CAT 2024 is over. You will have mixed feelings; some have cracked it, and some have lost. Irrespective of the result, XAT 2025 is the next big exam for this year’s MBA admission cycle, which you all should focus on. XLRI has extended the XAT registrations till- In this article, we have briefed you on the major differences between the two exams CAT vs XAT that can help you prepare well for XAT 2025.
The most prominent feature of the XAT exam is that you can easily switch between the sections- VALR, QADI, and DM. There is no time limit/ time pressure for any of the sections so you can easily juggle with your strengths and weaknesses. Part 1 of the exam features these three sections timed at 170 minutes. The GK section (Part 2) has 10 minutes. The essay section has been moved to the GDPI round.
Check the Key Differences Between CAT and XAT.
- Decision Making: The DM section is unique to the XAT exam. With about 22 questions, it tests the students on case studies. There are no specific topics to which these questions relate and the best resource for DM is XAT PYQs. Instead of a random selection of correct answers, your practice should revolve around analyzing the constraints and conditions present for a set and learning why a particular was chosen over another, where in reality both of them could have been right.
- Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation: The basic difference between Quantitative questions in CAT and XAT is that XAT has no fixed weightage to a specific topic, and there are multiple questions with integrated concepts, e.g., a mixture of algebra and geometry.
Read More:
Your priority should be completing those topics and concepts you did not do for CAT, at least the basics. An important update for XAT 2025 is that you do not need to practice extensive solving for DI as we will have onscreen calculators in XAT 2025. There are around 2-3 sets of Data Interpretation, of which 1-2 will be doable.
- Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning: The verbal section of XAT is based on critical reasoning questions. The RCs are usually shorter but comprise poems. You should prepare for CR questions and have your basic grammar concepts cleared.
- GK (20 questions): The GK section has no negative marking and is not included in calculating your percentile. So even if you do not know the answers you will go for blind guesses in the 10 minutes allotted for this section. Essentially, GK is not as important for this exam but will benefit you in the long run for GDPI.
After you are done with your basic prep, solving PYQs is essential. The ideal target is to solve the last 10-year papers. XAT is a longer exam and you should be comfortable sitting for long hours. In the concluding days, schedule your study sessions for 3-4 hours so you don’t get exhausted on your exam day.
Crack SNAP 2024 with 10 FREE Mock Tests + Rewards for Top 2000!
Marking Scheme:
Unlike CAT, XAT gives:
- +1 marks for each correct answer.
- -0.25 for wrong answers and,
- -0.1 for every unattended question after 8 questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q.1 Should you stress the negative marking for unattempted questions?
Ans. XAT is a longer paper and you will have enough time to solve it. Ideally, you should solve the entire DM Section and leave out the difficult ones in the other two. The penalty for unattempted is way less than wrong attempts so skipping those questions you have no idea about is the better choice.
Q.2 How much time should I give to each section?
Ans. This is subjective and would depend greatly on the individual candidate’s skills. But as a rule, do not spend more than 50-55 minutes for any section at a stretch. For example, if your QA is weak you can attempt it first by solving all the easy to medium-level questions then move to the other 2 sections and return to QADI if time allows. Keep in mind that you solve around 8-12 questions correctly in each section to reach the sectional cut-offs.
Do check out the following:
- InsideIIM's CAT 2024 Percentile and Interview Shortlist Predictor
- OMETs Prep: Take SNAP Mock Tests Here and XAT DM Mock Tests Here!
- Start Your WAT-PI Preparation Early! Check Out InsideIIM's MBA Admissions Bootcamp - WAT-PI Edge S05!
Chat
Comments
Yash Dubey
Great insights shared here!
18 Dec 2024, 04.28 PM
Suyash Upadhyay
Nice comparison, especially for people giving both thee exams and those who are confused between the two. Great work by InsideIIM !
19 Dec 2024, 10.43 AM
Sachin Kumar
Great breakdown of CAT vs XAT, highlighting key features for effective XAT 2025 preparation
20 Dec 2024, 02.14 PM
Ajeet
Informative
20 Dec 2024, 03.48 PM
Danya Nandakumar
Extremely useful info for CAT aspirants to leverage their prep for XAT
20 Dec 2024, 05.11 PM
neha verma
Cleared all the fog I had regarding CAT and XAT!
20 Dec 2024, 06.45 PM
Ankit Saroj
Informative
21 Dec 2024, 09.26 AM
Akshansh Srivastava
Great Insights about Comparison Between both.
21 Dec 2024, 09.38 PM
Himanka Parashar
Will XAT allow calculator?
23 Dec 2024, 01.48 PM
Kinjal Singh
Great comparison between the two important exams
26 Dec 2024, 05.43 PM
Kinjal Singh
Very helpful
26 Dec 2024, 05.44 PM
Mohit Tanwar
Great Article.
27 Dec 2024, 11.06 PM
Ankit Saroj
Very informative
7 Jan 2025, 01.13 PM