Tips to prepare XAT 2014

Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) conducted by XLRI group is the most important entrance exam for students who want to seek admission in top B-Schools in the country. XAT 2014 will be held in January 5, 2014 across 5 cities in India along with in Dubai and Katmandu.

XAT is one of the two tests, the scores of which are used by more than 100 B-schools to admit students for various MBA programmes. The syllabus of XAT is quite similar to other management entrance test.

About XAT:

XAT is held for 3 hrs with paper-and-pencil.  The paper pattern consists of-  a) verbal and logical ability (b) decision-making (c) quantitative ability and data interpretation (d) general knowledge.  XAT is usually divided into two parts — the first part comprising multiple-choice questions and the second comprising essay writing and general knowledge. The exact number of questions keeps changing every year so it is advised to write the test with an open mind and be prepared for the changes in the number of questions.

Preparing XAT:

Attending XAT will be quite simple if the student has earlier appeared for SNAP, NMAT or other such entrance exam.  However, XAT does have a slightly different focus as compared to the CAT and other tests.

Data interpretation, for example, tends to have calculation-intensive sets. Candidates would do well if they brush-up their mathematical skills. This also would help them in the quant section.

The exam has 90-100 questions on English, Quantitative Aptitude, LR-DI and Decision Making. General Awareness was also included last year. This year, this part is supposed to be completed in 150 minutes.

There will be a test on Essay writing that need to be completed in 20 Minutes. The number of questions is distributed between the sections, with the Quantitative Ability section usually carrying a slightly larger section of the pie.

It is beneficial to solve previous year XAT paper.  This will improve your ability to adapt to “XAT’s type of questions”. Moreover, it will help if you try to attempt the examination papers in restricted time slot.

Regular practicing of essays is crucial to doing well in the essay section, for writing crisp 200-word essay in 20-30 minutes is by no means a cakewalk. The evaluators not only look for language skills, but also for the thought process and framing involved, the spectrum of ideas, and your knowledge pertaining to the topic at hand.

Keeping self updated with latest happenings is crucial.

Things you should know about XAT 2014:

Prominent schools that use XAT scores include XLRI, Jamshedpur; XIM, Bhubaneswar; SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai; and MICA, Ahmedabad.

XAT is usually divided into two parts — the first part comprising multiple-choice questions and the second comprising essay writing and general knowledge. 

Result will be declared by 31^st January, 2014

Candidates must download two admit cards and put their photo on one.

The marks of the general awareness section will not be used for determining the percentile and cut-off at the first stage of selection