FAQs on XAT
Q1) Can you tell me something about XAT examination ?

For more than 60 years, XLRI is conducting Admission Test on all India level to select the most appropriate students for management education. Their long experience and the expertise have helped them in extending this test to other Management Institutes. This year(2013), there are more than 100 Management Institutes who are selecting students through XAT.

Q2) Can you name a few good B-Schools which accept XAT score ?

The following is the list of some of the good B-Schools that accept XAT score for admission into their Post-graduate program in Management:

1. XLRI - Jamshedpur
2. S. P. Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai
3. XIM-B Bhubaneshwar
4. IMT-Ghaziabad
5. TAPMI-Manipal
6. IFMR-Chennai
7. GIM-Goa
8. Welingkar-Mumbai
9. LIBA-Chennai

For a complete list of B-Schools which are scheduled to accept XAT-2013 score,please check out the following link http://www.xatonline.net.in/instweblist.aspx

Q3) How good are the above mentioned B-Schools ?

As per T.I.M.E. ranking, XLRI is rated as one of the Top 10 B-Schools of India; SP Jain is graded in in the AAcategory; XIMB and IMT are graded among the AA grade B-Schools. TAPMI in Acategory; IFMR,GIM, Welingkar & LIBA are graded in the BBcategory.

Q4) When is it conducted ? Is it an online exam ?

It is usually conducted in the month of January. This year, the entrance test is being conducted on the 6h of January, 2013. No, it is not an online exam.

Q5) If a student has less than 50% marks in graduation, is he/she eligible to apply for XAT 2013?

Yes they are eligible to apply for XAT 2013.

Q6) Do we have to apply separately to XLRI BM & PMIR programs ?

Yes.

Q7) When is the test score of XAT 2011 likely to be announced ?

XAT 2013 results will be available by 31st January at http://www.xatonline.net.in/

Q8) What was the pattern of last year's (2012) question paper of XAT ?

Pattern of last year's question paper of XAT was as follows

Number of Questions 85
Sections 3
Marking Scheme Differential Marking,Total Marks 100,Negative Marking1/4th of the mark alloted
Duration120 Min + 20 minutes for essay writing.

Essay Word limit - 350 words
Essay topic

Statement I - Poverty is the major problem that is plaguing India. Because of the magnitude and complexity of this problem, government policies are not successful.

Statement II - Poverty is a consequence of the government policies. Instead of trying to address the problem, the government should concentrate on the root causes of the problem. Support one of the statements. Justify it with examples.

The question paper comprised of the following 3 sections:
  • Decision Making 25 Questions

  • English language and logical Reasoning - 32 Questions

  • Quantitative Ability (QA) - 28 Questions


Q9)Can you give me details about XAT 2013 examination pattern,duration etc? Are there any major changes?

The test will be conducted on 6th Jan 2013. It will be of 3 hours duration i.e. from 10:30am to 01:30pm. The test will have multiple choice type questions. A major change in the pattern is the addition of general awareness questions in this year's question paper. The exam will be divided into 2 parts.

Part A will be of 2:20 hrs which consists of Quantitative Ability, English Language Ability & Logical Reasoning and Decision Making.

Part B of the exam comprises of Essay writing and General Awareness. Duration of this section is of 40 minutes. Questions in General Awareness will be from Business, Economics and Politics related to Business Environment. Candidates have to attempt both essay as well as General Awareness questions.

Q10)What is difference between the PMIR and the BM Course offered by XLRI?

The BM course is a regular Program which is designed to give inputs on all the functions of management (Marketing, Finance, HR etc). It is like a regular MBA program. Whereas, the PMIR aims to equip the students with the knowledge and skills required for managing HRM Functions. PMIR should be taken up by only those who are genuinely interested in making a career in HR domain.

Q11) Can you give me details of PMIR Program offered by XLRI?

XLRI offers a two-year full time Programme in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations on the completion of which, students are conferred with Postgraduate Diploma in Personnel Management & Industrial Relations. The PMIR course is the oldest and the most prestigious of the Institute's teaching programmes. It is one of the best programme in India; it aims to equip the students with the knowledge and skills required for managing HR in a way that contributes to the development of individuals and organizations.

Duration - 2years
Intake - 120*
Fees* Total expenditure was around 14 Lacs(last year)
*can be revised this year
Placements Details
Average Salary 16.48 lacs p.a(2010-12).

Q12)Can you give me details of BM Program offered by XLRI?

XLRI offers a two-year full time programme on Business Management, on the completion which, candidates are conferred with Postgraduate diploma in Business Management (PGDBM). This programme is extremely prestigious and is rated as one of the finest of its kind in the country.

Duration - 2years
Intake - 120*
Fees* Total expenditure was around 14 Lacs(last year)
* can be revised this year
Placements Details
Average Salary 16.48 lacs p.a(2010-12).

Q13) What is the Selection Criteria for PM&IR and BM programs?

A candidate may apply for a maximum of three programmes. Those who apply for multiple programmes may be called for multiple interviews and/or group discussions. The selection criteria for different programmes may differ depending on the nature of the programme. XAT written test will have multiple components and candidates need to maximize their performance in each of these components. In its pursuit of academic excellence, XLRI actively encourages the students from diverse backgrounds. While preparing the short-listed candidates for the interview, in addition to XAT performance, they factor in academic ability and the relevant work experience. Besides performance in the personal interviews (and/or group discussions), they will also consider XAT performance, relevant work experience, academic ability, extra curricular activities etc. while preparing the final list.

As per Mandatory Disclosure on XLRI's website:
Weightage to Written Test : 50%
Weightage to Group Discussion & Interview : 50%
Attributes for evaluation in GD/Interview:

1.Communication skills
2.Ethics & Value systems
3.General Knowledge
4.Interest in the subject
5.Work experience

Q14) Last year(XAT-2012) , what were the cutoffs for PMIR and BM Programs? Is there Sectional Cut-off ?

BM-Overall 90 Percentile with 70 percentile in Eng lang and LR,92 percentile in QA,80 percentile in DM
PMIR-Overall 88 Percentile with 80 percentile in Eng lang and LR,80 percentile in QA,70 percentile in DM


Q15) Can you give me some suggestions on how to prepare for XAT Entrance Test ?

For the section on English language & Logical Reasoning it would be advisable for students to revise concepts pertaining to Puzzles and Decision making Questions. They should especially focus on practicing the Distribution puzzles. The CAT students have received the reasoning study material - SM 1001308 and SM 1001314 with solutions. SM 1001308 has one exercise for each of the topics in analytical reasoning. SM 1001314 contain practice exercises for all the analytical puzzles. There was a thorough discussion on each of these kind of questions in Logic Basics - 1 (LAHO 1001301), and in LAPEs & LATs. LAPE 1001302, 03 and 04 contain many questions which are of XAT difficulty level.

The critical Reasoning questions have been part of the course for the CAT students. They can revise these concepts by working out questions from CRHO 1001301 and CRPE 1001301. For questions based on Arguments, students should refer to questions from CRHO 1001302 and CRPE 1001302.

For English Language part, it would be advisable for students to revise concepts pertaining to RC, Sentence correction, Vocab based questions (words confused), Para formation, Logical reasoning questions (especially on identifying argument structure and argument elements, and inference based questions). Students should also focus on Figures of Speech as there have been questions on identifying metaphors,oxymorons,personification, etc. in previous years' XAT papers.

The RC passages in XAT are often based on 'off-beat' topics (for instance - a passage that presented a long conversation from the film Matrix).

For the section on Decision Making, it would be advisable for the students to prepare with the following papers - LAT 111008, LAT 111101 and LAT 111102.

For the section on Quantitative Ability, a good Preparation for CAT should be more than sufficient. Though it must be added that some of the questions in XAT tend to be pretty tricky and it would be advisable for students to be very judicious while attempting questions. It would also be advisable for students to brush up on their Speed Maths concepts as some of the questions in DI tend to be calculation intensive

In addition to these areas, XAT Entrance test also testsEssay Writing skills . A recent topic was

Statement I - Poverty is the major problem that is plaguing India. Because of the magnitude and complexity of this problem, government policies are not successful.
Statement II - Poverty is a consequence of the government policies. Instead of trying to address the problem, the government should concentrate on the root causes of the problem. Support one of the statements. Justify it with examples.

Students will appreciate that such topics require clear thinking, effective argument construction / analysis, and effective writing. The approach to tackle XAT essay topics will be discussed in class with Writing Practice Exercise Tests - WPE1021301 & WPE1021302.

For section on General Awareness, in addition to reading newspapers regularly, it would be advisable for a student to prepare from the following sources:

  • Last 10-12 issues of MBA Education and Careers including October edition (T.I.M.E. Magazine)

  • GAHO and GAT question papers

  • Economic Times

  • Manorama & CSR Year Book - it helps in preparation for stock type questions

While preparing for this section, it would be advisable for students to focus more on issues related to business, economics and politics related to business environment.

Finally, OMETs for XAT are perhaps the best source for preparation. It comes very close to the actual XAT entrance exam paper and one should give maximum importance to these question papers. Also, going through last year's XAT papers would help.