Students’ Speak: Changes in XAT 2020 you must know of
Xavier Aptitude Test 2027 ( XAT )
XAT 2027 registration
15 Jul '26 - 6 Dec '26
By: Abdullah Salman
Xavier's Aptitude Test (XAT 2020) will be conducted on January 5 next year by XLRI on behalf of XAMI. A national-level management exam conducted from the past six decades, XAT score is widely accepted by over 150 management colleges in the country.
The exam is considered to be tougher than Common Admission Test (CAT), therefore, the level of preparation becomes rigorous. To be able to prepare smart, here is some exam-related information that could be helpful for you.
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Exam Structure
Time allocation:
- Verbal and Logical Ability: 40 minutes
- Decision Making: 50 minutes
- Quantitative Ability: 60 minutes
- General Knowledge: 30 minutes
Change in XAT exam pattern:
The conducting body of XAT, apart from this, has also introduced some more changes that you must know before appearing for the exam. The conducting time for XAT 2020 exam has changed from earlier 10 am-1 pm to 9.30 am-12.30 pm now.
In XAT 2020, one of the major changes in the pattern is the removal of essay writing. So, students can skip preparing for this section. This year, for XAT 2020, all the questions will be multiple-choice-questions (MCQ) type. A new category in the form of Numerical Answer Type (NAT) questions will be available in the XAT Exam 2020. Other than this, the score obtained in the GK section will not be included in the final calculation of score and the incorrect responses for questions from this section will not be considered for percentile calculation. You can move on to Part-II of the GK section only after the completion of Part-I of the XAT 2020 Exam. So, taking all these changes into consideration you should start preparing for the exam.
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XAT Syllabus 2020
XAT 2020 is an objective-type paper. An indicative list of topics covered in these sections is given below:
| Section Name |
Max. Questions |
Time Limit (in minutes) |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal and Logical Ability |
26 |
165 |
| Decision Making |
21 |
|
| Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation |
27 |
|
| General Knowledge |
25 |
15 |
| Total |
99 |
180 |
Some important topics, which you could undergo before a week to exam based on your strength and weakness are:
- Quants & DI: P&L, Time Speed & Distance, Tables, Graph, Arithmetic, Clocks.
- Verbal & Logical: RC, Para based, Grammar, Vocabs.
- Decision-Making: Case lets, Analytical Based, Situational, Data Sets.
- General Knowledge: Business, International Relations, Economics, History, National & State wise.
About the Author:
Abdullah Salman M. is currently pursuing an MBA in General Management from TSM, Madurai. He has 15 months of work experience as a Network Engineer. He hails from Vellore, Tamil Nadu and has previously completed BE (ECE), from Anna University, Chennai.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered a month ago
Candidates who want to apply for Sharda University, Greater Noida MBA course must secure a CAT/ XAT percentile of 65% to skip SUAT. For MAT applicants, this score stands at 75% for MBA admissions at Sharda, Greater Noida.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
To get a seat at IFMR Chennai, students have to first appear for any one of the entrance exams accepted by the institute for the MBA/PGDM course admission. CAT, XAT, NMAT, CMAT, Andhra Pradesh ICET, IPAMT and SAT India are the entrance exams accepted by this institute for admission to the management
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
To get a seat in the FLAME University of the MBA/PGDM course, you have to appear for any one of the accepted exams, like CAT, XAT, CMAT, etc. After clearing the exam, you have to get shortlisted for further admission round, which involves PI or GD.
For more information, click here.
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
Candidates who will be shortlisted for MBA PI on the basis of XAT score, will receive the notification by XLRI in their registered email.
N
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 months ago
The XLRI waitlist movement is usually high for Delhi campus between 350 to 600 spots. For Jamshedpur the movement is low between 100 to 180 for BM and 130 to 230 for HRM.
S
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 months ago
Yes, XAT essay writing round can be considered tough, given that you have to present your point with clarity, examples and convincing arguments - all in limited word count. You need to have a lot of practice in writing short, clear and logically structured essays.
N
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 months ago
XAT cut offs for all colleges are not fixed by XLRI. Every score accepting college fixed XAT cut offs individually and independently.
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 months ago
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham accepts the CAT, MAT or the XAT exam for admission to the MBA course. Students can attempt any one of the aforementioned exams. After taking part in the exam, students have to attain a valid percentile.
Based on previous year trends, a percentile of at least 40 would be nee
N
Contributor-Level 10
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