About XAT 2021
XAT is popularly known as Xavier Aptitude Test, which is a postgraduate entrance test, conducted every year by the Xavier School of Management (XLRI) Jamshedpur, to provide the admission in MBA/PGDM courses that come under the Bumbershoot of different B-Schools of India. XAT is a computer-based online examination consists of 100 questions, which is divided into four sections, i.e., Verbal & Logical Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, and General Knowledge.
After clearing the XAT entrance exam, students have to go through the Group Discussion (GD), and Personal Interview (PI) or some other rounds for getting admission in different B-Schools as per the guidelines issued by the admission authority of the colleges. XAT 2021 (Xavier Aptitude Test) will be conducted on January 3, 2021
XAT Exam 2021: Key Element
XAT Exam 2021: Important Dates
Important dates of XAT 2021 of the exam such as application form, admit card, exam, and result are listed below. Candidates must go through the dates related to the XAT exam by mentioned below table:
XAT Exam 2021: Registration Process
XAT Exam 2021 registration process commences on September 12, 2020, till December 10, 2020. Candidates who want to participate in the exam have to apply for the exam by filling the application form through the official website of the XAT. It is an online process that involves the following steps:

Step 1: Registration
- Visit the official website of XAT – Click Here
- Generate login ID using email ID and phone number
- Verify your email id
Step 2: Application Form
- Re-login using unique XAT ID
- Fill in all the required details
- Upload scanned photograph and signature (Check the Dimension)
Step 3: Make Payment
- Pay the XAT 2021 exam Fee
Step 4: Submit
- Submit your application form
XAT Exam 2021: Eligibility
Candidates who want to join the MBA program, need to take the common entrance exam XAT conducted by the Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur (XLRI). For this students have to be fit the eligibility criteria of the XAT 2021 issued by the exam conducting authority XLRI, Jamshedpur. Listed below are the eligibility criteria for the XAT 2021 entrance exam:
- Candidates should possess a bachelor's degree in any stream from a recognized university/institute with an aggregate of 50%.
- Final year candidates can also apply, but their admission shall be subjected to the submission of the passing certificate of final year, i.e., a minimum of 50% marks (before June 2021).
- Reservation of 5% is provided to the SC/ST students for appearing in the entrance (45% marks are required by them to be eligible).
XAT Exam 2021: Exam Layout
XAT 2021 exam is a computer-based online exam. The paper will contain 100 questions, which are divided into two parts and have four sections, i.e., Verbal & Logical Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, and General Knowledge. Students will have to answer all the questions within the time duration of 180 minutes.
- The paper consists of MCQ questions.
- Total of 100 objective questions.
- Each correct answer will carry 1 mark.
- Each wrong answer will consist of 25% negative marking i.e., ¼ marks shall be deducted.
- Part 2 of the exam, i.e., the general knowledge section does not contain any negative marking.
- Additional 25 minutes will be given to the visually impaired candidates with scribe for part 1, i.e., Verbal Ability, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, and Decision Making of the XAT exam.

Note: General Knowledge section will not be counted for percentile calculation.
XAT Exam 2021: Selection Procedure
The deserving candidates, on the basis of the XAT 2021 score, can apply for admission in MBA/PGDM at different B-Schools. Candidates who cleared the XAT 2021 have to go through Group Discussion (GD), Essay Writing (EW), and Personal Interview (PI) for getting final admission in an Institute.
The final merit list will be prepared based on the different rounds of XAT 2021 conducting by the exam conducting authority Xavier School of Management (XLRI), i.e., XAT Score, Group Discussion (GD), Essay Writing (EW), and Personal Interview (PI) performance. Based on the merit list, seat allotment takes place. After this, candidates can report to the institution for acknowledging the admission.

Step 1: XAT 2021 Exam
Candidates will have to appear and pass the XAT 2021 exam to get the admission in the desired B-school of their choice.
Step 2: Shortlisting
Merit list will be prepared based on the marks obtained by the candidates in the XAT 2021 entrance exam, after which they get shortlisted on the basis of cutoff released by the participating institutes.
Step 3: Selection Rounds
Shortlisted candidates will be called for the further selection process that consists of the following rounds based on the rules of their institution/college:
- Group Discussion (GD)
- Essay Writing (EW)
- Personal Interview (PI)
Step 4: Final Selection
The final list of selected candidates will be prepared based on the additional selection rounds. After this, selected candidates have to report to the institution for the submission of the document.
XAT Exam 2021: Syllabus
XAT is a foremost MBA entrance exam conducted by XLRI, Jamshedpur. Due to the intense competition and the high level of difficulty, it is one of the toughest exams. The XAT exam consists of 4 sections, i.e., Verbal & Logical Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, and General Knowledge. Tabulated below is the important topics covered by different sections in the syllabus of the XAT 2021 exam:
Quantitative Aptitude (QA) & Data Interpretation (DI)
XAT Exam 2021 Quantitative Ability assessment measures the numeracy skills of candidates to solve mathematical problems on number systems, percentages, profit & loss, work & time, and so on. It also checks if the candidate can perform arithmetic calculations and can solve real-world problems using mathematical operations. The section consists of 27 MCQs type questions of 1 mark each. The topics covered under XAT 2021 Syllabus for Quantitative Ability section are mentioned below:
Verbal and logical ability (VA and LR)
This section of XAT 2021 Verbal Ability consists of 26 questions of 1 mark each. This section is designed to check the candidate's ability to understand how they use the words. Check below the syllabus of Verbal and logical ability (VA and LR) for XAT 2021:
Decision Making (DM)
The decision making section is new for all the candidates because it's not embraced in most of the entrance exams of MBA. It is not going to be the hardest for the candidates. It consists of 22 questions of 1 mark each. The topics covered under XAT 2021 Syllabus for Decision Making section are mentioned below:
General Knowledge (GK)
The section of General Knowledge (GK) consists of 25 MCQs type questions of 1 mark each. Check below the syllabus of General Knowledge for XAT 2021:
XAT Exam 2021: Guidelines
The exam day guidelines for XAT 2021 Exam are listed below:
- Candidates must have reach the exam center on reporting time. Entries after gate closure time will be prohibited.
- Candidates have to bring their own hand sanitizer, mask, gloves, transparent water bottle, ball pen.
- It is also important to bring all the documents – admit card, ID proof – as mentioned in the XAT 2021 admit card.
- Only the admit card with the original id card will be valid.
- Electronic devices, jewellery, etc., inside the exam center, will not be allowed.
- Candidates need to log in to the assigned system 10 minutes before the test begins.
- Rough worksheets will be given to the candidates.
- The sheets for rough work need to be submitted back to the invigilator before leaving.
- Candidates should need to install Aarogya Setu App on mobile phones, which shows their risk factor.
- If a candidate does not have any smartphone, they will have to bring in a signed declaration provided along with XAT 2021 admit card and show the same to the security guard at the entry gate.
Institutes Participating in XAT 2021
Listed below are the XAMI and Non-XAMI colleges accepting XAT 2021 scores.
XAMI Members
- Loyola Institute of Business Management, Chennai
- St. Aloysius Institute of Management and Information Technology, Mangalore
- St. Francis Institute of Management and Research (SFIMR), Mumbai
- St. Joseph’s Institute of Management - SJIM Bangalore
- Xavier Business School (XBS) St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata
- Xavier Institute of Development Action and Studies, Jabalpur
- Xavier Institute of Management & Research, Mumbai
- Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship, Bangalore
- Xavier Institute of Management, Xavier University, Bhubaneswar
- Xavier Institute of Social Service, Ranchi
- XLRI Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur
Non-XAMI Members
XAT Exam 2021: Exam Cities
Listed below are the names of 72 cities where XAT 2021 is going to be held. Candidates can choose the city according to their ease at the time of registration:
FAQ Concerning XAT 2021
Q1. From where should I download the admit card of XAT 2021?
A1. Students can download the admit card from the official website of XAT.
Q2. Does the XAT exam is difficult as compared to other MBA entrance exams?
A2. In terms of the difficulty level of the exam, XAT is more difficult than other MBA entrance exams except CAT.
Q3. What is a good score in XAT 2021?
A3. According to the analysis, it was found that if a candidate can attain the 85 percentile in XAT, he/she can get a reputed institute to study the MBA course.
Q4. What is the XAT 2021 examination mode?
A4. XAT 2021 is going to be an online exam.
Q5. What is XAT 2021 exam fees?
A5. There is a 1750 INR application fee to get registered yourself for XAT 2021.
Q6. How many sections are there in the exam?
A6. The exam consists of 4 sections, which are Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning (VA and LR), Decision Making (DM), Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation (QA and DI) and General Knowledge (GK).
Q7. Does XAT allow calculator?
A7. No, the XAT exam does not allow you to carry calculators in the examination hall. In, fact the candidate cannot carry any electronic item to the XAT exam center. Inside the XAT exam hall, only the XAT Admit Card and a photo ID proof are allowed.
Q8. How many times XAT exam is held in one year?
A8. XAT exam is held annually on the first Sunday of January. XAT 2021 will going to be conducted on January 3 from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm.
Best wishes to all the XAT 2021 aspirants from the CollegeMarg Team!