Xavier School of Management (XLRI) has, this year, decided to hand over essays of XAT applicants to member institutes. This is in a bid to push candidates to fare better in essay writing.

What this means is that any institute admitting candidates through XAT (Xavier Aptitude Test) can now request XLRI to hand over (in addition to the XAT exam percentiles) essays written by the candidates. This move comes as a no-surprise one considering that b-schools across the country and globally have been worried about deteriorating English skills. According to Dr Vishwa Ballabh, Head of Admissions at XLRI: “This move will hopefully push candidates to write good essays. And those who write good essays are usually those who have a good hold over current happenings as well the language.”

Dr Vallabh added that over the years XLRI has noticed that applicants are not serious about the essays in the XAT paper and hence stand to lose marks.

Besides, the above, there are no major changes in XAT 2014. PaGaLGuY had written earlier that the paper would be shorter in duration and GK would be part of the main test.

About Essays, Dr Ballabh added that the topic will be ‘general’ in nature and those who read newspapers everyday will be able to have to a go at it. “Not only for the Essay but for the entire XAT paper, if an applicant has a hold over current affairs, the paper should be easy. The questions will be quite topical.”

The Admissions Head also warns that an applicant will stand to gain if he chooses wisely, the questions he can afford to give a miss.

The XAT committee should be meeting on November 18 and one of the points that will be debated on is whether to extend registration dates (the current last date being November 22, 2013).

Sources within XLRI state that the number of applicants so far are almost the same as last year or may be even lesser. However, XLRI officials estimate the number will hopefully go up during the last week of the registration period.