XAT 2026: Result & Cutoff (OUT), Selection Process, Dates, Question Paper, Pattern

Candidates can apply for XLRI Delhi's Business Management programme on the official website by selecting the course and campus option while filling the XAT application form which is released in the first week of August every year. If they do not mention XLRI Delhi has their preferred exam in the XAT application form, they will not be eligible for admission to the institute. Candidates must remember that there is no separate application form for XLRI PGDM programmes, so they need to make the selection of institute in the XAT application form only. There is no option to edit the field in the form later so candidates must mention the institute in the XAT application form. There is no provision of filling the admission form after the exam or after result announcement.

Every candidate is informed by XLRI Jamshedpur about their selection via email. The interview round is held in February-March and the offer letter are sent to selected candidates in April-May. Those who would not receive the confirmation letter, may consider that they are not selected for admission. Candidates must keep a check on their emails. They must keep checking spam folders too. It is also very important use the correct and fully functional email ID for XAT registration as that is the main contact point for communication from the institute.

The admission authorities will consider both sectional and overall XAT score while shortlisting candidates for group discussion and personal interview round of XLRI admission. Candidates must perform well in all the sections of XAT exam as well as in the for group discussion and personal interview to be selected for admission.

Candidates planning to take admission to XLRI Jamshedpur need not fill a separate form. The XAT application form includes a field in which the candidates have to select XLRI course in which they want to take admission.

However, candidates can select only XLRI Jamshedpur as a preferred college in the XAT application form. There is no option of selecting other XAT accepting colleges in the application form. For XAMI member institutes or other MBA colleges accepting XAT score for admission, you will be required to register separately on their respective official websites when the applications open. Most of the XAMI institutes start MBA application process after XAT result declaration. However, keep a check on the admission schedule of your target college, so that you don’t miss the application deadline.

Over 800 MBA colleges in India accept XAT score for admission apart from XLRI Jamshedpur. Some of the top colleges are mentioned here: IRMA Anand, IMT Ghaziabad, XIM Bhubaneswar, IMI New Delhi, Great Lakes Chennai, Great Lakes Gurgaon, TAPMI Manipal, GIM Goa, FORE New Delhi, K J Somaiya Mumbai, LBSIM New Delhi, LIBA Chennai, IFMR Chennai, BITS Pilani, IMI Bhubaneswar, IMI Kolkata, IMT Nagpur, Sri Balaji University Pune, Woxsen University, ISBM Pune, VIT Business School (VIT) Vellore, ISBM Pune, KIIT Bhubaneswar, Alliance School of Business Bangalore, Jaipuria Lucknow, IBA Bangalore, SIES Navi Mumbai, Rajagiri Business School, EDII Ahmedabad, IIMS Pune, NDIM New Delhi, IFIM Colleges, JIMS Rohini Delhi, IMT Hyderabad, SOIL Institute of Management, Vivekanand Business School (VBS), IMS Ghaziabad, Sri University, LM Thapar School of Management, Pune Business School

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

XAT 2027 exam is expected to be conducted on January 3, 2027. XLRI, Jamshedpur, conducts XAT exam every year on the first sunday of the year.

Yes, XAT is slightly tougher for candidates with non-Engineering background as the Quantitative Aptitude section is of higher difficulty level. However, they can crack it if they work on the fundamentals of Math and practice questions of all difficulty levels. It will take time but they will be able to crack XAT's quant section if they dedicate extra hours to it. Aspirants can find XAT study material online in various online study groups. Students’ groups on Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, etc. share study material with each other. One can also download MBA exam preparation apps to get relevant and useful study material.

The good part about XAT is that, it has different cut offs for candidates belonging to different academic backgrounds. As part of its commitment to academic diversity, the institute has lower cut offs for candidates from non-engineering background than candidates from engineering background.

Ideal time to start XAT mock test practice is after covering the syllabus. When you're thorough with all the concepts and formulae, you will be able to solve all types of questions in the XAT mock test. XAT exam is conducted in January first week, so one should start mock test practice in November and dedicate two months to it.

Digital copy of the XAT admit card is not accepted as valid. Candidates must carry a print out of the admit card to examination centre with a recent photo pasted on it. 

The process to raise objection against XAT answer key earlier was through email, but from 2023 onwards the objection filing is through login. XLRI doesn’t charge money for challenging XAT answer key. To raise objection candidates, have to log in to their XAT account and fill the objection form. To claim objection, they need to upload a supporting document.

The candidates can also send an email mentioning the question ID and answer they have objection too and attach a proof to support their objection. The mail however is to be sent within a certain deadline.

The candidates will be informed via email if their objection to XAT answer key is accepted. In case of acceptance, the answer key will be revised and published again. In case, no objection is accepted, no revised answer key will be released.

XAT admit card may be needed at the time of admission at certain colleges if their guidelines mention submission of a copy of admit card as part of document submission. Candidates must anyway preserve their XAT admit card until the end of admission process.

Since Decision Making section is unique to XAT, study material for the same in not readily available. Thus the best source of preparation material for Decision Making section is XAT previous years’ question papers. This section has passages related to business situations. Candidates have to select the closest solution to the given situation from the list of four options. You have to make an informed decision regarding the decision which has be in favour of the larger good. This section essentially tests your ability to take objective decisions regarding various business situations and activities. Candidates can practice Decision Making questions from XAT question papers of previous years to know the types and difficulty level. In a way, this section is similar to Reading Comprehension and requires same skills as that.

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.

There is no change in the XAT exam pattern 2026. The structure of XAT 2026 question paper will be same as XAT 2025 question paper. There will be no essay writing this year.  Candidates will get 180 minutes to solve about 95 questions in MCQ format.

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.

One should attempt only one XAT mock test in a day. A full length XAT mock test is of three hours. After which you will have to spend some time analyzing your performance and revisiting problem areas. About 4-5 hours will be spent in this and you mind will already be exhausted. Thus, best is to do some revision for the rest of study time and pick up another mock test next day or later.

It is not suggested to attempt a XAT mock test a day before exam. That time should be devoted in revision of important formulas and concepts, revisiting exam day strategy and relaxing. Attempting a mock test can be mentally tiring and may shake your confidence in case you don't score well. You wouldn't want to go into the exam with a doubtful mind.

If a candidate has appeared for the XAT exam before and is only attempting again for score improvement, then they can prepare for it with mock tests only. But if a candidate is appearing for the XAT exam for the first time and is not familiar with the syllabus, they cannot prepare with XAT mock tests only. XAT syllabus coverage is necessary before starting XAT mock test practice.

Yes, candidates with less than 50 per cent in aggregate in graduation are eligible for admission to PGDM courses in XLRI. Candidates need to have minimum passing marks in Graduation. They must have however, completed their graduation from a recognised university only. Candidates planning to seek admission to an MBA college other than XLRI must check its eligibility criteria as the minimum score requirement of AICTE approved colleges is 50 percent (45 percent for Reserved categories). But having 50 per cent and above score is not a guarantee for getting selected for admission. You will need to clear the admission round which is based on XAT cut off percentile. If you do not meet the XAT cut off percentile you will not be selected for XAT personal interview round, which is the main parameter for MBA admission in XLRI.

The option to select test centre is not there in the XAT application form, but candidates can select cities where they can appear for the exam. XAT is conducted in about 79-80 cities across India and candidates get the option to choose two cites for centre allotment. They have to make this choice in the XAT application form. In the XAT application form, there is one field in which you have to select the test cities, you can simply select the cities of your choice from the drop down. The exam conducting authorities will allot a test centre in the city of first choice to every student. In case, the seat get filled in the centre of a particular city, the seat will be allotted to remaining candidates in the city selected as second option. The centre allotment is done on first come first serve basis. Candidates must fill the XAT application form and submit it as soon as they can so that they are allotted a centre in the city of their choice.

When filling XAT application form, you will need:

• Class 10, 12 and Graduation marksheet
• Date of Birth proof
• Address proof
• Aadhaar card
• Category certificate 
• Scanned photo and signature

Yes six months are enough to prepare for XAT if you plan it well. You will need about 8 hours every day for it. Use first four months to cover exam syllabus and last two months for practice. 

If you misplace your XAT admit card, you don’t need to panic. You can download another copy of the same from your XAT account. You can simply log in to your XAT account with application number and password to download it again. After downloading it, save it in a folder or in email so that you can take a print out anytime you want. The XAT admit card download link will be available for download till the exam day only so candidates must ensure that they have save a copy. If they need to download the XAT admit card after the exam for any reason, they will not be able to do it. Thus, they should save the PDT file of the XAT admit card in a folder or email.

Yes, the XAT admit card has a google map and address of the exam centre for candidates convenience. The candidates must find out the shortest route to the XAT exam centre via the google map a day before the test day because they are expected to be present at their respective test centre at the reporting time mentioned in the XAT admit card.

If the XAT exam timing is 2 pm to 5:10 pm then the reporting time for candidates will be 1:00 PM. Candidates must use the route map to reach their respective test centre on time to avoid delayed entry inside the exam hall for identification process. Candidates reaching the XAT test centre after the gates have been closed will not be allowed to enter the premises under any circumstances. They will have to seek special permission in case of unexpected reasons.

XAT admit card is a proof of identity of the applicant. It is the main document required for appearing in the XAT exam thus it should be error free. Candidates must check the information mentioned on their admit card as soon as they download it and check for errors. Usually, there is no error in the XAT admit card but you should still check the details. Every XAT admit card contains the following information:

• Candidate’s name
• Candidate’s photo
• Candidate's date of birth
• Candidate's category
• Candidate’s XAT ID
• Exam date
• Exam time
• Exam venue
• Instructions regarding exam/exam day

In case of an error or misprint, you can get it rectified by the exam authorities by contacting the XAT helpdesk. However, you cannot change or update the XAT test centre and city. The allotment will be made according to your choice filled in the XAT application form, so in case you filled the test city which you didn’t intent to, you will need to make arrangement for appearing for the exam in that city.

XAT admit card is available for download until the exam day only. The admit card link is deactivated from the official website once the exam is over. Moreover, only that XAT admit card is considered to be valid and a proof of candidate appearing for the exam that has official stamp and signature. So, candidates must preserve their admit card they carried to the test centre and has official stamp till the end of admission.

XAT provisional answer key of refers to official solutions of questions asked in the exam and final XAT answer key is the document containing updated answer keys post the analysis of objection raised against provisional XAT answer key by candidates.

The XAT response sheet is the document which has answers marked by the candidates against every question and the answer key is a document carrying correct answers of those questions. XLRI sometimes releases the XAT response sheet and XAT answer key separately and sometimes is released together. Both the documents are important for candidates to analyse their performance.

After XAT answer key is released, the examination body invites objection against it. Candidates can raise objection against preliminary answer key by filling an online form and submitting a document supporting their claim. Thereafter, examination body will examine all objections.

Provisional XAT answer key will be available for download for a limited period. It will not be available for download after objection window is closed. Thus, download it as soon as it is released.

XLRI Jamshedpur releases the XAT cut offs every year in the month of February after the result announcement. The XAT exam is held on the first Sunday of January and the result is announced in the last week of January. And within a week of result announcement, the XAT cut offs are released.

The XAT cut offs are released at the official website of XLRI Jamshedpur and are available for download without login. The XAT cut offs are released for PGDM-HRM and PGDM-BM gender and academic stream wise. The document contains sectional and overall cut off percentiles for male, female, male non engineering and female non-engineering categories. Selection of candidates for the Personal Interview and Group Discussion round of XLRI admission is done on the basis of these category wise cut offs.

Since the XAT scorecard is the main proof of the candidate’s attendance and passing the entrance exam, the XAT result cum scorecard of every candidate contains their personal details and scores. Given below is the lift of information that is printed on every candidate’s scorecard.

• Name of the candidate
• Gender of the candidate
• Address of the candidate
• XAT ID
• Date of XAT exam
• Date of Birth
• Validity of the XAT scorecard
• Sectional percentiles
• Sectional scores
• Sectional percentiles
• Overall percentile

Candidates must check the details carefully and incase of any error in personal details, candidates must reach out to exam authorities for rectification. The marks and percentile will not be changed as there is no provision of rechecking or revaluation. However, if it is a glaring misprint then candidates may apply to the admission cell and seek updation.

There is no provision to challenge the final XAT answer key because it is prepared after examining the challenges raised by candidates against the provisional answer key. The answer key status mentioned on the final XAT answer key is final and XAT result is prepared on the basis of same.

XLRI selects candidates for its MBA full time programme through XAT score. Those who qualify the exam and meet the minimum cut off, are shortlisted for Essay Writing and Personal Interview. Final selection is made on the basis of candidate's XAT score, academic score, work experience and performance in Essay Writing and Personal Interview.

Sectional cut off for XAT refers to the minimum percentile fixed for each section of the exam that candidates have to meet. For example, if the Quantitative Aptitude cut off is 85 percentile for XAT, students should score 85 percentile or more in the section of XAT to become eligible for group discussion and personal interview. Check the below tables for PGDM BM and PGDM HRM for XAT.

XAT Sectional cut offs for PGDM BM

XAT Sectional cut offs for PGDM HRM

XAT score calculation process is simple as the marking scheme is pretty straightforward. The total marks of XAT 2025 is 95. The test has 95 questions each carry 1 mark. Section wie distribution is:

VALR: 26 marks

DM: 21 marks

QADI: 28 marks

GK: 20 marks

However, since GK marks are not to be included in XAT score and percentile calculation, the total marks have to be calculated from VALR, DM and QADI sections. So, for every correct option, candidate can give themselve 1 mark and for every incorrect option they need to subtract 0.25 marks. Further, for 8 consecutive unanswered questions, they need to subtract 0.10 marks. The final number arrived at will be XAT raw score.

No, cut offs of XAT participating colleges are different from each other. These colleges fix cut off percentiles for admission individually basis certain criteria determined by their respective admission cells. XAT cut off for XIMB is different from XAT cut off for TAPMI. XAT cut off for XIMB is usually around 90-93 whereas XAT cut off for TAPMI is 80-85. On the other hand, XAT cut off for KJ Somaiya-Mumbai is 85-90. Most of the MBA colleges shortlist candidates for admission on the basis of overall XAT percentile. However, the candidates must aim to meet sectional XAT cut offs too in the exam to avoid an unwanted situation at the time of admission. Before applying for admission, candidates must check the selection criteria of their target colleges to be sure of requirements.