XAT Books 2026 for Decision Making, Verbal and Logical Ability, QA & DI and GK

Q: Are six months enough to prepare for XAT?

There is no set time limit to prepare for XAT exam, but you need a minimum of six months for preparation. Ideally candidates need to start XAT preparation by April, however, if they start by June or July too, they can complete the syllabus within time and have ample time for practice of sample papers and mock tests. In order to utilize six months that you have for XAT preparation, do the following: Make monthly, weekly and daily time tables to study and don’t deviate from that routine. Start with subjects which you are your weak spots. We suggest start with studying Quantitative Aptitude and English. For Reading Comprehension, read editorials of newspapers and magazines every day. Read fiction, non-fiction, autobiographies, etc. for strengthening English vocabulary and comprehension. Download MBA exam preparation apps on your phone so that you can revise topics, solve reasoning or English puzzles anywhere when you get time.

Q: What type of Reading Comprehension passages are there in XAT?

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.

Q: Where can I find study material for Decision Making syllabus for XAT?

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.

Q: Is solving XAT question paper helpful in exam preparation?

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.

Q: How many XAT mock tests should I practice?

A candidate should practice at least 35 to 40 XAT mock tests during the entire preparation period. The mock tests should be of different varieties and various difficulty levels. Candidates should ideally start practicing XAT mock tests after completing the syllabus. They should start with easy mock tests, then move to moderate mock tests and then to tough mock tests. The motive should be to score above 98 percentile in the high difficulty level XAT mock test by the time the exam day arrives. In the last two weeks before the XAT exam, candidates must practice at least five mock tests and analyse their performance. It is most likely that by the end of the exam preparation, candidates will be scoring 98 plus percentile in the mock tests. If that happens, they must be rest assured of surpassing that score in the actual exam.

Q: Is XAT tough for candidates from non-Engineering background?

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.

1.7K Students Q&A

Registration - 10 Jul '25 - 5 Dec '25

Updated on Sep 16, 2025 22:10 IST

By Vipra Shrivastava, Senior Manager - Content

XAT preparation books - To score well in XAT exam, studying from the right books is important. Those planning to appear in XAT 2026 exam must select 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:

Table of content

Which are the Best Books for XAT Decision Making?
Which are the Best Books for XAT Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation?
Which are the Best Books for XAT Verbal & Logical Ability?
Which are the Best Books for XAT General Awareness?
FAQs on XAT Books and Preparation

Which are the Best Books for XAT Decision Making?

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

Commonly asked questions

Q: Where can I find study material for Decision Making syllabus for XAT?

Q: Is solving XAT question paper helpful in exam preparation?

Which are the Best Books for XAT Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation?

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

Which are the Best Books for XAT Verbal & Logical Ability?

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.

Commonly asked questions

Q: Are six months enough to prepare for XAT?

Q: What type of Reading Comprehension passages are there in XAT?

Which are the Best Books for XAT General Awareness?

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:

Economic Times
Financial Express
Hindu Business Line
Wall Street Journal
The Financial Times
Business Today
Business World

Download:

Current Affairs Guide

GDPI Prep Guide

XAT Preparation Books: Mock Tests, Sample Papers & Question Papers

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

XAT Preparation 2026: Tips and Tricks

Read the articles listed below for tips, trick, planning and strategy for XAT exam preparation:

XAT Exam Preparation Articles
XAT Preparation 2026: Tips to Crack Verbal Ability	XAT Preparation 2026: All About Decision Making – Tips and Tricks
XAT Preparation 2026: Tips to Crack QA and DI	How to Prepare for XAT 2026 exam? Tips from Toppers
Expert speak: How To Prepare for XAT Exam?	XAT 2026: Revision Tips for Last Two Weeks
How to Prepare for XAT in 1 Month	Is XAT tougher than CAT?
How to Prepare for XAT in 3 Months	How to Prepare for XAT in six months

Check XAT cut offs and predict calls from XLRI and other colleges accepting XAT score for admission. Check Fees, Placement Reviews, Admission, Shortlist Criteria and Eligibility of all XAT participating colleges by clicking the link below:

Predict XAT Admission Calls