By the ExamguruX Editorial TeamUpdated 2 October 20264 min read
Pattern and marking
Each correct answer earns 1 mark and each wrong answer costs 0.25. There is also a small penalty for leaving more than eight questions unanswered in the scored sections, so blind skipping has a cost too.
- Verbal and Logical Ability: about 26 questions.
- Decision Making: about 21 questions. This is XAT's signature section.
- Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation: about 28 questions.
- General Knowledge: about 25 questions. Scored, but usually not counted in the percentile.
Decision Making is where XAT differs
Decision Making questions describe short business or ethical situations and ask for the most appropriate action. There is no formula. Practise with past XAT sets and, for each one you get wrong, write down why the official answer is better: usually it considers more stakeholders or takes a longer-term view. Fifteen minutes a day from now until January builds the judgement this section tests.
Fitting XAT into your CAT plan
- Now to 29 November: keep CAT as the priority. Add one Decision Making set a day and one XAT-style verbal set a week, since XAT's verbal section is harder and more literary.
- 30 November to 3 January: switch to XAT. Take two full XAT mocks a week, add GK revision, and practise the XAT quant style, which tests more topics than CAT.
- Register well before 6 December. Don't let the CAT rush push the form to the last day.
Key takeaways
- XAT 2027 is on 3 January 2027 (2–5 pm); registration closes 6 December 2026.
- +1 / −0.25, plus a small penalty for leaving more than eight questions unanswered.
- Add 15 minutes of Decision Making a day now, then switch fully to XAT after CAT on 29 November.
Sources
Dates and patterns change — always confirm on the official website before applying.
