Registration - 10 Jul '25 - 5 Dec '25
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.
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 5 days ago
At GIBS, they keep the entrance exam part really simple. For PGDM or MBA, they accept almost all the common exams like CAT, XAT, MAT, CMAT, ATMA, and GMAT. Even state-level or institute-level scores are considered.
Honestly, GIBS doesn't stress too much about “only one specific exam.” As long as you
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 months ago
XLRI Jamshedpur considers XAT scores for admission to PGDM programmes. Those who are seeking admission in PGDM BM, PGDM HRM and Double Masters Degree in Supply Chain Management and logistics (PGDM & MS) requires XAT scores. Aspirants can also apply for admission to General Management programme (PGDM
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered 2 months ago
Candidates who are applying for XAT have to pay an application fee. Aspirants have to pay INR 2,200 to apply for XAT. Candidates can pay the fee via any of the online payment modes. Aspirants have to pay INR 200 each for every additional programme of XLRI.
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered 2 months ago
XLRI Delhi accepts XAT scores for admission to PGDM programme. Aspirants seeking admission in PGDM Business Management are offered seat only via their XAT scores. For PGDM IEV, candidates can also take admission without XAT based on their scores in CAT, MAT, GMAT, etc. Candidates have to register on
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered 2 months ago
No, you cannot use the score of XAT 2025 for admission to 2026 batch at XLRI as the validity of exam score is one year only. Thus, you will have to appear for XAT 2026 exam if you plan to pursue MBA from XLRI in 2026. The registration process for XAT 2026 is open and the last date to apply is Decemb
A
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 months ago
The total course fee of full time MBA at XLRI is INR 28 Lacs according to Shiksha. The fee is to be paid semester wise. The first installment is to be paid at the time of admission. The XLRI course fee includes tuition fees, hostel and mess charges, caution money, library chargers and other miscella
N
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 months ago
There is no process of applying for multiple XAT accepting colleges through one form because there is no common counselling for XAT. Candidates have to apply to the colleges of their choice individually. They must keep in mind the application last date so they don't miss out on it. Also, they must c
A
Contributor-Level 6
As per the latest XAT exam pattern, there will be 95 questions in XAT 2025 in MCQ format.
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.