XAT 2024 Exam Analysis: Overall Difficulty, Expected Cut-offs, and Complete Overview

Overview: The XAT 2024 exam was recently held on January 7, 2024, Sunday. In this blog, we will delve into a comprehensive XAT 2024 exam analysis. This includes an overview of this year's paper pattern, the overall difficulty level, sectional difficulty levels, and the expected cut-off marks.

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For more than 72 years XLRI (Xavier School of Management or formerly Xavier Labour Relations Institute)) is conducting XAT at all India level to select the most appropriate students for management education. The XAT score is being used by more than 160 institutes for the admission.

XAT, one of the oldest competitive examinations in the country, has always kept pace with the cutting-edge testing methodology. XAT’s multidimensional testing framework, is designed to meaningfully assess the aptitude of candidates for future business success.

Regarded as one of the most challenging MBA entrance exams, XAT entrance exam is distinctive for its comprehensive evaluation of quantitative, verbal, logical and decision-making skills. 

XAT Entrance Exam 2024 Overview 

To proceed with the XAT exam 2024 analysis, let's first examine this year's paper pattern. XAT 2024 follows the previous year's pattern, maintaining its online format and is divided into three parts:

• PART A- 175 minutes is given to solve the Verbal & Logical Ability, Decision Making and Quantitative Ability 7 Data Interpretation sections.
• PART B- 5 minutes is given to test and check your keyboard.
• PART C- 30 minutes separately is given for General Awareness section and Essay Writing

The total exam duration is 210 minutes, adding complexity to the test-taking strategy.

Part A questions carry one mark for each correct answer and a negative marking of –0.25 for each incorrect response. Additionally, there is a penalty of -0.1 mark for every un-attempted question beyond the first 8 un-attempted questions.

Check: Latest updates of XAT Exam

XAT 2024 Exam Pattern 

Section	No. of Questions	Total marks	Good Attempts
PART – A (175 minutes) No Sectional Timing within Part – A
Verbal and Logical Ability	26	26	14-15
Decision Making	21	21	12-13
Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation	28	28	19-20
Total	75
PART – B (5 minutes) Keyboard check
PART – C (30 minutes) No Negative Marks
General Awareness	25	25
Essay	The essay will be counted only when the candidate is shortlisted for the interview.

Read more: Importance of GK in MBA Entrance Exam CAT

XAT 2024 Exam Analysis Section-Wise

XAT 2024 Exam Analysis for Verbal and Logical Ability 

This section included various types of questions like error correction, fill-in-the-blanks, para jumbles, and critical reasoning. Let's see the key highlights in this section: 

• This section particularly on the higher end in terms of difficulty.
• The poem-based questions (on Lovely Women: Flames) were seen as difficult as last year.
• There were 15 reading comprehension or passage-based questions in Verbal Ability, and few were again difficult as they were philosophical in nature.

The detailed breakdown is as follows: 

Question Topics	Number of Questions	Difficulty Level
Error Correction	1	Difficult
Grammatically Correct	2	Moderate
Fill in the Blanks	2	Easy to Moderate
Para Jumbles	2	Easy to Moderate
Critical Reasoning	3	Easy to Moderate
Poem based	2	Difficult
Reading Comprehensions 1 (Beauty)	2	Difficult
Reading Comprehensions 2 (The problem of unrecognized ignorance)	3	Moderate
Reading Comprehensions 3 (Simplified moral frames)	3	Moderate
Reading Comprehensions 4 (Mass vaccination and herd immunity)	3	Moderate
Reading Comprehensions 5 (Reductive instinct and realist storytelling)	2	Difficult

Also Check: XAT Score vs Percentile

XAT 2024 Exam Analysis for Decision Making 

This section primarily focused on ethics & dilemmas, and business decisions. Let's see the key highlights in this section: 

• Although the section was time-consuming, it was overall easy to solve.
• We encountered situation-based case studies, each accompanied by pertinent questions.
• The questions in some passages were less tricky compared to those seen in the previous year's XAT exam.
• There were several intriguing sets, including ones based on ABC Business School and its Alumni, a set about Valve, another set depicting a techie leaving their job to join a business school, and a set featuring Maid Vimala.
• Vocabulary based contextual questions were also asked.

Read more: XAT Exam Response sheet

The detailed breakdown is as follows: 

Question Topics	Question Type	Number of Questions	Level of Difficulty
ABC Business School policies	Ethical Dilemma	3	Moderate to Difficult
HR Caselet – ‘Symbolics’ IT firm	Business Decisions	3	Moderate to Difficult
HR Caselet – Experience credentials	Ethical Dilemma	3	Moderate to Difficult
Deep Sea Natural Gas Extraction	Business Decisions	3	Moderate
Competition between taxi drivers	Business Decisions	3	Moderate
Car sales	Business Decisions	3	Moderate
Wrongful termination of domestic help	Ethical Dilemma	3	Moderate

Know more: Decision Making For XAT: Concepts & Preparation Strategy

XAT 2024 Exam Analysis For Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation 

This section covered various topics, including arithmetic, geometry, and data interpretation sets. Let's see the key highlights in this section:

• The Quantitative Ability total questions were 15 and that on Data Interpretation there were 13 questions.
• The questions in this section were unexpectedly lengthy for many students, with some based on extended paragraphs.
• This section was notably time-consuming.
• The difficulty level throughout was moderate.
• True to form, the XAT paper placed additional emphasis on Statistics.

Also check: XAT Exam Pattern

The detailed breakdown is as follows: 

Quant DI Topics	Total Questions	Difficulty Level
Arithmetic	2	Easy to Moderate
Geometry	3	Moderate to Difficult
Modern Math	3	Moderate to Difficult
Algebra	5	Easy to Moderate
Number System	2	Moderate to Difficult
Statistics Based Sets	3	Easy
Average based set	3	Easy to Moderate
Algebra	5	Moderate
Set theory	2	Easy

Know more: Idioms and Phrases for Management Entrance Exam

XAT 2024 First Copy of Exam

 

XAT 2024 Exam Analysis- Previous Years' Comparison

The XAT exam analysis over the years reveals a trend towards moderate to difficult levels. This has significant implications for the scoring strategy. 

Past Years XAT Exam Analysis 2020-2023 

This table presents XAT 2024 exam analysis, focusing on changes in the exam pattern from 2020 to 2023.

XAT Exam Analysis Previous Years

Particulars	XAT 2023	XAT 2022	XAT 2021	XAT 2020
Test Duration	3 Hours 30 Minutes	3 Hours 10 Minutes	3 Hours	3 Hours
Test Timing	2 PM to 5.30 PM	9.30 AM to 12.30 PM	9.30 AM to 12.30 PM	9.30 AM to 12.30 PM
Total Number of Questions	102	101	100	99
Difficulty Level	Expected- Moderate to Difficult	Difficult	Difficult	Very Difficult
Type of Questions	MCQS-100: Descriptive-1	MCQS-100: Descriptive-1	MCQS	MCQS
Number of Sections	5	4	4	4
Maximum Marks	100 (Essay Evaluation after shortlisting by XLRI)	100 (Essay Evaluation after shortlisting by XLRI)	100	99
Marking Scheme	For each correct answer +1 For each wrong answer -0.25	For each correct answer +1 For each wrong answer -0.25	For each correct answer +1 For each wrong answer -0.25	For each correct answer +1 For each wrong answer -0.25
Penalty for Un-attempted Questions	0.10 negative marks after 8 un-attempted questions	0.10 negative marks after 8 un-attempted questions	NA	0.10 negative marks after 7 un-attempted questions

Check: Management Courses After 12th Class

XAT Exam Cut Off Marks 2024

After having a fair understanding of XAT 2024 analysis, let's have look into the expected cut-off:

XAT Expected Cutoffs (2024) 

Institute	Expected XAT Score
	Male	Female
XLRI Jamshedpur - BM	30-32	28-30
XLRI Jamshedpur - HRM	29-31 (Engineers)	27-29 (Engineers)
	27-29 (Non- Engineers)	26- 28 (Non- Engineers)

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Is It Important to Check the XAT 2024 Exam Analysis? 

Absolutely, evaluating the XAT exam analysis is crucial. It enables you to gauge your performance in the XAT and identify areas for improvement. The XAT exam analysis 2024 offers a glimpse into the test's overall challenge, the nature of the questions posed, and the score distribution.

This data can be instrumental in tailoring your study strategy for subsequent tests, allowing you to concentrate on areas where you're lacking. 

Good Attempts as Per XAT 2024 Exam Analysis (Expected) 

If we look at the overall XAT exam analysis 2024 the overall good attempts should be between 45-50 questions out of the total 75 questions.

The XAT cutoff is the essential score that applicants must achieve to be considered for further selection stages in XAT-participating institutes.

The official XAT cutoff will be published on the website following the/ announcement of the XAT results. Factors influencing the XAT cutoff include the total number of test-takers, the difficulty level of the exam, and the available MBA admission seats. 

Learn more: How to Start MBA Preparation For CAT 2024?

Conclusion 

In conclusion, the XAT 2024 exam continues to be a pivotal gateway for MBA aspirants, with its evolving structure and challenging content reflecting the dynamic needs of top business schools. Candidates must adapt to these changes, focusing on comprehensive preparation across all sections.

Understanding the exam's complexity by doing proper XAT 2024 exam analysis along with strategic preparation and awareness of expected cutoffs, will be key to success. As XAT maintains its reputation as a rigorous test, it offers a unique opportunity for aspirants to demonstrate their aptitude and readiness for the demanding world of management. 

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