Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) 2023 was conducted from 2:00 pm to 5:30 pm on January 8, 2023. There were various changes introduced in the exam this year.
The test was divided into three parts. The first part constituted three sections, namely Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning (VALR), Decision Making (DM), and Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation (QADI). The total time allotted for attempting these questions was 175 minutes.
The second part, added this year, comprised Mock Keyboard Testing with a time limit of 5 minutes.
The third part included 25 General Knowledge questions and one essay writing question. The total time allotted for this section was 30 minutes.
Each question carried 1 mark and attracted -0.25 marks for every incorrect attempt and -0.1 marks per question after 8 un-attempted questions. The General Knowledge section had no negative marking.
The detailed analysis of all the sections is given below.
The Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning section followed the same pattern as last year. The level of difficulty of the section was also similar to XAT 2022. The section had 26 questions out of which 12 questions, divided into 4 sets were of the RC section. The poem was only one and had a difficulty similar to last year level of difficulty. There were no questions of paragraph jumble while fill in the blanks had 1 question.
The breakup of the VALR section was as follows:
Type of Question |
No of Questions |
Doable |
RC |
4 sets x 3 Qs |
8 |
Poem |
1 set x 2 Qs |
1 |
Fill in the Blanks |
1 |
1 |
Critical Reasoning |
7 |
3 |
Grammar/ Punctuation |
3 |
2 |
Para completion |
1 |
1 |
Total |
26 |
16-18 |
This year, the number of questions in the section increased from 21 to 22. There were 6 sets of 3 questions, 2 sets of 2 questions and 1 set of 3 questions this year. However, the 1 set comprising 3 questions introduced the old DI type decision making questions. Thus it is slightly tougher than last year. A good attempt in this section is 15 to 17 questions.
The breakup was as follows:
Type of Question |
No of Questions |
Doable |
2 Question Sets |
4 |
2 |
3 Question Sets |
15 |
2 |
3 Question DI Type Set |
3 |
3 |
Total |
22 |
15 - 17 |
In comparison to last year, the Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation was moderately more difficult. As compared to the 3 sets of DI last year, there was only 1 set in XAT 2023. Most questions of QA were from arithmetic followed by algebra and numbers. A good attempt in this section would be 16 to 18 questions.
The break-up was as follows:
Type of Question |
No of Questions |
Doable |
Arithmetic |
8 |
5 |
Numbers |
4 |
3 |
Algebra |
4 |
3 |
Geometry |
3 |
1 |
DI 1 -Economic activity & subjective well being |
3 |
2 |
Trigonometry |
1 |
2 |
Data Sufficiency |
2 |
2 |
investment |
2 |
1 |
Probability |
1 |
0 |
Total |
28 |
16 - 18 |
As per the expectations, the General Knowledge section comprised 25 questions. The General Knowledge section was similar to last year in terms of difficulty and exam pattern. There was a balance between current affairs and static GK. A good score in this section would be 10+.
In the essay section, the candidates had three options to choose which were as follows:
Section |
LOD |
Cut - offs |
VALR |
VA – Easy to Moderate RC – Moderate to Difficult LR – Moderate to Difficult |
9+ |
DM |
Moderate |
6.5+ |
QADI |
QA – Moderate DI – Difficult |
9+ |
Overall |
Moderate |
BMD - 31- 32 HRM - 29 - 30 |