The Xavier Aptitude Test is a national-level exam that is conducted for admissions to MBA and PGDM courses across more than 160 universities across India. The top business schools accepting the XAT exam include XLRI Jamshedpur, XIMB Bhubaneswar and IMT Ghaziabad.
For XAT 2024, the official notification has been released and registrations have begun from 15th July 2023. The exam will be held on 7 January 2024 and candidates will be able to download their XAT admit card from 20th December onwards. The exam timings have changed to 2:00 pm to 5:30 pm instead of the previous 9:30 am to 12:40 pm.
| Highlights | Details |
| XAT Full-form | Xavier Aptitude Test |
| Official Website | xatonline.in |
| Conducting Body | XLRI Jamshedpur |
| Mode of Exam | Online (Computer-based) |
| Medium of Exam | English |
| Total Time | 3 hours and 30 minutes |
| Total Questions | 100-105 |
| Sections | Part 1: Verbal & Logical Ability, Decision Making and Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation Part 2: General Knowledge and Essay Writing |
| XAT Application Form | Online |
| Courses Offered | MBA, PGDM |
Important Dates
According to the XAT 2024 official notification, registrations have started from 15 July 2023. Candidates can review the timeline for the XAT exam 2024.
| Event | Deadline |
| XAT Registration Date Starts | 15 July 2023 |
| XAT Registration Date Ends | 30 November 2023 |
| XAT Admit Card Release | From 20 December 2023 |
| XAT Exam Date | 7 January 2024 |
XAT Eligibility Criteria
The XAT eligibility criteria needs to be fulfilled by the candidates to appear for the exam. Here is the XAT eligibility for 2024 as per last year:
- Candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree that took three years or more to complete in any discipline from a recognized Institute.
- Candidates in the final year, who will graduate by 10th June 2024, are also eligible to appear for the XAT exam.
- The XAT exam does not require a minimum pass percentage.
- NRI students can apply through the GMAT exam.
If a candidate fulfils the given XAT eligibility requirements, they are welcome to apply and appear for the exam.
Application Fee
The XAT Exam Fees are not differentiated based on the category of the candidate, unlike most other MBA Entrance Exams. Apart from the XAT Application fees, candidates also need to pay for the programs that they wish to apply for:
- XAT Registration Fee (without late fee) – INR. 2100/-
- Candidates interested in the XLRI program(s) need to pay an additional fee of INR 200/- each.
XAT Admit Card
XAT admit cards will be available from 20 December 2023 till the day of the examination. Candidates can download the XAT admit card by logging in to the official website with the User ID and password. Once logged in, click on the “Download Admit Card” tab and download the XAT admit card in a pdf format. Take a printout of the document for future reference.
The following details will be mentioned on the XAT admit card:
- Name
- XAT ID
- Date of Birth
- Date of Test, Reporting Time and Gate Closure
- Exam Duration
- Test centre address and test city
- Reference number and emergency contact number
- Candidate’s signature and photograph
- Supervisor s remarks and signature
- Instructions regarding XAT 2024
Ensure that you carry the XAT admit card with you on the day of the examination, else entry inside the hall will not be permitted.
Exam Pattern
There were a few changes in the XAT exam pattern for 2023 which are expected to remain the same for XAT 2024. The tentative XAT Paper Pattern in terms of the sectional sub-division is given below:
| XAT 2024 | Details |
| Sections | Part 1 Verbal and Logical Ability (VA & LR) Decision Making (DM) Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation (QA & DI) Part 2 General Knowledge (GK) Analytical Essay Writing (AEW) |
| Total Time | 3 hours and 30 minutes |
| Number of Questions | 100-105 questions |
| Marking Scheme | +1 for each right answer -0.25 for every incorrect answer Essay question is evaluated separately after shortlisting |
| Unattempted Questions | After 8 unanswered questions, -0.1 marks for every unanswered question |
Now that we have an understanding of the tentative XAT 2024 exam pattern, here is a summary of the major parameters expected in XAT 2024:
- XAT 2024 will contain 100 to 105 questions.
- Part 1 will have 175 minutes to complete after which part 1 will be locked and the candidate will move to the next part.
- There is no negative marking for the General Knowledge section.
- The GK and AEW sections are only reviewed for the interview stage and do not influence the XAT cutoff.
- All MCQs will have five answer choices with one right answer.
| Exam Sections | Number of questions | Overall Time Duration |
| Part-1 | 75 Total MCQs | 165 Minutes |
| Verbal and Logical Ability | 26 | No Sectional Time Limit |
| Decision Making | 21 | No Sectional Time Limit |
| Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation | 28 | No Sectional Time Limit |
| Part-2 | 25 Total MCQs + Essay Writing Test | 25 Minutes |
| General Knowledge | 25 | |
| Essay | 1 Descriptive Topic | 10 Minutes |
| Total questions (Part 1 + Part 2) | 101 |
Syllabus
The XAT exam has a syllabus that is very similar to the other MBA exams in India. The only sections solely found in XAT are the Decision Making and Essay Writing sections. Here is a brief outline of the XAT syllabus for all the sections-
| Section | Main Topics |
| Verbal & Logical Ability | Vocabulary, Para jumble, Grammar, Fill in the blanks, Analogy, Binary Logic, etc. |
| Decision Making | Data Arrangement, Assumptions, Complex Arrangement, Conclusions etc. |
| Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation | Mensuration, Algebra, Geometry, Caselets, Data charts, Tables, etc. |
| General Knowledge | Economics and Finance, Books, Authors, the Constitution of India, Current Affairs, etc. |
Result
XAT 2024 result will be declared in the last week of January 2024. Here is a stepwise approach for downloading your XAT 2024 scorecard:
- Log on to xatonline.in
- Enter your enrolment ID and registered password
- Visit the ‘scorecard’ section. Your result will be displayed on the screen.
- Download the XAT 2024 result document and take a printout for future reference.
