XAT 2016, held on January 3, 2016 did not offer much easier test as promised by XLRI even after bringing out significant changes. 78 questions in Part – I of XAT 2016 were divided in 3 sections of Verbal Ability with 26 questions, Decision Making with 23 questions and Quant with 29 questions. The first section of Verbal and Logical Ability had high difficulty level although questions in Decision Making and Quant sections were a bit easier.
XAT 2016 exam began on time at 10 AM and was over at 1.30 PM. The 78 questions in the first part of the exam had to be solved in 170 minutes and the Part-2 of the exam comprising GK and Essay Writing had to be attempted in 35 minutes. Negative marking of one fourth mark for wrong answer was applied while a penalty of 0.05 mark per question was applied in case the test taker left more than 13 questions unattempted.
The composition of the questions in XAT 2016 was more or less same as predicted by MBAUniverse.com earlier. Number of questions placed in XAT 2016 were from forgotten topics. MBAUniverse.com forewarned the aspirants to watch out for the same. The aspirants who paid heed to the suggestions and tips shared with them definitely did better in the test. Questions on number of forgotten topics with higher level of difficulty, increased number of passages, questions which had different trend and didn’t appear earlier, appeared in XAT 2016 marking their presence in Various sections.
Those who could attempt around 17 questions with accuracy in each of the 3 sections can expect a call from XLRI and other top rated B-schools like SPJIMR, IMT, XIMB among others. MBAUniverse.com presents a quick analysis of the examination.
Sectional division of questions
Part-I
Verbal Ability and Logical Ability – 26 questions
Decision making – 23 questions
Quantitative Ability and data interpretation – 29 questions
Part-II
General Awareness – 25 questions (wouldn’t count for percentile calculation)
Essay Writing Topic - “Technology and Nature are natural enemies”
Verbal & Logical Ability
Verbal Ability and Logical Ability had the prominence of questions on Reading comprehension passages. There were four passages followed by 14 questions in total. Passages were a bit difficult. More than half of Verbal ability section was covered by Reading Comprehension. Passages had rich literary language with penetrating questions. Those who studied the passages carefully were able to answer the questions more quickly as sufficient information was available in the passages.
Verbal Ability had 7 questions on critical reasoning, 1 on vocabulary, 2 on jumbled paragraphs, 1 on para completion and 1 on pronunciation. MBAUniverse.com repeatedly suggested the aspirants to go through these topics.
Those who could attempt 17 questions in this section accurately may score a high sectional percentile.
Decision Making
23 questions on Decision Making were a bit easier than last year. The questions were not based on long passages as appeared last year. The passages were short and consumed less time although 3 to 4 questions in the section were found quite difficult.
Questions were based on sets as well as there were single questions. There were questions on situational analysis as well as on Mathematical and Analytical reasoning. A few of the questions had incomplete information which had to be inferred by the aspirants. Answers also had close options. But with attentive reading of the given information, correct answers could be opted. Those who attempted 15 to 17 in this section may be considered as having done well.
Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation
The 2 sets of Data Interpretation were more difficult and time consuming. The section was easier compared to earlier years. Geometry, Algebra, Number System and Arithmetic were the prominent topics on which Quant questions were based.
Profit & Loss, Number system, Time Speed & Distance, Algebra, Mensuration, Geometry, Set Theory contributed most to this section. Geometry was found more difficult.
The section needed better time management as it needed time to solve. Getting 17 onwards correct can be rated a good attempt to get the call from very good B school.
General Knowledge
This section had 25 questions based on varying topics and were found more difficult than last year. The questions with multiple-statements had more than one correct statements. Candidates were supposed to know each statement independently. There were questions on Science, biology, applied Science among others.
Economics, finance, national and international current affairs were a few of the many topics on which questions were placed in this section Indepth and regular reading of GK would have helped more as a few GK questions in XAT 2016 were more tricky and needed intensive reading. MBAUniverse.com shared important GK questions on various topics and areas for the benefit of aspirants and most of the questions in the XAT 2016 were directly or indirectly related to such topics. Besides, candidates were advised to prepare the stuff on current affairs related only up to a fortnight before the test. Those who followed these guidelines did better in the test.
Essay Writing
Essay writing in XAT is the test of writing skill of an aspirant. This section needed a well worded essay on the abstract topic “Technology and Nature are natural enemies” Aspirants who prepared with MBAUniverse.com also brought innovation in writing by getting to the core of the various topics.
The topic was not difficult and those who wrote after giving a thought to outline produced a better piece of writing in 20-25 minutes. Ideal size of essay would have been around 300-400 words. Essay in XAT plays important role in the final selection PI round as questions are based on it.
Assessment
Overall examination was moderate to difficult and those who attempted the test with judicious time management may expect to get through with a high percentile. A fair attempt of 55 to 60 questions with not more than 6-7 incorrect may expect a call from leading B schools like XLRI, XIME.
XAT 2016 is the gateway to top rated B schools and it is a good opportunity for those who expect not so high percentile in CAT 2015 to improve their percentile and explore admission possibility in XLRI, SPJIMR, IMT, XIMB, LIBA, TAPMI and other more than 100 B schools.
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XAT 2016: Verbal Ability in next 10 days; know how to decode & ace the section in revised format
XAT 2016: Admit card enabled; download and take prints
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XAT 2016: Sectional percentile equally important; cut off to apply in top B-schools
Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more updates on XAT 2016
