Why XAT? What top scorers have to say.

XAT is a national level entrance test for admission to more than 150 top B schools, and is conducted by XLRI Jamshedpur. It is the second-best MBA exam after CAT among management aspiring candidates. Aspirants must clear XAT cut offs to qualify for GD/PI. Difficulty level of the examination is moderate but Decision-making section is responsible for low scores of candidates. But this article will share interviews of XAT top scorers, which will aid aspirants to get top MBA colleges.

What all you know about XAT?

XAT (Xavier Aptitude Test) is considered as one of the top MBA entrance examination which is conducted to admit selected candidates in top B schools. Through this exam, candidate’s aptitude in management field is checked. It is a pen-paper based exam so that candidates from rural areas who don’t have much knowledge about computer system can also apply for the examination. The paper includes objective and subjective type of questions and difficulty level is generally moderate. Admission in more than 150- B schools is on the basis of the exam scores.

XAT written section comprises two parts, one is aptitude test and another is Essay & General Knowledge part. Every year there is change in number of questions in the exam, so one can’t predict which part of any section will have how many questions.But, in Aptitude Section Decision making questions, which are added recently are the toughest and trickier ones, and scoring good in them will definitely increase your chance to get selected in top MBA colleges.

How aspirants get selected inB- Schools after clearing XAT?
Factors on which selection in top B- schools depend.

Through XAT, candidates get admission in top colleges which accepts exam score. But which college selected aspirants must prefer? Most preferred and top-rated colleges under XAT are XLRI and XIMB. So, the question is what’s next after clearing XAT?

The score for the final selection of the candidates is calculated by assigning weight to different factors which comprises XAT, Group Discussion (GD), Personal Interview (PI), essay writing, academic qualifications, work experience, and overall profile of an aspirant.
Also, there is no centralized counselling after clearing XAT score. Shortlisted candidates have to apply for each member institute of XAMI separately. On the basis of cut- off, GD/PI scores, final merit list will be prepared.

What Top Scorers have to say about XAT?
And how one can prepare for XAT to get Top B- schools?

We have interviewed various toppers who cracked XAT and secured admission in Top Management colleges/ institutes in India on the basis of their scores. Following are some useful XAT preparation tips and experiences which will help interested aspirants.

What 99.9 percentile scorer Kanishka has to say about XAT?

Kanishka did not join any coaching institute for XAT preparation. According to the interview given by him, “CAT and XAT have Quant and Verbal aptitude section in common, but Decision-Making section is the difficult and unique one for which I had to study separately for XAT. Solving previous year XAT papers for preparing myself in DM is the key to success. Fortunately, I scored 99.57 percentile in DM section which helped elevating my overall percentile a lot,” saidKanishka 2017 XAT topper confidently.

Keep practicing and plan your own strategy, says AbhishakeKoul
He got 98.4 percentile in XAT, and he says that you have to practice Reading Comprehension, quants and Decision Making and hard work is must.  He says that a candidate must give mock papers regularly. He had practiced a lot for his weak areas by making handouts and giving tests. Also, he advices aspirants to motivate themselves as there is no bigger motivator other than you. So, be a self-motivator.

Knowledge is treasure but hard work is key to it, says Priyajeev Kumar
Priyajeev scored 99.82 percentile in XAT. He says, practice is the only way to improve accuracy as the syllabus of MBA entrance exam is quite of elementary level. His advices all XAT aspirants that they must give mock tests as it gives confidence, also prepare well for the exam. Also, prepare for DM section more because it is tougher and time consuming.

Self-motivation is must, says Harish Sankar
He appeared for XAT and scored 74.5 percentile marks. He says, it is very difficult to manage and give quality time to preparation if you’re working. But without preparation getting passed only a miracle can happen.

XAT v/s CAT

As both are management exams so candidates have many queries related to both of them. Frequently asked questions are which exam is tougher and which one should prefer. Answer to both these questions is provided in this section.

Some students says that XAT is tougher but according to some CAT is difficult. So, how to conclude on the basis of such answers? The thing is that both the examinations are quite similar but XAT contains an extra section i.e. Decision making where personal ideology and their knowledge is tested, which is the main reason for low marks of candidates. But, CAT does not have any such section. Secondly CAT questions are easier and less confusing than XAT.

But on the other hand, competition in CAT is so much more in comparison to XAT, because more than 2 lakh candidates appear for CAT every year for admission to IIMs. So, cut- offs are so high in CAT in comparison to XAT.

After looking at both the data’s, it can be concluded that XAT is difficult but cut off is less, on the other hand, CAT is easy when compared to XAT but competition level is very high. So, CAT can be termed as difficult than XAT.

Can we appear for both CAT and XAT?

Yes, if a candidate fulfills the eligibility criteria for both the examinations, he can apply for both the examinations. Also, it will be beneficial in a way because he can prepare for both at the same time because of similar syllabus except for DM section. In addition to this, he will get a better understanding of exam pattern, how to strategize during an exam, and will get to know more about time management.

Source: Collegedunia.com