Nihal, BTech in Computer Science and Engineering, is a first-year student, currently pursuing his PGDM at FMS Delhi. Nihal scored 99.97 percentile in XAT 2016 and will be interning with Citibank in the Summer of 2017.
How was your experience with XAT?
XAT 2016 was a pleasant experience. The Decision-making questions were little challenging as more than one option seemed right. Negative marking for the unattempted questions was quite unique. Writing mock exams and solving previous XAT papers made the pattern familiar. I used the 1-month gap between CAT and XAT exams for this purpose and also to improve my GK. In verbal, one of the passages was lengthy, and the DI sets were calculation intensive. Finding the easier questions and answering them quickly would do the job. In the last 30 minutes, I answered the GK question in 7-8 minutes and used the rest of the time for the essay. Structuring the essay in the beginning and then writing it would help.
How is XAT different from CAT? How does the difference impact your preparation and how do you manage that?
XAT has DM section, GK and also essay writing. While the previous XAT papers gave me a flavour of these, mock exams helped me in comparing myself to competition. DM questions from these papers helped me in getting comfortable with the section. I used the 1 month time after CAT exam to concentrate on these. Reading essays online would help in structuring thoughts for the essay and GK must be brushed up 2-3 days prior to the exam.
When did you start preparing for XAT? How did you prepare for different sections (including essay writing)?
I used the 1 month gap between CAT and XAT exams for practising DM questions and also to improve my GK. While the previous XAT papers gave me a flavour of these, mock exams helped me in comparing myself to competition. DM questions from these papers helped me in getting comfortable with the section. Reading essays online would help in structuring thoughts for the essay and GK must be brushed up 2-3 days prior to the exam.
Since it’s a paper-pencil test, does it affect the test-taking in any way? Any specific strategy for the same?
Being a paper-pencil test, it takes little extra time in circling the dots. Different students follow different strategies while doing these. Some mark each answer as and when they get it while some do it at the end. I marked the answers section wise as it involved less time and did not burden me at the end. Care must be taken to not mark wrong options and also they must be verified once.
What was your strategy for the D-Day and what do you think you executed the Best on the D- Day?
I was confident about my preparation and kept searching for the easy questions. I did not attempt the lengthy or calculation intensive questions early. I marked the answers section wise and ensured they don’t get piled up at the end. I carefully analysed all the options in DM questions.
What resources did you refer to while preparing for the essay writing? (Please mention the topic)
The essay topic was “Technology and nature are natural enemies” I wrote in about 20 minutes. I framed the essay in about 5 minutes and then spent the next 15 minutes executing it. I went through the sample essays provided by TIME institute before the exam and they came in handy.
What are the different resources you used to prepare for the exam? Did you take any mocks? If yes, which ones?
Mock exams and previous XAT papers are good resources to get acquainted with the format. I took TIME Mock exams. They also provided sample essays which helped me in structuring my ideas during the exam.
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