The XAT 2021 exam is conducted by XLRI, Jamshedpur on behalf of Xavier Association of Management Institutes (XAMI). XAT 2021 score is accepted by 11 XAMI member colleges and 150 non-XAMI colleges. XAT is one of the most prestigious and toughest exams in India. This year the pattern has changed and the essay has been removed and the exam duration has reduced to 3 hours. This has been the biggest change so far.

Here is the exam pattern of the XAT 2021 exam:

XAT Exam 2021 Sections No. of Questions XAT Exam 2021 Marking Scheme Level Of Difficulty Marks per Correct Question Negative Marking Maximum Marks Decision Making 21-24 1 0.25 21-24 Moderate to Difficult Verbal & Logical Ability 24-26 1 0.25 24-26 Moderate to Very Difficult Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation 27 1 0.25 27 Moderate to Difficult General Knowledge 25 1 N/A 25 Moderate to Difficult Total 97-100 72-77 Difficult

Below are the top 6 reasons that make XAT 2021 a unique exam:

1. A Surprise Element

Every year the pattern changes in some way or the other. For XAT 2021 the Essay has been removed which used to be a unique feature of XAT.

Also, the number of questions varies every year between 97 and 103.

2. Unique Sections

The ‘Decision Making’ section is exclusive to the XAT exam. The questions are in the form of a case – study which expects a student to use both logical and analytical reasoning along with reading comprehension skills. The answers are actually “decisions” that students need to make as managers. This section will require special and focused preparation by the students.

3. Marking scheme

XAT is the only exam where there is negative marking for not attempting questions apart from the usual incorrect answers. If a student leaves more than 8 to 13 (or more) questions, he/she loses marks. An interesting thing to note here is that there is no negative marking in the GK section.

Correct Answer +1 Incorrect Answer -0.25 8 to 13+ Unanswered -.05

4. Difficulty Level

Each section in the XAT 2021 exam has a high difficulty level. The XAT cut off does not go very high. Here is a look at the range of the raw score and the corresponding (expected) percentile based on it:

XAT Exam Section Raw Score Percentile Score Verbal Ability 6.5-8 80-90+ Decision Making 6.5-8 80-90+ Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation 8-10 80-90+ Overall 28-34 88-95

5.Result Calculation

The XAT 2021 exam will not take in account the score of the GK section while determining the percentile and cutoff for interview selection process. The GK scores will only be considered during the final selection process. This is specific to only XAT.

6. List of colleges

The XAT 2021 exam opens the gates to some of the top colleges in India, especially the eastern part in cities like XLRI Jamshedpur, XISS Ranchi, XBS Kolkata, and XIME Bhubaneswar.

The above factors make the XAT 2021 stand out when compared to its other counterparts like CAT, SNAP, IIFT and NMAT. All the best!

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