After pursuing consistently for the benefit of XAT 2016 aspirants, with XLRI faculty and convener XAT 2016 Prof Munish Thakur to share the changed sectional composition of questions in the test, MBAUniverse.com has succeeded in getting the first page of sample test paper for XAT 2016 exam published on XAT site by XLRI.
After announcing significant changes in XAT 2016, XLRI had not shared about the proposed number of questions in each section and what would be the shape of the test paper. The said changes now advised and shared on XAT 2016 website, are summarised below-
Test paper & Sectional changes
-- XAT 2016 test paper will be divided in 2 parts: Part I with A,B,C sections and Part II with GK and Essay writing sections.
-- All questions in sections A, B, C with 26, 23 and 29 MCQs respectively will carry uniform marking pattern with maximum 1 mark awarded for each correct answer
-- Score in Part I will be accounted for determining the merit position and shortlisting for PI round
-- Part I will have 3 sections A, B and C in Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) form
-- Section A on Verbal Ability & Logical reasoning proposes to have 26 questions
-- Section B on Decision Making would consist of 23 questions
-- Section C on Quantitative Ability proposes to have 29 questions
-- Total number of questions in part-I will be 78.
-- Time allowed to attempt part-1 in XAT 2016 with 3 sections is 170 minutes instead of earlier 150 minutes
-- A break of 5 minutes as turnaround time between Part 1 and Part 2 will be available
-- Part-II will have 25 MCQs on General Knowledge and a descriptive writing essay topic
-- A total time of 35 minutes will be allowed to attempt GK and Essay writing sections
-- XAT 2016 test takers are expected to attempt GK questions in 10 minutes and rest 25 minutes are supposed to be devoted to Essay Writing section.
-- Marks scored in General Knowledge section would only be used at the time of final selection and not for shortlisting candidates for interview/GD
Changed pattern of Negative Marking
XAT 2016 will not only impose penalty of negative marking for wrong answers only but will also use the weapon, if attempted questions are less than prescribed limit.
-- 1/4 of a mark may be deducted for each incorrect answer
-- Leaving a question unattempted will result in a deduction of 0.05 mark.
-- Relaxation from this deduction of 0.05 mark will be allowed only upto 13 unattempted questions in the exam and candidates will not be imposed this penalty, if the number of unattempted questions does not exceed 13.
How to answer a question
Since XAT 2016 will be held in paper-pen mode on January 3, 2016, candidates will have to use separate OMR answer sheet to answer the questions except for essay writing test which will require descriptive writing
-- Each question will have 5 alternatives.
-- Answer each question by darkening the appropriate bubble against the question number on the OMR answer sheet. For example, if your answer to question number 1 is ‘B’, fully darken the bubble ‘B’ against the question.
-- All answers are to be marked only on the (OMR) answer sheet and not on the test booklet.
-- Use the margin in the test booklet for rough work. No other piece of paper will be permitted or provided for rough work.
-- Use only blue or black ball-point pen for marking answers on the OMR answer sheet. Do not use gel pens or ink pens.
In case of Test Booklet related Problem
If there is a problem with your test booklet, inform the invigilator/supervisor immediately. You will be provided with a replacement.
Important advisory from XLRI
Although there is no sectional time constraint and the candidates can toggle among the 3 sections within the overall time limit of 170 minutes and can attempt any question from any section, a sectional cut off to determine your percentile score will be applied. You may not be shortlisted, if you do not score minimum qualifying marks in each of the 3 sections. XLRI therefore, suggests the XAT 2016 test takers to maximize scores in each section.
XAT 2016: registration closes today
The registration and application process for XAT 2016 is closing today on December 10, 2015. The process is online and can be completed within minutes. You need to have facility of net banking, debit/credit card to make payment of registration fee.
XAT 2016 after incorporating the significant changes will be an easier exam and will offer more opportunities of scoring high to get shortlisted at one of the top rated B-schools. Apart from XLRI other top rated B-schools like SPJIMR, IMT, LIBA, XIMB, XIME, XISS, FORE, Great Lakes, IRMA, K J Somaiya, MICA, TAPMI, IFIM include the list of 148 B-schools who will be accepting XAT 2016 scores for admission to their MBA/PGDM programmes for the batch 2016-18.
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Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more updates on XAT 2016
