XAT Exam Pattern (2024): Latest Paper Pattern For Prelims, Mains, And Interview

Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) 2024 will be held by XLRI on Sunday, January 7, 2024, in the afternoon. XLRI is officially planning to conduct two XAT Mock Tests on October 28 and November 5, 2023. It is organized to help candidates know about the actual XAT 2024 exam pattern and its difficulty level.

Many aspirant-friendly changes have been made to The XAT 2024 exam pattern. The XAT Exam 2024 is again a computer-based test as was last year but the duration of the test is increased to 3 Hours 30 minutes. XAT 2024 will be conducted in almost 72 cities in India. One of the conveners of XAT 2024, Dr Rahul Kumar Shukla, interpreted that XAT is designed to analyze the analytical and strategic insights among candidates.

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XAT Exam Latest Updates

• Exam Duration: The XAT 2024 Exam will held in 3 Hours 30 Minutes.
• Shift From Morning To Afternoon: The XAT 2024 Exam to be conducted in the Afternoon from 2 PM to 5.30 PM 
• Total no. of Questions: XAT 2024 to have 101 MCQs and 1 Essay Question
• Restored Essay Writing Section: Candidates have to write One Essay out of 3 Options
• Exam Date for XAT 2024: Sunday, January 7, 2024

XAT Exam Pattern Key Changes (2024)

Let’s take a glimpse at the key changes in the latest XAT exam pattern.

XAT Structure Of Exam	Exam Details
Number of sections	5
Duration of exam	3 hours and 30 minutes (210 minutes)
Number of questions	101-102
Total marks	101
Language of exam	English
Number of answer choices	5
Mode of examination	Online
XAT marking scheme	1 Mark for each correct answer; – 0.25 mark for each wrong answer

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XAT Paper Pattern: Detailed Analysis

The XAT Exam Pattern is unique and has reintroduced The Essay Writing Section that had been removed in the previous years.

• Section 1:Verbal and Logical Ability Test
• Total questions in Verbal And Logical Ability: 26
• Questions types: MCQs
• Reading comprehension passages: 4
• Reading Comprehension questions: 14 -16 questions in total
• Verbal Ability questions: 8 – 10 questions in total
• Verbal Ability topics: Verbal ability includes topics such as vocabulary; analogy; paragraph jumbles, paragraph completion; critical reasoning, and statements-assumptions.
• Lod: Questions range from Moderate to Very difficult

• Section 2: Decision Making Test
• Questions in Decision Making: 22
• Questions types: MCQs
• Group of Questions: These include 7 – 8  problems including 2 to 3 questions in each problem
• LoD: Questions range from Moderate to difficult

• Section 3: Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation Test
• Total questions in quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation: 28
• Questions Types: MCQs
• LoD: Questions range from moderate to difficult
• In Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation, the questions are based on some common topics of class 10 mathematics.

• Section 4: General Knowledge Test
• Questions in G.K section: 25
• Questions Types: MCQs
• Time Duration to Attempt: 15 minutes
• LoD: Moderate to difficult
• Questions of GK are based on topics including national and foreign affairs; business and economics affairs, social issues, new appointments; and sports news.

• The G.K. section is not valid for the calculation of percentages in the XAT exam.

• Section 5: Essay Writing Test
• For the XAT exam essay topics are written on abstract ideas. The Essay Test in XAT has been restarted after three years. It was removed in the year 2019. XAT exam essay topics are also used in the WAT process by MBA Colleges.

Thus, candidates have to prepare accordingly for XAT as compared to CAT. The time duration for the XAT Exam Pattern 2024 is 3 hours and 30 minutes.

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XAT Exam Marks Division 2024

The XAT Exam Pattern contains two parts with a total of 101 Questions (expected) overall. The distributions of questions are given below in the table:

XAT Divisions	Sections	Total Questions	Time Allotted
Part 1	Section 1: Verbal and Logical Ability Testing Section 2: Decision Making Section 3: Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation Testing	26 22 28	175 minutes
Part 2	Mock Keyboard Testing	–	5 minutes
Part 3	Section 4: General Knowledge Section 5: Essay Writing	25 1	30 minutes
Total	5	102	210 minutes

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XAT Exam Pattern: Marking Scheme

• One mark will be given for all the right answers in the MCQs.
• There is a deduction of 0.25 for wrong attempt
• The questions (over 8)  if left unattempted will carry a penalty (expected) of 0.10.
• In the General Knowledge Section for the wrong answer, there is no negative deduction.

This aspect of the XAT exam pattern makes it more difficult because of the restriction put on the number of questions that can be left unattempted. Thus it becomes extremely important for the candidates to make a proper XAT Exam Strategy. This can only be achieved after attempting 

several mocks by the candidate.

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XAT Exam Pattern: Preparation Tips

These preparation tips can ensure your success in the Exam:  Kindly follow these before it is high time:

• Prepare a proper timetable
• Identify your strong and weak areas
• Prepare with the help of a mock test to understand your level of preparedness
• Review previous years’ papers to have a record of all important questions
• Revise concepts regularly.

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