Read here detailed XAT exam analysis 2020 and expected cut offs for top institutes accepting XAT score for admission.
XAT 2020 exam was held on January 5 from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. Initial reactions to XAT exam paper suggest that the difficulty level of XAT 2020 was same as last year but decision making section was tricky as expected. The cut offs are expected to remain low this year at 33. The XAT 2020 analysis will explain section wise difficulty level, topic-wise distribution of questions, number of good attempts and expected sectional & overall cut offs.
Also Read: XAT 2020 - Student Reactions and Reviews
XAT question paper had the same number of questions as last year. Given below are key highlights of XAT 2020 exam pattern.
| XAT sections |
Number of Questions |
Marks Allotted |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal and Logical Ability |
26 |
26 |
| Decision Making |
21 |
21 |
| Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation |
27 |
27 |
| General Knowledge |
25 |
25 |
- XAT 2020 Analysis: Marking Scheme and Sectional Time-Limit
- Section-wise XAT 2020 Analysis
- WATCH VIDEO:
- Expected XAT 2020 Cutoffs (XLRI, Jamshedpur)
- Expected XAT Cut Offs 2020 (Other Institutes)
XAT 2020 Analysis: Marking Scheme and Sectional Time-Limit
- Each right question will carry 1 mark and each wrong question will carry -0.25 marks
- In case of 8 consecutive unanswered questions, 0.10 marks will be deducted
- Part 1 of the XAT question paper is to be solved in 165 minutes
- Part 2 of the XAT question paper is to be solved in 15 minutes
Section-wise XAT 2020 Analysis
Of all the sections, VALR turned out to be the toughest. DM and Quant-DI were of moderate difficulty, while GK was easy, as always. Take a look at section-wise XAT 2020 analysis below.
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XAT 2020 Analysis: Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning
- The section was time consuming and students could have taken about 50 minutes to solve it.
- This section of XAT exam 2020 was tougher than last year. The Reading Comprehension section had 12 questions with four passages of three questions each.
- Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning section also had a poem this year with 2 questions. The poem was of moderate difficulty level.
- There were two parajumble questions, which were of moderate difficulty level.
- Fill in the Blanks, Critical Reasoning and Vocabulary were on the tougher side.
- A good attempt of 15-17 questions with 70% accuracy can fetch decent marks in this section.
Topic-wise break-up of questions:
| Topic |
Number of questions |
Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension |
12 |
Moderate - Difficult |
| CR |
6 |
Moderate |
| Poem Comprehension |
2 |
Easy - Moderate |
| Grammar - Correct the sentence |
2 |
Easy - Moderate |
| Parajumble - 5 sentence |
2 |
Moderate |
| Fill in the blanks -3 |
2 |
Moderate - Difficult |
XAT 2020 Analysis: Decision Making and Analytical Reasoning
- The difficulty level of Decision Making section in XAT 2020 was moderate. The level of the Decision Making was similar to last year but was extremely boring.
- There were no questions from Mathematical or Analytical Reasoning. All the questions were situational.
- There were no singlets in this section which was a relief to students.
Topics-wise break up of Decision Making section:
| Section |
No. of questions |
Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|
| Decision Making |
21 |
Moderate |
| Analytical |
0 |
Moderate |
XAT 2020 Exam Analysis: Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation
- The questions in Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation section of XAT 2020 was marginally easier than last year’s.
- There were 20 questions of QA and most of them were from Geometry and Arithmetic.
- DI had three sets of eight questions. In this section too, the questions were from Arithmetic and Geometry.
- The DI questions were based on tables and bar graphs. There were also two questions on Set Theory.
- An attempt of 4-5 DI questions and 13-15 Quant questions in about 65-70 minutes can fetch the candidates good marks.
Topic-wise break-up of questions in this section:
| Topic |
Number of questions |
Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|
| Arithmetic |
8 |
Moderate |
| Algebra |
3 |
Easy-Moderate |
| Coordinate Geometry |
1 |
Moderate |
| Geometry |
5 |
Moderate-Difficult |
| Modern Maths |
1 |
Difficult |
| Number system |
2 |
Easy |
| DI (Set theory) |
2 |
Moderate |
| DI (Bar Graph) |
3 |
Moderate |
| DI (Table based) |
3 |
Easy-moderate |
| Total |
28 |
Easy-moderate |
XAT 2020 Exam Analysis: General Knowledge
- The overall difficulty level of General Knowledge section was same as last year – moderate
- This section comprised 25 questions asked from static GK (Economy, Geography, Science and Technology) and Current GK (Business economy, personalities, and awards).
- An attempt of 12-14 questions fetching a score of 7-8 can be considered good.
Topic-wise break-up of questions in GK section
| Section |
No. of questions |
Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|
| Current Affairs |
3 |
Moderate |
| History |
4 |
Moderate |
| Economy & Business |
4 |
Moderate |
| Geography |
5 |
Moderate |
| Personality & Awards |
2 |
Moderate |
| Science & Tech |
5 |
Moderate |
| Polity |
1 |
Moderate |
| Books & Authors |
1 |
Moderate |
| Sports |
0 |
Moderate |
| Total |
25 |
Moderate |
WATCH VIDEO:
XAT 2020 Student Reactions and Reviews
Expected XAT 2020 Cutoffs (XLRI, Jamshedpur)
Given below are section-wise expected XLRI cut offs for admission to 2020 batch of its Business Management (BM) and Human Resource Management (HRM) programmes.
| Sections |
2020 Cut Offs (Expected) |
|
|---|---|---|
| BM |
HRM |
|
| Verbal & Logical Ability |
7.5 |
8.25 |
| Decision Making |
8.75 |
8.25 |
| Quantitative Ability |
11 |
6.25 |
| Total Aptitude |
33 |
31 |
Expected XAT Cut Offs 2020 (Other Institutes)
Take a look at institute-wise expected XAT cut off percentiles for admissions this year.
| XAT colleges |
XAT score |
XAT percentile |
|---|---|---|
| 30.5-32.5 |
90-93 |
|
| 32.5-34.5 |
93.50-95 |
|
| 30.5-32 |
90-92 |
|
| 27.5-30.5 |
85-90 |
|
| 26-27.5 |
80-85 |
|
| 26-27.5 |
80-85 |
|
| 26-27.5 |
80-85 |
|
| 26-27.5 |
80-85 |
|
| 26-27.5 |
80-85 |
|
| 27.5-30.5 |
85-90 |

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Student Forum
Answered 2 weeks ago
Standard books useful across these exams include Quantitative Aptitude by Arun Sharma or R.S. Aggarwal, Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation by Nishit Sinha, and Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis for building a strong vocabulary.
L
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 weeks ago
It might be difficult to get admission at XIME Kohchi with 88% in XAT. The institute accepts a 99.99% in XAT. However, these rules may change in the future; students are recommended to visit the Shiksha official page for the latest updates.
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 weeks ago
XLRI Jamshedpur officially releases the XAT registration and application form. It is made available online on their official exam website, xatonline.in. Candidates must register on this portal to apply for the exam and for XLRI admission
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 weeks ago
The XAT application process is facilitated online. Candidates must visit the official website to register, fill the form, upload scanned documents, and pay the exam fee.
R
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 weeks ago
Candidates holding a bachelor's degree in any stream from a recognised university can apply for XAT exam. Final year graduation students are also eligible to apply.
J
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 weeks ago
Candidates can complete the XAT registration by generating a XAT ID, filling academic and personal details, uploading scanned documents, selecting test cities, and successfully paying the application fee online.
L
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 weeks ago
Yes, candidates must separately fill the admission forms of other XAT accepting colleges. There is no option to choose multiple colleges other than XLRI in the XAT form.
V
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 weeks ago
No, candidates do not need to fill separate application form. The XAT application form has an optional field to select the preferred XLRI courses. Candidates have to pay an additional fee for the same.
D
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 weeks ago
Candidates cannot select a specific test centre for XAT exam, but they can choose two test city preferences from a drop-down menu during registration. Authorities allot XAT centres based on these preferences on a first-come, first-serve basis.
N
Contributor-Level 7
Exam On - 3 Jan '27
Vipra Shrivastava is MA in English Literature from Delhi University with extensive experience in content writing of over 14 years. She has been handling content for Management, Accounting and Commerce streams for 8
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