The Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) is being conducted by XLRI Jamshedpur for over 75 years. It is a national-level entrance exam for MBA/PGDM admissions and is accepted by 250+ B-schools across India.
XAT is not a regular aptitude paper. The XAT 2027 Entrance exam contains two parts. Part 1 covers Verbal & Logical Ability, Quantitative Aptitude & Data Interpretation, and Decision Making, while Part 2 covers General Knowledge. It has a unique Decision Making section that evaluates your ability to handle critical business and ethical situations.
There is no sectional time limit in Part 1, a skip penalty after eight unattempted questions. GK has a separate 10-minute section, carrying 20 questions. You cannot go back to Part 1 after completing and submitting the sections. That mix is why the XAT Mock Test rewards practice under real exam conditions, not just theory. However, with focused
XAT preparation and a smart exam strategy, you can surely nail the XAT 2027.
Taking regular XAT mock tests will help you check your current level of preparation, get accustomed with the 170+10-minute structure, and check the areas in which you are losing marks.
XAT 2027 will be held on Sunday, January 3, 2027, from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
XAT Mock Test 2027
Login and take the given mock test:
XAT Important Dates 2027
Xavier Aptitude Test will be held on January 3, 2027 (Sunday). The dates are announced, and there are less than four months to prepare. So, start preparing by taking XAT Mock Tests, calculating your numbers, and working on your mistakes, speed, and Accuracy. Official dates, as notified on xatonline.in, are given below.
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Events
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Dates
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Registration Opens
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July 15, 2026
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Registration Ends
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December 6, 2026
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Admit Card Release Date
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December 20, 2026 (Tentative)
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XAT Exam Date
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January 3, 2027 (Sunday, 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM)
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XAT Answer Key 2027
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Third Week of January 2027 (Tentative)
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XAT Result 2027
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Fourth Week of January 2027 (Tentative)
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A vital prerequisite to a high score is to invest adequate time and effort in practicing XAT mock tests. By attempting mock tests, you can gauge your preparation level from time to time.
Official XAT Mock Test 2027
Candidates who submitted the XAT 2027 application by August 27, 2026 could take the XAT official mock test, conducted by XLRI Jamshedpur, on August 30, 2026, from the application dashboard on xatonline.in. Log in and take the mock test.
Recent / Current Changes in XAT Exam Pattern (Introduced Last Year)
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Reduction in the overall number of questions: Total questions are now capped at 95 MCQs (earlier patterns had 100+). Section-wise split: VALR 26, Decision Making 21, QA & DI 28, GK 20. Each MCQ has 5 options.
GK section: 20 questions (8 static GK + 12 current affairs). This section has no negative marking. It is not counted in the percentile or overall cutoff and is considered in the selection process only for XLRI programs.
Exam duration: Fixed at 180 minutes. Single-slot exam (2:00 pm to 5:00 pm), so there is no multi-slot normalization.
Exam structure: Part 1 (VALR + DM + QA/DI) 170 minutes with no sectional time limits, and you can switch freely among these three sections; Part 2 (GK) 10 minutes. You cannot return to Part 1 once GK starts. An on-screen calculator is available only in QA & DI.
VALR question types: Official pattern includes reading comprehension with passages, poems and cartoons, plus critical reasoning, grammar, vocabulary, para jumbles and cloze tests.
Removal of Analytical Essay Writing (AEW): Analytical Essay Writing has been removed from the computer-based test since 2025. It is now integrated into the GD/PI stages of the XLRI selection process.
GK Score: The GK score is used by XLRI Jamshedpur for the final selection process.
Marking scheme reminder: +1 for correct, −0.25 for wrong (Part 1), −0.10 penalty per unattempted question after the first 8 unattempted (across Part 1). No negative marking and no skip penalty in GK.
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XAT 2027 Exam Pattern
These are the XAT subjects and their important topics, with the number of questions; all 95 questions must be completed in three hours (180 minutes).
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Section
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Important topics
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Questions (approx.)
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Time
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Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning (VALR)
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Critical and analytical reasoning; reading comprehension (passages, poems, cartoons); vocabulary; grammar; para jumbles; cloze tests
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26
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170 minutes for all of Part 1 (no sectional time limit)
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Decision Making (DM)
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Personal and professional situations; critical thinking; problem-solving; prioritization
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21
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Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation (QA & DI)
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Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, mensuration, modern maths; DI interpretation, summarization and analysis
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28
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General Knowledge (GK)
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8 static GK + 12 current affairs
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20
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10 minutes (Part 2; cannot return to Part 1)
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Total
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95
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180 minutes
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Why attempt XAT Mocks?
A XAT mock is useful only if it feels like the actual XAT exam, not like CAT with a GK booklet attached. The paper has no sectional timer in Part 1, a skip penalty after 8 unattempted questions, a Decision Making section you will not see in other exams, and a 10-minute GK part you cannot return from. Mocks are where you practise that mix before January 3, 2027.
On this portal you also get test analysis so you can see which section is losing marks, along with the reason — not just your total score.
Go through these points before you take the free mock:
- Finish the official pattern first, then start topic practice and full XAT mocks together. Do not wait for “perfect syllabus coverage.”
- XAT is all about selecting the right questions. You must decide what to solve, what to mark for review, and what to skip. Mocks are the only place to build that habit.
- Attempt easy questions first in every section. A correct easy DM case or VA question early steadies the paper and your confidence. Come back to long caselets and heavy DI later.
- There is no official sectional clock in Part 1, so you must set your own question and section-wise timing. A practical starting grid for 170 minutes: VALR 50–55 minutes, DM 35–40 minutes, QA & DI 70–75 minutes, 5–10 minutes buffer. Then attempt all 20 GK questions in 10 minutes.
- Learn the marking trade-off in mocks: a wrong answer costs 0.25; an extra skip after eight costs 0.10. If you have narrowed a question to two options by the theory of elimination, a reasoned guess is often better than skipping the ninth question.
- Decision Making is not Logical Reasoning. Options are relatively better or worse, not simply right or wrong. Do not force your personal ethics onto the case. Read facts vs opinions, list stakeholders, and pick the most balanced, least-harm action. If one caselet takes more than six to seven minutes, leave it and return later.
- Always run the mock as 170 + 10, not one open 180-minute paper. In the last 2 minutes of Part 1, count unattempted questions. Do not open a new DI set.
- Take XLRI’s official mock for the interface and lock timing. Use Hitbullseye mocks for volume and analysis. A CAT mock plus a GK PDF is not an XAT mock.
How to Analyse your Test?
Do the analysis the same day. A mock without analysis only repeats the same mistakes.
- Score check: Note sectional scores and net score after penalties. Early on, aim for a stable score with high accuracy, then raise the target. Remember, XLRI uses sectional cut-offs. A high overall score with a weak DM section is still a problem.
- Skip check: Count unattempted questions in Part 1. Under eight is safe number. Over eight would mean that you lost 0.10 mark per extra skip. Decide whether those skips were correct or just panic.
- Time-wise review: Find the five questions that were most time-consuming. Separate wrong-and-slow from correct-and-slow. Those five questions usually decide the mock.
- Section split: In VALR, check poem/cartoon RCs separately from VA and critical reasoning. In DM, check accuracy by case type as ethical, business/operational, or HR/stakeholder. In QA & DI, check standalone quant vs DI sets.
- Lessons: For every wrong DM question, write why the wrong option seemed to be the correct answer. That one note improves DM faster than solving 20 extra cases without review.
- One rule for the next mock: Change only one thing, for example, “DM max 40 minutes” or “no new DI set after 160 minutes.” Do not change five things at once.
Do not spend mock time writing an essay. AEW is no longer in the computer-based test. Practise writing later for GD/PI.
Keep improving speed and accuracy, but only after the attempt plan is stable.
XAT Mock FAQs
Q. What are some good websites for free XAT mock tests?
A. Many sites offer a free XAT mock test as a first attempt. Some of them include sites like Hitbullseye, Oliveboard, Testfunda, etc. You can access your performance in these free mocks to a certain extent.
Q. How many mock tests should one take before taking the XAT Exam?
A. There is no fixed number. For XAT 2027 (3 January 2027), a useful target is 12–20 full XAT mocks, plus Decision Making sectionals. More mocks help only if you analyse each one the same day.
A practical plan from September is:
- September–October: 1 full XAT mock a week + 2 DM sectionals
- November: 2 full XAT mocks a week
- December: 2–3 full XAT mocks a week; take at least one between 2:00–5:00 pm
- Last 10 days: at most 2 mocks + revision. Do not change your strategy on 1 January.
Take every official XLRI mock for the interface and the 170+10 lock. Use Hitbullseye mocks for volume and analysis. A CAT mock plus a GK PDF is not an XAT mock.
Q. I am taking the XAT mock test and getting around a score of 40 in Part 1. Is it enough for XLRI, or how can I improve it?
A. A net 40 in Part 1 is a good score and can fall within the XLRI-call range on a true XAT-level mock. But it is not a guarantee. XLRI shortlists on overall and sectional percentiles, so a high total with a weak DM or VALR can still miss the cutoff. Also, ensure the 40 came from an XAT-style mock, not an easy CAT-like paper.
To improve:
- Add 2–4 net marks through better selection, not more attempts.
- Keep DM to 35–40 minutes; leave a caselet after 6–7 minutes.
- Use the marking trade-off: −0.25 for a wrong answer, −0.10 for each extra skip after 8.
- In the last 2 minutes of Part 1, count blanks and do not start a new DI set.
- Attempt all 20 GK questions in 10 minutes.
- A stable 38–42 with balanced sections is a safer XLRI target than a one-off 40.
Q. How can I improve my QA section, as I am not scoring well in the XAT mocks?
A. XAT QA & DI has 28 questions inside the 170-minute Part 1. Low scores usually come from spending too long on one DI set, forcing tough geometry, or guessing too much. You do not need 20+ attempts. A net 10–14 with high accuracy is a better XLRI-safe target than a high attempt and a low net.
- Give QA & DI about 70–75 minutes, not the whole paper.
- Solve easy arithmetic and standalone quant first. Leave a DI set if you cannot solve it in 3–4 minutes.
- Revise arithmetic, algebra, geometry and mensuration from basics. XAT rewards concept clarity more than shortcut tricks.
- Use the on-screen calculator only to save time, not to replace method.
- After every mock, list the 5 QA questions that took the longest. Practise that topic the next day.
Change one habit per mock: either the time cap, the skip rule, or the topic you revise. The score will rise when accuracy rises, not when you attempt the full section.
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