Exam On - 4 Jan '26
XAT study material includes books by RS Aggarwal, Arun Sharma and Wren & Martin. Aspirants must refer to recommended XAT books only. Check here section-wise list of XAT preparation books for 2026 exam session.
It is crucial to choose the right XAT books, as the syllabus is vast and difficulty level high. XLRI shortlists candidates above 92-94 percentile, so candidates cannot be ill prepared for the exam. So, for exam preparation, you must refer to expert recommended books for XAT 2026.
Choose only those XAT preparation books, that include all the topics includes in the XAT syllabus. The XAT syllabus comprises subjects like Quantitative Aptitude, Verbal Ability, Logical Ability, Data Interpretation, Decision Making and General Knowledge. The books should also have additional XAT study material such as practice questions, sample papers and topic wise exercises of various difficulty levels. Read below to know the best books for preparation of XAT 2026.
Every section of the XAT exam has different weightage and cut-off marks, therefore, for an overall good XAT score, candidates need to perform well in each section. Experts suggest that candidates should apply subject specific strategy to prepare every section of XAT, which should include recommended XAT books. We have listed section-wise best books for XAT preparation 2026 (recommended by experts) and other study material below. Read on.
Quantitative Ability (QA) and Data Interpretation (DI) questions are grouped in a single section in XAT as they are based on arithmetical problems. Since, the topics of XAT syllabus is same as CAT syllabus, you can refer CAT books for preparation. Given below is the list of XAT books for Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation preparation.
| XAT Books for Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation |
Author Name |
|---|---|
| Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations |
RS Aggarwal |
| How to prepare for Data Interpretation |
Arun Sharma |
| Quantitative Aptitude For Competitive Examinations |
Abhijit Guha |
| Data Interpretation for the CAT |
Nishit K Sinha |
Since Decision Making section is unique to XAT, the best source of preparation are previous years' XAT question papers and sample papers. You can also take up secondary reading material. Listed below are sample papers and books for XAT Decision Making.
| XAT Books for Decision Making |
Author Name |
|---|---|
| Jabbing the XAT (with solved papers) |
RK Jha |
| Analytical and Logical Reasoning |
Arihant Publications |
| Target XAT (Past papers & mock tests) |
Disha Publication |
The XAT VARC section includes tough Reading Comprehension passages as well as a poem, so it is important that candidates have a good control over the language. Additionally, English grammar and vocabulary need focused preparation. XAT books recommended for English grammar and vocabulary are listed below:
| XAT Books for Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning |
Author Name |
|---|---|
| Word Power Made Easy |
Norman Lewis |
| Analytical Reasoning |
MK Pandey |
| A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning |
RS Aggarwal |
| High School English Grammar & Composition |
Wren & Martin |
| Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension |
Ajay Singh |
Newspapers and Magazines such as Economic Times, Financial Express, Hindu Business Line, Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, Business Today, Business World, and Competition Success Review are the best source of increasing general knowledge. This section of XAT mainly has current affairs questions which you can prepare/memories towards the end of the preparation phase.
Candidates must practice previous years XAT question papers to know the trend of types of questions asked, weightage of topic-wise questions and difficulty level. Shiksha has a repository of XAT question papers of last 10 years which you can download for free. Click here to download previous years' XAT question papers
Candidates must start practicing XAT previous year question papers, mock tests and sample papers two months prior to the exam. The strategy must include practicing variety of questions on each topic of XAT 2026 syllabus. This will help candidates in grasping the core knowledge of each concept and one can solve questions with ease on the exam day.
As XAT is a computer based test, it is best that candidates practice online mock tests. This will not only help them in familiarising themselves with the actual exam atmosphere but also help them in improving speed, accuracy and time management skill. Candidates must practice at least 30-40 XAT mock tests for best results. The mock tests should be of various difficulty levels too, so that one is prepared for any type of XAT exam - easy, moderate or tough. Shiksha has created free XAT mock test for aspirants. Click on the links below for Shiksha's free XAT mock test.
| XAT_Mock_Test_1 | XAT_Mock_Test_1_Solutions |
| XAT_Mock_Test_2 | XAT_Mock_Test_2_Solutions |
When selecting XAT books, do check whether they have comprehensive chapters on the topics of XAT syllabus or not. Listed below are some important topics of XAT syllabus:
| XAT sections |
Important topics |
|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary, Analogy based on vocabulary, Para Jumble, Grammar, Critical Reasoning and Inference, Para Completion, etc. |
|
| Decision Making |
Decision Making, Analogy, Seating Arrangement, Logical Sequence, Assumption, Premise, Conclusion, etc. |
| Tables and Caselets, Percentage, Surds and Indices, Algebra, Mensuration, Bar Diagrams, Pie Charts, etc. |
|
| General Knowledge |
Science, Economy, Business, Politics, Static GK, Sports, Prize and Award, World, Government Policies, Constitution of India, etc |
Also Read:
Based on ,MBA
The XAT question paper 2026 will have four sections - Verbal and Logical Ability, Decision Making, Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation and General Knowledge. Given below is the brief overview of XAT exam pattern 2026:
| XAT Exam Features |
Details |
|
|---|---|---|
| Test mode |
Computer Based Test |
|
| Duration of exam |
3 hours |
|
| Total questions |
95 questions |
|
| Type of questions |
Multiple choice questions |
|
| Sections |
Four |
|
| Number of questions per section |
Decision Making |
21 questions |
| Verbal and Logical Ability |
26 questions |
|
| Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation |
28 questions |
|
| General Knowledge |
20 questions |
|
| Marking Scheme |
|
|
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Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 23 hours ago
GIBS accepts scores from all major management entrance exams, including:
CAT
XAT
MAT
CMAT
GMAT
ATMA
State CET
This gives students multiple options to apply. Along with entrance exam scores, GIBS also looks at the overall profile, communication skills, and interest in management, which makes the admission pr
A
Contributor-Level 8
Answered a week ago
Yes, apart from CAT/XAT/MAT/CMAT/ATMA, PIBM conducts its own entrance exam called PMAT (PIBM's Online Aptitude Test). Shortlisted candidates from PMAT then appear for the Written Test, Group Discussion (GD), and Personal Interview (PI) as part of the selection process.
R
Beginner-Level 4
Answered a week ago
Yes, if you have secured an 82nd percentile in XAT, you can get the scholarships for pursuing an MBA course at FOSSTIMA Business School. The concessions on fees that the school provides are:
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
No. Scores in CAT/XAT/GMAT is not mandatory for admission into BITS Pilani MBA in Business Analytics. However, those who have appeared for these entrance exams will get their score considered in the selection criteria. Appearing for BAAT exam is mandatory for MBA Business Analytics admission.
D
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a week ago
The XAT Cutoff 2025 was released for admission to the MBA/ PGDM programme for Gender-Neutral candidates belonging to the All India quota. The Rajagiri Business School XAT Cutoff 2025 was 15 percentile for admission to the PGDM course. Candidates needed to secure at least 15 percentile to avail admis
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
XAT VARC is moderately tough and requires adequate practice. This section has about 27 questions and some are based on RC passages including a poem. To be able to understand and attempt RC questions, good control on English comprehension is required. Verbal Ability, Grammar and Vocabulary questions
A
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
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.
A
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
Rajagiri Business School XAT Cutoff 2025 was released for admission to the MBA/PGDM courses. In 2024, the XAT cutoff was 70 percentile for admission to the Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) course for the General category candidates under the All India quota.
As in the case for the OBC AI c
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
The IMI Kolkata XAT Cutoff 2024 was released for admission to the MBA/PGDM course for all categories under the All India quota. The XAT Cutoff 2024 was overall 70 percentile for the General category candidates from the All India quota. This cutoff was for students to avail a seat at the Post Graduat
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
Hi.
For PGDM and MBA admissions at GIBS Business School, Bangalore, the following entrance exams are accepted:
Accepted Entrance Exams
| Exam | Type / Level |
|---|---|
| CAT – Common Admission Test | National-level MBA entrance exam |
| XAT – Xavier Aptitude Test | National-level MBA entrance exam |
| MAT – Management Aptitude Test | National-level MBA entrance exam |
| CMAT – Common Management Admission Test | National-level MBA entrance exam |
| GMAT – Graduate Management Admission Test | International / National-level MBA entrance exam |
| ATMA – AIMS Test for Management Admissions | National-level MBA entrance exam |
| State CET (e.g., Karnataka PGCET) | State-level MBA entrance exam for Karnataka candidates |
h
Scholar-Level 18
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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