The Xavier Aptitude Test is a national-level exam that is conducted for admissions to MBA and PGDM courses across more than 160 universities across India. The top business schools accepting the XAT exam include XLRI Jamshedpur, XIMB Bhubaneswar and IMT Ghaziabad. For XAT 2023, the official notification was released on 9th August 2022 and registrations began on 10th August 2022. The exam will be held on 8th January 2023. The essay writing section that was introduced again in the XAT 2023 exam will make an appearance this year along with a few other changes. However, the essay writing section is only reviewed for further rounds and is not included in the cut-off scores.
The XAT exam 2023 is slightly different from XAT 2022 in terms of the paper pattern. Given below is an overview of what the candidates can expect before they begin preparations for the XAT exam.
| Highlights | Details |
| XAT Full-form | Xavier Aptitude Test |
| Official Website | xatonline.in |
| Conducting Body | XLRI Jamshedpur |
| Mode of Exam | Online (Computer-based) |
| Medium of Exam | English |
| Total Time | 3 hours and 30 minutes |
| Total Questions | 150 |
| Sections | Part 1: Verbal & Logical Ability, Decision Making and Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation Part 2: Mock Keyboard Testing Part 3: General Knowledge and Essay Writing |
| XAT Application Form | Online |
| Courses Offered | MBA, PGDM |
The XAT 2023 official notification was released in August and registrations began on 10th August 2022. Candidates can review the timeline for the XAT exam 2023.
| Event | Deadline |
| XAT Notification | 9 August 2022 |
| XAT Registration Date Starts | 10 August 2022 |
| XAT Registration Date Ends | 30 November 2022 |
| XAT Admit Card Release | 20 December 2022 onwards |
| XAT Exam Date | 8 January 2023 |
| XAT Results | 31 January 2023 |
The XAT eligibility criteria needs to be fulfilled by the candidates to appear for the exam. Here is the XAT eligibility for 2023:
• Candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree that took three years or more to complete in any discipline from a recognized Institute.
• Candidates in the final are also eligible to appear for the XAT exam.
• The XAT exam does not require a minimum pass percentage.
• NRI students can apply through the GMAT exam.
If a candidate fulfils the given XAT eligibility requirements, they are welcome to apply and appear for the exam.
There are a few changes in the XAT exam pattern for 2023. The XAT 2023 Paper Pattern in terms of the sectional sub-division is given below:
| XAT 2023 | Details |
| Sections | Part 1 • Verbal and Logical Ability (VA & LR) • Decision Making (DM) • Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation (QA & DI) Part 2 • Mock Keyboard Testing Part 3 • General Knowledge (GK) Essay Writing |
| Total Time | 3 hours and 30 minutes |
| Number of Questions | 105 questions |
| Marking Scheme | +1 for each right answer -0.25 for every incorrect answer Essay question is evaluated separately after shortlisting |
| Unattempted Questions | After 8 unanswered questions, -0.1 marks for every unanswered question |
Now that we have a clear understanding of the XAT 2023 exam pattern, here is a summary of the major parameters in XAT 2023:
• XAT 2023 will contain 105 questions.
• Part 1 will have 175 minutes to complete after which part 1 will be locked and the candidate will move to part 2 and then part 3 of the XAT exam.
• There is no negative marking for the General Knowledge section in part 3. The GK section is not included in the percentile calculation for the XAT exam.
• The Essay Writing section is only calculated if the candidate is shortlisted for further admission rounds.
• All MCQs will have five answer choices with one right answer.
The XAT exam has a syllabus which is very similar to the other MBA exams in India. The only sections solely found in XAT are the Decision Making and Essay Writing sections. Here is a brief outline of the XAT syllabus for all the sections-
| Section | Main Topics |
| Verbal & Logical Ability | Vocabulary, Para jumble, Grammar, Fill in the blanks, Analogy, Binary Logic, etc. |
| Decision Making | Data Arrangement, Assumptions, Complex Arrangement, Conclusions etc. |
| Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation | Mensuration, Algebra, Geometry, Caselets, Data charts, Tables, etc. |
| General Knowledge | Economics and Finance, Books, Authors, Constitution of India, Current Affairs, etc. |
The XAT 2023 Exam, like CAT, helps aspiring candidates gain admission to the best B-schools in India. After clearing the XAT cutoffs candidates will garner the opportunity to clear the GD-PI rounds for admissions to MBA and PGDM programmes. Some of the best B-Schools that accept the XAT scores are mentioned below.
• XLRI
• XIME
• XIMB
• TAPMI
XLRI Jamshedpur is the most prominent among these colleges and acts as the convener of the XAT Exam. The HR program is considered to be one of the best in Asia let alone India. The Business Management course is one of the best in India and is generally the candidate’s dream college uttered in the same breath as IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore or IIM Calcutta.