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The Xavier's Aptitude Test (XAT) is a very important entrance exam for the students. The XAT exam is known to be one of the toughest entrance exams for students who are aspiring to pursue their MBA degrees. The XAT exam is conducted by XLRI, Jamshedpur. The exam is usually conducted in the month of January. The XAT entrance exam opens the doors to many new opportunities for the students. Clearing the exam with a good percentile assures the students that they will get seats in some of the best educational institutions in the country. Students aim for this because getting into a renowned institution will enhance their personality and expand their knowledge system. Students therefore make it a point to study well for the exam. Having in-depth knowledge of the XAT exam pattern therefore becomes important for the students.

XAT Exam Pattern

The Xavier's Aptitude Test (XAT) is an entrance exam that is conducted once every year. The exam is a computer-based test which is conducted at the designated examination centres. The exam is 180 minutes, and there are about 95 MCQs in the XAT exam. The Essay Writing section is no longer a part of the computer based exam as of 2026. 

Sections of the XAT Exam

The XAT exam is divided into 2 parts: 

Part 1 consists of :-

• Verbal and Logical Ability (VA & LR)

• Decision Making (DM)

• Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation (QA & DI)

Part 2 consists of the following:-

• General Knowledge (GK)

The marks of the General Knowledge section are not included in the scorecard.

 XAT Important Dates

Information about the XAT Paper Pattern 

1. In recent years there has been a reduction in the overall number of questions on the XAT exam. Earlier there used to be 101 questions in the XAT question paper, which has now been reduced to 95 questions. 

2. There has also been a reduction in the number of questions in the General Knowledge section of the XAT exam. The General Knowledge section of the XAT exam now has 20 questions instead of 25. There are about 12 questions in current affairs and 8 questions from static GK.

3. According to the XAT pattern, there are two parts of the XAT exam now. Part 1 of the exam has a time duration of 170 minutes, and part 2 of the exam has 10 minutes allocated to it.

4. As there have been significant changes in the XAT exam format, therefore the time duration of the exam has also been reduced overall. Now the XAT exam is 180 minutes instead of 210 minutes.

5. The Essay Writing section has also been removed from the XAT pattern of the exam. This section has now been included as a part of group discussion and personal interview in the selection process of the students.

6. The General Knowledge section is also only evaluated during the selection process. The marks of the General Knowledge section are not included in the percentile calculation for the XAT exam.

Preparation Tips for the XAT Exam

1. Students should try and focus on each section of the XAT pattern. Giving equal focus to each section will ensure good results in the exam. Students will be able to get good percentiles when they individually score well in each section. This will help the students to meet the cutoff of their desired colleges.

2. Consistent practice of mock tests and sample papers will ensure better practice for the exam. Students will be able to better understand the question pattern of the XAT exam with the help of these practice papers. 

3. The XAT pattern also helps the students to understand the details of the exam. Students should keep all the relevant points in mind when they are preparing for the exam. This will help the students focus better on each aspect of the exam in a better way. 

4. Strong conceptual clarity of mathematical topics is very important for the students. Topics like geometry, number systems, probability and data interpretation are all of importance for students. Students should set in place a good revision schedule so that each topic of the syllabus can be revised well in time. 

5. Students should not leave the preparation of General Knowledge and Essay Writing. Both these sections hold a lot of importance for the students from the point of view of the selection process. Students need to practise well for these sections also. Students need to focus on learning current affair topics as well as writing skills. 

Conclusion 

There are many reasons why students study the XAT pattern. It is essential for students to have good knowledge about the XAT pattern. This helps the students to know more about the ins and outs of the exam. It helps the students in the overall preparation for the exam. Students get to know about the various aspects of the exam and the various sections of the exam that they need to focus on. This also helps the students to feel more confident about the exam knowledge that they have. It's only when the students know about the XAT pattern of the exam that they can start working on the preparation. Students always desire to score well for the exam. They all want to get admission to the best business schools in the country. Students can make a good attempt when they learn better. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

• Is the Essay Writing section still a part of the XAT exam?

No, the essay writing section is not directly a part of the XAT exam. This section is only evaluated during the further rounds of the selection process of the students.

• How many questions are there in the XAT exam?

The XAT exam, according to the XAT pattern, has 95 multiple-choice questions.