XAT Exam Pattern 2025

It’s critical to have a thorough understanding of the XAT 2025 exam pattern before to taking the test in order to see how the paper is structured. This will improve your exam vision and aid in your preparation.

To give you a general notion of what to expect from a candidate, the table below provides a brief explanation of the structure of the XAT exam.

Section-wise paper pattern for the XAT exam 2025

With a total of 95 questions (estimated), the XAT Pattern is divided into two halves. Below is a breakdown of the expected question distributions:

Revised XAT 2025 Exam Pattern: Significant Shifts

XLRI Jamshedpur has announced certain changes to the XAT 2025 exam design. This year, the XAT exam will no longer include the Analytical Essay Writing (AEW) portion. Instead, it will now be administered during the Group Discussion and Personal Interview phases. The following are the specific modifications made to the XAT paper exam:

• XAT 2025 will now only last 180 minutes instead of 210 minutes.
• In XAT 2025, there will be 95 questions instead of 105 overall.
• The GK portion of the XAT 2025 will now only last 10 minutes, and there will only be 20 questions overall instead of the previous 25.
• The Essay Writing Test will be administered by XLRI in the GD-PI Round, which was formerly held in conjunction with the computer-based exam.

XAT Exam Pattern 2025: Question Structured by Section

As previously mentioned, the XAT 2025 component is broken up into three sections. The amount of questions varies each part, as listed below.

Register For XAT Exam 2025

XAT Exam Pattern 2025: Marking Scheme

The XAT 2025 is expected to include 95 questions overall this year, down from 100 last year.
There are no negative marks for the General Knowledge portion of the XAT exam.

The XAT exam is made more challenging by this feature of the format, which limits the amount of questions that can be skipped. Therefore, candidates place a great deal of importance on the XAT Exam Strategy. This can only be developed when the candidate attempts multiple mocks. 

XAT Exam Pattern 2025: XAT Exam Time Limit for Both Sections and Overall

XLRI Jamshedpur has revised the length of the XAT 2025 exam from its previous value of 210 minutes to 180 minutes altogether. The essay writing portion has also been eliminated, and for the upcoming GD-PI rounds, the general knowledge section’s score will be taken into account.

XAT Exam Pattern 2025: Important Variations from Earlier Years

Over the last three to four years, the XAT Paper Pattern has changed a few times. The biggest modification occurred in 2018, when the paper-based test was replaced by a computer-based test. In addition, the following other modifications have occurred over time:

• In XAT 2025, there were 100 questions; this time, there are only 95, and the period has been shortened to 180 minutes from 210 minutes.
• In XAT 2023, there were 22 total decision-making questions, and the exam duration was extended to 210 minutes.
• The XAT 2022 now includes a portion on essay writing.
• In XAT 2020, subjective questions were reinstated after being eliminated in XAT 2019.
• The essay-based question was dropped after the year 2018.

Section-by-Section Examination Pattern for XAT 2025

The XAT Pattern has been slightly changing over the years, as you can see. This makes studying for the XAT Exam a little more difficult, but the sections haven’t changed, therefore the XAT 2025 Syllabus may be quickly reviewed.

The student frequently ignores other portions in favor of learning a small number of them. All areas have a certain weight, though, and receiving a low score could make the selection or cut-off process more difficult.

Section 1: Verbal and Logical Ability

This section is a combination of the VARC section and LR section from the CAT Exam. The topics which are generally tested in this section, apart from Reading Comprehension, include:

• Vocabulary, Analogy
• Paragraph Jumbles, Paragraph Completion
• Critical Reasoning
• Statements-Assumptions

Section 2: Decision Making

This is a section that is not tested at all in CAT or in any other MBA Entrance Exams. Last year, it consisted of 6 passages with 2-3 questions each.

There is no particular preparation or syllabus for this section as it is based on the candidate’s clarity of thought. The set of questions also ensures that the candidate’s answers do not contradict each other.

Section 3: Data Interpretation and Quantitative Ability

Similar to section 1, this section combines two CAT Exam sections. The questions on quantitative ability and data interpretation are included in this section. Three to four questions typically follow the Data Interpretation sets.

The Quantitative Ability syllabus is identical to that of the CAT, and the most commonly asked questions relate to:

• Time & Work
• Percentage
• Profit & Loss
• Equations
• Number Systems
• Clocks
• Geometry
• Algebra
• Mensuration
• Venn Diagrams
• Tables
• Bar Diagrams

The breakup of the section was 25 questions of QA and 3 of DI in XAT 2025.

Section 4: General Knowledge

It is anticipated that the General Knowledge portion of the XAT 2025 will not have a syllabus and will cover trivia and current events. The questions strike a balance between static GK and current issues based on past tendencies. This section’s curriculum can range from politics and literature to technology and literature.

Exam Pattern for XAT 2025: Level of Difficulty

The results of the analysis of the XAT exam from the previous year suggest that the XAT 2025 exam will likely range in complexity from moderately demanding. The exact degree of difficulty for each section of the XAT 2025 exam is shown in the following table:

XAT Exam Pattern 2025: Weighting by Section

It is anticipated that the XAT 2025 question paper will comprise approximately 100 multiple-choice questions divided into four sections. Section C: Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation is the most weighted. The distribution of weights for each component of the XAT exam is provided below:

XAT Preparation 2025

One of the most popular entrance exams for anyone hoping to attend a respected B-school and pursue an MBA is the XAT exam. After the CAT, it is thought to be the hardest admission exam, requiring intense study and dedication to ace. As a result, it’s critical to comprehend the syllabus and the XAT exam format in great detail. As you begin taking XAT mocks on a regular basis, you should intensify your study for the exam in order to track your progress, evaluate your answers, and enhance your performance on the real test.

Preparation Tips for XAT 2025

You can use study materials recommended by your mentor and industry professionals, as well as some of the best books for the XAT. The following are some suggestions that you can include in your study plan to improve your XAT readiness:

Make a schedule

It’s critical that you establish a schedule that you can stick to before you start your preparations. Divide the preparation into manageable chunks and expand on key ideas. By doing this, you’ll be able to manage your syllabus in relation to a timeframe and enable time for adjustments.

Determine your strong and weak points

By doing this, you’ll be able to allocate your time on the syllabus more wisely. When attempting the paper, you will be able to concentrate on strengthening your areas of weakness and making the most of your strengths.

Mock Tests

Mock Tests are a great tool for preparation for any MBA admission exam, including the XAT. They will assist you in comprehending your degree of readiness, assessing the success of your exam plan, providing a comparative analysis with your peers, and identifying your areas of growth.

Examine past year’s papers

Reviewing past years’ papers will help you get more comfortable with the format and kinds of questions to expect on the exam, as well as aid in your revision. You will also benefit from doing past papers in a way that is comparable to taking mock exams.

Revision

After reading over the syllabus, it is important that you review the material on a frequent basis. You can do this by going over your notes, answering practice questions, or taking mock exams. The revision will help you solidify the concepts and help improve speed and accuracy.

Conclusion

Because the questions in each segment of the XAT are typically seen as being harder than those in the CAT, it is thought to be the hardest MBA entrance exam. As a result, getting ready for the same is challenging. However, individuals can clear the XAT cutoffs and gain admission to prestigious B-schools in India with adequate preparation and analysis of the XAT pattern and past papers.

The XAT test is recognized as one of the more transparent exams since XLRI Jamshedpur releases the exam paper and answer key prior to the results being declared. Furthermore, candidates have a brief window of opportunity following the announcement of the XAT results to challenge the outcome and request a recount of their score.

Though the XAT syllabus is comparable to that of the CAT, preparation for the Decision Making, General Knowledge, and Essay Writing portions is specific to the XAT and needs to be done separately. When preparing for the XAT exam, particular attention can be paid to these three sections because the majority of students will also be taking other MBA exams.