XAT Exam Syllabus 2026-27: Download PDF, Check Section wise Important Topics

XAT exam was held for 3 hours and 30 minutes. However, with the revision of exam pattern, it was held for 3 hours in 2025. There is sectional time-limit in the test. 170 minutes are allotted to Part 1 comprising Decision Making, Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation and Verbal Ability. Part 2 has General Knowledge section to be solved in 10 minutes. No bio-break is allowed during the exam. Candidates have to finish the test in the given time limit only. The test screen will move from part 1 to part 2 the moment 170 minutes get over and once the 10 minutes of part 2 will be over, the test window will be locked. Candidates must keep saving their entries after every attempt as there is no provision in XAT to go back and review your answers once the time limit for that part is over.

XLRI, Jamshedpur, releases XAT syllabus every year with the exam notification. Candidates can find XAT syllabus PDF on the official website.

XAT syllabus includes all important topics related to Verbal and Logical Ability, Decision Making and Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation and General Knowledge.

Yes, the XAT exam has negative marking of -0.25 marks for wrong attempt. Unanswered questions have no negative marking but if there are 8 consecutive unanswered questions, 0.10 marks will be deducted.

Thus, the candidates must select questions to solve very carefully in the XAT exam. They should solve only those questions which they know they can solve accurately. The XAT exam has sectional time limit too, so you may not want to waste time on a question that you cannot solve accurately.

You stand to lose both time and marks. So be careful in selecting questions in the XAT exam.  The sectional cut off for XAT is usually 80 percent accuracy. Practice a lot of mock tests to develop this skill.

Yes, solving XAT question paper is of immense help in exam preparation as one can get an idea of the exam pattern, difficulty level of the questions, and learn time management. The XAT question papers of previous years also give you an idea of what type of questions (Reading Comprehension passages and poem) are asked in XAT. In fact, preparation of Decision Making section is totally dependent on XAT question papers. XAT question papers of previous years also act as practice test providing you with the opportunity to master speed and time management.

Candidates must solve previous years’ XAT questions paper of at least last five years, so that they are aware of the latest type of questions especially poem, RC passages and Decision Making passages.

Major topics under XAT and CAT syllabus are similar. Common sections include Quantitative Aptitude, Data Interpretation, and Verbal Ability. While the sections are same the syllabus is not identical. XAT also includes unique sections, namely Decision Making and General Knowledge.

XAT Verbal & Logical Ability is unique in the sense that it has Verbal and Critical Reasoning combined with Reading Comprehension. There are 3-4 RC passages and one of them is a short poem. The uniqueness of XAT Verbal & Logical Ability lies in the fact that no other MBA entrance exam has poem. Moreover, critical reasoning questions are based on different perspectives from which the best conclusion is to be drawn.

In XAT, Reading Comprehension passages are usually taken from Philosophy, Psychology, History, Art, research articles. Sometime, the XAT RC section also has poems. These areas are chosen to test the candidates, who are largely Science, Commerce and Engineering graduates, on their ability to come out of their comfort zone and adapt to unfamiliar situations. Out of 26 questions, about 14-16 questions are based on RC passages or a poem. Candidates must target solving about 10 questions accurately to score well. XAT has negative marking so do not mark an option as your answer if you are not 100 percent sure of it.

Some of the important topics for XAT preparation include:

• Decision Making: Managerial/ethical dilemmas
• Quantitative Ability: Arithmetic, geometry, and algebra
• Verbal Ability: Reading comprehension, often with poetic passages.

The XAT Decision Making section consists of approximately 21-22 case-based questions designed to evaluate the ability to analyse complex, real-life, and professional scenarios.

XAT syllabus is considered extensive and challenging. It is often viewed as more comprehensive than other management exams. Sections like Decision Making and an Essay is also included in the XAT exam syllabus.

Some of the top books to cover XAT syllabus include

For Decision Making, candidates can refer to past papers for XAT preparation

There are no non-MCQs in XAT. All the questions are in MCQ format with four options to choose the correct answer from.  There are neither Type in the Answer and nor subjective answer type questions. Earlier, there used to be essay writing which required candidates to type a short essay on screen.

Candidates can take reference of subjects and topics from CAT study material for Verbal Ability, Data Interpretation and Quantitative Aptitude, but XAT preparation has to be exam specific and must include exam specific study material. Aspirants can use CAT sample questions too for practice purpose, but that is not enough. They need to practice XAT sample questions and XAT mock tests too, as the nature of questions in XAT is different from CAT.

Completing XAT syllabus requires 3 to 6 months, with 6-8 months for thorough preparation, including mock test analysis and practise using previous year XAT question papers.

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 Decision Making questions can be tricky. Key is to understand what solution is being discussed in it. To crack this section of XAT, practice a variety of Decision Making questions.

Important topics from XAT quantitative aptitude section include Arithmetic (Percentages, Profit & Loss, Time-Speed-Distance, Averages), Geometry & Mensuration, Algebra (Equations, Progressions), Number Systems, and Modern Math (Probability, P&C).

XAT syllabus for Verbal Ability, Data Interpretation and Quantitative Aptitude are same as CAT syllabus. Decision Making and General Knowledge syllabus are not a part of CAT syllabus. Thus, XAT aspirants have to study more than CAT aspirants, which is why one needs to have a XAT specific preparation plan in order to score above 95 percentile.

As per the latest XAT exam pattern, the question paper has only 2 parts. Part 1 consists of VALR, DM and QA DI questions. Part 2 consists of GK questions. Essay Writing is not a part of the online test. The total time duration is 180 minutes or 3 hours. Part 1 is of 170 minutes and Part 2 is of 10 minutes. Earlier, the XAT exam included essay writing for which extra time was given. The XAT exam used to be of 210 minutes or 3.5 hours.

Sections in the XAT exam, including Decision Making, Verbal & Logical Ability, and Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation remain consistent. However, the exam pattern, question count, and structure may change annually.