Each year, there are many candidates who are looking forward to preparing for various entrance exams that will help them to reach the universities that they are looking forward to taking admission in. Similarly, many MBA aspirants out there are looking at various entrance exams that they can clear so that they can reach the position that they want to see themselves in. Many aspirants try and give the Xavier Aptitude Test XAT in order to get admission into multiple of the best business schools in the country. This exam is conducted on a yearly basis by the XLRI Jamshedpur. There are more than 90,000 aspirants who every year are giving the XAT exam. In the last few years, the exam pattern has also significantly changed. The XAT eligibility also holds a lot of importance while students are looking forward to aiming at giving the exam. Therefore, through the course of this article, we will try to understand the XAT eligibility, the exam pattern, the syllabus and a little bit about the important dates regarding the exam.

About XAT 

Talking about the XAT exam pattern, the XAT exam is a computer-based online test which is conducted every year. There are a total of 95 MCQ based questions in the exam. This means that each question will have four options that the students have to choose from. Earlier, there were 101 questions in the exam, which have now been reduced to 95. There has also been a reduction in the general knowledge section questions of the exam. Instead of 25 questions, now this section has 20 questions because of the reduction in the number of questions, the total time duration of the exam has also been reduced. The total time limit for the XAT exam is 180 minutes, which means that 170 minutes are given to Part 1 of the exam and 10 minutes are given to Part 2 of the exam. There are two parts of the exam. Part 1 has sections that are verbal ability and logical reasoning, decision making and quantitative aptitude and data interpretation. Part 2 of the exam now only has one section, which is general knowledge. Earlier essay writing used to be a section that was included in Part 2, which has now been removed. There is no negative marking for the general knowledge section. And even this section is not counted for the percentile calculation. This section is purely used during the admission process of the students.

Why XAT Eligibility Matters?

While students are trying to understand the XAT exam criteria, they have to understand why the XAT eligibility matters so much. While students kind of see the dream of appearing for the exam, it is not necessary that they fulfil the eligibility criteria. Therefore, before students can even think of preparing, they should always look at the XAT exam eligibility criteria. This will help the students to understand whether they fulfil the requirements that are needed to be eligible or not. Different programmes will have different eligibility criteria for the students. Therefore, with regard to what programme the students want to pursue, they should check the XAT 2027 eligibility. Without this, the students cannot have a very solid mindset about giving the exam.

1. Human Resource Management 

According to the official information given by the XLRI, XAT eligibility for aspirants who are applying for the human resource management programme is-

• Minimum three years of bachelor’s degree from a recognised institute.

• NRI and foreign candidates can apply through GMAT/XAT.

• Students in their final year of examination can apply if their result will be declared by June 2027.

2. General Management Program 

The students who are applying for the programmes related to general management should fulfil the following XAT eligibility:

• Bachelor’s degree from a recognised Indian or foreign university with 3 years of duration.

• Managerial/supervisory experience of 5 years of experience by March 31, 2027.

• XAT/GMAT/GRE scores will be considered. 

3. Fellow Programme in Management 

According to the XAT eligibility, the candidates who are applying for this programme can apply in three ways. The first way is the XAT eligibility, and the second method is through UGC-JRF/NET Or GMAT/GRE/GATE. The third method is that students can have two years of a full-time MBA or PGDM with a CQPI of a minimum of 6.00 or 8.00 or the equivalent. In addition to this-

BE/B.Tech degree/equivalent with at least 60% marks (50% for SC/ST) and a minimum of 2 years of relevant work experience.
or
A bachelor's degree/equivalent of at least three years' duration with a minimum of 60% marks (50% for SC/ST) and Post-graduation (MBA/Master's degree in any discipline) from a recognised university or a higher learning centre in India/abroad with a minimum of 55% marks (50% for SC/ST).
or
Integrated Master's degree (in any discipline) of four/five years, with a minimum of 55% marks (50% for SC/ST), attained after completing 10+2 or equivalent.
or
Professional qualifications like CA/ICWA/CS with a minimum of 55% marks (50% for SC/ST).

4. Business Management 

Students who want to pursue this business management programme and are planning to appear for the XAT exam should fulfil the XAT eligibility of- 

• Bachelor’s degree of 3 years duration in any stream.

• NRI and foreign candidates can apply through GMAT/XAT.

• Students in their final year of graduation can apply, but the result must be declared by June 10, 2027.

Conclusion 

For every student who is preparing and planning to give the XAT entrance exam, the XAT eligibility matters a lot. This is the first thing that students should look at because it will decide whether the students will be able to appear for the exam or not. Every entrance exam and the programme that the students want to aim for will have different eligibility criteria. There are different requirements needed for every degree, and students need to have clarity on this before they're given an entrance exam. Students shouldn't blindly start preparing for an exam, but firstly they should start looking at their eligibility criteria for that exam.

Frequently Asked Questions 

1. In which mode is the XAT exam conducted?

The XAT exam is a computer based online exam.

2. How many questions does the XAT exam have?

The XAT exam has 95 questions.