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Updated By Vandana Thakur on 11 Dec, 2025 11:35
The XAT exam pattern was changed last year and reduced to two parts. The first part includes three sections, namely Decision Making, Verbal and Logical Ability, etc. The second part encompasses GK topics.
Predict your Percentile based on your XAT performance
Predict RankXAT exam pattern 2026 was changed by XLRI Jamshedpur, the conducting body of the exam, on August 8, 2024. The number of questions in the GK section has been reduced from 25 to 20. 1 mark will be awarded for each correct answer, making the total marks of the XAT 2026 exam 95. The first part of the XAT question paper will have 3 sections - Decision-making, Verbal & Logical Ability, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation that must be completed over a duration of 170 minutes.
The second part of the question paper will include only General Knowledge that must be completed in 10 minutes. Candidates belonging to the PWD category can avail themselves of 20 minutes extra in every section. Each section will have 20-28 MCQs with 5 options, with the total number of questions being 95. Students are eager to know more about the XAT 2026 exam pattern can go through the marking scheme, section-wise exam pattern,etc.
The highlights of the XAT 2026 exam pattern have been tabulated below:
Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
Conducting Body | XLRI Jamshedpur |
Exam type | National Level Post-Graduate exam |
Mode of Exam | Online (Computer Based Test) |
Medium of the Exam | English |
Periodicity | Once in a year |
Total Number of Questions | 95 |
Exam Duration | 180 minutes (3 hours) |
Syllabus | Verbal and Logical Ability, Decision Making, Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation, General Knowledge |
Programmes Offered by XLRI | Business Management (BM), Human Resource Management (HRM) and General Management Programme (GMP) |
Type of Questions | MCQs |
Exam Pattern for MCQs | Each MCQ is followed by 5 answer options with one correct option |
XAT Scoring Pattern | +1 mark for each correct answer |
Negative Marking |
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Negative Marking in GK Questions | GK questions are exempted from negative marking. |
Percentile Calculation | To determine the XAT percentile score and XAT merit list for the written exam, only 3 components of the XAT exam are considered. In the XAT exam format, GK will not be taken into account while calculating percentiles. |
Sectional Time Limit | Yes
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Evaluation of Essay Writing Test | Only those candidates who will get shortlisted for the interview process will have their essay writing test evaluated. |
Ques: What is the exam pattern for the VARC & LR section of the XAT exam?
Ans: A total of 26 questions will be asked from this section and all the questions will be Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) type. There will be 4 RC passages out of which 14 to 16 RC Based questions will be asked. 8 to 10 questions will be asked from verbal Ability and the important topics from this section include Vocabulary, Analogy, Para Jumbles, Para completion, Critical Reasoning, Statements-assumptions, etc. 1 mark will be awarded for each correct answer and 0.25 marks will be deducted for each incorrect answer.
Ques: What is the exam pattern for the Quant & DI section of the XAT exam?
Ans: A total of 28 questions will be asked from this section and all the questions will be Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) type. Important topics in this section include Time & Work, Profit & Loss, Percentage, Clocks, Geometry, Equations, Number system, Mensuration, Venn diagram, Algebra, Tables, Bar diagram, graphs. 1 mark will be awarded for each correct answer and 0.25 marks will be deducted for each incorrect answer.
Ques: What is the exam pattern for the GK section of the XAT exam?
Ans: A total of 20 MCQs will be asked from this section that must be attempted within 10 minutes. Important topics include History, Geography, Economics & Business, Personality & Awards, Sports, Science & Technology, Books & Authors, Culture & Entertainment, and latest National & International events. This section is not taken into account when calculating the percentile.
Also Read:Do You Know THESE Latest Changes in XAT?
XAT 2026 exam pattern is given below. Candidates must understand the break-up of each section and prepare accordingly.
XAT Division | Section | Total Questions | Types of Questions | Total Marks | Time Allotted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part 1 | Verbal and Logical Ability | 26 | MCQs | 26 | 170 Minutes |
Decision Making | 21 | MCQs | 21 | ||
Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation | 28 | MCQs | 28 | ||
Part 2 | General Knowledge | 20 | MCQs | 20 | 10 Minutes |
Total | 95 | - | 95 | 180 Minutes |
Also Read:
| XAT Important Topics & Weightage |
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The XAT section-wise 2026 exam pattern consists of 26 verbal & logical ability questions, 21 decision-making questions, and 28 quantitative aptitude and data interpretation questions.
Students can download the XAT 2026 section-wise exam pattern from the official XAT website.
It is important for the candidates to have a clear understanding of the XAT marking scheme before they take the examination. The XAT 2026 marking scheme has been mentioned below:
No changes have been announced in the XAT 2026 exam pattern. The key changes in the XAT exam pattern & marking scheme in the last 4 years have been provided below.
Particulars | XAT 2025 | XAT 2024 | XAT 2023 | XAT 2022 | XAT 2021 | XAT 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Duration of the XAT Exam | 180 minutes | 210 minutes 2 PM to 5:30 PM | 210 minutes 2 PM to 5:30 PM | 190 minutes 9:30 AM to 12:40 PM | 180 minutes 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM | 180 minutes 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM |
Number of XAT Sections | 4 (Decision Making, Verbal & Logical Ability, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation and General Knowledge) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Mock Keyboard Testing | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Total Number of XAT Questions | 95 | 102 | 102 | 101 | 100 | 99 |
Type of XAT Questions | 75 MCQs, 20 GK | 76 MCQs, 25 GK, and 1 Essay Writing | 76 MCQs, 25 GK, and 1 Essay Writing | 75 MCQs, 25 GK, and 1 Essay Writing | 75 MCQs and 25 GK | 75 MCQs and 25 GK |
Number of Subjective-Type XAT Questions | No | 1 (Essay Writing Test) | 1 (Essay Writing Test) | 1 (Essay Writing Test) | No | No |
Maximum marks in the XAT Exam | 95 | 101 | 101 | 100 | 100 | 99 |
Marking Scheme |
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As per the latest exam pattern of the XAT exam, each question will consist of 1 mark, and there will be 0.25 marks for each incorrect answer.
The XAT pattern was changed by the exam authorities on August 8, 2024.
Apart from the basic structure and other aspects of the XAT exam pattern, aspirants must also be aware of further essential details about the exam that are often overlooked. Understanding the XAT exam pattern thoroughly is crucial for an excellent performance. That being said, take a look at some of the most important points to remember about the XAT exam pattern mentioned below:
XAT and CAT are two of the most well-known MBA entrance exams in India. Although which exam is more difficult between XAT and CAT exam is debatable, it is widely accepted that both these exams are the most difficult MBA entrance exams in India, especially compared to other entrance exams like MAT, CMAT, SNAP, etc. The exam pattern for both XAT and CAT is mentioned below:
Particulars | XAT Exam Pattern 2026 | CAT Exam Pattern 2025 |
|---|---|---|
Total Number of Questions | 95 | 66 |
Type of Questions | MCQs | MCQs and Non-MCQs |
Exam Duration | 3 hours or 180 Minutes | 2 hours or 120 Minutes |
Marking Scheme |
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Number of Sections | 5 Divided into 3 Parts
| 3 Sections:
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Exam Difficulty Level | Moderate to Difficult (Expected) | Difficult |
Individual Sectional Time Limit |
| 40 minutes for Each Section |
Want to know more about XAT
A total of 28 questions can be expected from the QA & DI section in XAT 2026. 1 question each can be expected from Time Speed Distance, Arithmetic Progression, Roots of Polynomial, 2 from Profit & Loss, and 3 questions each from Increasing & Decreasing, Permutation & Combination; Set Theory, Triangles and Rectangles, Linear Equation, Log, Quadratic Equation, and Data Interpretation.
Approximately 21 questions will be asked from the Decision Making section in XAT 2026. It can be anticipated that 3 questions will be asked from problem based on Human Resources, 3 from problem based on ABC Business School, 3 from problem based on Taxis, 3 from problem based on Sales & Marketing, 3 from problem based on Household help, 3 from problem based on Human Resources at IT Firm Symbolism, and 3 from problem based on Gas Extraction Company Deep Sea.
The difficulty level of the General English, Analytical & Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative, Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency sections of the XAT exam ranges from moderate to high.
The XAT exam will be conducted in the English language. The question paper will not be set in any other regional languages. Therefore, candidates appearing for the exam must have a certain level of proficiency in English to qualify for the test.
The format of the XAT 2026 includes objective type of questions All the objective questions coming in the XAT exam will be in MCQ format. Each question will be provided with five options.
The Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation section of XAT 2026 will carry the maximum number of questions i.e 28. Besides this, 21, 25 and 26 questions will be asked in the Decision Making, General Knowledge and Verbal and Logical Ability sections respectively.
No, all sections of XAT 2026 do not carry equal marks. Each section has a different weightage in terms of the number of questions and marks. While quantitative ability and data interpretation have maximum weightage, the decision-making section has the least number of questions.
A total of 95 questions will be asked in the XAT exam. Each question will carry one mark. The total time allocated is 180 minutes therefore students will get ample time to solve each question. However, speed and efficiency are extremely important in the XAT exam due to the high difficulty level of the exam.
XAT is divided mainly into 4 sections namely Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, and General Knowledge. The Essay Writing section has been scrapped for XAT 2026.
The total duration of the XAT exam is 180 minutes. Additional 10 minutes are allotted to complete the GK section. No extra time will be allotted to any candidate. The students must try answering the maximum number of questions in these three hours which will increase their scope to get admission to XLRI and other MBA institutes. However, PWD candidates can avail themselves of an extra time of 20 minutes per section.
One mark will be awarded for each correct answer and 0.25 marks will be deducted for each incorrect answer in XAT 2026. 0.10 marks will be deducted for more than eight consecutive unanswered questions. There is no scheme of negative marking for the general knowledge section.
Yes, you can attempt the XAT exam 2026 in any order. You can start the paper from whichever section you feel is convenient. However, the general knowledge section can be attempted at the end after all the previous three sections are complete.
Yes, there is a negative marking in XAT 2026 exam. 0.25 marks will be deducted in case the candidate answers any question wrong. The negative marking will be the same for quantitative ability and data interpretation, decision making, verbal and logical ability. No marks are deducted in the general knowledge part.
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