Xavier Aptitude Test 2026 ( XAT )
Exam On - 4 Jan '26
XAT preparation books - To score well in XAT exam, studying from the right books is important. Those preparing for XAT 2026 exam refer the best books recommended by experts and previous years toppers. The XAT books you choose must have topic wise coverage of XAT practice questions and sample exercises. You must also refer to other XAT study material for further clarity of concepts and Mathematical calculations and tricks. In this article, we have shared the list of best books for XAT 2026 exam for Decision Making, Verbal and Logical Ability, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation and General Knowledge. Read below:
Decision Making is like Logical Reasoning but it has questions based on business situation. The best way to prepare for Decision Making section of XAT 2026 is by practicing previous years' XAT question papers. You can also refer to different types of questions compiled and created by subject matter experts for preparation of Decision Making section. Some publications also provide books on Decision Making. Given below is the table with best 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 |
However, the best study material for XAT Decision Making are the previous years' question papers. It provides all the Decision Making questions asked in the past. Solving actual questions help a lotin gaining insights and confidence.
Also Read:
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.
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.
Quantitative Ability (QA) and Data Interpretation (DI) section of XAT has Mathematical problems. For this section, rigorous preparation is required as one needs to have conceptual clarity and ample practice. Best books for XAT Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation preparation are listed below:
| XAT Preparation Books |
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 |
For practice, candidates must refer previous years' XAT question papers and sectional mock tests. In Quants speed and accuracy is prime requirement. If handled well, 100 percentile is also possible in this section.
Also Read:
Since the type of Verbal Ability questions of XAT are similar to other MBA entrance exams, aspirants can refer to common books for MBA preparation. Candidates must note that XAT has a poem too, so they must refer to XAT specific sample questions additionally. Given below is the table indicating best books for XAT Verbal Ability preparation 2026:
| XAT Books for Verbal Ability |
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 |
| Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation |
Nishit K Sinha |
An important source of XAT Verbal Ability preparation is books and novels. Aspirants must read fiction and non-fiction novels from various genres so that they can read and understand RC passages quickly. They must also, familiarise themselves with poetry as in XAT, one RC passage is in the form of poem. Start reading early on. English comprehension can be cracked only with long term preparation.
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 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 can be handled by gaining conceptual clarity and solving sample questions.
General Awareness section of XAT exam is the easiest section and can be prepared in one month. If you keep an eye on the current affairs on regular basis, you’ll not need any secondary reference to prepare for it. The General Awareness section of XAT also contains static GK questions. To prepare for static GK, get hold of popular GK yearbooks such as Manorama Year Book and Competition Success Review Year Book.
For preparation of XAT 2026, keep up with current affairs by subscribing to the following newspaper and journals:
Download:
| Current Affairs Guide | GDPI Prep Guide |
Apart from the books, XAT aspirants must dedicate a considerable time to solving sample papers and mock test. In fact, preparation of subjects such as Reasoning, Decision Making and Data Interpretation is solely dependent upon practice. Since there are no formulas to be memorised or theorems to be understood, all you need to do it practice a variety of questions so that you can gauge patterns and hidden meanings that are critical for solving logic based questions accurately. Try below Shiksha's XAT mock test free:
| XAT_Mock_Test_1 | XAT_Mock_Test_1_Solutions |
| XAT_Mock_Test_2 | XAT_Mock_Test_2_Solutions |
Download: Previous Years XAT Question Papers: Download Free PDF
Read the articles listed below for tips, trick, planning and strategy for XAT exam preparation:
| XAT Exam Preparation Articles | |
|---|---|
| XAT Preparation 2026: All About Decision Making – Tips and Tricks |
|
| Is XAT tougher than CAT? | |
Check below Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on XAT Preparation 2026:
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.
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.
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XAT Exam
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 6 hours ago
Every question of XAT carries 1 mark and a score of 38 to 42 usually covert into 99 percentile, so candidates should aim for the same number of correct attempts in the exam. XAT has negative marking so they should not attempt any question, if they are not sure of, otherwise it will affect the overal
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Contributor-Level 6
Answered 9 hours ago
The CCSU MBA Cutoff 2025 has been released for admission to the MBA programme via the XAT, MAT and CAT entrance examinations. The CCSU XAT Cutoff 2025 was 50 for the Gender-Neutral Candidates under the All India quota. In the case of CCSU MAT Cutoff 2025, the qualfying cutoff percentile was 75 for t
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days 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 5
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 2 weeks 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 2 weeks 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 2 weeks 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
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Contributor-Level 10
KIITEE MBA 2026 Registrations 9 Oct '25 - 9 Jan '26
4.7
How many questions to attempt in XAT for 99 percentile?