XAT 2019: Analysis of toughest management exam of year; low cut-offs expected

The Xavier Aptitude Test is being dubbed as one of the toughest entrance exams for candidates seeking admissions to India’s top-notch B-School XLRI, Jamshedpur and XAT Associates.

XLRI has been holding the Xavier Aptitude Test for more than past 6 decades. (Image: PTI)

XAT 2019: The Xavier Aptitude Test 2019 held yesterday i.e. Sunday, 6th January 2019, is being dubbed as one of the toughest entrance exams in the past few years for candidates seeking admissions to India’s top-notch B-School XLRI, Jamshedpur and XAT Associates. XLRI has been holding the Xavier Aptitude Test for more than past 6 decades and XAT is considered a challenging entrance exam by even the crème de la crème of management aspirants. From XAT 2019, XLRI has done away with subjective-type questions as well as essay writing section, besides doubling the penalty for un-attempted questions (beyond 8) from -0.05 mark to -0.10 mark. Xavier Aptitude Test 2019 was divided into two parts viz Part 1 and Part 2. Part 1 was subdivided into 3 sections comprising a total of 74 questions. Negative marking of -0.25 for each incorrect answer was applicable. Candidates had 165 minutes at their disposal to attempt the following three sections with the option of move to-and-fro in between. VARC – Verbal and Logical Ability The Verbal and Logical Ability Section comprised of a total of 26 questions, out of which 14 questions were under Reading Comprehension and 12 from Verbal Ability/Reasoning. This section was a tough nut to crack beside being long enough to grill even the most prepared candidates. 3 questions from critical reasoning, 1 from analogy and 1 from jumbled paragraphs were particularly difficult, while the short poem – Black Lake, from the five passages in the Reading Comprehension section was hard-hitting. Given the type of questions fielded at candidates, a try at 15-17 questions in VA with around 75% accuracy would be rated as a good attempt. The expected cut-off for XAT 2019 VA section is 6-7 for both BM and HRM programs. DM – Decision Making The Decision-Making section comprised of a total of 21 questions spread across 7 cases determined to check the ethical, situational and business decision making capabilities of the candidates. The Decision Making questions were a mixed bag of easy, medium and difficult questions and any candidate who’s attempted 16-17 questions with 75-80% accuracy will be good to go. The expected cut-off for XAT 2019 DM sections for BM programs is 8-9 while for HRM it stays within 7-8. QA – Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation The Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation section comprised of a total of 27 questions, out of which 21 were for QA and 6 were for DI. Questions from geometry overshadowed others in both levels of difficulty as well as the number, followed by questions from Co-ordinates and Trigonometry in the Quantitative Ability section, while questions on Pie & Bar charts were quickly doable in Data Interpretation. Both Quant and DI section were marred by 1 incorrect/ambiguous question each; however, overall the section was easy to moderate to crack. A good attempt in Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation section can be considered trying 17-18 questions with around 80-85% accuracy. The expected cut-off for QA section for BM programs is 9-10 and 5-6 for HRM programs. Part – 2 comprised of 25 questions aimed to test the General Knowledge of the candidates. A total of 15 minutes were allotted for this section which entailed no negative marking. 7 questions from Current Affairs and 18 from static General Knowledge were fielded with moderate to difficult level. The beauty of the GK section was that it covered all fields whether national or international events/personalities in the General Knowledge arena, however, for a well-prepared and up-to-date candidate this was a scorable section by attempting 12-15 questions with 80-85% accuracy. The expected cut-off for GK section is between 9-10 for BM programs while HRM programs may consider 5-6. XAT 2019 Result is scheduled to be out on 31 st January 2019. Overall, the expected XAT 2019 cut-off for BM programs is anywhere between 27-29 i.e. 94 percentile and between 25-27 i.e. 92 percentile for HRM programs.