XAT is one of the major exams that happens after CAT. XAT tests candidates not only on their quantitative aptitude but also on reading comprehension and decision-making sections. In this blog post, I will share my journey from being a non-engineer with no maths background to scoring above the 99 percentile in XAT and securing a coveted spot at one of India’s top B-schools. In this post, I’m excited to share all the tips and tricks that helped me in my journey and hopefully will help you.
Academic Background
I’ve been a sincere student in my school, with a 9.6 CGPA in class 10th and 95% in class 12th. However, this streak was lost during my graduation, when I suffered a significant setback and scored 65.77%. After scoring so low, I never expected to perform this well, and not studying maths after class 10th didn’t help either. But I never stopped believing in myself, and with consistent work and focus, I achieved my goal.
XAT Preparation: Making a Comeback
After a not-so-good CAT attempt, XAT was another major exam that kept the hope alive inside me as it led to one of the top B-schools in India, XLRI. I knew it was my chance to try again; this time, I was better prepared and more confident.
VALR
Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning are two sections that check your comprehension skills: the ability to make inferences and understand the crux of a given passage and poem. What helped me in this section was practising similar passages in mocks and analyzing each question after it. Another unique thing about VALR is that it also assesses the students' grammatical accuracy through the questions. So, having the fundamentals right is the key to unlocking a high score in this section.
Thankfully, through consistent practice with mocks and past year papers, I could score 99.45 percentile.
Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation
Coming from a non-maths background, I knew arithmetic was one of my strengths, and I decided to focus on that. Instead of guessing answers to questions I wasn’t sure about, I marked only those I knew how to solve.
One thing to keep in mind while solving QADI is out of 28 questions, even if one solves 8-10 questions, they can clear the cut-off.
Decision Making
Despite the DM section being talked about as the most unpredictable, I found it the most fun. Two things I always kept in mind before making any decision were asking myself: “Is this the right approach for the given situation?” and putting myself into the shoes of the person in the given situation, then thinking about the most rational approach.
This technique helped me to score above 98.5 percentile.
Conclusion
In conclusion, cracking the XAT exam and securing a spot at XLRI-NCR was a dream come true for me. It taught me the importance of consistency, dedication, and perseverance. My journey will guide other XAT aspirants toward their dream B-school. Remember, the XAT exam tests not just your aptitude but also your attitude and approach toward life. I hope this guide inspires you to give your best shot at XAT and achieve your dream B-school admission.
Good luck!