XAT Exam Pattern 2025 – Format, Marking Scheme, Time, Syllabus

As is agreed upon by most aspiring management candidates, the XAT exam is an altogether different ball game. The XAT exam pattern lies in stark contrast to those of other popular entrances like CAT, NMAT, and SNAP. And this is exactly why you need to know the ins and outs of the XAT format. Unlike CAT, it has more sections, is significantly longer, has a bias towards verbal reasoning, and includes a highly subjective section on decision-making. Moreover, the XAT exam pattern dictates different rules for its negative marking scheme. Add to this the fact that the XAT pattern has undergone noteworthy changes over the years, particularly in 2023, and you have all the right reasons to familiarise yourself with the XAT exam pattern 2025 as soon as possible.

XAT 2025 will be held on 5th January 2025, a mere six weeks after CAT 2024. This will leave students scrambling to reorient their approach according to the XAT exam pattern. To avoid the last-minute madness, acquaint yourself with the XAT format beforehand. 

Keep reading below to discover all there is to know about the XAT 2025 exam pattern, its different sections, peculiar marking scheme, and time limits. We’ll also cover the syllabus and important topics to be covered under XAT.

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XAT exam pattern – Highlights

Read More – XAT Syllabus – Section-wise syllabus and important topics

The XAT exam pattern has many other peculiarities. You’re allowed to skip between questions as well as sections as long as you’re in the same part. The GK section is scored but plays no role in your percentile, while the essay is only graded if you are called up for the GDPI process. 

For the first three sections—verbal and logical ability, decision making, quantitative ability, and data interpretation—there will be negative marking of -0.25 for every incorrect answer and +1 for every correct one. The last two sections—GK and essay writing—have no negative marking. 

One critical point to keep in mind is that there is no negative marking for the first 8 unattempted or skipped questions. However, for every question skipped beyond the eighth one, you lose an additional 0.1 marks. This is done to discourage rampant question-skipping. 

XAT exam pattern – Detailed overview

Now, this is where things get interesting. You can expect anywhere between 100 and 105 questions. The distribution of questions between sections varies year on year. As a general rule of thumb, each section has 22 to 27 questions. While there are no particular sectional time limits, you’ll be given 175 minutes for the first part (the first three sections) and 30 minutes for the third part (the last two sections), with 5 minutes in between for a mock keyboard check. 

While you can skip between sections, you can’t skip between parts, nor can you submit any part before the allotted time is up.

Unlike CAT, you’ll get much more time per question, although that doesn’t necessarily make the paper easier. With a higher difficulty level, the cutoffs for XAT run very low. For instance, last year, students with just 25 marks out of a maximum of 75 marks received XLRI GDPI calls.

Clearing the XAT will largely depend on your strategy—which questions to attempt and which to skip, knowing all the different variables and parameters. Your strategy will also depend on the XAT syllabus and XAT 2025 exam pattern.

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XAT exam pattern – Marking scheme

The XAT exam pattern 2025 is expected to be the same as that of XAT 2024.

• Each question will be worth one mark with a total of 100 – 102 questions being asked. 
• Incorrect answers will be marked -0.25. 
• The first 8 questions you skip will get 0 marks. 
• If you skip more than 8 questions, then all skipped questions post the eighth one will net you -0.1 marks. 
• While scored, the GK section adds no weight to your percentile and cutoff listings and has no negative marking. 
• The essay section is only scored if you are shortlisted for the GDPI round. 

XAT exam pattern – Key changes over the years

The XAT exam pattern has undergone several facelifts over the years to reflect the changes in the management and business landscape requirements.

The essay section was first scrapped in 2018 and then reintroduced in 2022. The number of questions per section is rarely fixed. It fluctuates between 21 and 27 based on the exam paper-setting body’s guidelines.

XAT had decided to eliminate all subjective questions in 2019 but reneged on its decision and brought them back in 2019.

Back then, students could skip up to 12 questions without being penalised. This number has now been cut down to 8. In 2023, the number of questions in the DM section was increased along with the allotted time, which now became 210 minutes.

Read More – CAT Syllabus – Sectional breakdown along with important topics

XAT exam pattern – Section-wise breakdown

Here is a granular sectional breakdown of all that is part of the XAT exam.

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Cracking the XAT exam with 90+ percentile could pave the way for you to take admission to renowned programs in XLRI, XIMB, GIM Goa, IMT Ghaziabad, and IMI Delhi. But to do so you’ll have to first get used to the XAT exam pattern. Keeping that in mind, the IMS CATapult Live Online program has been designed to help students ace CAT, XAT, NMAT, SNAP, and other crucial exams. With over 100 hours of intensive two-way classes and 50+ masterclasses combined with 90+ mock tests for 12 + exams and thousands of practice questions with video solutions, the IMS CATapult Live Online program is the perfect choice for those looking to get into the best MBA colleges in India.