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XAT Syllabus 2020 (Updated): Important Topics and Best Books

XAT Syllabus: XLRI Jamshedpur does not release an official syllabus for XAT. However, on the basis of previous year’s question papers and analysis, we have curated below the most important topics for this year’s Xavier Aptitude Test.

  • The management exam for the year 2020 is scheduled for January 5 (tentatively) in a single session (10am – 1pm).
  • XAT 2020 is conducted in CBT mode, having the objective and subjective type of questions. Download Free XAT Practice Papers
  • As per the last year, registration concluded on November 30, candidates will be issued their XAT Admit Card from December 20.

Highlights of XAT Exam Pattern (Revised)

Exam ModeOnline (CBT)
Duration3 Hours
No. of Sections4
Total Questions100 questions
Medium of ExamEnglish only
Marking SchemeThere is a choice of not attempting 8 questions. Beyond this, any un-attempted question 0.05 mark will be deducted.

Read detailedXAT Exam Pattern

The following article covers all the topics under all the sections in XAT. Read on to know more about XAT syllabus, preparation books and important topics.

Highlights of XAT Syllabus

  • XAT Syllabus 2020 for Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation (QA & DI): There are 15 topics of 27 marks. The difficulty level of this section is always high. An accuracy of 70% is considered good.
  • XAT Syllabus 2020 for Verbal & Logical Ability (VA & LR): There are 7 important topics and the section can have moderate-high level questions. About 26 questions are expected this year.
  • XAT Syllabus 2020 for Decision Making (DM): 22 questions are expected from this section. 
  • XAT 2020 GK Syllabus: The section always has a moderate difficulty level as questions. 
CMAT SyllabusMAT SyllabusXAT Cut off

XAT Syllabus: Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation (QA & DI)

  • XLRI has brought significant changes in this section. Numbers, Geometry and Mensuration questions have become more prominent and around 50% of the Quant questions are based on these areas.
  • Arithmetic, Venn diagrams, functions are other favourite topics on which questions are formed in XAT.
  • There are 27 questions asked from this section and we suggest you take 2 minutes and 17 seconds to solve each question.
  • QA and DI section is considered to be of the highest difficulty level.

Note: There is no percentage defined between the numbers of questions asked in the QA & DI section.

Important topics for Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation

Important topics for Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation
GeometryMensuration – 2D and 3D
ProbabilityAlgebra Functions
Profit and LossSpeed & Distance
StatisticsTable
TrigonometryGraphs
ArithmeticHeights & Distance
Direction Sense & TimeClocks
Data Interpretation – Table, Combination

Check Here:Top XAT Coaching Institutes to Boost your Preparation

XAT Preparation Books for QA/ DI

Book namePublisher / Author
Quantitative Aptitude for CATNitish K. Sinha
PSC for VA for CATNitish K. Sinha
Quantitative Aptitude for the CATNitish K. Sinha
CAT 2017 Quantitative AptitudeGautam Puri
Wiley’s ExamXpert XAT (Xavier Aptitude Test)Wiley India (Author)
Jabbing the XAT Mock Tests & Solved PapersR K Jha

Read  How to Prepare Quantitative Aptitude for XAT?


XAT Syllabus: Verbal and Logical Ability (VA & LR)

  • 26 questions of objective type are expected to come from this section.
  • Approximately 56 minutes are required to complete this section.
  • The section can have moderate to high difficulty level questions.

Important topics for VA and LR in XAT

Important topics for VA and LR in XAT
GrammarPara Completion
VocabularyPara Jumble
Critical ReasoningReading Comprehension
Arguments

XAT Preparation Books for VA/ LR

Book namePublisher/ Author
Study Notes Material On XAT Paperback – 2016Sourav sir’s classes
Verbal Ability Comprehension for CAT/ XAT/ IIFT/ CMAT/ MAT/ Bank PO/ SSC 2nd EditionBharta Patodi and Aditya Choudhary

XAT Syllabus: Decision Making (DM)

  • There are 22 questions expected from this section.
  • Set based questions are asked.
  • The difficulty level of DM section is moderate to tough.

Important topics in XAT Decision Making (DM)

Important topics in XAT Decision Making
ArithmeticAnalytical Reasoning
SituationalConditions and Grouping Test
Data Arrangement TestReading Comprehension
Case letsDecision Making in a situation

XAT Preparation Books for DM

Book namePublisher
XAT 2016 Decision Making Online Coaching by Ravi Handa (Voucher)Online book
Target XAT 2017 (Past Papers 2005 – 2016 + 5 Mock Tests)Disha Experts

XAT Syllabus: General Knowledge (GK)

  • 25 questions will be asked in total.
  • You can spend 20 minutes to complete this section. 
  • The difficulty level is moderate as no brainstorming is needed.
  • Most questions are on current affairs and some on GK.
  • 60:40 breakup is defined for GK and Current Affairs.

Important topics in GK

Important topics for GK in XAT
PoliticsNation and States
HistoryLiterature
SportsAwards and Recognitions
BusinessEconomics
International RelationsSociety
Merger & Acquisitions

XAT Preparation Books for GK

Book namePublisher
Objective General KnowledgeLucent’s
General knowledgeLucent’s

How to Crack XAT 2020?

XAT 2020 is set to be conducted on January 05, 2020 by XLRI. Its scores are accepted by more than 100 XAT Colleges in India. Also, due to its popularity, the difficulty level of the exam is getting higher with time. Also, as XAT Syllabus has no defined boundary, candidates appearing for it are suggested to practice as many sample papers and previous years question papers as possible. Listed below are major takeaways for XAT Preparations:

XAT Sample Papers
  • Before starting the preparations, it is advised to go through all the previous years papers to get an idea about all the questions asked in the exam. Doing this will help a candidate to know about the level of questions that are asked from XAT Syllabus.
  • Candidates must make sure to give equal importance to all the sections in order to fetch maximum marks to clear the sectional cut-off set by the conducting authority.
  • As the level of exam is difficult, so managing the time in an efficient way will prove to be an asset. 
  • For GK section, it is important to keep oneself updated with both static and current happenings around the world. As per the trends, knowing about the past 6 months news will be sufficient for XAT preparation for this section.

Read  XAT 2020: 7 Tips to Gear up your XAT 2020 Preparation


XAT Syllabus FAQs

Ques. Is calculator allowed in XAT exam?

Ans. Any type of electronic media is not allowed in the exam center.

Ques. If I apply for a 100-day study plan, what are my chances of getting selected in XAT 2020?

Ans. Well, a 100-day study plan, if followed precisely, will ensure that your study would be completed within time. But your dedication and commitment will make all the difference.

Ques. Can you give me a list of all the topics that are added to XAT 2020 syllabus over XAT 2018 syllabus?

Ans. Well, there are no additions that are officially announced in the XAT 2020 syllabus. 

Ques. I have heard that switching between the sections is not allowed in the XAT online test. Is it true?

Ans. No, there is no such boundation on switching between the sections in the XAT 2020 exam. Still, it would be best for you that you complete 1 section and then move on to the next section.

Ques. I want to do some online preparation for the XAT syllabus. Can you give me the name of some of the websites that I can work with?

Ans. Sure, you can work with PaGalGuy, money control, test find, cracku, career launcher and Handa Ka Funda. Also, along with the preparation of other management entrance exams, preparation for XAT can be done.

We hope this article was helpful during your XAT Preparation. Once you are thorough with the exam pattern and syllabus, the preparation journey becomes a smooth-sail. We wish you luck for the exam!