XAT 2023 Exam: Dates (Out), Application Form (Released), Eligibility, Fees, Syllabus, Pattern, Question Papers

XAT exam 2023 will be held on January 8 and the XAT registration process is ongoing at the xatonline website. The XAT 2023 exam date was officially announced by XLRI Jamshedpur on August 8 registrations started on August 10. Registrations for XAT exam 2023 will end on November 30, 2022. The XAT exam fee for this year is INR 2,000.

As per the XAT 2023 notification, no changes have been made in the exam pattern or structure, except for the essay writing section, which was reintroduced in XAT 2022. In XAT 2022, it appeared as a section in Part 2 of the paper. However, the score of Essay Writing was not taken into consideration at the time of score/percentile calculation. It was analysed at the time of shortlisting for Personal Interview (PI) round. Whether XLRI will keep Essay Writing as a part of XAT 2023 or include in the PI process will be known when the official mock test releases.

What is XAT Exam?

XAT (Xavier Aptitude Test) is a national-level management entrance examination conducted by XLRI, Jamshedpur for admission to MBA/PGDM programmes. Apart from XLRI and 10 other XAMI member colleges, over 1,000 B-schools accept XAT scores for admission to their post-graduate management programmes. The XAT question paper consists of 100 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) from Decision Making, Verbal & Logical AbilityQuantitative Ability & Data Interpretation and General Knowledge. XAT cut offs for XLRI’s PGDM-BM programme are usually around 95 percentile for male candidates and 92 percentile for female candidates.

XAT Exam Highlights

XAT is a speed-based three-hour test. Check key highlights of XAT exam in the table below:

Particulars

XAT Details 

XAT Full Form 

Xavier Aptitude Test

Conducting Body

XLRI, Jamshedpur

Exam Level

National

Exam Frequency

Once a year

Exam Mode

Online

Exam Duration

3.10 hours

Exam Syllabus

  • Decision Making
  • Verbal & Logical Ability
  • Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation
  • General Knowledge
  • Essay Writing

Exam Pattern

100 questions in MCQ format

Language

English

Exam Fees

INR 1,800 (all categories)

Exam Purpose

Admission to 1,000+ MBA colleges

Course Offered

MBA/PGDM

No. of test takers

Nearly 95,000

No. of Test Cities

79 (in 2023)

Exam Helpdesk No.

18002674008

Exam Website

https://xatonline.in/



XAT Eligibility Criteria 2023

  • To be able to appear for the exam, it is mandatory to fulfill the below given XAT eligibility criteria:

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

    • Students in their final year of bachelor’s degree or awaiting their results are also eligible to apply

    • There is no minimum marks criteria for XAT exam
    • Working professionals and candidates with professional degrees (CA/CS) are also eligible to apply

XAT Exam Dates 2023

XLRI Jamshedpur released the XAT 2023 schedule online at its official website. Check tentative XAT exam dates and events below:

Events

XAT Exam Dates

Salient Features

XAT registrations 2023 begin

10-Aug-2022

Registration process to start online on XAT website

Registrations end

30-Nov-2022

Forms can be submitted until 11:59 PM of the last date

XAT admit card download starts

20-Dec-2022

Admit card to release at the XAT website for download

Mock test release

Last week of December, 2022

Candidates can practice official XAT mock test on the exam website

XAT exam 2023

08-Jan-2023

Exam to be held in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode in a single session in 79 cities from 2:00 pm to 5:10 pm.

XAT answer key 2023 release

First week of January, 2023

Candidate response sheet and answer key to be released 

XAT 2023 result announcement

31-Jan-2023

XAT scorecards to be made available on the official website for download

XAT 2023 cut off announcement 

Last week of January, 2023

XAT cut offs for BM and HRM programmes to be released on official website for GD/PI shortlisting



XAT Registration Process 2023

XAT registrations process is the first step to appear for the exam. Aspirants have to fill the online XAT application form and pay requisite fees to register for the test. XAT 2023 registration and application process is given below in brief:

  • Log on to XAT 2023 website xatonline.in
  • Click on ‘New Registration’ and enter relevant details
  • A unique XAT ID and registration link is shared with the candidate on the verified email ID

  • Click on the link to verify your registration

  • Go to XAT 2023 homepage and click on ‘login’

  • Enter email ID and password to open the application form

  • Fill all the mandatory fields of the XAT 2023 application form

  • Cross check the information before clicking on submit button

  • Pay XAT 2023 application fee through credit/debit card, UPI or net banking

Candidates are allowed to select upto four cities in the XAT application form. The examination body will allot the exam centre to candidate in the city selected as first preference basis availability. If a seat is not available at the test centre in the first city, the allotment will be made in the city of next preference. Check the list of test cities for XAT 2023

XAT Syllabus 2023

XAT syllabus consists of all the important topics of Verbal & Logical Ability, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation and General Knowledge. Decision Making is a unique section for which there is no syllabus. Preparation for XAT is based on previous years questions. Rest of the three subjects of XAT syllabus include important topics of their own area. Verbal & Logical Ability includes Reading Comprehension, English Grammar, Verbal Ability. In the Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, the topics include Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Set Theory, etc. And in the GK section the topics pertain to politics, culture, society, personalities, business, art & entertainment, sports, inventions, innovation, world, economy, science, technology, books, etc.

XAT Exam Pattern and Test Structure

XAT exam is conducted in online mode and the question paper consists of 100 MCQs to be solved in 180 minutes. However, the XAT exam pattern was revised in 2022. Essay Writing was reintorduced and the time duration was increased by 10 minutes. There is sectional time-limit in XAT exam. Thus, candidates are advised to maintain adequate speed in all four sections so that they can solve the paper within the time-limit. Each correct attempt carries one mark and each incorrect attempt carries -0.25 marks. Here are the highlights of XAT exam pattern: 

XAT Sections

Number of Questions

Total Marks

Decision Making

21

21

Verbal and Logical Ability

26

26

Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation

28

28

General Knowledge

25

25

Essay

1

(To be evaluated upon shortlisting)

Total

100

100

XAT Preparation Tips & Strategy

XAT preparation 2023 should ideally be for six to nine months. Being one of the tougher MBA entrance exams among its peers, XAT requires dedicated time and effort. It comprises four sections: Decision Making, Verbal Ability and Logical ReasoningQuantitative Ability & Data Interpretation and General Knowledge.

In XAT, it is important to pay equal attention to all four sections as sectional cut offs play an important role in selection to XLRI, Jamshedpur. So, divide your study hours among these sections equally. Start with gaining conceptual clarity in each subject. You may want to first analyse the topics you are familiar with. Make a list of your strengths and weaknesses; then begin with strong areas. This will give you confidence in dealing with tough topics. Listed below are some key tips for making XAT 2023 exam preparation strategy:

  • Join study groups online on platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Telegram and WhatsApp
  • Get hold of XAT books and study material. These are available online and at coaching institutes
  • Start with topics you are already familiar with and on which you have a good control
  • After completing a topic or a concept, always solve two-three problems based on it to know if you have completely understood it
  • Focus on completing XAT syllabus first and then move to solve XAT mock tests. Practice at least 25-30 mock tests for best performance



XAT Admit Card 2023

XAT admit card 2023 download process will start from December 20, 2022 onwards. The admit cards will be released online at the exam website. Check below the steps to download XAT 2023 admit card which is a mandatory document to be carried to the exam hall: 

  • Visit the official website of XAT 2023

  • Click on ‘Download admit card’ tab 

  • Enter details like XAT User ID and date of birth and click on ‘login’

  • Click on admit card tab, download the pdf and take a printout  

XAT Exam Day Guidelines

XAT aspirants must follow the guidelines set by the examination authority for a hassle-free exam day. Given below are some key XAT exam day guidelines, candidates must follow:

  • Reach the exam centre an hour before the reporting time
  • Do not carry any electronic item like mobile phone, watch, calculator, etc. to the exam centre
  • Do not carry any stationary item or eatables to the exam centre

Documents to carry on exam day

  • XAT admit card

  • Aadhar card

  • Voter ID

  • Passport, College/University ID

  • Driver’s license