XAT

Hi,
The entrance to some of the most revered B-Schools in India, which include XLRI and XIMB, the Xavier's Aptitude Test or XAT, is a far cry from CAT, and in fact, from any entrance examination for that matter.
XAT is famous for its high difficulty level. XAT syllabus consists of English, Quantitative Aptitude, Logical Reasoning, Data Interpretation, Decision Making, General Awareness and Essay Writing. Here are some syllabus details, based from last year's XAT paper pattern.
Quantitative Aptitude (QA) & Data Interpretation (DI)
In XAT, there are three sets of DI questions. Quant has similar sections like CAT exam. Here are some of the quant topics that are covered in the exam:
Percentage
Profit and Loss
Ratio
Variation
Time and Work
Time, Speed and Distance
Tables and Caselets
Probability
Critical Path
Averages and Partnerships
Alligations and Mixtures
Algebra
Linear and Quadratics Equations
Surds and Indices
Inequalities
Logarithms
Numbers
Mensuration and Geometry, etc.
English Language and Logical Reasoning
Topics in this section include:
Fill in the blanks (vocab and grammar based)
Grammar questions
Para Completion and inference
Reading Comprehension
Verbal Logic
Parajumbles
Topics under this section include:
Decision making
Sets
Logical reasoning
General Knowledge
The GK syllabus consists mostly of the following topis:
Awards and winners
Business
Economy
Government and Politics
Science
Famous Personalities
History
Geography
Current affairs
Important happenings around the World
Static GK
XAT GK section is dominated by current affairs and news, with around seven questions related to international on-going issues like Syrian crisis, Crimean referendum, Boko Haram.
Essay:
Essay section has no fixed subject. Essay topic could vary from general affairs to abstract subject. The idea to present your chain of thoughts on the subject in an order.
The exam has roughly 90-100 questions on English, QA, LR & DI and Decision Making. The test also includes questions on General Awareness.
https://www.shiksha.com/mba/exams/xat/syllabus

There is nothing such thing called important topics. This view depends upon the preparation of the exam you are taking. There are a number of exams conducted in India for the MBA. Exams like CAT, XAT, GMAT, MAT, IBSAT, NMAT, SNAP, etc., have some minor tweaking and variations apart from the main sections. Each of these exams have quantitative aptitude, verbal reasoning, logical reasoning and data interpretation, apart from GK or essay writing section in some of the exams. So, you have to prepare accordingly for these exams either by taking coaching classes, correspondence course, by self-preparation or by following recommended books. After you have prepared for the most difficult level questions, you may try to get some question banks for the specific exam you are targeting either offline mode I.e. books for exams or online mode I.e. free question banks websites or paid question banks for practice.

Hi,
Planning is very important to crack XAT in 6 months. So, my suggestions are:
XAT is easy as compared to CAT. I was also a student who prepared for XAT immediately after my graduation. The important things which you should look into while preparing for this exam are as follows:
1. Select one of the best coaching centres which offer quality education. TIME is one of the famous coaching centres for XAT and MAT.
2. Dedication-Be focused on the aim which you need to achieve.
3. Try to read Hindu newspaper editorial. Most of the passages which appear in XAT are from Hindu editorial.
4. Try to do a maximum number of online mock tests. You will definitely clear XAT by doing the above.
5. Try to read as much as you can and make note of points.
6. Revision of each topic every week is very important.
7. Mathematical ability questions will be little-twisted, try to solve them as fast as you can.
These are the tips for you to crack both XAT and CAT.

The best coaching institutes for XAT are:
IMS
Established in 1977 in Mumbai, IMS is one of oldest higher education entrance exam training institutes of the country. The institute, which has over 75 centres in 44 cities, believes in acting as a mentor, motivator and guide to students. IMS learning resources offer coaching and training for MBA entrance tests. Students are mentored for entrance tests like CAT, GMAT, CMAT, NMAT by GMAC, etc.
TIME
Established in 1992, Triumphant Institute of Management Education Pvt. Ltd. (T.I.M.E.) is considered to be one of India's leading test-preparation institutes. Headquartered at Hyderabad, TIME is led by a team of more than 40 IIT/IIM graduates. It has an all India presence with 236 offices in 112 towns and cities. TIME has constantly produced various CAT and other MBA entrance exam toppers.