Read all about XAT 2020 question paper including difficulty level, topic-wise weightage and RC topics. Download free XAT 2020 question paper.
- Sustaining Pleasure in today’s world
- Knowledge has become a product
- Capitalism and Meaningless Jobs
- Increase in Cultural Exiles
- Poem - Robert Frost’s Fire and Ice
- XAT 2020 Question Paper Break Up
- XAT 2020 Question Paper: Key Points
- XAT 2020 Question Paper: Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning
- XAT 2020 Question Paper: Decision Making
- XAT 2020 Question Paper: Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation
- XAT 2020 Exam Analysis: General Knowledge
XAT 2020 Question Paper Break Up
XAT exam was held on January 5, 2019 from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM. XAT question paper had the same number of questions as last year. Given below are key highlights of XAT paper pattern.
| Part |
XAT sections |
Number of Questions |
Marks Allotted |
Number of Good Attempts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1 |
Verbal and Logical Ability |
26 |
26 |
16-18 |
| Decision Making |
21 |
21 |
14-15 |
|
| Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation |
28 |
27 |
17-18 |
|
| Part 2 |
General Knowledge |
25 |
25 |
15 |
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Prepare well for XAT 2023 by practicing question papers of past 10 years. Download official previous year XAT question papers and strengthen your XAT preparation. Click below to download free XAT question papers:
Free DownloadXAT 2020 Question Paper: Key Points
- Of all the sections, Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning questions are of higher difficulty
- Decision Making and Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation questions can be termed moderately difficulty
- Questions of General Knowledge section are easy
- Each right question carries one mark and each wrong question carries -0.25 marks
- In case of eight consecutive unanswered questions, there is deduction of 0.10 marks
- Suggested time limit for Part 1 of the XAT question paper is 165 minutes (55 minutes each)
- Suggested time limit for Part 2 of the XAT question paper is 15 minutes
Also Read:
XAT 2020 Question Paper: Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning
- This section of XAT 2020 question paper has 14 Reading Comprehension questions and 12 Verbal Reasoning questions
- The RC questions are based on four passages and a poem
- The Verbal Reasoning questions are from grammar, vocabulary and reasoning based questions (critical reasoning and jumbled paragraphs)
- Length of the poem is short and it is less abstract than that of poems in previous years’ XAT question papers
- The word limit of all the RC passages is 250-300 words each and the questions are inferential in nature
- A good attempt of 15-17 questions with 70 per cent accuracy can fetch decent marks in this section
Topic-wise break-up of questions:
| Area/Questions |
No. of Questions |
Level of Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal Ability / Reasoning |
||
| Grammatically correct sentence |
2 |
Moderate |
| Fill in the blanks (3/4 blanks) |
2 |
Moderate |
| Jumbled Paragraphs |
2 |
1 Moderate, 1 Difficult |
| Critical Reasoning |
6 |
1 Easy, 3 Moderate, 2 Difficult |
| Reading Comprehension |
||
| Passage 1 (Sustaining Pleasure in today’s world) |
2 |
2 Moderate, 1 Difficult |
| Passage 2 (Knowledge has become a product) |
3 |
2 Moderate, 1 Difficult |
| Passage 3 (Capitalism and Meaningless Jobs) |
3 |
2 Moderate, 1 Difficult |
| Passage 4 (Increase in Cultural Exiles) |
3 |
2 Moderate, 1 Difficult |
| Passage 5 (Poem - Robert Frost’s Fire and Ice) |
3 |
1 Moderate, 2 Difficult |
Also Read:
XAT 2020 Question Paper: Decision Making
- This section of the question paper has 21 questions
- There are seven cases having three questions each
- The difficulty level of this section can be termed as moderate
- All the questions are situational based on business decision and ethical dilemma
- An attempt of 14-15 questions with about 75-80 per cent accuracy would be considered to be good
Topics-wise break up of Decision Making section:
| Area/Questions |
No. of Questions |
Question Type |
Level of Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case 1 |
3 |
Ethical Dilemma |
2 Moderate, 1 Difficult |
| Case 2 |
3 |
Ethical Dilemma |
1 Easy, 1 Moderate, 1 Difficult |
| Case 3 |
3 |
Business Decision |
1 Easy, 2 Moderate |
| Case 4 |
3 |
Business Decisions |
2 Moderate, 1 Difficult |
| Case 5 |
3 |
Business Decisions |
2 Easy, 1 Moderate |
| Case 6 |
3 |
Ethical Dilemma |
2 Moderate, 1 Difficult |
| Case 7 |
3 |
Ethical Dilemma |
1 Moderate, 2 Difficult |
XAT 2020 Question Paper: Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation
- There are 22 questions of Quantitative Ability and most of them are from Geometry and Arithmetic
- Data Interpretation has two sets of three questions each from Arithmetic and Geometry
- Out of 22 QA questions, 20 are standalone and two are in the form of a set of Venn Diagram
- Some of the questions in this section of XAT 2020 question paper are sitters while some are lengthy
- An attempt of 4-5 DI questions and 13-15 Quant questions in about 55 minutes can fetch the candidates good marks.
Topic-wise break-up of questions in this section:
| Quantitative Ability (22 questions) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Topics |
Easy |
Medium |
Difficult |
Total |
| Arithmetic |
2 |
3 |
2 |
7 |
| Geometry |
1 |
2 |
3 |
6 |
| Modern Maths |
2 |
3 |
0 |
5 |
| Algebra |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
| Numbers |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
| Data Interpretation (6 questions) |
||||
| Table |
3 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
| Multiple graphs |
1 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
| Total |
9 |
13 |
6 |
28 |
XAT 2020 Exam Analysis: General Knowledge
- The overall difficulty level of General Knowledge section of XAT 2020 is easy
- This section comprises 25 questions 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 is good in this section.
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 |
Read More:
Commonly asked questions
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.
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Student Forum
Answered a week ago
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.
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
Candidates can apply by selecting the course and campus option while filling out the XAT application form. There is no separate application form for XLRI courses.
E
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
No, the XAT application form cannot be filled offline. Candidates must submit their application and pay the required exam fees online through the official website.
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week 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.
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
The last date to fill the XAT application form 2027 is December 6, 2027. Candidates must complete registration and fee payment before this deadline.
M
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a month ago
The time required for XAT Verbal Ability depends on candidate's current level. A daily combination of reading, vocabulary revision and question practice can help build consistency.
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
XAT VALR section has around 26 questions. Based on previous year trends, around 9 to 11 questions can be from Verbal Ability, although exact breakup can change in exam.
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
Yes. RC is an important part of XAT VALR section. It has contributed a significant number of questions in previous years. Candidates should practise factual, analytical, philosophical and abstract passages.
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
The important topics for XAT Verbal Ability include Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning, Vocabulary, Grammar, Para Jumbles, Para Completion, Fill in the Blanks and Sentence Correction.
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
XLRI Xavier school of managment XAT cutoff 2026 has been released. The cutoff for overall section was a score of 95 percentile that was minimum requirement for a candidate to be eligible for admissio.
R
Contributor-Level 6

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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