Last 10 Years XAT Question Papers with Solutions PDF Download
Xavier Aptitude Test 2027 ( XAT )
XAT 2027 Registration
15 Jul '26 - 6 Dec '26
Shiksha has collated official XAT question papers of previous years for exam aspirants. Download these past years' XAT question paper with solution PDFs for free. Also read XAT preparation tips 2027.
XAT question papers
- When to Start Practicing XAT Previous Year Question Papers and Sample Papers?
- Benefits of Practicing XAT Previous Year Papers
- XAT Question Paper: Marking Scheme
When to Start Practicing XAT Previous Year Question Papers and Sample Papers?
The best time to start practicing XAT sample papers and XAT mock test series is after completing the syllabus. You can start practicing XAT PYQs alongside also, to check the more dominant topics and question types so that you can alter the preparation plan accordingly.
Benefits of Practicing XAT Previous Year Papers
XAT is a speed based exam where you are tested on well you can put theorerical knowledge to practice. XAT PYQ helps in understanding the XAT exam pattern and marking scheme as well as help in knowing how to tackle different type of questions. Given below are some benefits of practicing XAT previous year papers and sample test:
- Solving official XAT question papers will help aspirants in familiarizing themselves with the pattern of the exam and marking scheme.
- XAT previous year papers will help candidates in identifying the trend of types of questions asked in previous exams and thus assessing what type of questions will be asked in the upcoming exam.
- XAT is the only MBA entrance exam that has a poem as RC passage. And to solve RC questions based on a poem, no resource other that XAT questions paper is appropriate.
- It will help candidates in identifying weightage given to each topic of XAT syllabus 2027 in the exam.
- It will help aspirants in discovering tricks and shortcuts to solve questions faster with 100 per cent accuracy.
- Practicing XAT previous year papers in time bound manner will help candidates in improving their speed, accuracy and time management skills.
- The XAT sample papers will prepare candidates for all types of questions – tough, easy, lengthy, tricky, calculation-based, etc.
Download XAT Question Paper with solution PDF of past 11 years
XAT Question Paper Highlights 2027
XAT question paper consists of MCQs from Decision Making, Verbal & Logical Ability, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation and General Knowledge. Maximum number of questions are asked from Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation and the least number of questions are asked from Decision Making. Let's look at the expected XAT 2027 question paper pattern:
- XAT question paper 2027 will be divided into 2 parts
- Part 1 of XAT question paper will consists of Decision Making, Verbal & Logical Ability Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation
- Part 2 of the question paper will consist of GK questions
- Part 1 of XAT 2027 will have time limit of 170 minutes
- Part 2 will have time limit of 10 minutes
- Every question will be in MCQ format with 4 answer options to choose the righr answer from
- Candidates will have to mark their answers and save them before moving to the next question
- It is not mandatory to attempt all 95 questions. Candidates can skip questions if they don't know the correct answer.
- Decision Making section is all about analytical and logical reasoning. The questions are based on situational passages on business ethics and decision.
- The Reading Comprehension (RC) section of XAT usually includes four passages and one poem. Questions will be inference based.
- GK is mostly based on current affairs. Static GK questions are less in number.
XAT Question Paper 2026: Expected Difficulty Level
The XAT is a high difficulty level exam. Given below is the break up of XAT question paper 2027 for reference:
| XAT Sections |
No. of Questions |
Total Marks |
Level of Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 |
21 |
Moderate |
|
| Verbal and Logical Ability |
26 |
26 |
Moderate |
| Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation |
28 |
28 |
Tough |
| 25 |
20 |
Tough |
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.
A candidate should practice at least 35 to 40 XAT mock tests during preparation. They should attempt mocks of various varieties and difficulty levels.
In the last two weeks before XAT exam, they must practice at least five mock tests and analyse performance. It is most likely that by the end of exam preparation, candidates will be scoring 98 plus percentile in mocks. If that happens, they will score well in exam too.
Aspirants should start practicing XAT mock tests after completing the syllabus. Ideal time duration to solve XAT mock tests is October to December. Official mock test is released a week before the exam, so candidates must attempt it at least once before the exam.
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.
XAT Question Paper: Marking Scheme
XAT exam has negative marking for incorrect attempts. Given below is the marking scheme of XAT 2027:
| XAT Marking Scheme |
|
|---|---|
| Correct answer |
+1 |
| Incorrect answer |
-0.25 |
| More than 8 unanswered questions |
-0.10 |
Also Read:
XAT Mock Test
Shiksha has prepared free XAT mock test for practice. Candidates preparing for XAT 2025 can take this mock test and check the preparation level:
| XAT Mock Test 1 | Download Questions | Download Solutions |
| XAT Mock Test 2 | Download Questions | Download Solutions |
Also read:
XAT Exam Preparation Articles |
|
|---|---|
| How to Prepare for XAT 2027: All About Decision Making | |
| XAT Exam day checklist | XAT Preparation 2027: Tips to Crack Verbal Ability |
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 23 hours 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 23 hours 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 23 hours 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 23 hours 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 2 days 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
Answered 6 days ago
Yes. IMT Ghaziabad accepts valid XAT scores for admission to its PGDM programmes.
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
The expected XAT cutoff for IMT Ghaziabad is around 90-95 percentile for its major PGDM programmes.
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
No. XAT score is the marks obtained by a candidate in the exam. XAT percentile shows the candidate's relative performance compared with other test takers.
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Yes. XAT has negative marking. Candidates lose 0.25 marks for every incorrect answer. A penalty also applies to unattempted questions beyond the first eight.
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
The XAT score calculator formula is Correct Answers - (Incorrect Answers * 0.25) - Unattempted Question Penalty.
P
Contributor-Level 10
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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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