XAT exam pattern is quite different from CAT exam. XAT exam pattern 2026 comprises of total 95 questions spread across four sections. These include Decision Making (21 questions), Verbal and Logical Ability (26 questions), Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation (28 questions), and General Knowledge (20 questions). It is important to note that scores from the General Knowledge section are not considered while calculating the XAT percentile. However, XLRI Jamshedpur uses GK scores during its final selection process. Total exam duration is 3 hours. XAT 2026 Exam will be held on January 4, 2025. Read completed details including XAT exam sectional composition, type of questions, and scoring pattern in the article below. Link for XAT exam pattern PDF download is also available below.
Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) is the mandatory exam for MBA admission in XLRI Jamshedpur. XAT exam scores are also accepted by 250+ MBA colleges accepting XAT scores. XAT is India’s second largest MBA entrance exam after CAT. Last year, 142,235 candidates had registered for the XAT 2025 exam. XAT 2026 Exam will be held on January 4, 2025. Check more details about XAT exam in the table below.
| XAT Exam Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| XAT Full Form | Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) |
| Who conducts XAT Exam? | Xavier School of Management (XLRI) Jamshedpur |
| XAT Official Website | xatonline.in |
| XAT Exam Date | Sunday, January 4, 2026 |
| XAT Registration Start Date | July 15, 2025 (Expected) |
| XAT Exam Fees | Rs. 2200 |
| Top MBA colleges accepting XAT scores | XLRI, XIMB, IMI, IMT, FORE, Great Lakes, GIM Goa |
| Total Questions | 95 MCQs |
| XAT Exam Duration | 3 hours |
| Number of Sections | Four; Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, General Knowledge |
| Number of Answer Options | 5 |
| XAT Marking Scheme | +1 Mark for Correct Answer; -0.25 for Wrong Answer; 0 for Un-attempted Question |
Overall, XAT Paper Pattern is quite different from CAT exam. XAT exam pattern is designed to assess a candidate’s decision-making/ analytical-thinking, language skills, quantitative aptitude, and general knowledge. The XAT 2026 exam pattern comprises a total of 95 questions spread across four key sections. These include Decision Making (21 questions), Verbal and Logical Ability (26 questions), Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation (28 questions), and General Knowledge (20 questions). Each question carries one mark, making the total to 95 marks. Note that XAT Essay Writing section was remove from XAT 2025 exam pattern. Check table below for a clear understanding.
XAT Exam Pattern 2026
| XAT Sections | Number of Questions | Total Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Decision Making | 21 | 21 |
| Verbal and Logical Ability | 26 | 26 |
| Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation | 28 | 28 |
| General Knowledge | 20 | 20 |
| Total | 95 | 95 |
XAT marking Scheme 2026 is quite different from CAT Exam. XAT exam follows a ‘structured marking scheme’ that is designed to reward correct answers, and penalises incorrect responses and excessive skipping of questions. By understanding XAT 2025 marking scheme you can prepare your own strategy to maximise your score. Here are the details:
XAT marking scheme rewards accuracy and smart decision-making. By carefully planning your attempts and skips, you can reduce penalties and increase chances of high score.
Let us now understand XAT Exam Pattern for each of the section starting with the verbal section. XAT Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning section can be further divided into three parts: Verbal Ability, Reading Comprehension and Logical Reasoning section. Check type of questions that appeared in XAT 2025 and XAT 2025 for understanding this section better.
XAT 2025 Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning Question Types
In XAT 2025 exam, there were 17 Reading Comprehension questions and 9 Verbal Ability/Reasoning questions. The RC questions were distributed in five passages (300 – 450 words each) and one poem. The Verbal ability and Verbal Reasoning questions were from grammar, vocabulary, and reasoning-based questions. Many of the questions were inference and application. Check break up in the table below.
XAT 2025 Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning Section: Type of Questions & Difficulty Level
To score 95% marks in this section, candidate should attempt 13-14 questions in about 55-60 minutes, with about 75-80% accuracy.
| Area/Questions | No. of Qs. | Level of Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Grammatically correct sentence | 2 | Medium |
| Fill in the blanks (4 blanks) | 1 | Medium |
| Jumbled Paragraphs (5 statements) | 2 | Medium |
| Critical Reasoning | 3 | Medium |
| Main idea/message of the given image | 1 | Medium |
| RC Passages – 5 (300-450 words) | 15 | Difficult |
| Poem-based passage | 2 | Difficult |
Decision Making (DM) is a unique section in XAT exam. It tests your ability to holistically understand a complex problem in a given context, and propose a solution. XAT DM section also tests your ethical stance and asks you to take a decision in a conflicting situation. Questions are asked on Data Based Problems, Situation Based Problems and a Mixture of both. Check type of questions that have appeared in XAT Decision Making section.
XAT 2025 Decision Making Section: Type of Questions & Difficulty Level
This section consisted of 21 questions. The section consisted of 7 sets of 3 questions each. Some questions were ambiguity with no clear “correct answer”. Overall, the questions were of medium difficulty. For 95% marks in this section, candidates should attempt 11-12 questions in 50-55 minutes with 75-80% accuracy. XAT 2024 DM Section break up is also given below.
XAT 2024 Decision Making Section: Type of Questions & Difficulty Level
| Sub-section/ Topic | Type of Questions | Description | No of Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caselet-1 | Problem Based on Human Resources | Experience Credentials of Employees | 3 |
| Caselet-2 | Problem Based on ABC Business School | Disciplined School with High Placements but less learning | 3 |
| Caselet-3 | Problem Based on Taxis | Competition among Taxi Drivers | 3 |
| Caselet-4 | Problem Based on Sales & Marketing | SUV Sales Target Met but recovery of loss a concern due to extended warranty | 3 |
| Caselet-5 | Problem Based on Household help | Wrongful Termination of Domestic Help | 3 |
| Caselet-6 | Problem Based on Human Resources at IT Firm Symbolis | Distribution of Performance Bonus to the Best Employees | 3 |
| Caselet-7 | Problem Based on Gas Extraction Company Deep Sea c | Releasing the Natural Gas Pressure and Safety Arrangements | 3 |
Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation (QADI) section has high (28%) weight in XAT exam. QADI questions in XAT are designed to assess the quantitative aptitude of candidates. To do well in this section, you should have a foundational understanding of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, mensuration, modern maths. The questions on DI are about clear interpretation, summarization, and insightful analysis of the data. Check break up of type of questions in this section in previous year papers.
XAT 2025 Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation Section: Type of Questions & Difficulty Level
In XAT 2025 exam, out of the 28 questions in the section, 16 questions were on Quantitative Ability and 12 questions were on Data Interpretation. In Quantitative Ability section there were questions from Arithmetic, Geometry, Modern maths, Algebra and Numbers. Check break up below. There were four sets of Data Interpretation with 3 questions in each set.
XAT 2025 Quantitative Aptitude Section Type of Questions
XAT 2025 Data Interpretation Section Type of Questions
To score 95% in this section, you should attempt of about 18-19 questions with about 80 percent accuracy in about 55-60 minutes.
Check type of questions in XAT 2024 paper on Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation Section in table below.
XAT 2024 Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation Section Type of Questions
| Sub-section/ Topic | Type of Questions | Description | No of Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arithmetic | Time Speed Distance | Pilot increasing speed of Aircraft to reach Destination | 1 |
| Arithmetic | Profit & Loss | Cost of Running Movie Theatre and required capacity to ear profit; Selling Price at Food Stall | 2 |
| Arithmetic | Arithmetic Progression | Number of students in a class | 1 |
| Number System | Increasing, Decreasing | Real Numbers, Value | 3 |
| Permutation & Combination; Set Theory | Combination of Items in Restaurant; Vegetable Market | Making a combination of Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian items from Menu; Aman buying vegetables | 3 |
| Geometry | Triangles and Rectangles | Farmer’s Tringalular land; Rectangle Football ground; Right Angle | 3 |
| Algebra- Polynomials | Roots of Polynomial | Ratio of area from largest to smallest | 1 |
| Linear Equation, Log, Quadratic Equation | Real Numbers, Logs | Coinciding Lines represented by the two equations; Equation Log | 3 |
| Data Interpretation | DI Set-1 | T-20 Match | 3 |
| Data Interpretation | DI Set-2 | Statistics – Hinge number | 3 |
| Data Interpretation | DI Set-3 | Discount Coupon | 3 |
| Data Interpretation | DI Set-4 | Shortlisting for Interview | 2 |
| Total Questions | -- | -- | 28 |
| Type of Questions | No of Questions |
|---|---|
| Arithmetic | 3 |
| Geometry | 5 |
| Modern Math | 3 |
| Algebra | 3 |
| Numbers | 2 |
| Total | 16 |
| Type of Questions | No of Questions |
|---|---|
| Scatter Plot / Line Graph (observation) based set | 3 |
| Arithmetic based set | 3 |
| Average based set | 3 |
| Number-matrix based set | 3 |
| Total | 12 |
The General Knowledge section in XAT exam has 20 questions. Out of this, 12 questions are on current affairs and 8 questions are from static GK. This mix allows for a balanced evaluation of candidates' awareness of both ongoing events and foundational knowledge. It is important to note that scores from the General Knowledge section are not considered while calculating the XAT percentile. However, XLRI Jamshedpur uses GK scores during its final selection process. Type of questions in GK Section in previous exams in given below.
XAT 2024 General Knowledge Section Type of Questions
| Sub-section/ Topic | Type of Questions | Description | No of Questions |
| Static GK | History | Historical capital cities of India; Famous battles; Doctrine of lapse | 3 |
| Static GK & Changes | Geography | National capitals of countries; Flow of River Ganges | 2 |
| Static & Current | Economics & Business | Brics | 1 |
| Current Affairs | Personality & Awards | Dr Akshata Krishnamurthy, Matthew Perry | 2 |
| Current Affairs | Science & Technology | Aditya L-1; X 37B | 2 |
| Current Affairs | Sports | Womens Premier League, Asian Games | 2 |
| Static & Current | Books & Authors | Match the authors of the books | 1 |
| Current Affairs | Latest National & International | Country pulling out of Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe; Air Indias AI; Ghol as the state fish; City illuminating 22.23 lakh earthen lamps; Earthquake in Japan | 5 |
| Miscellaneous | Companies, people, work, action | Leap Year calculation; Dedicated air cargo service in India; ChatGPT, Google Bard, Chatsonic | 3 |
| Current Affairs | Nobel Prize | Nobel Peace Prize, Nobel Prize in Economics | 2 |
| Static & Current | Culture & Entertainment | Movie Oppenheimer, Nabanno harvest festival of Bengal and Bangladesh | 2 |
| Total | 25 |
XAT Exam Pattern PDF is a very useful document that contains all the information in this article. You can download XAT Exam Pattern PDF by clicking on this link below.
Is XAT exam tougher than CAT? To answer this question, check this comparison between XAT 2026 and CAT 2025 exam.
XAT 2025 Vs CAT 2024
CAT and XAT have many similarities which give the opportunity to the candidates to synchronise their A comparative analysis between both the exams is shared below:
| Component | XLRI – XAT 2025 | IIM CAT 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Total questions | 95 | 66 |
| Overall time limit to attempt the exam | 3 hours | 2 hours |
| Type of questions | MCQs | MCQs, and Non-MCQs |
| Answer options for each MCQ | 5 | 4 |
| Marks awarded for each correct answer | 1 | 3 |
| Exam difficulty level | High | High |
| Number of sections | 4 | 3 |
| Facility to choose order of sections | Any question from any section within overall time limit | No, has to follow pre defined sectional order |
What are the changes in XAT exam pattern in recent years? Last year, there were many changes in XAT exam pattern 2025. These changes were part of XLRI’s efforts to “streamline the examination process and enhance the evaluative components that align more closely with the core competencies required for management education and leadership.” Key changes in XAT 2025 exam pattern are listed below.
In conclusion, XAT exam pattern is different from CAT exam. XAT exam pattern 2026 comprises of total 95 questions spread across four sections. These include Decision Making (21 questions), Verbal and Logical Ability (26 questions), Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation (28 questions), and General Knowledge (20 questions). Total exam duration is 3 hours. Read completed details in above article. Also read in-depth articles on XAT Syllabus 2026 and XAT Preparation 2025.