XAT

Candidates can take reference of subjects and topics from CAT study material for Verbal Ability, Data Interpretation and Quantitative Aptitude, but XAT preparation has to be exam specific and must include exam specific study material. Aspirants can use CAT sample questions too for practice purpose, but that is not enough. They need to practice XAT sample questions and XAT mock tests too, as the nature of questions in XAT is different from CAT.

XAT syllabus for Verbal Ability, Data Interpretation and Quantitative Aptitude are same as CAT syllabus. Decision Making and General Knowledge syllabus are not a part of CAT syllabus. Thus, XAT aspirants have to study more than CAT aspirants, which is why one needs to have a XAT specific preparation plan in order to score above 95 percentile.

There are no non-MCQs in XAT. All the questions are in MCQ format with four options to choose the correct answer from.  There are neither Type in the Answer and nor subjective answer type questions. Earlier, there used to be essay writing which required candidates to type a short essay on screen.

As per the latest XAT exam pattern, the question paper has only 2 parts. Part 1 consists of VALR, DM and QA DI questions. Part 2 consists of GK questions. Essay Writing is not a part of the online test. The total time duration is 180 minutes or 3 hours. Part 1 is of 170 minutes and Part 2 is of 10 minutes. Earlier, the XAT exam included essay writing for which extra time was given. The XAT exam used to be of 210 minutes or 3.5 hours.

For the General AI category students, the Manipal University XAT cutoff 2023 was 85 percentile for admission to the MBA in Banking and Financial Services, MBA in Human Resources Management, MBA in Marketing, and MBA in International Business courses. For Master of Business Administration (MBA), the XAT cutoff percentile was 80. The University offers MBA admission via its affiliated college called TA Pai Management Institute.  

In addition to CAT and XAT, SPJIMR accepts GMAT scores for admission to its Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) program. Candidates may submit GMAT scores that were obtained within the past three years. However, please note that SPJIMR does not consider XAT scores for its PGDM program. Eligibility criteria may differ for other specialised programs. Therefore, it is important to review the specific requirements for each programme on SPJIMR's official website to confirm that you fulfill all admission criteria.

EMPI Business School accepts multiple national-level management exams, including XAT, for admitting students to its PGDM courses. In 2024, the XAT cutoff percentile for admission to the PGDM in International Business course was 60 for the students belonging to the General AI quota. So, candidates seeking admission to this course must aim to target a cutoff percentile of more than 60 to improve their chance of getting a call from the school for admission.