after MBA Entrance Examinations where in Lakhs of applications are received every year. 

XAT 2024 exam will be held on January 7, 2024 and the question paper will be divided into three parts:

  • Part 1- Verbal and Logical Ability, Decision Making and Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation 
  • Part 2-  Mock Keyboard Testing 
  • Part 3-  General Knowledge + Essay Writing 

 Downlaod Now: XAT 2024 Syllabus PDF

Know more about XAT Exam

Candidates appearing for XAT 2024 must understand XAT Syllabus before starting with their preparation. For XAT Preparation one must possess a thorough knowledge of XAT Syllabus i.e. what kind of questions from which topics would be asked in the examination. As per the key changes introduced in XAT Exam Pattern and XAT Syllabus, candidates must know how they should get ready to prepare for XLRI XAT 2024 exam.

Changes Introduced in XAT 2024

Adapting to the changing times and regular updates characterize the fundamental attributes of the exam structure and curriculum. Every year, the XLRI XAT exam witnesses modifications, big or small. Noteworthy alterations have been declared for the XAT exam in 2024, including:

  • The XAT Syllabus for 2024 encompasses 5 sections, as opposed to the previous 4 sections.
  • A Subjective Essay Writing Question has been reintegrated into the XAT assessment.
  • The Verbal Ability, Reading Comprehension & Logical Reasoning; Decision Making; Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation; General Knowledge; and Essay Writing Test subjects will be amalgamated into a single question paper within a single section, discarding the former division into two separate parts.
  • The maximum number of questions in accordance with the XAT 2024 pattern will not exceed 101.
  • The first four sections will comprise Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs).
  • The Essay Writing test will entail descriptive responses.
  • Negative marking is applicable to the 75 Multiple Choice Questions in the three core sections.
  • The 25 General Knowledge MCQs will not carry negative marking, but they will not contribute to percentile calculations.
  • The Descriptive Essay Writing Test will not incur negative marking.

Candidates appearing for XAT 2024 must be aware of the factors that may enhance their preparation strategy covering all the vital topics of XAT 2024 Syllabus. There are several topics of XAT Syllabus that fall under the category of most important ones and require much time to be covered. Candidates must categorize their syllabus according to the sections asked during the examination.

XAT Exam Sections

  1. Verbal Ability, Reading Comprehension & Logical Reasoning
  2. Decision Making
  3. Quantitative Aptitude & Data Interpretation
  4. General Knowledge
  5. Essay Writing

Know more about on: How to Prepare for XAT Exam 2024?

XAT Syllabus 2024 Highlights

XAT 2024 Exam is divided into 4 parts. The following is a detailed introduction to the highlights of these parts of the XAT 2024 Syllabus.

Quantitative Skills and Data Interpretation (QA & DI)

  • 28 questions are expected in this subject area, such as measurement, algebra, geometry, and numbers. This part is usually very difficult, so 70% accuracy is considered good.

Verbal and Logical Skills (VA and LR)

  • The questions in this section mainly cover critical and analytical topics. Argumentation, vocabulary, reading comprehension, reasoning, etc. In terms of XAT oral and logic skills, according to last year's trend, it is estimated that there will be 26 medium to high difficulty questions.

Decision Making (DM)

  • This part is an interesting feature of the XAT exam, which consists of topics such as case studies, data organization, decision-making in a specific environment, and moral dilemmas.

General Knowledge (GK)

  • Usually the difficulty is moderate, and incorrect answers have no negative points. This section asks 25 questions, each of which has a level.

XAT Syllabus

XAT Syllabus 2024 Analysis

As per the previous years' XAT Question Papers, it can be easily seen that the question paper is designed to analyze and test students' ability to solve questions keeping Verbal Ability, Reading Comprehension & Logical reasoning, Decision Making, and Quantitative Aptitude & Data Interpretation the factors to determine their scores.

The candidates must be aware of:

  • XAT 2024 Syllabus of Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation
  • XAT 2024 Syllabus of Verbal Ability, Reading Comprehension and Logical Reasoning
  • XAT 2024 Syllabus of Decision Making
  • XAT 2024 Syllabus of General Knowledge

People also Read: XAT Online Coaching

XAT Syllabus of Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation

This section of XAT 2024 Exam Pattern would analyze students' ability to derive information from the data given to them and their mathematical skills. The conducting body i.e. XLRI Jamshedpur has brought some significant changes in this section such as questions asked from Numbers, Geometry, and Mensuration have become more important and around half of the questions are based on Arithmetic skills.

  • The other topics such as Arithmetic, Venn Diagrams, and Functions can be considered important ones as the question paper of XAT is formed out of these topics.
  • The section consists of 28 questions and there is no sectional time limit to solve this.
  • Data Interpretation part comprises of questions where some data is given, and the questions are made from the given data.
  • The candidates must be able to infer the required information from the given data and solve the questions.
  • The questions of this section are of highest difficulty level.

Following are the important topics one must study for Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation:

LCM and HCF

Percentages

Profit and Loss

Simple Interest and Compound Interest

Speed, Time, and Distance

Time and Work

Ratio and Proportion

Number System

Algebra

Geometry

Coordinate Geometry

Mensuration

Pure Math

Venn Diagrams

Linear Equations

Quadratic Equations

Complex Numbers

Logarithm

Progressions

Binomial Theorem

Surds and Indices

Inequalities

Permutation and Combination

Probability Functions

Set Theory

Mixtures and Allegations

Trigonometry

Statistics

Algebra Functions

Table

Data Tables

Data Charts

Bar Diagrams

Pie Charts

Graphs

Data Analysis and Comparison

XAT Syllabus of Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning

This section analyzes students' knowledge of English Grammar and Logical Abilities. This section is divided into three parts such as questions based on verbal ability, questions based on reading comprehension, and questions based on logical reasoning.

  • The section consists of 26 questions of MCQ type.

Below mentioned are the topics one must cover in each part of the section.

Verbal Ability

The questions asked in this part are related to the following topics:

  • English Vocabulary
  • Fill in the Blanks
  • Synonyms and Antonyms
  • Contextual usage of Vocabulary words
  • Jumbles sentences
  • Correction of sentences
  • Completion of sentences
  • Completion of paragraphs

Reading Comprehension

The questions asked in this part are related to the following topics:

  • Reading Comprehension passages
  • Topics on which the passages are based:

Abstract topics

Literature

Social Issues

Economic issues

Science & Culture

History & Fiction

Logical Reasoning

This part does not contribute much questions to the section, but the questions are easy to solve. There are a few critical reasoning and a few Logical Reasoning based questions asked in the section.

Following are the topics the questions of this part are made from:

Analogy

Clocks

Calendars

Facts

Inference

Judgement

Binary Logic

Seating Arrangement

Blood Relations

Logical Sequence

Assumption

Premise

Conclusion

Logical Reasoning

XAT Syllabus of Decision Making

The difficulty level of this section is moderately difficult as none of the national level entrance examinations consists of this section. The section consists of 21 questions in total and again there is no sectional time limit to attempt the questions.

The questions asked in this part are related to the following topics:

Conditions

Group Test

Data Arrangement Test

Complex Arrangement

Decision Making in a Situation

Case lets

Arithmetic

Analytical Reasoning

Situational

Data Arrangement

Reading Comprehension

Data Arrangement Test

Don't Forget to Read: How to Prepare for XAT in 3 Months?

XAT Syllabus of General Knowledge

The second part of XAT Exam Pattern consists of General Knowledge section where in the number of questions is set to be 25. The questions are of multiple choice questions type. The section is not considered while calculating the percentile marks scored by candidates. The questions are loosely based upon the current and conventional GK.

Students who have in depth knowledge of GK and a regular habit of reading would be able to attempt the questions of this section.

Following are the topics the section is made from:

Economics

Finance

National and International Current Affairs

Conventional GK

Constitutions of India

Company profiles

Company Logos

Business and Economy

Who is who

Books and Authors

Capitals and their Currencies

Literature

Sports

Merger and Acquisitions

History

Politics

XAT Syllabus 2024: Essay Writing

The XAT exam syllabus included the essay writing section till XAT 2018 before the section was removed from the XAT syllabus. However, in XAT 2022, XLRI Jamshedpur reintroduced the essay writing section.

The essay writing section is the only descriptive question in the XAT syllabus. With the introduction of this section, candidates can expect an increase of 10 minutes in the total time allotted for the exam. Essay writing is also a broad topic with an infinite possibility of questions. In XAT 2023, candidates had to choose between two given topics while in XAT 2023, candidates had to choose one essay topic from 3 options.

The Essay Writing section focuses on abstract ideas and contemporary thoughts. The section is only evaluated if the candidate is shortlisted for further admission rounds at an institute,

RecommendedXAT 2024 Mock Test

XAT Exam Preparation Books

Good books are as important as qualifying of the examination. Candidates willing to take the exam must read good books in order to qualify the examination and enhance their knowledge.

For More Information Read: Best Books for XAT 2024 Preparation

Books for Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation

Book Name

Written By

Quantitative Aptitude for CAT

Nitish K. Sinha

PSC for VA for CAT

Nitish K. Sinha

Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT

Nitish K. Sinha

CAT 2017 Quantitative Aptitude

Gautam Puri

Wiley's ExamExpert XAT (Xavier Aptitude Test)

Wiley India

Jabbing the XAT Mock Tests & Solved Papers

R K Jha

Books for Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning

Book Name

Written By

Study Notes Material on XAT Paperback 2016

Sourav Sir's Classes

Verbal Ability Comprehension for CAT/XAT/IIFT/CMAT/MAT

Bharta Patodi and Aditya Choudhary

Books for Decision Making

Book Name

Written By

XAT 2016 Decision Making Online Coaching by Ravi Handa (Voucher)

Online book

Target XAT 2017 (Past Papers 2005 - 2016 + 5 Mock Tests)Online book

Disha Experts

Books for General Knowledge

Book Name

Written By

Objective General Knowledge

Lucent's

General knowledge

Lucent's

Section-wise XAT Syllabus 2024

Understanding the allocation of weightage to each section of the subjects within the XAT syllabus is crucial. This knowledge aids in formulating a well-structured preparation strategy, enabling you to allocate time appropriately to different sections. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the XAT 2024 syllabus by section along with essential points to consider for effective exam readiness:

XAT Exam 2024 Preparation Strategy

XAT 2024 is expected to be held at XLRI in January 2024. There are no special restrictions on the XAT project. It is recommended that candidates complete as many typical assignments and tests of previous years as possible.

  • Before starting to prepare, it is recommended to review all the work done in previous years to understand any exam questions that will help candidates understand the level of questions that will be raised in the XAT program.
  • The importance of problem solving cannot be overemphasized. Take the free XAT practice test for advanced preparation.
  • Applicants should ensure that they weight all chapters equally to achieve the highest score that exceeds the chapter threshold set by the authority.
  • Due to the high level of examination requirements, effective time management is an advantage.
  • The GK part must keep up with the static and current affairs events around the world.

From a trend point of view, to prepare XAT for this part, it is enough to know the news of the past 6 months. Due to the quarantine caused by the coronavirus pandemic, candidates are advised to consider XAT online training, which is as beneficial as traditional training centers.

Also Read: XAT Score vs Percentile

XAT Exam Pattern

As per XAT 2024 Exam Pattern , the XAT question paper is divided into two parts i.e. Part 1 and Part 2 depending on the type of questions, one is objective type and the other one is subjective type. The examination pattern can also be divided into moderate and difficult depending upon the difficulty level of the examination.

  • The question paper is divided in 2 parts namely Part 1 and Part 2 contributing to a total of 101 questions. The two papers need to be attempted in a single slot of the exam in the given time period of 3 hours.
  • XAT Question Paper consists of 101 questions and it is a Computer Based Test (CBT). The question paper needs to be completed in 190 minutes i.e. 3 hours and 10 minutes wherein there is no sectional time limit to attempt these questions.

Following are the sections:

1. Part 1

  • Verbal and Logical Ability
  • Decision Making
  • Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation

2. Part 2

  • General Knowledge
  • Essay Writing

Sections

No. of Questions

Duration

Part 1

75 MCQs

165 Minutes

Verbal and Logical Ability

26

No Sectional Time Limit

Decision Making

21

Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation

28

Part 2

25 MCQs + Essay Writing

25 Minutes

General Knowledge

25

15 Minutes

Essay Writing

1

10 Minutes

Total (Part 1 + Part 2)

101

190 Minutes

Know more about XAT Exam Pattern

Difference Between XAT and CAT Syllabus

The main difference between the XAT (Xavier Aptitude Test) and CAT (Common Admission Test) syllabus lies in the exams' focus and the specific topics they cover. Both XAT and CAT are entrance exams used by Indian business schools for admission into their MBA and other management programs, but they have some variations in their content and structure:

Sections:

  • XAT typically consists of three main sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Decision Making (DM), and Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation (QA & DI).
  • CAT, on the other hand, has three sections as well: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA).

Content:

  • XAT places a strong emphasis on Decision Making, which is a unique section not found in CAT. Decision Making assesses a candidate's ability to make ethical and logical decisions in complex situations.
  • CAT, while also covering logical reasoning and data interpretation, dedicates a separate section to Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning.

Difficulty Level:

  • Both exams are known for their difficulty, but the level of complexity and the types of questions may vary slightly. Some candidates find XAT's Decision Making section to be particularly challenging.

Time Allocation:

  • XAT provides a longer overall testing time compared to CAT, primarily because of the Decision Making section. CAT typically has a time limit of 2 hours, whereas XAT extends to 3 hours or more.

Exam Structure:

  • CAT is a computer-based test (CBT), where candidates answer questions on a computer. XAT, in contrast, combines computer-based sections with a paper-and-pencil section for Decision Making.

FAQs related to XAT

XAT

What is the weightage of GK Section in XAT Exam?

The General Knowledge of XAT Exam will consist of 25 questions. 1 mark is awarded for every question answered correctly. Candidates are advised to attempt this section in the end and they should not allot more than 15 minutes to this section.

XAT

Is XAT Exam easy?

XAT is one of the toughest MBA Exams after CAT Exam. The only difference is in the sections and topics asked in the paper. CAT Exam does not consist of General Knowledge and Decision Making sections while XAT does.

XAT

Is General Knowledge section is considered in XAT Exam?

The General Knowledge section of XAT Exam is not considered for sectional cutoff or XAT Percentile Calculation but it is taken into account at the time of admission.

XAT

Is there Essay Writing in XAT Exam?

Yes. The Essay Writing section was omitted from XAT Question Paper in the last year but as per the recent notification, the section will be reintroduced in XAT Exam Pattern of XAT 2024.

XAT

In how many months I can complete XAT Exam Syllabus?

A proper time duration of six to nine months with rigorous preparation. The minimum time required to complete the Syllabus of XAT Exam is 5 months.

XAT

Where can I find the study material for Decision Making section of XAT Exam?

Decision Making study material of XAT Exam is not readily available as this is one uncommon section asked in the exam. The best way to prepare for this section is to go through XAT Previous Year Question Papers.

XAT

Are Scatter Points included in the syllabus?

Yes, Scatter Plots are included in the XAT Syllabus 2023 for Quantitative ability and data interpretation. It is to be noted that there is no official format for the XAT syllabus. It is based on the past year’s papers.

XAT

Does XAT provide official mock tests?

Yes, XAT offers official mock test. The official XAT mock test is released after the admit cards are issued and is accessible to registered candidates only.

XAT

Can I prepare for XAT with the help of CAT study material?

Yes, since the syllabus of XAT and CAT are similar, one can prepare for both exams from the same study material. The candidates will have to study separately only for Decision Making section of XAT as this section is not a part of CAT syllabus.

XAT

Where can I find study material for the Decision Making section of the exam?

Since Decision Making section is unique to XAT, study material for the same in not readily available, thus the best source is previous years’ question papers of XAT exam.

XAT

Are the RC passages of XAT exam tough?

Yes, the RC passages of XAT exam are tougher than that of other MBA entrance exams, but if the candidate is in habit of reading English newspapers and journals, they can handle RC passages well.

XAT

What is the duration of the exam?

Candidates will get a total of 180 minutes (3 hours) to solve the entire question paper of XAT 2023. For essay writing section, there will be additional 10 minutes.

XAT

How many months are required to complete the syllabus for XAT realistically?

Ideally, XAT preparation takes six to nine months, but if candidates have prepared for CAT too, XAT preparation be done in lesser time as one will have to only work on Decision Making and GK topics. Time required to complete the XAT syllabus is minimum three months.

XAT

How do I calculate my XAT 2024 score?

Your XAT 2024 score is determined by adding the raw scores obtained in each individual section, with +1 for a correct answer, -0.25 for an incorrect answer, and 0 for unanswered questions.

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