How to Prepare for XAT in 1 Month? – Check Effective XAT Preparation Strategy, Plans & Tips

10 December, 2025

Parthiva Mewawala

Preparing for XAT at the last month can feel overwhelming, but it’s absolutely doable with the right plan. If you’re wondering how to prepare for XAT in 1 month, this guide breaks down a focused, practical strategy to help you strengthen core sections, improve accuracy, and maximize your score in just four weeks.

XAT, the management entrance test conducted by the prestigious XLRI – Xavier School of Management, is scheduled for January 4, 2026. With exactly a month left, you need to buckle up and focus all your efforts towards cracking this test. Students who have already invested time in their CAT prep can comfortably conclude their XAT preparations in a month.

It is important to remember that the XAT exam pattern differs greatly from that of CAT. The decision-making section requires a lot of additional preparation. Moreover, the quant and verbal sections also have extra topics to cover. Additionally, there are the GK and essay-writing sections that will require separate work. This blog covers a detailed plan and schedule to help you prepare for XAT in one month.

Read more about Top MBA Colleges Accepting XAT Scores

Prepare for XAT in One Month – Your Top Priorities

Our mentors have designed this priority list to help you narrow down the topics you should focus on. Starting with decision making, where most of your practice should be concentrated, followed by the additional topics in quant and verbal that you need to study.

Decision Making

The decision-making section is the most unique section in XAT – no other management test in the world has this section. While this section might look easy at the outset, it is by far the hardest to score on. The sheer subjectivity and relativity of the critical thinking skills being called into action here make scoring very difficult. In fact, the sectional cutoff for this section usually remains in single digits, yet most students fail to clear this barrier.

Start by looking up videos on YouTube to understand the basic approaches to solving different DM sets. If possible, go through practice papers, previous years’ papers, and mock tests to identify and list the types of DM sets usually asked in XAT. Then, sit down and study how to solve each problem while accounting for their differences. Understand the reasoning behind each approach and decipher what the exam expects of you in this section.

Make sure you solve as many sets of all the different types of DM questions as possible. Pick up all the previous years’ papers and solve all the DM sets that have ever been asked. Only then will you be confident enough to answer correctly on DDay.

Read More: XAT Exam Pattern 2026

Quant

Apart from revising all the quantitative concepts regarding arithmetic, number system, modern maths, algebra, and geometry from your CAT preparation, you also need to prepare the following topics. Every year, at least 5-6 questions come from these.

Statistics

Mean
Median
Mode
Standard deviation

Trigonometry

Identities
Heights
Distances

Data interpretation

Speed calculation
Mental maths tricks
Data approximation techniques

Since XAT does not allow calculators, solving data interpretation questions can become time-consuming. You’ll need to learn all the tricks and techniques there are to speed up your calculations.

Verbal

While the difficulty level of XAT verbal is similar to that of CAT, many new topics are added here that you might not have encountered before.

Poem reading comprehension sets can be tricky. Not only do you need to decode the poetic interpretations, but also need to have a deep understanding of literary devices. While there are ways to improve your performance in poem RCs (involving going through the questions and choices first and using smart elimination), it is still better to learn the basics first.

Apart from poem RCs, there are vocabulary, grammar, and figure-of-speech questions that can stump you if you haven’t practised enough. Moreover, the verbal section in XAT also has critical verbal reasoning questions.

The best way to improve your verbal score is to practise from past years’ papers and give a lot of mocks.

GK and Essay

The third section of XAT, comprising 25 GK questions and one 200-word essay, does not impact your overall percentile, i.e., it does not affect your chances of getting a call. But it does affect your chances of converting the call into an admission offer. The GK scores are part of the holistic evaluation process that happens after shortlisted students are invited for interviews. In fact, the essay is only graded before the interview itself. But taking these sections lightly will put you at risk of not securing a seat.

The GK questions largely focus on current affairs and a little static GK. Going through the year’s current affairs and news should be enough to secure good marks in this section. On the other hand, the essay section will help showcase your communication skills, articulation, and general knowledge. To build up your flow, practice writing short essays on trending topics at least twice a week. Once you have that in hand, you can tackle pretty much any topic that the exam throws at you.

Apart from these suggestions, continue to solve 2-3 mocks per week and previous years’ papers. Don’t forget to analyse each mock test to grasp the reasoning behind each right and wrong answer.

Day-to-day schedule to prepare for XAT in one month

Day	Schedule
1	Introduction to Decision-Making DM – Ethical Dilemma Data Interpretation Approximation Techniques Ratio and Proportion Alligation
2	Approach to Reading Comprehension Informative Reading Comprehensions Approach to RC Data Interpretation Basics Introduction to profit loss
3	Percentages Successive percentage change Faulty Balances Profit Loss Time work Pipes and cisterns
4	Time work DM- Operations / Strategic Decisions DM – HR / Organizational /Policy Decisions Negative Tone RC Selection with Conditions
5	Time speed distance Time Relative velocity Identifying the Central Idea of the Passage Main idea/ Purpose of the passage Circular tracks
6	Races and headstarts Relative velocity Clocks Races and boats Interest
7	Averages Einstein’s Puzzle Inferences RC’s having close options
8	Inferences from passage DM – Behavioural / Personal Decisions Linear Arrangement Circular Arrangement Arrangement Across Levels
9	Seating Arrangement- People facing different directions Parallel Lines and Angles Introduction to Triangles Area of Triangles
10	Incenter Internal and External Angle Bisector Theorem Congruency and Similarity of triangles Apollonius Theorem Author’s opinion
11	Number of Triangles Basics of Trigonometry Applications of Trigonometry Heights and Distances Introduction to Geometry – Triangles Chords and Tangents Circumference and Area of circle
12	Alternate Segment Theorem Geometry – Circles Pie Charts Plan of Action
13	Ordering Facts Quadrilaterals Identify Title of a Passage Tone of Passage
14	Coordinate Geometry Integral Points inside a Circle Coordinate geometry DI – Tables with missing values
15	Mensuration of Solids Solids Graphs and Statistics Linear Equations Variables Linear Equations in 3 Variables Determinant Method of Solving Linear Equations Special Linear Equations
16	Introduction to Quadratic Equations Quadratic Equations – Relations between equations Range of Possible Values of Quadratic Coeffcients Maxima and Minima Quadratic equations – Maxima and minima Progressions Common terms in progressions Arithmetic-Geometric Progression
17	Introduction to Progressions and Series AM Sum of Convergent Series Progressions and series Remainders with a Series
18	Introduction to Para Jumbles Identifying Links using Transition Words Identifying Connectors in Para jumbles DI- Data over years DI with Connecting Data Sets
19	DI – Bar Quant based DI Factorizing polynomials Introduction to functions
20	Approach to Para Completion Types of Para Completion Questions Para Completion (Sentence Insertion) Functions Shifting of graphs DI – Rate of Growth
21	Logarithm Logarithm Advanced Surds and Indices Inequalities Basics Inequalities with Modulus Divisibility Rules
22	Introduction to Factors Cyclicity of Factors HCF and LCM Divisions leaving same remainders Highest Power of a Number in a Factorial Number systems: factors Number of Integral Solutions Base Systems
23	Remainder Theorem Basics Fermat Theorem Wilson’s Theorem Euler’s Theorem Remainder theorems Chinese Remainder Theorem
24	Truth-Lie Concept Probability Basics Dearrangement Circular arrangement Selection with repetitions Probability Binomial theorem
25	Directions Finding Assumptions Identifying Conclusions Identifying Components in Critical Reasoning Flaw in Argument Strengthen or Weaken Conclusion Probability on partioning
26	Evaluating Extra Information Parallel Reasoning Probability-Dice Advance Probability Bayes Theorem
27	Poem RC Commonly confused words Venn Diagrams Basics 4-Group Venn Diagrams Venn Diagrams- Maxima-Minima
28	Data sufficiency DI LR Maxima Minima GK(Awards) Static GK History & Polity XAT: Static GK Famous Org, Com & Brands XAT: Static GK Geography XAT: Static GK Business & Corp News
29	XAT Static GK Important Dates XAT: Static GK Cryptocurrencies & Market Parts of Speech Articles Preposition Errors Tenses and Tense Consistency Subject Verb Agreement Pronoun antecedent agreement
30	Parallelism Modifiers Common Grammar Mistakes VA – Fill in the blanks Synonyms & Antonyms Analogies

All of those looking to breach the 95%ile mark in XAT must follow the schedule, devote 4-6 hours a day to their books, give plenty of mocks, and focus on decision-making. Beyond that, avoid these 7 most common mistakes in XAT, and you will be good to go.

Mental Preparation: The Often-Ignored Factor

Managing Exam Stress

Week 4 is typically the most stressful. Here’s how to handle it:

Physical Wellness:

Sleep 7-8 hours daily (non-negotiable)
Exercise 20 minutes daily (even a walk helps)
Eat properly, your brain needs fuel
Avoid excessive caffeine

Mental Techniques:

Visualization: Spend 5 minutes daily visualizing yourself performing well
Positive affirmations: “I am prepared. I can handle this.”
Break study sessions: 50 minutes study + 10 minutes break
Social media detox: Reduce Instagram/Twitter—comparison kills confidence

Day Before XAT:

Light revision only (formula sheets)
No new topics
Early dinner
Sleep by 10 PM
Keep documents ready (admit card, ID, etc.)

Morning of XAT:

Light breakfast (don’t skip!)
Reach center 30 minutes early.
Quick formula sheet glance
Deep breathing exercises
Trust your preparation

FAQs: How to prepare for XAT in one month

Can I crack XAT in one month without CAT preparation?

Yes, but it’s tough. You’ll need strong basics in Quant and Verbal, plus 6–7 focused study hours daily. Prioritize Decision Making and XAT-specific Quant topics. If you’re starting from zero, aim for an 80–85 percentile rather than 95+.

Is XAT tougher than CAT?

Both are tough, but XAT feels harder for many due to the decision-making and the absence of a calculator in DI. However, if you’ve prepared for CAT, most of your prep already overlaps with XAT.

What is a good XAT score for XLRI?

For XLRI BM, aim for a 40+ raw score (95+ percentile). For HRM, a score of 38+ (93+ percentile) is considered competitive. Sectional cutoffs also matter, usually around 6–7 marks.

How many mocks should I attempt for XAT?

Take 8–10 full-length mocks in a month. Attempt 2–3 per week and spend time analysing them. Add a few sectional tests for weak areas.

How can I improve My Decision-Making in the XAT?

Solve all past XAT DM papers (2010–2025). Focus on making ethical and practical decisions. Aim for 10–12 correct answers.

Does GK affect my XAT percentile?

No, GK and Essay don’t affect the percentile, but they matter during the final selection. Spend 30 minutes daily on GK and practice a couple of essays each week.

What is the XAT marking scheme?

You get –0.25 for wrong answers and –0.10 for excessive unattempted questions. Attempt around 65–70% of questions with good accuracy.

How do I solve DI without a calculator in XAT?

Use mental math, approximations, fractions, and option elimination. Practice DI sets daily without a calculator and work on estimation skills.

How do I manage time across XAT sections?

Follow a 40–40–40 split for Verbal, DM, and QA/DI. Keep 15 minutes for GK and 15 for the Essay. Don’t spend more than 3 minutes on any one question.

What happens after the XAT exam?

Results come in late January. Shortlisting occurs in February, interviews take place in February-March, and the final results are announced by April or May.