XAT 2011 Pattern:

Every year, the Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI), Jamshedpur conducts the Xavier Admission Test (XAT) for admission into the post graduate management programmes at XLRI and a host of premier institutes in India. Primarily developed as a screening test for MBA entrants into the Xavier institutes, XAT scores are now accepted by more than 30 B schools all over the country.

XAT Paper Pattern

XAT is usually scheduled for the first Sunday of January and is considered to be the toughest of all management entrance tests. XAT aspirants are never sure what to expect out of the paper. Some of the recent surprises have been:

• The option of 5 instead of 4 answers per question
• Introduction of ‘Management Decision Making’ questions involving Case studies
• Certain questions in the Logical Reasoning section having true/false statements which effectively removed the elimination process

Duration

The main XAT exam is for 2 hours. This is followed by a 20 minutes essay writing test on any one topic.

Negative Marking & Scoring System

XAT awards 1 mark for each correct answer. But its negative marking schema is quite tough: 1/3rd marking for the first 5 wrong questions in each section & ½ for errors beyond 5 mistakes. Traditionally, the XAT paper can generally be segregated into three main sections commonly known as:

• English
• Reasoning & Quantitative Aptitude
• General Awareness

A brief three year comparison of XAT test patterns is given below. As you will see, every year some innovation is introduced to the paper pattern.

Year	Duration	Break Up of Questions	Questions	Negative Marking
2007	120 mins (main exam) + 20 mins (essay)	Reasoning and Decision Making Ability – 16+ 24 questions Verbal Ability – 41 questions Quant and Data Interpretation – 49 questions	130	0.33 negative marking for the first 5 wrong answers, 0.5 for every wrong answer after that
2006	120 mins (main exam) + 20 mins (essay)	Quant and Data Interpretation – 85 questions Verbal Ability – 40 questions	127	0.33 negative marking for the first 5 wrong answers, 0.5 for every wrong answer after that
2005	120 mins (main exam) + 20 mins (essay)	Quant and Data Interpretation – 75 questions Gen Knowledge – 35 questions Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning – 65 questions	175	- 1/3 for every incorrect answer

Eligibility Criteria for XAT

To be eligible for XAT, the candidate must be a graduate from a recognized institute. The minimum aggregate requirement is 50% for general category and 45% for OBC/ST/SC/Physically Handicapped candidates.

XAT Registration

You can get the XAT bulletin from the following sources:

• Selected branches of State Bank of India
• The XAT office at XLRI, Jamshedpur
• Candidates can also fill up the form online by logging onto the website www.xlri.com

Note: you have to apply separately for the all the colleges including XLRI.

Some Dos and Don’ts for XAT

• Do solve as many sample tests as possible. This will give you a clear picture of your strengths and weakness.
• Do start your paper with the section which is your strongpoint. It will give you the psychological edge.
• Do time yourself. Time management is crucial for XAT as there is no sectional time limit.
• Do be prepared for changes in the paper pattern. It won’t be XAT if there were no surprising elements in the package.
• Do have a strategy but don’t be rigid about it. If the paper doesn’t come according to your own predictions, don’t lose hope.
• Don’t try to take wild guesses. The penalty for negative marking in XAT is very heavy and may cost you a seat in your college of choice.
• Don’t focus only on one section. Just because there are no sectional cutoffs, it doesn’t mean that you can leave out any section altogether.
• Don’t take your essay paper lightly. It will prove decisive in your GD and PI round.
• Don’t panic while giving the exam. More than being a test of your knowledge base, it’s a test of how you handle pressure.