XAT exam: Apply before November 30

XAT exam is scheduled on January 8, next year for which the application window stays open until 30 November 2016. With a month’s gap between XAT and CAT, a significant percentage of CAT examinees would be attempting both the exams. The XAT score is getting increasing acceptance among educational institutions with a count competing with CAT which currently is at 140. The XAT scores would be individually mailed to the examinees. The institution to which these scores are applicable would be individually deciding the importance it would be giving to components of the test which will not be dealt with by the XLRI.

XAT exam would be conducted among multiple locations across India and two locations abroad, Dubai and Kathmandu. Once a student registers for XAT exam, other steps follow. If the student wants to apply for an institute apart from XLRI, he would have to separately apply accordingly. The applicant is required to visit the official link and create a new account with email ID and password which he/she can use to login regularly. The test venue, photo and signature should be uploaded. Those interested in applying to XLRI, should make a choice amongst Business Management, Human Resource Management and General Management Programmes. If the student wishes to choose some other programme, they can skip this step.

Fees can either be paid in the online, cash or DD mode. The payments that are made should be updated accordingly on their registration page. An additional fee of INR 300 is applicable for a programme in XLRI in addition to the usual application charge of INR 1600. A printout of XAT confirmation page needs to be maintained. Every communication with the exam authorities should have the XAT ID quoted in future. In case of payment via DD, the candidate should send the printout of the page along with the DD to the concerned address within fifteen days of issue. Further to that, the receipt of the same would be updated on the candidate’s login. The XAT e-bulletin and e-brochure can be downloaded online.

The admit card for XAT exam will be available after December 20. The exam has the following components: 1) Quantitative 2) Language and logical reasoning 3) Decision Making 4) Essay 5) GK. The test is for 3 and a half hours with a fixed time slot from 10 am to 1.30 pm. The marks of the General Knowledge Section will not be used in deriving the percentile and cut-off at the initial selection process. The format of XAT exam has always been pen-paper based taking into account the inability of candidates from economically backward sections to have access to operating computers. XAT exam is also known for its transparency as it publishes the answer key with explanation justifying the rationale behind its evaluation. The preparation is more or less on the same lines at CAT, the Decision-making section is the only distinguishing factor known to significantly impact the overall percentile. Apply for the XAT exam and get into an institute of your choice. All the best!