Exam On - 3 Jan '27
XAT 2023 was held today. Check out XAT 2023 student reactions and question paper review to know the difficulty level of the exam this year.
XAT 2023 exam review
XAT 2023 exam was conducted today from 2:00 PM to 5:30 PM at various test centres across India. Shiksha visited a XAT test centre in Delhi to know student reactions and reviews of the question paper. According to XAT 2023 students’ reactions, the question paper seems to be of moderate to high difficulty level. The students shared that Decision Making section was easy and so was Verbal Ability section. Quantitative Aptitude was tough with lengthy DI questions. GK was moderate, they said.
Most of the students Shiksha spoke to, said that XAT 2023 was easier than CAT 2022.
Read below XAT 2023 student reactions and reviews from a Delhi test centre.
XAT 2023 Student Reactions and Reviews
Nishtha
My exam was good. Quantitative Aptitude section was easy, English section was also easy, but Decision Making was average. One set in the Decision Making section was difficult. There was a question in which we had to calculate the preparation time of dishes, which was difficult. Two of the three essay topics were easy and one was tricky.
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Sahiba
The XAT exam was quite easy. I found VA section difficult and Quant section easy. Decision Making section was easy too. I chose risk management as essay topic. This is my first XAT attempt but I am expecting to score in 70s-80s.
Commonly asked questions
As per the latest XAT exam pattern, there will be 95 questions in XAT 2025 in MCQ format.
- Verbal Ability section of XAT will have 26 questions
- Decision Making section of XAT will have 21 questions
- Quantitative Ability section will have 28 questions
- GK section will have 20 questions
There will be no essay writing this year. It will be conducted during the selection process.
It is not mandatory to solve all the questions. Candidates should solve only those questions which they can solve correctly as there is negative marking in XAT. During the exam preparation, focus on the chapters from which majority of the questions are added. This will help them in achieving the sectional and overall cut offs are required.
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.
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.
Prachi
My exam was good. This was my first attempt. Section wise, I found Data Interpretation tough. English was easy and Decision Making was moderate. The GK section was also moderate. I wrote on risk management. I am not keeping any expectations in terms of scores, but I hope my hard work pays.
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Vaibhav
My exam was good, but not the way I had expected. Decision Making was the easiest section for me and Quantitative Aptitude section was toughest for me as I am weak in Maths. GK has questions related to FIFA, Indian Navy, etc. so it was overall good.
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Sehej
My exam went well. I found the XAT 2023 to be easier in comparison to previous years. Overall the difficulty level was moderate. There were three Essay topics and one of them was - people with lower IQ make more money. I found XAT the easiest in comparison to other MBA entrance exams that I gave.
Smriti
My exam was okay. I found the DI part slightly lengthy. Overall the paper was moderate in terms of difficulty level. I chose the essay topic on risk factor. I found XAT 2023 and IIFT 2023 moderate and CAT 2022 and SNAP 2022 tough.
Sonakshi
My exam was good. I think Quantitative Aptitude section was tough and Decision Making was moderate. Overall, I would say, the paper was moderate to difficult.
Harshita
My exam was good. The overall difficulty level of XAT 2023 was moderate to difficult. Verbal questions were easy but Reading Comprehension was tough. I found Data Interpretation part time consuming. Decision Making questions were easy. XAT 2023 was easier than CAT 2022 but little more difficult than IIFT 2023.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 3 days ago
After XAT exam is conducted successfully, XLRI releases XAT answer keys with response sheet. However, candidates need to login to download XAT answer keys.
S
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 4 days ago
The percentile needed for admission would depend on the category you belong to. JAGSoM accepts various entrance examinations for admission to the MBA/PGDM course, like CAT, XAT, MAT, etc.
As per the estimated XAT cutoff in 2026, a percentile of 70 would be good enough to secure a chance at admission
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
XIM University XAT cutoff 2026 was released for admission to the MBA course and its specialisations, namely MBA in Rural Management and MBA in Sustainability Management.
General AI category students need to have a percentile of at least 90 to be considered eligible for admission.
Note - The cutoff d
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
IMT Ghaziabad official cutoff information are not released on a public platform, and students can view the cutoff using their registered login ID and password. Based on the past years' trend, the XAT 2026 estimated cutoff is in the range of 90 to 92 for the General AI category students.
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
Yes, apart from CAT, the International Management Institute, New Delhi, also accepts the XAT score for admission to its PGDM courses. Only the shortlisted candidates are invited to the Individual Assessment Process (Essay Writing and Personal Interview, etc.) for final admission. The institute also
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Final selection will be based on performance in BAAT, PI, and CAT/XAT/GMAT. BITS will also consider prior work experience, and academic history.
J
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
Yes, Global Institute of Business Studies does accept scores from exams like CAT, MAT, XAT, and CMAT. They take these exams into consideration for admissions, so you don't have to worry about only one exam. It gives you flexibility to apply with the scores you already have and increases your chances
P
Contributor-Level 8
Answered a week ago
Apart from NMAT scores, UPES Dehradun offers admission to the MBA course based on XAT scores. As per the XAT 2023 cutoff, candidates having a minimum of 50 Percentile for the General category All India Quota were eligible for UPES Dehradun admissions.
UPES Dehradun offers MBA in International Busines
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 weeks ago
Yes, CAT/MAT/XAT/CMAT/GMAT scores are valid for KIITEE MBA. Candidates applying online will be required to submit copies of their mark sheets and other supporting documents.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month 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
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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