How to Prepare for XAT 2026 Exam in 1 Month: Check Last Month Plan and Tips
Xavier Aptitude Test 2026 ( XAT )
Registration - 10 Jul '25 - 5 Dec '25
XAT 2026 preparation plan for last month should have complete focus on practice, revision and working on strengths in a focused manner. Aspirants need to keep the focus on mocks and analysis. Check out tips & tricks to prepare for XAT 2026 in one month.
By the last month of XAT 2026 preparation, you should be about 90 percent prepared. Because in the last month, you will be required to do extensive revision and memorizing static GK to cover the remaining 20 percent. XAT 2026 will be held on January 4, 2026. Most of the MBA aspirants shall have appeared for CAT 2025 before that (November 30, 2025). CAT experience will provide them the reference point for utilizing the last month before XAT 2026. They will know their strengths and weakness viz. Reading Comprehension, Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation. In the last one month, they will have to do XAT based practice. Read this article to get tips on XAT 2026 preparation in last one month.
There will be four sections in XAT exam 2026 i.e. Decision Making, Verbal & Logical Ability, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation and General Knowledge. The preparation strategy for XAT 2026 in the last month should be based on how much XAT syllabus one has covered so far. You should ideally have covered the entire syllabus by November 2025.
MBA aspirants who have appeared for or appearing for other MBA entrance exams as well, then they need to mainly focus on Decision Making and Quantitative Aptitude for XAT. Here we have mentioned tips to prepare for XAT 2026 exam in one month.
How to Prepare for XAT 2026 in One Month
Focus on XAT Exam Pattern
XAT is mainly a test of decision-making skills, calculative skills, cognitive ability, language comprehension and general knowledge. It has a unique section – Decision Making. Since not much study material is available for this particular section, preparation for it is based on previous year XAT question papers only.
XAT has sectional time-limit. Candidates have to complete Part 1 of the question paper i.e. Decision Making, Verbal & Logical Ability and Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation in 170 minutes. The General Knowledge part is of 10 minutes. There is no essay writing in XAT this year, so you will find it easier to handle the pressure. Take a look at the XAT 2026 exam pattern below.
XAT Exam Pattern 2026
Check below the highlights of latest XAT exam pattern based on the previous year's question paper:
| XAT exam features |
Details |
|---|---|
| Sections |
Decision Making, Verbal & Logical Ability, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation and General Knowledge |
| Test duration |
180 minutes Part 1- 170 minutes Part 2 - 10 minutes |
| Questions |
|
| Marking scheme |
|
XAT Preparation for GK and Decision Making
Decision Making and General Knowledge are exclusive to XAT. Thus, candidates who are also appearing for other MBA entrance exams need to focus specifically on the preparation of these two sections. Other sections i.e. Verbal and Logical Ability, Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation are common to CAT/MAT/SNAP/CMAT. Read some key tips for Decision Making and General Knowledge preparation:
- General Knowledge: For GK section, stay updated with current affairs. Read news around International affairs, politics, economy, sports, trade as well as science, sociology etc. daily. If you were not preparing for this section thoroughly or on a monthly basis then it is better to catch up with major events and achievements in the last one month before XAT 2026. Give preference to annual or bi-annual business magazines or GK year books. In XAT exam, GK section is the easiest of all and least time taking. It carries 20 questions and not more than 8-10 minutes should be allotted to attempt this section. Aim for attempting at least three questions or more in a minute.
- Decision Making: This section is based on business situations and logical reasoning. To score maximum marks in this section, it is advised to put all the data in the most logical and ethical manner, including CSR, transparency, legal and other aspects of corporate principles. To excel in XAT Decision Making, take up business case studies and previous years' XAT questions papers. The Decision Making section comprises 22 questions based on paragraphs and passages with multiple options and candidates have to decide the correct answer based on the situation. The closest correct option usually is the one which is in favour of the larger good/group - the bedrock of a good business decision. Study all about business terms, types of markets as well as about business authors, corporate books, theories and practices to ace this section.
Also Read:
- XAT exam syllabus 2026
- XAT Preparation 2026: Tips to Crack Verbal Ability
- XAT Preparation 2026: All About Decision Making – Tips and Tricks
- XAT Preparation 2026: How to Crack QA-DI Section
Revision and XAT Mock Tests
The last one month of XAT preparation should be utilised on revisions, XAT mock tests and working on strengths and weaknesses. Just because Data Interpretation & Quantitative Ability, Verbal & Logical Ability are common sections in all MBA entrance exams, candidates must not risk losing marks in these sections due to lack of practice. The more you practice sample questions and mock tests, more the chances of developing speed and accuracy. Maximise your scoring in all four sections to achieve a good overall XAT percentile. Taking XAT mock tests regularly will help in understanding and interpreting complex questions of Decision Making, Data Interpretation and Logical Ability effortlessly. With XAT mock tests, candidates will learn tricks to attempt questions, evaluate the time spent on each section. They will gain confidence when XAT mock test scores will show improvement. It is a way to get real-time exam experience.
Shiksha XAT Mock Test (Free)
| XAT_Mock_Test_1 | XAT_Mock_Test_1_Solutions |
| XAT_Mock_Test_2 | XAT_Mock_Test_2_Solutions |
Helpful Tips to Prepare for XAT 2025 Exam
- Remain calm and stress-free because if you put yourself under any stress due to lack of practice or competition then it can hamper your self-esteem and test-taking skills.
- It is best if you practice all previous years’ XAT questions papers to sharpen your skills for each section.
- Time management is the key and you can focus on managing time for each section and also, consider not falling in the trap of tricky questions and ending up wasting time. If any question takes more than the ideal time then skip the question even during mock test (only then you’ll actually be preparing for XAT 2026). There will be a deduction of 0.05 marks for eight consecutive unanswered questions, therefore do not risk your valuable time for tricky questions.
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Ideally, XAT preparation takes six to nine months, but if candidates have prepared for CAT too, XAT preparation can be done in lesser time as one will have to only work on Decision Making and General Knowledge topics. Those who are weak in English Comprehension must start reading practice early on. The ideal time to start XAT preparation is May, so you can cover the whole syllabus by October and dedicate two months to mock test practice.
If you start studying for XAT late, by July or so, make sure you complete the syllabus by October only. Remember that XAT syllabus is tough, so you’ll need to study at least 6-8 hours daily from start until the end. Give ample time to yourself to complete the XAT syllabus.
XAT 2025 exam was of moderate difficulty level. The students who had appeared for the exam last year, said the XAT 2025 question paper was not much different. Section wise, Quantitative Aptitude questions were on the tougher side, Verbal Ability and Decision Making were easy to moderate and GK was easy.
There was one poem for RC as always. Quantitative Aptitude section was dominated by Arithmetic and GK had questions on very recent events.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 3 days ago
GIBS Business School, therefore, accepts 'all national-level entrance examination' scores that include the major management exams like CAT, XAT, MAT, CMAT, ATMA, GMAT, and in some cases State CET exams for admissions to PGDM and MBA programs. These scores will determine a candidate's eligibility for
M
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 months ago
XLRI Jamshedpur considers XAT scores for admission to PGDM programmes. Those who are seeking admission in PGDM BM, PGDM HRM and Double Masters Degree in Supply Chain Management and logistics (PGDM & MS) requires XAT scores. Aspirants can also apply for admission to General Management programme (PGDM
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered 2 months ago
Candidates who are applying for XAT have to pay an application fee. Aspirants have to pay INR 2,200 to apply for XAT. Candidates can pay the fee via any of the online payment modes. Aspirants have to pay INR 200 each for every additional programme of XLRI.
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered 2 months ago
XLRI Delhi accepts XAT scores for admission to PGDM programme. Aspirants seeking admission in PGDM Business Management are offered seat only via their XAT scores. For PGDM IEV, candidates can also take admission without XAT based on their scores in CAT, MAT, GMAT, etc. Candidates have to register on
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered 2 months ago
No, you cannot use the score of XAT 2025 for admission to 2026 batch at XLRI as the validity of exam score is one year only. Thus, you will have to appear for XAT 2026 exam if you plan to pursue MBA from XLRI in 2026. The registration process for XAT 2026 is open and the last date to apply is Decemb
A
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 months ago
The total course fee of full time MBA at XLRI is INR 28 Lacs according to Shiksha. The fee is to be paid semester wise. The first installment is to be paid at the time of admission. The XLRI course fee includes tuition fees, hostel and mess charges, caution money, library chargers and other miscella
N
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 months ago
There is no process of applying for multiple XAT accepting colleges through one form because there is no common counselling for XAT. Candidates have to apply to the colleges of their choice individually. They must keep in mind the application last date so they don't miss out on it. Also, they must c
A
Contributor-Level 6
Yes, XAT is slightly tougher for candidates with non-Engineering background as the Quantitative Aptitude section is of higher difficulty level. However, they can crack it if they work on the fundamentals of Math and practice questions of all difficulty levels. It will take time but they will be able to crack XAT's quant section if they dedicate extra hours to it. Aspirants can find XAT study material online in various online study groups. Students’ groups on Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, etc. share study material with each other. One can also download MBA exam preparation apps to get relevant and useful study material.
The good part about XAT is that, it has different cut offs for candidates belonging to different academic backgrounds. As part of its commitment to academic diversity, the institute has lower cut offs for candidates from non-engineering background than candidates from engineering background.