XAT 2017: Make up the lost CAT chance; one week strategy from XAT toppers

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MBAUniverse.com News Desk |
December 30, 2016
XAT 2017 is only a week away, take tips from toppers to score high as XAT offers another opportunity after CAT to get admission in 150 B-schools including XLRI, SPJIMR, IMT, XIMB, GIM Goa, Great Lakes, TAPMI
You can crack XAT with high score as you are fresh with your CAT/NMAT/ SNAP preparation and only a little needs to be added

XAT 2017 offers another opportunity after CAT to get admission in 150 B-schools including XLRI, SPJIMR, IMT, XIMB among others. If you could not perform so well in the computerised CAT 2016 on December 4, the paper based XAT 2017 on January 8, is the answer to your MBA/PGDM dream B-school. Now with most of your preparation already completed in the process for CAT, you need a little more hard work in next 1 week to crack XAT 2017 to get the top B-school which accepts XAT score alongwith the CAT score.

Thousands of CAT 2016 test takers have been approaching MBAUniverse.com after taking CAT 2016 exam on Dec 4, in regard to their not very good and uneven sectional performance in the exam. The candidates are in a dilemma whether they should appear in XAT 2017 or should instead prepare for next year exam, although result for CAT is awaited.

These candidates despite expecting good CAT scores do not anticipate higher percentile. Now they doubt whether they will be shortlisted for admission by highly ranked B schools for admission 2017 when the result is out. Most of these candidates have registered for XAT 2017 also and if their CAT 2016 result is not upto their expectation, XAT 2017 may offer admission opportunity to many top B-schools who accept CAT and XAT scores.

Be XAT specific now
Out of more than 150 member and associate B-schools who will accept the XAT 2017 score, except a few almost all the B-schools will accept XAT 2017 scores. However, you should note that many of them accept only CAT/XAT and GMAT scores for their flagship MBA/PGDM programmes and the scores of CMAT/MAT may not be accepted by these top B-schools.

So, if you have registered and applied for XAT 2017, there is no point to wait and watch but to ensure that in next 1 week you will further improve your skills to crack XAT 2017 with high score. You can crack XAT with high score as you are fresh with your CAT/NMAT/SNAP preparation and only a little needs to be added to match your expectation.

1 week preparation tips from XAT toppers
XAT toppers who got admission to SPJIMR and converted call to XLRI but joined other B-schools on the basis of CAT scores share the last 1 week strategy to crack XAT 2017 with high score

Shekhar Kapoor XAT 99.058 percentile
SPJIMR student Shekhar Kapoor scored 99.058 in XAT 2016  and 94.98 in CAT 2015 despite being a working professional. Shekhar is of the view that the exam taker should manage the time well during preparation and while taking the exam. According to him the test taker should do calculation manually and orally instead of depending upon the calculators for Quant or DI calculations as it will save more time. 

XAT 2017 aspirants should understand that lack of conceptual clarity can make it difficult for them to crack the high LoD XAT exam on January 8. Despite low number of 72 questions to be attempted in 170 minutes in revised pattern of XAT 2017, it is very much possible that you are not able to cross the hurdle of crossing the cut-off unless you are well prepared. XAT 2017 requires you to adopt a different approach of solving the question and then arriving at the answer instead of adopting the option elimination process.  Get more tips from Shekhar XAT topper

Siddharth R: XAT 98.76 percentile
MBA aspirants preparing for XAT 2017 need to keep track of time and should keep a level head during the preparation and while solving the test is the key advice from XAT 2016 topper Siddharth R  who scored 98.76 percentile in XAT; 99.61 in CAT 2015; 99.72 in SNAP 2015 and 98.17 in IIFT 2015.

Taking lot of mock tests is necessary to understand your strengths and weaknesses and prepare accordingly. Siddhartha advises to make sure that you solved enough questions to cover all variants. It may not be productive to go through a lot of theory for VARC so focus more on solving a variety of questions. Read full Success Mantra

Nishant Gupta, Non-Engineer: XAT 99.934 percentile
Nishant Gupta, a B.A. in Economics scored 99.934 percentile in XAT 2016.  Nishant busted the myth that only engineers can score high in XAT and himself set an example. Nishant scored 99.97 in CAT; 98.57 in IIFT and 99.934 in XAT 2016. He converted XLRI as well as IIM Bangalore and opted for IIMB. According to Nishant “The biggest thing which helped me was constant practice.”  Sharing his strategy, Nishant advises “Mock tests were very important for me. One strategy I used was to take the tests on weekends, and then analyse them in the night after work when I could not do new things and this helped me utilize my evenings effectively analyzing the mocks.”  Read full interview

Don’t be apprehensive
A few of the CAT 2016 takers who expect to score between 85 to 95 percentile are worried on the ground that despite their good overall percentile, if they have fluctuating or uneven sectional percentile, it may become a hurdle in getting them shortlisted despite good academic profile.

In view of Prof S K Agarwal expert on Verbal Ability and mentor on CAT and XAT preparation, the candidates should shed all the fear and now focus on concerted efforts to prepare well for XAT 2017 which has equally fine B schools accepting XAT 2017 scores. The unfounded fear and apprehension due to dismal CAT 2016 performance must not pose any hindrance in gearing up for XAT 2017 which is hardly 8 days away. 

XAT 2017 equally important
In fact, most of the top rated B schools, except IIMs and a few others, will also use XAT 2017 scores along with CAT 2016 scores to short list candidates for admission in PGDM batch 2017-19. XLRI, XIMB, IMT, SPJIMR, GIM Goa, Great Lakes, LIBA, XISS are a few of the 150 B schools going to accept XAT 2017 scores for admission 2017. The list of member and associated B schools to XAT 2017 has more than 150 management institutes and you will not be able to avail this opportunity after January 8, 2017 the date of XAT 2017 exam.

8 days to XAT 2017
An approximate number of 15000 MBA/PGDM seats will be available for the candidates who score a good percentile in XAT 2017 to be held on January 8, 2017.

XAT 2017 will be a paper pencil mode exam based on Multiple Choice Question pattern. The exam will be held in a single session across the country in 47 cities. XAT 2017 will be of 3½  hours duration beginning from 10.00 AM to 1.30 PM with no break in between.

XAT 2017 will be divided between Objective MCQs and subjective Essay Writing tests. The Multiple choice questions (MCQs) part will be over in 170 minutes and next 35 minutes will be allotted for essay writing part.

XAT 2017 test takers will have to complete the first 3 sections of the first part of the MCQ exam namely Verbal and Logical Ability; Decision Making; Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation in 170 minutes while 25 questions in General Knowledge section will have to be attempted in 10 minutes only. 25 minutes will be available for essay writing test. A candidate can toggle between the sections with no sectional time constraint.

You are supposed to apply to the respective B school for admission 2017. Most of the top rated B schools have either closed or going to close their admission application process shortly, it is therefore advisable to act swiftly and apply to the dream B school immediately.

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Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more updates and tips on XAT 2017