XAT (Xavier Aptitude Test) is expected to be conducted around Jan 5, 2020. It’s considered to be one of the toughest MBA exams. And, to crack this you will have to take a step ahead in your preparation. Simply learning and practising the questions won’t suffice. Understanding the XAT exam pattern is an important aspect to prepare an effective strategy.
Check the highlights in below mentioned table
XAT Exam Pattern 2020: Broad Details
| Exam Structure |
Details |
| Sections | 1.Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation
2. General Knowledge 3. Verbal and logical ability 4.Decision Making |
| Exam Duration | 180 minutes |
| Total questions | 100 |
| XAT Exam Total Marks | 100 |
| Language | English |
| Number of answer choices | 5 |
| Mode of examination | Online |
| XAT Marking scheme | +1 marks for correct answer – 0.25 mark for incorrect answer.
0.5 marks will be deducted for more than 8 un-attempted questions. No negative marking in GK section |
The XAT paper pattern of has changed multiple times over the years. The major change which XAT 2019 exam pattern witnessed last year was elimination of essay writing section.
Another change included in 2020 XAT exam is that exam paper will have to be completed in three hours, unlike the last year when the time duration was three and a half hours. You are allowed to submit your test paper after 30 minutes of the commencement of exam.
The entire paper will be MCQ based. You will have to choose one right question from the given five options displayed on the computer screen. And a separate sheet will be provided for your rough work.
Now, let’s understand the 2020 XAT Exam Pattern and the sections in detail below:
XAT Exam Pattern 2020: Details
| Sections | Number of questions | Marking Scheme |
| Verbal and logical ability | 26 | 26 |
| Decision making | 22 | 22 |
| Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation | 27 | 27 |
| General knowledge | 25 | 25 |
Total number of questions asked will be 100 and the paper will be conducted in online mode. Each MCQ will have 5 answer options. XAT 2020 does not have a sectional time limit to solve the question paper. You can attempt any question from any of the three sections within the overall time limit. However, you’ll be allowed to go to Part 2 only after completing the time duration of Part 1.
Part 1 includes verbal and logical ability, decision making, quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation. And part 2 includes General knowledge questions.
For visually impaired students, 25 minutes extra time will be given to complete the part-1 (first 3 sections) of the XAT exam.
For 2020 XAT, a new type of Numerical Answer Type (NAT) questions have been introduced. To answer these type of questions, you will have to use the virtual keypad appearing on the computer screen and enter the numerical answer.
While answering the questions, you are not bound to follow any particular sequence and can do it as per your own suitability. Also, on your screen, you will be shown in the corner about the number of questions answered and the ones not attempted. At one time, you can see only one question on the screen, and after you have responded to the question, you can move to the next or previous question. As you move to the other or previous question, the selected answered will be saved automatically.
However, you can easily change or even erase the answer after you’re done with that question.
On the bottom of the screen, you will also see ‘Tag’ and ‘De-Tag’ tabs. By using these tabs, you’ll be able to bookmark a question and save it for review later. By using the ‘De-tag’ tab you’ll be able to remove the bookmark. Herein, questions will be considered answered even if they are bookmarked for later review.
Also, there will be a coloured question palette on the right hand of your screen, informing you about the status of every question in your paper. This palette will have different colours and each of them will indicate the status of every question.
| Colour |
Status |
| Purple | Represents that the question has been answered and is marked for review. |
| Yellow | Represents that the questions haven’t been answered and is marked for review. |
| White | Represents that the questions have been left unanswered. |
| Green | Represents that the question has been answered. |
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XAT Marking Scheme for 2020
XAT Paper will consist of 100 objective type questions. 1 mark will be assigned for each correct answer. 0.25 marks will be deducted for each wrong answer. There will be no negative marking in GK section but it scores will also not be considered while calculating the final XAT percentile score and the merit list. Please check the table below for understanding the XAT marking scheme. Also, 0.05 marks will be deducted for more than 8 non attempted questions. Previously, 0.5 marks used to be deducted for almost 12-13 unanswered questions. Since last year, the number has come to 8 questions.
Check the below table to understand XAT 2020 marking scheme:
| Correct answer | +1 |
| Incorrect answer | -0.25 |
| More than 8 un-attempted questions | -0.5 |
This score of XAT exam will not be considered for shortlisting the candidates for GD/PI round. But, this score will be considered for finalising the candidates for final admission.
For more updates related to XAT 2020 exam, stay connected with PagalGuy. We wish you all the luck for your exam.
For more XAT Articles please check below:
- XAT 2019 Exam Pattern Changed, No Essay Writing this year
- XAT 2019 Results Declared, Check out for further details
- Detailed Analysis Of XAT 2019 Exam
- What Is The Difference Between CAT and XAT Syllabus?
- Important Preparation Tips for XAT 2019
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