XAT 2025 paper analysis (available), detailed analysis, paper review, and expected cutoffs

XAT 2026 exam will be held on January 4, 2025. The XAT exam 2026 will be held in more than 70 cities from 2:00 pm to 5:30 pm by XLRI, Jamshedpur. This year, approximately 1.35 lakh+ candidates are expected to registered for the XAT. The official XAT question paper will be released this year by the XAT authorities. A few hours after the exam, XLRI releases the XAT question paper. Download XAT 2024 Question Paper.

The XAT paper analysis on this page will give the candidates a deeper understanding of the XAT exam and that can be beneficial in the XAT preparation strategy. The analysis has been provided from XAT 2025, XAT 2024, XAT 2023, XAT 2022, XAT 2021, and XAT 2020.

XAT 2025 Analysis

In XAT 2025, the VA and LR section was moderate, Decision Making was also moderate, but QA-DI was slightly tough. Check below, section wise difficulty level of XAT question paper 2025:

XAT section	Topics	Difficulty level
VA & LR	RC passages Poem Sentence Correction Para Jumble Fill in the blanks Conclusion/Inference	Moderate
DM	Event Management Company Law Firm Newspaper: The Pluralist Kindercare Hospital MBA Postgraduate Leadership Trade Suburb	Moderate
QA & DI	Linear Equation Coordinate Geometry Mensuration Ratio & Proportion Simple Interest, Compound Interest Probability Surds Averages Circles Grid Numbers Height & Distance Log Data Interpretation	Moderate to Difficult
GK	History Geography Economics and Business Personality and awards Science and Tech Sports Entertainment	Easy
Essay Topics		Moderate

XAT 2024 Analysis - Section-wise

Let's dive into a section-by-section detailed analysis of the XAT 2024 Exam, following the initial reactions. According to student reactions and expert insights, the exam presented a moderate to difficult level of difficulty. While section-wise analysis of VALR was relatively simple, DM and QADI were considered moderately difficult.

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Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning (VA & LR)

The Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning section followed the same pattern as last year. The section contained 26 questions, 13 of which were RC and were divided into 5 sets. This year, para jumble questions took the place of para completion. The breakup of the VALR section was as follows:

Type of Question	No of Questions
RC	2 + 2 + 3 + 3 + 3
Poem	1 set x 2 Qs
Fill in the Blanks	2
Critical Reasoning	5
Grammar (Correct-incorrect sentence)	2
Para jumble	2
Total	26

Reading Comprehension & Poem

Sl.no	Questions	No. of Qs.	Level of Difficulty
RC 1	Ignorance & Misbelief	3	Moderate - Difficult
RC 2	Collective Immunity	3	Moderate - Difficult
RC 3	Moral Flames in Politics	3	Moderate - Difficult
RC 4	Reductionism in Realist Novel	2	Moderate - Difficult
RC 5	Beauty	2	Difficult
Poem	Darken Room Women Reflection	2	Moderate - Difficult

Decision Making (21 questions)

• XAT 2024 had no Quantitative DM.
• The section was made up of seven sets of three questions each.
• Check the table for the breakdown of DM section

Sl.no	Questions	No. of Qs.	Level of Difficulty
1.	HR Caselet – Experience credentials	3	Medium
2.	ABC Business School policies	3	Medium
3.	Competition between taxi drivers	3	Medium
4.	Car sales	3	Medium
5.	Wrongful termination of domestic help	3	Medium
6.	HR Caselet – ‘Symbolics' IT firm	3	Medium
7.	Deep Sea Natural Gas Extraction	3	Medium

Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation (QA & DI)

• The section contained 28 questions, 15 of which were on Quantitative Ability and 13 on Data Interpretation.
• In arithmetic, there was one question about time, one about distance, and two about profit and loss.
• In Algebra, there was one question about polynomials, three about simultaneous equations, and one about linear equations.
• Both questions in Geometry were from the topic of Triangles.
• There was one question from Logarithm, Progressions, and PnC in Modern maths.
• There were three Data Interpretation sets, each with three questions, and two sets, each with two questions.
• One set was based on statistics, another on cricket match scores, and yet another on store discount coupons.
• The following is the breakdown:

Sl.no	Type of Question	No of Questions
1.	Linear Equation	2
2.	Quadratic Equation	1
3.	Logarithm	1
4.	Time, speed, distance	1
5.	Profit and loss	1
6.	Arithmetic progression	1
7.	Geometry	2
8.	Number system	3
9.	Data Sufficiency	1
10.	PnC	1
11.	Polynomials	1
12.	set theory	2
13.	DI 1: T-20 Match	3
14.	DI 2: Statistics - Hinge No.	3
15.	DI 3: Discount Coupon	3
16.	DI 4: Aman Buy Vegetables	2
17.	Total	28

General Knowledge

The General Knowledge section was expected to have 25 questions. Check the table for GK section breakdown:

Sl.no	Topics	No. of questions
1.	History	2
2.	Geography	2
3.	4,Economics and business	1
4.	Personality and awards	1
5.	Science and tech	3
6.	Sports	2
7.	Books and authors	1
8.	Current affairs	4
10	Miscellaneous	3
11.	Nobel Prize	2
12.	Entertainment	2

Essay Writing

The test-taker had to choose one of three topics and write a 250-word essay on it. The following topics were assigned for the essay writing task:

• Decarbonisation by India is hampering the Indian industries
• People with less IQ are more successful
• Taking risks in life

XAT 2024 Expected Cutoffs: Percentile VS Raw Score

Percentile	VA & LR	DM	QA & DI	Overall
99	16-17	14-15	16-17	42-44
95	13-14	12-13	12-13	35-37
90	11-12	11-12	11-12	30-32
75	8-9	9-10	7-8	-

Recommended: XAT Mock Test

XAT 2023 Analysis - Section-wise

Let's dive into a section-by-section detailed analysis of the XAT 2023 Exam, following the initial reactions. According to student reactions and expert insights, the exam presented a moderate to difficult level of difficulty. While section-wise analysis of VALR was relatively simple, DM and QADI were considered moderately difficult.

Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning

The Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning (VALR) section in XAT 2023 retained the same format as the previous year, XAT 2022. The level of difficulty in this section remained consistent with that of XAT 2022. In total, this section consisted of 26 questions. Among these, 12 questions were part of the Reading Comprehension (RC) section, distributed across 4 sets. The lone poem question in this section maintained a difficulty level similar to that of the previous year.

Type of Question	No of Questions	Doable
Reading Comprehension	4 sets x 3 Qs	8
Poem	1 set x 2 Qs	1
Fill in the Blanks	1	1
Critical Reasoning	7	3
Grammar/ Punctuation	3	2
Para completion	1	1
Total	26	16-18

People Also Read: XAT Syllabus

Decision Making

In XAT Exam 2023, there was a slight uptick in the number of questions in this section, going from 21 to 22. These questions were distributed across six sets, each containing three questions, along with two sets comprising two questions each. Additionally, one set included three questions, marking a return to the older style of Decision Making questions related to Data Interpretation (DI). Consequently, this year's section was marginally more challenging compared to the previous year. A reasonable target for candidates in this section would be to attempt between 15 to 17 questions. Here's the detailed breakdown of this section:

Type of Question	No of Questions	Doable
2 Question Sets	4	2
3 Question Sets	15	2
3 Question DI Type Set	3	3
Total	22	15 - 17

Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation

Compared to the previous year, the Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation (QA-DI) section in XAT 2023 presented a slightly higher level of difficulty. Unlike the three sets of Data Interpretation (DI) questions in the previous year, XAT 2023 featured just one set. Additionally, a significant majority of the QA questions were centered around arithmetic, with algebra and number-related questions following closely. To perform well in this section, a recommended target would be to attempt between 16 to 18 questions. Here's the detailed distribution of this section:

Type of Question	No of Questions	Doable
Arithmetic	8	5
Numbers	4	3
Algebra	4	3
Geometry	3	1
DI 1 -Economic activity & subjective well being	3	2
Trigonometry	1	2
Data Sufficiency	2	2
investment	2	1
Probability	1	0
Total	28	16 - 18

General Knowledge & Essay

As anticipated, the General Knowledge section consisted of 25 questions. The General Knowledge segment retained a level of difficulty and exam format similar to that of the previous year. It struck a balance between questions related to current affairs and static general knowledge. A solid performance in this section would typically involve achieving a score of 10 or more.

In the essay section, candidates were provided with three options to choose from, which were as follows:

• The impact of India's decarbonization efforts on its industries and the goal of achieving zero carbon emissions.
• The concept of "Half IQ…nX returns."
• The significance of taking risks in life.

XAT 2023 Section-Wise Cutoff

Section	LOD	Cut - offs
VALR	VA – Easy to Moderate RC – Moderate to Difficult LR – Moderate to Difficult	9+
DM	Moderate	6.5+
QADI	QA – Moderate DI – Difficult	9+
Overall	Moderate	BMD - 31- 32 HRM - 29 - 30

Check Out: XAT Exam Result

XAT 2022 Analysis: Section by Section

Section-wise, the noteworthy aspects of XAT 2022 included straightforward Decision Making passages, the inclusion of two poems in Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), and a QADI section focused on Data Interpretation. The following table provides a breakdown of the sectional difficulty levels for XAT 2022:

XAT Exam Analysis 2021

• The XAT 2021 exam, which took place on January 3, 2021, was generally perceived by candidates to have a difficulty level ranging from moderate to difficult.
• Among the various sections, the Decision Making section stood out as the easiest to tackle.
• On the other hand, the Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation section presented the most formidable challenge, with Data Interpretation questions being particularly time-consuming.

Exam Analysis of XAT 2020

• The XAT 2020 exam witnessed an increase in the total number of questions, from 99 to 100.
• Notably, the Essay Writing test was omitted.
• NAT (Non-Negative Answer Type) questions were introduced without negative marking.
• The Decision Making section retained its reputation for being tricky.
• The Quantitative section had a moderate level of difficulty.
• Many candidates were unable to attempt more than 50% of the questions.
• The test timing shifted from 10 AM to 1 PM in the previous year to 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM.
• All questions were in the multiple-choice format.
• The General Knowledge section did not contribute to percentile calculation.
• Negative marking was applied at a rate of 25%.
• Reading Comprehension (RC) passages were rated as moderate.
• Visually impaired candidates with scribes were allotted an additional 25 minutes exclusively for Part 1 of XAT.
• Each correct answer carried a score of 1, with no negative marking for the General Knowledge section in Part 2.
• All multiple-choice questions featured five options, with one correct answer.
• The expected XLRI cutoff remained in the range of 33-35 marks.