XAT 2024 - Exam Date (Jan 7), Registration (Jul 15-Dec 31), Pattern, Syllabus, Preparation

Following are the key features/highlights of XAT 2024.

Check the important dates for XAT 2024 given in the table below.

XAT or the Xavier Aptitude Test is a national-level entrance examination conducted for candidates who wish to pursue management courses from Xavier Labour Relation Institute (XLRI), Jamshedpur, and other institutes that consider XAT scores for admission to their PG management programs. XLRI has been conducting the XAT exam for 70+ years on behalf of the Xavier Association of Management Institutes (XAMI).

The XAT exam is conducted as a computer-based examination that is typically held during the month of January every year. More than 75000 candidates appear for this exam each year. Over 1,000 B-schools accept XAT scores for admission to their post-graduate management programs, in addition to XLRI and 10 other XAMI member institutes. 

The XAT exam has been one of the most popular management entrance exams for aspirants for decades. Due to the enormous number of candidates that register for the XAT exam every year, the competition for admission into management colleges and universities that accept XAT scores is extremely tough. For instance, cutoffs for XLRI's PGDM-BM program are kept around the 95 percentile for male candidates and the same for female candidates is kept around the 92 percentile.

Like other standard management entrance exams, XAT is an MCQ-based examination. The test consists of 100 MCQ questions, and the exam duration is approximately 3 hours. The XAT exam is divided into two parts, and each part of the exam consists of different sections.

One of the most crucial steps toward preparing for the XAT exam is to be aware of the XAT 2024 eligibility criteria. Since an MBA course can be pursued at any age, there are no specific age requirements for candidates who wish to seek admission to a management course through the XAT exam. Graduates of any discipline, who have pursued their bachelor’s degree from a recognized university can apply for this exam. Meeting the eligibility criteria for the XAT exam is vital for candidates who want to pursue an MBA course at any of the colleges or universities that accept XAT scores. Students who do not meet the eligibility criteria for XAT are bound to be rejected for admission during further rounds of assessment.

Candidates who are appearing for the final year can also appear for this examination by providing a providential certificate or mark sheet from the previous year. Students who are in the final year of their bachelor’s degree course can also apply for the XAT exam by providing a providential certificate or a previous year's mark sheet. The detailed eligibility criteria for XAT 2024 are given below.

• Candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree with a minimum duration of three years or an equivalent degree in any discipline from a recognized university.

• Final-year students can also apply for the exam. A providential certificate or a previous year's mark sheet is mandatory for registration in such cases.

• Individuals with a professional degree like CA/CS are also eligible for the XAT exam.

• Candidates are not required to meet a minimum aggregate marks/percentage criteria in their bachelor’s degree for the XAT exam.

• There is no upper age limit for candidates to apply for XAT.

• There is no limit to the number of attempts a candidate can take for the XAT exam.

• Candidates who are foreign nationals can also apply for the XAT exam, based on their GMAT scores.

The first step toward taking the XAT exam is signing up for it by filling out the XAT application form. Applicants of XAT 2024 must register themselves for XAT 2024 by visiting the official website and then filling out the application form. The XAT registration process begins in the month of August every year and goes on till November. Aspirants have an application window of almost three months to fill out the application form at their convenience. In order to begin the registration process for XAT 2024, candidates need to first create their XAT ID and password on the official website. Applicants can follow the instructions given below to create their XAT account. 

• Candidates need to visit the official website for XAT 2024.

• Once on the website, candidates need to click on the ‘Register’ button displayed on the top right corner of the page.

• Candidates need to fill out their basic information like name, email address, contact number, location, and a password of their choice on the form displayed.

• The newly created XAT ID and password will be displayed on the screen once the form is successfully submitted. Candidates should note down these credentials for future reference.

A candidate must make sure they verify their email address after creating their XAT ID. They can do so by visiting the ‘unique registration link’ that will be sent to their email ID. Once candidates have created and verified their login credentials on the official website for XAT 2024, they can proceed with the remainder of the registration process. 

On the application form for XAT, candidates are required to provide certain details about themselves. These details include

• Personal Information: Name of the candidate, name of parents, date of birth, nationality, permanent/current address, etc.

• Educational Qualifications: Class 10 & Class 12 marks, graduation marks, professional course details (if any).

• Work Experience After Graduation: Full-time work experience information till March 31, 2022.

• Choice of XLRI PGDM Programs: Preference for management programs at XLRI like Human Resource Management, Business Management, Fellow Management Program, etc.

• Preferred Test Cities: Candidates will have the option to choose the city of their choice where they want to appear for XAT 2024.

In order to begin preparations for XAT 2024, aspirants must first become intimately familiar with the XAT 2024 syllabus. Like most management entrance exams, the syllabus for XAT is quite robust. Candidates are assessed on a variety of topics from numerous disciplines. Although XLRI, Jamshedpur does not specify a definite syllabus for XAT to maintain flexibility in the exam pattern, there are specific topics and subjects that have been included in the exam for many years.

The XAT exam tests students in four areas, namely, Verbal & Logical Ability, Quantitative & Data Interpretation, Decision Making, and General Knowledge. Students who are shortlisted for further rounds of the admissions process are also assessed on their Essay Writing abilities. The topics included in the syllabus for XAT fall under these categories. The Verbal & Logical Ability, Quantitative & Data Interpretation, and Decision Making sections are considered to be the most important part of the XAT syllabus as these sections determine the percentile score and merit position of a candidate. The General Knowledge section of XAT is not considered for percentile calculation. Another important feature of the XAT exam that is different from other standard MBA entrance exams is the Decision Making section, which is unique to the XAT exam. The Decision Making section does not have a defined syllabus. For more details on the topics included in each section of the XAT exam, take a look at the table below:

The XAT 2024 admit card will be made available from the last week of December 2023, for download to candidates who have successfully registered for the exam within the stipulated time. The XAT admit card is released on the official website of XAT (xatonline.in). The admit card is only made available online for candidates to download. No hard copies of the XAT admit card is sent to candidates via post or mail. In order to download the admit card for XAT 2024, candidates should follow the instructions given below.

Steps to Download XAT Admit Card 2024

• Candidates need to visit the official website for XAT 2024.

• On the website, candidates need to find and click on the ‘Login’ button

• Candidates need to provide their login credentials, including their XAT ID and Password to log in to their account.

• Once they have successfully logged into their account, candidates need to find the ‘Admit Card’ tab and click on it.

• The option to download the admit card should be displayed on the Admit Card page.

• Candidates should click on ‘Download’ and save their admit cards in PDF format.

The admit card is an essential piece of documentation that candidates need to appear for the XAT examination. If a candidate fails to produce the admit card on the day of the examination, they will not be allowed to sit for the XAT exam. Also, candidates must make sure that all the information on their admit cards is correct. Any discrepancies should be solved to avoid problems during the exam and subsequent admission procedure. The XAT admit card consists of vital information about the exam like the candidate’s exam ID, their test center details, reporting time, and exam day guidelines.

Details Mentioned on XAT Admit Card 2024

• Name of the candidate

• The candidate’s XAT ID

• The candidate’s Date of Birth

• Candidate's signature

• Photograph of the candidate

• Examination Date, Reporting Time, Gate Closure Time

• Duration of the Examination

• Test center address and test city

• Reference number and emergency contact number

• Supervisor’s remarks and signature

• XAT 2024 exam day guidelines

Since the number of applicants for the XAT exam every year is huge, the examination pattern for XAT is designed to cater to the competitive nature of the exam. The difficulty level of the exam is set to make sure only the best of the best candidates are selected for the premier management institutes that accept the XAT exam scores.

The XAT 2024 exam is conducted in the English language. It is an MCQ-based examination consisting of a total of 105 MCQ questions. The question paper is objective-based. The examination is divided into two parts and a total of five sections. The number of questions keeps on changing every year.

The sections included in the first part of the exam are Verbal and Logical Ability, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, and Decision Making. Part 2 is XAT 2024 has been introduced which is a 5-minute mock keyboard testing. The third part of the exam includes the General Knowledge and Essay Writing sections.

The Essay Writing section of the XAT exam was reintroduced in 2022 and this section is only calculated if the candidate is shortlisted for further admission rounds. Also, candidates should note that the General Knowledge section is not included in the percentile calculation for the XAT exam. Earlier the duration of XAT used to be 3 hours but now it has been increased to 3 hours and 30 minutes. There is a sectional time limit for the XAT exam as well. This time limit is put into place so that candidates maintain the necessary pace for completing all four sections and thereby solve the paper within the given duration of 3.5 hours. Each correctly attempted question awards the candidate one mark and each incorrect attempt awards a -0.25 mark. A detailed description of the XAT exam pattern is given below:

The XAT 2024 answer key along with the response sheet will be been released by XLRI, Jamshedpur in the second week of January 2024. Candidates can check the answer key for XAT on the official website (xatonline.in). Initially, the provisional answer key for XAT is released in the form of a response sheet within two-three days of the XAT exam. Candidates are expected to raise objections to the provisional answer key if any. Only after the analysis of all the objections raised by students, the final answer key is released by the examination conducting body. Some of the important information mentioned in the XAT answer key is given below.

• Candidate's Name and Examination ID

• Section-wise questions and solutions for each question

• Candidate's response to each question

• Un-attempted Questions

In order to download the XAT response sheet, candidates must have their login credentials for the XAT official website ready. The steps to download the XAT answer key are as follows.

• Candidates need to visit the official website of XAT 2024.

• Once on the website candidates need to click on the ‘Login’ tab located on the top-left corner of the page.

• Candidates need to enter their XAT ID and Password to login into their accounts.

• After successfully logging in, candidates need to click on the "Candidate Response" tab.

• Candidates can download the answer key and also check their responses.

As mentioned before, the response sheet for XAT is released by the exam conducting body to provide students with an opportunity to challenge the provisional answer key. It is only after all the objections have been addressed, that the final answer key for XAT is released. Candidates can follow the steps mentioned below to send their objections against the XAT provisional answer key.

• Candidates need to send an email to ‘admis@xlri.ac.in’

• The subject line of the email should be ‘Objection’

• Candidates should also mention the following details in the email.

  • XAT ID of the candidate

  • Name of the candidate

  • Question ID

  • Objection to a particular question and its answer

  • Evidence in support of the objection

The XAT result 2024 will be declared in the last week of January 2024.Candidates will also be able to download their scorecards for XAT 2024 from the official website, starting from the day of result declaration till March 31, 2024. Candidates also check their sectional percentile and overall percentile till March 31, 2024. A physical copy of the scorecard can also be requested from XLRI by candidates. In order to avail this option, candidates need to pay Rs.300 as Demand Draft (DD) payable to XLRI, Jamshedpur, at Jamshedpur. The cutoff to shortlist candidates for GD and PI will be made public by XLRI and other member institutes following the announcement of the XAT exam results.

Candidates can follow the instructions given below to download their scorecards.

• Candidates need to go to the official website for XAT 2024 - xatonline.in

• Candidates need to click on the ‘Login’ button located in the top-left corner of the page.

• Candidates need to provide their registered email and password to login into their account.

• Once successfully logged in, candidates need to click on the "Scorecard" button.

• The XAT 2024 result will be displayed on this page.

• Candidates can download their results and also save the same in PDF format for future reference.

Post XAT Result Declaration

Candidates must not forget to save a copy of their scorecard cum result for XAT 2024 till the entire admission process is concluded. All XLRI campuses and 160 B-schools will admit students to their management programs based on their XAT scores. XAT 2024 is the first assessment test based on which candidates will be shortlisted for the selection process comprising of Group Discussion, Essay Writing, and Personal Interview.

Candidates must meet the XAT 2024 cut-off score in order to advance to the next round of the XAT admissions procedure. Every category, including the reserved category and economically disadvantaged groups, has a different XAT cut-off. A women's quota is frequently present as well, with a different cut-off than other general categories. The cutoffs for XAT are released immediately after the declaration of the XAT result. The XAT sectional cut off 2024 along with the category-wise cut off have been provided in the table given below:

XAT Cut Off 2024 for PGDM-HRM

XAT Cut Off 2024 for PGDM-BM

Colleges and universities that accept XAT scores for admission to their MBA programs typically release their own XAT cutoff scores. It is important to remember that meeting the XAT cutoff requirements is only the first step in the admission process. Candidates have to participate in further rounds of admission which include the Group Discussion, Written Aptitude Test/Essay Writing, and Personal Interview.

The XAT cutoff is determined by a range of factors like the total number of candidates appearing for the XAT exam, availability of seats, exam difficulty, etc. Here are the factors that determine the XAT cutoffs.

• The total number of candidates appearing for XAT.

• The total number of seats available.

• The level of difficulty of the XAT exam.

• Cutoff trends of previous years.

One of the most common methods of estimating the XAT cutoffs is to take a look at the XAT cutoff trends of previous years. The overall XLRI XAT cutoff percentile for male candidates for the Business Management (BM) program was 94 while for female candidates, the cutoff was 92, last year. Here are the previous year's cutoffs for the PGDM-BM program.

XAT Previous Years PGDM-BM Cutoff

XAT 2022 PGDM-HRM Cutoff

XAT 2021 PGDM-HRM Cutoff

The XAT 2024 selection process begins after the XAT results are declared. Typically, the selection process begins in the month of February. The selection process consists of three rounds, Group Discussion, Written Aptitude Test/Essay Writing, and Personal Interview. Candidates who have successfully passed the cutoff requirements for the XAT exam will be eligible for the selection process.

First, the test takers are shortlisted by XLRI, its 11 member institutes, and other XAT participating institutes based on the cutoff requirements. The candidates who are shortlisted, then participate in the aforementioned selection processes. Numerous institutes only conduct two of the three rounds of the selection process. The final admission decision is based on the performance in the XAT selection stages combined with the previous academic grades, candidate profile, work experience (if any), and XAT score, all taken into account. The XAT selection process consists of the following stages.

• Appearance in the XAT 2024 exam.

• Shortlisting of candidates based on the cutoff requirements of participating institutes.

• Further selection rounds involve Group Discussion, Written Aptitude Test/Essay Writing, and Personal Interview.

• Final selection is done on the basis of the candidate's performance in the prior selection rounds and considering other factors

  • Candidate Profile

  • Previous Academic Scores

  • Work Experience (if applicable)

The Group Discussion and Personal Interview rounds are conducted to assess a candidate on their interpersonal and communication skills. A decent score in these rounds is vital to ensure admission for candidates to the institute of their choice. 

Apart from the cutoff requirements, candidates are also expected to produce certain documents to be eligible for the XAT selection process. Failure to present these documents can hinder a candidate’s admission process. These documents include

• XAT Admit Card

• XAT Scorecard

• Photo Identification of the candidate

• Class 10, Class 12, and Bachelor’s Degree Marksheets

• Relevant certificates from Class 10, Class 12, and Bachelor’s degree of the candidate

XAT 2024 participating colleges are those institutes that accept XAT scores as admission criteria for their MBA programs. Like other popular MBA entrance exams like CAT, NMAT, SNAP, etc., the XAT 2024 exam aids aspirants in getting into India's top business schools. Candidates will have the chance to advance to the GD-PI rounds for admission to MBA and PGDM programs after meeting the XAT cutoff requirements.

There are more than 160 colleges and universities that accept XAT scores for admission. Over 1,000 B-schools accept XAT scores for admission to their post-graduate management programs, in addition to XLRI and 10 other XAMI member institutes. The most renowned of these institutions is XLRI Jamshedpur, which organizes the XAT Exam. The HR program is regarded as one of the best in India, as well as Asia. IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, or IIM Calcutta are frequently put in the same category as the best business management programs offered in India.

Here is a list of colleges that accept XAT scores for MBA/PGDM admissions.

Also Read:

The XAT 2024 mock test will be released in the last week of December 2023, on the official website for XAT (xatonline.in). This mock test released by XLRI, Jamshedpur is the official mock test for XAT. Candidates can access the mock test by visiting the official website for XAT and clicking on the ‘Mock Test’ tab/link displayed on the homepage. Mock tests are a crucial part of any student's preparation for entrance exams. These mock tests help students gauge their level of preparedness against the exam pattern and the syllabus for the XAT exam. That being said, it is important that XAT aspirants take the official mock test for XAT since this mock test will resemble the actual XAT exam most accurately. Candidates can follow the steps mentioned below to access the XAT official mock test.

• Candidates must visit the official website for XAT.

• Once on the website, candidates must locate and click on the ‘Mock Test’ tab/link displayed on the homepage.

• Upon clicking on the mock test link, a new window will open, where candidates have to click on the ‘Sign In’ button.

• Once signed in, candidates will be able to view a set of instructions for attempting the XAT official mock test. Candidates must read the instructions carefully before clicking on the ‘Next’ button to proceed with the mock test.

• After reading the instructions and clicking on the ‘Next’ button, candidates will be able to see the declaration for the mock test. Candidates must read the declaration and click on the ‘I am ready to begin’ button to start the test.

• Once candidates have read the declaration and clicked on the ‘I am ready to begin’ button, the XAT official mock test will begin.

• Candidates must immediately begin the mock test as the timer will start from the first question itself.

XAT previous year question papers are a vital component of any aspirant’s preparation for the exam. When the level of competition and difficulty for an exam is as tough as XAT, the preparation should also be equally sophisticated. Thus, it is important to incorporate supplements like question papers from previous years. These question papers not only enhance the exam preparation of a student but also help them understand the evolution of the exam pattern and aid them in making educated decisions in terms of sections and topics to prioritize for maximum scoring. XLRI releases the XAT Previous Year Question Papers after the beginning of the application process in August every year.

Advantages of Solving XAT Previous Year Question Papers

The key to succeeding in MBA admission tests like XAT is to test and practice your understanding of the exam's syllabus as much as you can. It is insufficient to limit exam preparation to reading from books. To improve their knowledge of the subjects covered by the XAT exam, aspirants should use XAT mock tests and previous year's question papers. The use of practice exams, sample papers, and XAT previous year papers greatly aids XAT exam preparation. Exam question papers for the XAT help candidates gain confidence while also honing their time management skills. Here are a few advantages of using XAT test questions as exam practice.

• Candidates can get a sense of the kinds of questions that will be asked on the exam by practicing XAT previous year papers. 

• Candidates can increase their speed and accuracy by working through XAT sample papers and previous year's questions.

• Decision Making is a special section on the XAT for which there isn't much study material. Thus, XAT question banks from previous years are the finest resource for preparation for this part.

• Candidates will learn strategies and shortcuts to answer problems more quickly and accurately by working through XAT's previous year's question papers.

XAT 2024 was conducted in a single slot on January 8, 2022. The exam timings were changed this year, instead of being held from 9.30 am to 12.40 pm, the exam was held from 2.00 pm to 5.30 pm. The total duration of the XAT 2024 exam was 3 hours 30 minutes (210 minutes).

XLRI was founded in 1949 by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and is based in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India. XLRI began by offering courses for management and trade unions in 1949 before setting up a two-year, full-time program in industrial welfare in 1953. In 1955, it took on the name Xavier Labor Relations Institute and became India's oldest business management school.

XAT 2024 will be held in 79 test cities in India. The candidates were required to fill out one XAT Test City in the application form.