Preparing for XAT 2013: Change is constant here

XAT exam does not have a fixed pattern in terms of the number of questions or any particular area of testing. Though the basic three areas -- quantitative ability & data interpretation, verbal & logical ability and analytical reasoning -- remain constant, experimentations go on in order to make the exam more innovative and diversified.

Talking about the rationale behind innovation, professor Vishwa Ballabh, admission chairperson of XLRI, says: XAT is a very innovative exam and we diversify questions. You need to have analytical and practical ways of thinking in order to solve questions correctly. Dont mug up answers as it would not help you perform well. Instead, develop your thinking ability.

While observing the past patterns of XAT exam, MBAUniverse.com has noticed that there have been some changes or surprises every year in the pattern. For convenience of test takers this year, XLRI has revealed the change factors to MBAUniverse.com. The duration of the exam has been increased by 40 minutes and a new area, general awareness, has been added along with essay writing.

This article of MBAUniverse.com will delve into the elements of change in the XAT paper over the past five years and in the upcoming exam scheduled for January 6, 2013.

The duration of XAT 2013 will be increased to 3 hours from to 2 hours and 20 minutes. Previously, the duration of the three sections was 2 hours and that of the essay writing was 20 minutes. According to Prof. Ballabh, the exam will be divided into two parts. The first part would have domain-specific sections and its duration would be 2 hours and 20 minutes. The next part would not only have an essay writing question, which is common for XAT paper, but would also have a section on general awareness. The duration of this part will be 40 minutes, divided equally between essay writing and the general awareness section.

The general awareness section will have 20-30 questions. The total number of questions in the three sections varies from year to year. Last year, there was a drop in the number of questions from 101 to 85. The number of questions for XAT 2013 has not been decided yet. This year, the number of questions will remain more or less the same. The capability of solving the questions depends on the difficulty level, and not on the number, Prof Ballabh said.

106 B-schools to accept XAT 2013 scores

This year, 106 B-schools will accept the scores of XAT exam compared with 101 in the previous year. The rise in the number provides aspirants a better chance of admission. Apart from top B-schools like XLRI, LIBA, Chennai; XIME, Bangalore; XISS Ranchi; Goa Institute of Management; TAPMI, Manipal; BIMTECH, Greater Noida; BULMIM, New Delhi; Asia-Pacific Institute of Management, New Delhi; IFMR, Chennai; SPJIMR, Mumbai; WeSchool, Mumbai; Jaipuria Institutes of Management; Gitam Institute of Management, Vishakhapatnam, and Globsyn Business School, Kolkata; Mudra Institute of Communication Ahmedabad (MICA) will accept XAT 2013 scores for the first time.

The registration process for XAT 2013 is going on at present. The registration window started from August 12 and the last date is November 30, 2012.
To know more about XAT 2013, click on the following links:
XLRI extends XAT duration to 3 hrs, adds general awareness
XAT registration begins; 106 B-schools to accept scores
Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more on XAT 2013.