XAT Exam 2020 – My Experience

“After an hour or so, I moved on to the verbal section. It was a whole other ball game here because the section seemed tougher than usual. Be it the para-jumbles or the critical reasoning, I couldn’t settle with one option”.

XAT 2020 – My First Experience

XAT (Xavier Aptitude Test) was held on 5th January 2020 in various centres across India. The MCQ test duration of 3 hours from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm. Most of the MBA colleges are accepting the CAT and XAT percentile.

I didn’t prepare much. I did give two mocks, so that I don’t get an anxiety attack on the d-day. I did decide on my strategy the day before. I had a sleepless night, which is a bit much for someone who didn’t prepare.

My strategy was to start with quant, because this is a section where you either know how to solve or leave. I was able to crack four to five questions and I could see that quant was a tad bit easier than last year.

After an hour or so, I moved on to the verbal section. It was a whole other ball game here because the section seemed tougher than usual. Be it the para-jumbles or the critical reasoning, I couldn’t settle with one option. But I did attend the maximum number of questions here. I read the poem, I was glad I could comprehend something out of it! Then, you go to the questions and you realize, poems are never easy in XAT.

Swiftly moving to the last section, the Decision-Making section (which could make or break your score), I was able to answer a few easy ones but many questions were ambiguous. It’s being reported that the cut-offs could be a bit low because of the level of difficulty this year. I’m kinda scared that I’ll lose marks here. But hoping for the best.

So this was the exam experience. Now I’ll spill out the beans about stuff that most people don’t talk about.

XAT Exam Time

The exam begins at 9:30 a.m. You’re supposed to be present at the center at 8. If you are coming alone, you have a section to keep your bags and stuff. The main requirements are :

Admit Card XAT 2020

• Admit Card printed on an A4 sheet.
• Paste your passport – size photograph on it.
• Any valid ID Proof. (It should contain your name, date of birth and your photograph)

More Restrictions..!

Do not wear any jewel (be it earrings or chain), watch or belt. Basically no metal objects!

You’ll be allowed inside only if you have the requirements. Then you’ll be checked, the metal frisking. I was wearing a hair elastic/ rubber band and they asked me to remove it. Don’t wear any hair-clip, clutch or band on the head. Leave your hair free or tie it with a simple cloth rubber band. Before going in do check which floor you would be seated. I had to go to the second floor, zone E.

After reaching the hall, full of computers, you have to do bio-metric registration. Your photo will be taken and imprint on your left thumb twice. Your seat number will be provided there. Find your seat, check whether your computer works. I had to sit there for an hour! I became a bit restless but was anxious too. This is the time where you can use the washroom, drink water, meditate or just people-watch.

XAT Online 2020

You’ll be given a login ID and password. Log in, read all the instructions, check the box at the end and click ‘I am ready to begin’ button. For a first-timer, it was nerve-wracking. Make sure this anxiety doesn’t get into your head because I’ve heard many people screwing up just because of this nervousness. A tip is to give as many mocks as possible, just so that you get used to it.

Expected Cut-Off 2020

There is negative marking, so mark an answer only when you’re sure it’s correct. Don’t feel disheartened if you feel you left many questions than you attended because, for 10 unattempted questions, you lose one mark. But for one wrong question, you’ll lose 0.25 marks i.e. for every four wrong questions, you lose one mark.

List of Top 5 Colleges in India with Expected Cut off Percentile

• XLRI Jamshedpur (PGDM-BM; PGDM-HR) – 95 Percentile
• IMT Ghaziabad (PGDM) – 92 Percentile
• XIM Bhubaneswar (MBA) – 90 Percentile
• SPJIMR Mumbai (PGDM) – 87 Percentile
• IRMA Anand (PGDM) – 82 Percentile

XAT 2020 Exam Pattern, Questions and Time Slot

99 Multi Choice Questions in 180 Minutes

• Verbal and Logical Ability – 26 Multi Choice Questions
• Decision Making – 21 Multi Choice Questions
• Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation – 27 Multi Choice Questions
• General Knowledge – 25 Multi Choice Questions

XAT 2020 Result

The result of the XAT 2020 will be expected on last week of this month (25 to 31 January 2020)