XLRI, Jamshedpur conducts XAT (Xavier Aptitude Test), a national-level management entrance test for admission to its MBA/PGDM programs. Over 1,000 B-schools in India accept the XAT scores, in addition to XLRI and 10 other XAMI member institutes. If you are preparing for the XAT exam, being aware of the XAT exam pattern is very crucial. XLRI has been conducting the XAT exam for more than 70 years, to choose the best candidates for its MBA Programs.
The XAT Exam is one of the toughest Management Exams in India. Also, the score for XAT is quite low because of its unique Exam Pattern. In this article, we will go through the XAT paper Pattern, XAT Syllabus, and Topic-Wise number of questions in detail.
XAT Exam 2026 Highlights
| Particulars | Details |
| Exam Name | Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) |
| Conducting Body | XLRI Jamshedpur |
| Exam Level | National Level |
| Exam Mode | Online (Computer-Based Test) |
| Exam Duration | 3 hours (approx) |
| Exam Frequency | Once a year |
| XAT 2026 Exam Date | January 04, 2026 (Tentative) |
| Registration Mode | Online |
| Registration Dates | July 10 to December 05, 2025 (Tentative) |
| Application Fee | Rs 2200 |
| Number of Test Cities | 80+ cities across India |
| Accepting Colleges | 160+ B-Schools including XLRI, IMT, XIMB |
XAT 2026 Important Dates
The XAT Exam will be conducted in the first week of January 2026. The GD/PI process starts in February and March, as it does for all the other B-Schools. Let us take a look at the important dates that every aspirant appearing for XAT 2026 must be aware of:
| XAT Particulars | XAT 2026 Important Dates (Tentative) |
| XAT 2026 Registration Date | July 10 to December 05, 2025 |
| XAT 2026 Exam Date | January 4, 2026 (First Sunday of January) |
| XAT 2026 Answer Key Release | Second Week of January 2026 |
| XAT 2026 Result Date | Last Week of January 2026 |
| XAT 2026 Cutoff | To be Announced |
Read More: Top B-Schools Accepting XAT Scores
XAT Exam Pattern 2026: Overview
The XAT exam pattern 2026 is designed to assess candidates across aptitude and decision making skills. The XAT exam will be conducted in an online based format.The total duration of the exam is 180 minutes. The XAT exam comprises four main sections which includes Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation, Verbal and Logical Ability, Decision Making along with General Knowledge.
As per the latest XAT exam pattern, candidates will face 95 MCQs and each question carrying one mark. The first three sections of the exam contribute to the overall percentile. The feature of the XAT exam pattern is the decision making section, which evaluates a candidate’s ability to handle real-life situations and setting XAT exams apart from other MBA entrance exams.
| XAT Sections | Number of Questions | Total Marks |
| Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation | 28 | 28 |
| Verbal and Logical Ability | 26 | 26 |
| Decision Making | 21 | 21 |
| General Knowledge | 20 | 20 |
| Total | 95 | 95 |
XAT Exam Pattern vs CAT Exam Pattern
In this section we have compare the XAT Exam Pattern 2026 and the CAT Exam Pattern 2025 in a detailed manner.
| Component | XAT Exam Pattern (2026) | CAT Exam Pattern (2025) |
| Conducting Body | XLRI Jamshedpur | IIMs (Indian Institutes of Management) |
| Mode of Exam | Online | Online |
| Total Duration | 3 hours (approx) | 2 hours |
| Number of Sections | 4 (excluding essay) | 3 |
| Sections | Verbal & Logical Ability Quant & DI Decision Making GK | VARC DILR Quantitative Ability |
| Number of Questions | 95 | 66 (approx, varies slightly) |
| Marking Scheme | +1 for correct, -0.25 for incorrect answers | +3 for correct, -1 for incorrect |
| Negative Marking for GK? | No | Not Applicable |
| Unattempted Penalty | -0.10 per question after 8 unattempted | No penalty |
| Essay Writing | Included (evaluated later, not for percentile) | Not included |
| GK Section | Yes (not included in percentile) | No |
| Decision Making Section | Yes (unique to XAT) | No |
| Percentile Calculation | Based on 3 sections (VA, QA & DI, DM) | Based on all 3 sections |
XAT 2026 Eligibility Criteria
Let us dive into the Eligibility Criteria for XAT 2026.
- There are no age limit specifications to be eligible for XAT. Both fresh graduates as well as working professionals can apply for XAT 2026.
- Candidates who have graduated in any stream from a recognized University of India are eligible.
- Final-year students are also eligible to appear for XAT. They need to submit their final documents within the admission time frame specified by XLRI.
- NRI Candidates and Foreign Nationals can also apply for the XAT with a valid GMAT Score.
- There are No Minimum Marks required in Graduation to appear for XAT.
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Few other points with regards to XAT 2026 Eligibility Criteria:
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Conducting body | XLRI Jamshedpur |
| Minimum Marks Required | Not Applicable |
| XAT Reservation Policy | Not Applicable |
| XAT Eligibility for Age Limit | No Limit |
| Number of Attempts | No Limit |
XAT 2026 Exam Pattern
One crucial step that you must follow before you start your preparation is going through the detailed Exam Pattern. The XAT Exam Pattern is being updated from the previous years. As per the new pattern, there will be 3 parts, including 6 sections in total. Let us go through the detailed XAT paper Pattern for 2026:
| Exam Mode | Online |
| Number of Sections | 4 Sections – Verbal and Logical Ability – Decision Making – Quantitative Aptitude and DI – General Knowledge |
| Test Duration | 3 hours (180 minutes) |
| Number of Questions | 95 Questions |
| Language of Test | English |
Read More: XAT Preparation Strategy
XAT Exam Pattern 2026: Section Wise Details
With the XAT 2026 Latest Updated Exam Pattern, below is the section-wise number of questions and duration that will be allotted in the XAT Test.
| Section | XAT Subjects | No. of Questions | XAT Exam Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part- I | Verbal and Logical Ability | 26 | 170 Minutes |
| Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation | 28 | ||
| Decision Making | 21 | ||
| Part- II | General Knowledge | 20 | 10 Minutes |
XAT Exam Pattern For Verbal And Logical Ability
According to the latest XAT Exam Pattern, this section would be comprised of a total of 26 MCQ-type questions. Moderate to difficult-level questions on Grammar, Reading Comprehension, and Critical Reasoning are covered in this section. Some of the other topics that are covered under this section in the updated Paper Pattern for XAT are:
| Statements and Assumptions | Vocabulary | Analogy |
| Synonyms/Antonyms | Para Completion | Critical Reasoning |
| Reading Comprehension | Para Jumbles |
XAT Exam Pattern For Quantitative Ability And Data Interpretation
This section will consist of 28 MCQ-type questions as per the updated XAT paper pattern of both QA and DI. This section is said to be relatively difficult in XAT. Some of the topics that are covered under this section in the updated XAT Exam Pattern are:
| Arithmetic | Algebra | Venn diagrams |
| Data Tables | Mensuration | Geometry |
| Number System | Bar Diagrams | Pie Charts |
XAT Exam Pattern for Decision-Making
Decision Making is one of the crucial and unique sections in the XAT Exam. Candidates can easily score well in this section. Check the XAT Syllabus for a detailed understanding. This section consists of 22 questions as per the Exam Pattern for XAT. In terms of difficulty, Decision Making is a Moderate Section in XAT.
The important topics in this section include:
- Data Arrangement Sets
- Caselets
- Decision-Making in a Situation
- Complex Data Arrangement
XAT Exam Pattern For General Knowledge
The General Knowledge section in XAT is dynamic and vast as no fixed set of questions are asked. This section requires one to be up to date with the Current Affairs regularly. Even though GK is a prominent section as per the updated XAT Exam Pattern, the marks obtained in this section are not taken into consideration when deriving the final percentile. The number of questions under General Knowledge is 25 Questions and some of the topics covered in this section are:
| GK Topic Category | Subtopics Included |
| Current Affairs | National & International News, Awards, Sports, Summits, Schemes |
| Business & Economy | Mergers & Acquisitions, Budget, Economic Terms, RBI Updates |
| Politics & Governance | Indian Constitution, Government Policies, Political Events |
| History | Indian History, World History, Freedom Movement |
| Geography | Physical Geography, Countries & Capitals, Borders, Rivers |
| Science & Technology | Recent Innovations, Space & Defence Programs, ISRO, DRDO |
| Environment & Ecology | Climate Change, Environmental Laws, Global Summits (e.g. COP) |
| Books & Authors | Recent Publications, Famous Authors |
| Important Dates & Events | International Days, National Events |
| Miscellaneous | Personalities, Art & Culture, Sports Trophies, Rankings |
XAT Exam Pattern: Marking Scheme
XAT is one of the very unique and different management exams conducted in India. Hence, getting an idea of the Marking Scheme under the updated XAT Exam Pattern is important:
- +1 marks are rewarded, for every correct answer,
- -0.25 marks are deducted, for every incorrect answer,
- Additionally, -0.10 marks are deducted for 8 consecutive or more unattempted answers.
- The marks scored in the GK Section will not be included in the Final XAT Score.
| Component | Details |
| Total Number of Questions | 95 |
| Marks for Correct Answer | 1 |
| Marks for Incorrect Answer | -0.25 |
| Unattempted Questions (after 8) | -0.10 per question (from the 9th Unattempted) |
| Marks for GK Section | + 1 for correct answer, no negative marking |
| GK Section in Percentile Calculation | Not included |
| Essay Writing (if included) | Evaluated during PI round, no marks assigned in percentile |
XAT Exam Score Vs. Percentile
The XAT score vs. percentile is a crucial step to estimate your chances of getting admitted into XLRI or its other substituents. Check the detailed structure of the XAT Score vs. Percentile here:
| XAT Percentile | XAT Raw Score |
| 99%ile | 45 |
| 98.24%ile | 43.8 |
| 98%ile | 42 |
| 95%ile | 40 |
| 93%ile | 38 |
| 92%ile | 36.7 |
| 90%ile | 35.39 |
| 88%ile | 34.25 |
| 85%ile | 32.6 |
| 80%ile | 30.5 |
Read More: Interview Experience of an XLRI Convert
Conclusion: XAT Exam Pattern 2026
The XAT exam pattern stands out among MBA entrance exam tests due to its structure and focus on the decision making. It consists of four different sections which includes Verbal and Logical Ability, QA & Data Interpretation, Decision Making and GK. Understanding the XAT exam pattern in depth allows candidates to target preparation strategies for success.
FAQs: XAT Exam Pattern
How many sections are there in XAT exam?
There are 4 sections in XAT exam which includes Verbal and Logical Ability, Decision Making, Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation and General Knowledge.
Is there any negative marking in the XAT exam?
Yes there is a negative marking in the XAT exam and it covers 0.25 for incorrect answers and there is no negative marking for GK section.
Where to Prepare for XAT 2026?
XLRI is a stellar B-School in India and admission to such a premier B-School is a dream for a lot of aspirants. The major step is to prepare efficiently for it.
Check out iQuanta’s XAT Course with a unique way of teaching, 24*7 doubt-solving support, peer-to-peer learning, and much more!
All The Best!
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