XAT Syllabus 2025 – Find section-wise topics here

The XAT exam, or the Xavier Aptitude Test, is slated to be held on the 5th of January 2025. Considered by most to be the second most important management entrance exam after CAT, it is given by over a lakh students every year. The scores of the XAT exam are accepted by some of the most prestigious institutions in the country, including XLRI, XIMB, Great Lakes, GIM Goa, IMT Ghaziabad, IMI Delhi, IRMA, and MICA.

But getting into these colleges will require you to score at least 85%ile + and as much as 95%ile for the best programs. With cutoffs as high as these, it is imperative for you to start your prep right away on the right foot. And the first step in that direction is familiarising yourself with the XAT syllabus and exam pattern for 2025. 

The XAT exam’s difficulty level is on the higher end, comparable to that of the CAT. Only with months of dedicated preparation can you expect to clear XAT with a high percentile. But fret not. In this blog, we’ll cover the XAT exam pattern and syllabus in detail, along with the most important topics and the exam analysis of XAT 2024.

XAT syllabus 2025 – Highlights

Before we delve into the intricacies of XAT 2025, let’s first check the most important dates for XAT. After all, if you miss the deadline to fill out the XAT application form, you’ll get in trouble. Moreover, it is always useful to know when the exam is being held so that you can pace the XAT syllabus and prep accordingly. 

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XAT syllabus 2025 – Overview

Like its counterparts, the XAT 2025 exam is divided into three sections: Verbal and Logical Ability, Decision Making, and Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation in part of the paper. However, unlike other popular management entrance tests, XAT has one section that is not seen anywhere else – Decision Making. Also, keep in mind that the Verbal Ability section is thought to be the hardest one seen in Indian exams, with lengthy, complex passages, poetry pieces, and pretty hard verbal reasoning questions. Fortunately, XAT 2025 aspirants will have ample time to attempt this part of the paper with 175 minutes for a total of 76 questions. 

Each question is worth 1 mark. Wrong answers will receive a negative marking of -0.25. Additionally, if you skip more than 8 questions, you’ll also be awarded a -0.1 per skipped question.

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Once the first part is done, you’ll be given 5  minutes for a mock keyboard test followed by a GK section and an essay writing section. The GK section will have 25 questions, while in the essay section, you’ll have to attempt one of the three questions provided. There is no negative marking in this part of the exam. However, the marks for the GK section are not used to determine your XAT score or percentile, and the essay section is only graded if you are shortlisted for the GDPI round at XLRI.

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XAT syllabus 2025 – Section-wise detailed syllabus

Now that you’re well acquainted with the XAT exam pattern let’s examine the topics and types of questions you can expect from XAT 2025. 

Remember, XAT does not share the official XAT syllabus. However, our mentors’ diligent analyses of past CAT papers have revealed the most important topics that are usually covered. Moreover, reviewing last year’s XAT analysis will also uncover insights relevant to you.

XAT exam syllabus – Most important topics

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XAT syllabus 2025 – Verbal and logical ability

This section of the XAT exam is designed to test your grasp of not just the English Language but also the ability to communicate clearly. You will need to gain proficiency in the rules of the English Language and hone your skills in getting to the pith of the matter provided to you. Extracting the right meaning and insights from the passages given and using them to answer the questions asked will be key. Moreover, you will also need to understand the general principles of verbal and logical reasoning in order to underscore the right techniques.

Here are the most important topics for you to cover:

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XAT syllabus 2025 – Decision making

It is this section where most students falter. After all, this section is very subjective and consists of ethical, philosophical, and business-related caselets. Fortunately, with the right training that teaches you the process of elimination and deduction and tons of practice with the past years’ papers and mock tests, you can learn to ace this section. 

The IMS CATapult Extensive Live Online program provides you with 50+ masterclasses covering all the intricacies of exams like XAT, SNAP, and NMAT. This program ensures that along with CAT, you are well positioned to crack other crucial exams, too. And let’s not forget the 135+ full-length mock tests that you get covering 12+ management exams along with video solutions and detailed post-mock analyses. Under the tutelage of the most experienced IMS mentors, you will easily race through the XAT DM section on DDay.

While it is hard to pinpoint a specific syllabus for DM, considering its subjective nature, most questions tend to revolve around ethical dilemmas, business decisions, and situational analyses. You’ll be asked to stress your moral fibre as well as business acumen.

Check out this video on the XAT 2024 analysis for a more detailed explanation of XAT decision-making.

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XAT syllabus 2025 – Quantitative ability and data interpretation

XAT quant combines conceptual mathematics with computational adroitness. Students with good time management skills will have more than enough time to attempt all questions. This section will also test your ability to visualise data and decipher it to reveal insights. While it can be a bit calculation-intensive, knowing mathematical shortcuts will make the job easier. Here are the topics you should focus on:

XAT syllabus 2025 – General awareness and static GK

This is a scored section that is not necessarily added to your overall percentile. This section primarily comes in handy during the GDPI process as it displays how well-read you are. Focus on key current affairs and the usual static GK pointers:

• Business, Finance, and Economics 
• The Indian Constitution and Laws 
• Famous Personalities 
• Current Affairs of National and International Importance 
• Books and Authors 
• Awards and Winners 
• History and Geography 

XAT syllabus 2025 – Preparation tips

The XAT exam syllabus is vast and notoriously difficult. It covers more sections and topics than CAT or any other management exam. The infamous decision making section, the GK and essay writing sections, and the additional topics in verbal and quant make it a hard nut to crack. Despite these challenges, hundreds of students at IMS still manage to ace XAT. Here’s how.

XAT decision making

The XAT syllabus for decision making is fluid – there are no texts, topics, or theories to guide you. What helps here is attempting as many DM questions from past papers and mock tests as possible. And not just aiming to get the correct answer; your goal should be to understand why a specific choice is the correct one and why the other choices were wrong. It is this understanding that will enable you to answer DM questions on DDay.

XAT quantitative ability

Apart from the arithmetic, algebra, geometry, number system, and modern math topics that XAT has in common with CAT, you must also focus on preparing trigonometry, statistics, and data interpretation. The DI questions alone will amount to a significant 8-12 marks. Do remember that the use of calculators is strictly prohibited during XAT, leaving you to solve complex calculations by hand. Learn shortcuts and tricks to calculate faster, or you’ll end up losing way too much time on the DI sets.

XAT verbal and logical ability

While the verbal difficulty level of XAT and CAT is pretty similar, XAT does include certain unique questions not seen anywhere else.

For instance, the poetry RCs require a nuanced understanding of poetic interpretation as well as literary devices. 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 ace the XAT verbal is to build from the basics of the XAT syllabus for verbal and give timed mocks in an exam environment.

Conclusion

Students usually get less than 6 weeks to prepare for XAT after CAT, which is nowhere near enough time to adequately lay down the groundwork for a 90%ile + score. The XAT syllabus 2025 can be pretty extensive and will take months to finish. Start your prep for XAT along with CAT with the IMS CATapult Extensive Live Online program.