XAT 2017: Experts say, paper moderate to difficult this year
OVERVIEW:
The overall structure of XAT-2017 underwent some changes compared to XAT-2016. The exam consisted of 2 Parts and Part 1 consisted of 3 sections having 24, 21 and 27 questions respectively (total 72 questions) to be attempted in 170 minutes. Further, Part 2 contained 25 GK questions and one essay-writing exercise, to be attempted in 35 minutes. The break-up of the sections of Part 1 was as follows:
| A | B | C |
|---|---|---|
Section |
Section Name |
Number of questions |
| Section-I | Verbal and Logical Ability | 24 |
Section-II |
Decision Making |
21 |
| Section-III | Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation | 27 |
Total |
72 |
PART I
Section A – Verbal and Logical Ability
The Verbal and Logical Ability section of XAT 2017 was as difficult as that of XAT 2016. There were 12 Reading Comprehension questions and 12 Verbal Ability/Reasoning questions. The exact question distribution is as follows:
| A | B | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|
| Area/Questions | No. of Qs. | Question Type | Level of Difficulty |
| Vocabulary & Grammar | | | |
| Sentence Correction | 2 | Choose the correct construct | 2 Easy |
| Fill in the blanks (4 sentences) | 1 | Vocab-based | Easy |
| Fill in the blanks (Multiple blanks) | 1 | Vocab-based | Easy |
| Analogy | 1 | Similar relationship | Medium |
| Verbal Reasoning | | | |
| Para Jumbles | 2 | 1 with 5 sentences, 1 with four sentences | 1 Medium, 1 Difficult |
| Critical Reasoning (poem based) | 2 | | Difficult |
| Critical Reasoning (paragraph based) | 3 | | 1 Medium, 2 Difficult |
| Reading Comprehension | | | |
| Passage 1 – Writing | 2 | 1 Inferential 1 meaning based | Easy-Medium |
| Passage 2 – Up gradation | 3 | All were inferential | 2 Easy, 1 Medium |
| Passage 3 – Psychopath | 3 | All were inferential | 2 Easy, 1 Medium |
| Passage 4 – Existentialism | 4 | 1 direct, 3 inferential | 2 Easy, 1 Medium, 1 Difficult |
A student should be able to attempt 15-17 questions in this section in about 40-45 minutes. About 16 confident attempts (with about 75-80% accuracy) would be considered good.
Section B – Decision Making and Analytical Reasoning
The non-mathematical part of this section (15 questions) consisted of 8 sets of 1-3 questions each. Most of the passages were quite lengthy although they were easy to read and as usual some questions had a fair deal of ambiguity – in that either no answer seemed correct or there was more than one correct answer. Overall, the questions were of medium level of difficulty. Therefore, the choice of sets/questions to attempt would have depended mainly on your personal preferences and strengths. The set on Tamil food was difficult and best avoided. The mathematical part of this section (6 questions) was characterized by medium to difficult level of difficulty. There were two sets in the mathematical part of the section (both sets with 3 questions). The set on scheduling (Puri-Bhaji stall) was somewhat confusing and it was best left. The other set on players also caught the students by surprise.
| A | B | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|
| Area/Questions | No. of Qs. | Question Type | Level of Difficulty |
| Case 1 – Pastor and restaurant | 2 | Ethical nature of questions | 1 Easy, 1 Difficult |
| Case 2 – Domestic Help | 2 | Ethical nature of questions | 2 Easy |
| Case 3 – Genius Consulting | 1 | Business decision | 1 Medium |
| Case 4 – Constructing house in Kerala | 3 | Business type of decisions | 2 Easy, 1 Difficult |
| Case 5 – New Tamil food business in Singapore | 3 | Business decisions | 1 Easy, 2 Difficult |
| Case 6 – Parking in College Campus | 2 | Decisions were both ethical and business based | 1 Medium, 1 Difficult |
| Case 7 – IT company | 1 | Ethical decision | 1 Easy |
| Case 8 – Anonymous mail to management college | 1 | Ethical Decision | 1 Easy |
| Case 9 – A set on Team Formation in 3 sports | 3 | | 3 Medium |
| Case 10 – A set on Scheduling | 3 | | 3 Difficult |
In 40-45 minutes, students should have solved about 10-12 questions confidently (about 75-80% accuracy), out of the 21 questions.
Section C – Quantitative Ability
The Quantitative Ability-Data Interpretation section was slightly easier than XAT-2016. Questions on Quantitative Ability were dominated by Geometry, Modern Mathematics and Arithmetic. There was one Data Sufficiency set with two questions. Unlike in XAT-2016, no questions were confusing and/or incorrect.
There were two Data Interpretation sets, with 4 questions each. The set on Table was fairly calculation intensive but doable. The other set on Tables and Scatter Plot was very complicated in terms of the representation of the data. This set tested the concepts in statistics. Students, who were familiar with the concepts such as correlation, mode etc. would have found the set manageable. This set should have been best left.
Overall, the level of difficulty of the section was slightly lower as compared to XAT-2016. In 60 minutes, about 15-17 attempts with 80% accuracy will be considered good.
| A | B | C | D | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Row Labels | Easy | Medium | Difficult | Total |
Geometry (Total 5 questions) |
| | | |
| Circles | 1 | | | 1 |
| Mensuration | | | 1 | 1 |
| Quadrilaterals | | 2 | | 2 |
| Trigonometry | | | 1 | 1 |
Modern Maths (Total 4 questions) |
| | | |
| AP-GP | 1 | | | 1 |
| Functions | | 1 | | 1 |
| Probability | | 1 | | 1 |
| Venn Diagram | | | 1 | 1 |
Algebra (Total 3 questions) |
| | | |
| Maxima-Minima | | 1 | | 1 |
| Simple equations | 1 | 1 | | 2 |
Arithmetic (Total 2 questions) |
| | | |
| Time-Speed-Distance | | 1 | | 1 |
| Work, Pipe & Cisterns | 1 | | | 1 |
Numbers (Total 2 questions) |
| | | |
| Pigeonhole principle | 1 | 1 | ||
| Surds & Indices | 1 | 1 | ||
Data Sufficiency (Total 2 questions) |
| | | |
| Logical | | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Miscellaneous (Total 1 question) |
| | | |
| Logical | | | 1 | 1 |
Data Interpretation (Total 8 questions) |
| | | |
| Table | | 4 | | 4 |
| Table & Scatter Plot | | | 4 | 8 |
| Total | 5 | 13 | 9 | 27 |
PART II
General Knowledge
The 25 GK questions contained a distribution of 7 current and 18 static questions. Majority questions were based on international events/topics. The section was such that it required the student to possess extremely good general knowledge ability in multiple areas to be able to score well. The topics of the questions were very diverse encompassing subjects such as History, Geography, Business and Economy, names of political personalities etc.
Students should have spent 15-20 minutes on GK, and as there was no negative marking, all questions should have been attempted without fail. A score of 8-10 would be a good score in this section.
Essay Writing
Essay Topic was on Globalisation and Jingoism.
XAT 2017 Cut-Offs
We expect the cut-off for XLRI BM program to be around 34-36 and for HRM program at around 32-34 marks (For the General Category). OVERVIEW:
The overall structure of XAT-2017 underwent some changes compared to XAT-2016. The exam consisted of 2 Parts and Part 1 consisted of 3 sections having 24, 21 and 27 questions respectively (total 72 questions) to be attempted in 170 minutes. Further, Part 2 contained 25 GK questions and one essay-writing exercise, to be attempted in 35 minutes. The break-up of the sections of Part 1 was as follows:
| A | B | C |
|---|---|---|
Section |
Section Name |
Number of questions |
| Section-I | Verbal and Logical Ability | 24 |
Section-II |
Decision Making |
21 |
| Section-III | Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation | 27 |
Total |
72 |
PART I
Section A – Verbal and Logical Ability
The Verbal and Logical Ability section of XAT 2017 was as difficult as that of XAT 2016. There were 12 Reading Comprehension questions and 12 Verbal Ability/Reasoning questions. The exact question distribution is as follows:
| A | B | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|
| Area/Questions | No. of Qs. | Question Type | Level of Difficulty |
| Vocabulary & Grammar | | | |
| Sentence Correction | 2 | Choose the correct construct | 2 Easy |
| Fill in the blanks (4 sentences) | 1 | Vocab-based | Easy |
| Fill in the blanks (Multiple blanks) | 1 | Vocab-based | Easy |
| Analogy | 1 | Similar relationship | Medium |
| Verbal Reasoning | | | |
| Para Jumbles | 2 | 1 with 5 sentences, 1 with four sentences | 1 Medium, 1 Difficult |
| Critical Reasoning (poem based) | 2 | | Difficult |
| Critical Reasoning (paragraph based) | 3 | | 1 Medium, 2 Difficult |
| Reading Comprehension | | | |
| Passage 1 – Writing | 2 | 1 Inferential 1 meaning based | Easy-Medium |
| Passage 2 – Up gradation | 3 | All were inferential | 2 Easy, 1 Medium |
| Passage 3 – Psychopath | 3 | All were inferential | 2 Easy, 1 Medium |
| Passage 4 – Existentialism | 4 | 1 direct, 3 inferential | 2 Easy, 1 Medium, 1 Difficult |
A student should be able to attempt 15-17 questions in this section in about 40-45 minutes. About 16 confident attempts (with about 75-80% accuracy) would be considered good.
Section B – Decision Making and Analytical Reasoning
The non-mathematical part of this section (15 questions) consisted of 8 sets of 1-3 questions each. Most of the passages were quite lengthy although they were easy to read and as usual some questions had a fair deal of ambiguity – in that either no answer seemed correct or there was more than one correct answer. Overall, the questions were of medium level of difficulty. Therefore, the choice of sets/questions to attempt would have depended mainly on your personal preferences and strengths. The set on Tamil food was difficult and best avoided. The mathematical part of this section (6 questions) was characterized by medium to difficult level of difficulty. There were two sets in the mathematical part of the section (both sets with 3 questions). The set on scheduling (Puri-Bhaji stall) was somewhat confusing and it was best left. The other set on players also caught the students by surprise.
| A | B | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|
| | No. of Qs. | Question Type | Level of Difficulty |
| Case 1 – Pastor and restaurant | 2 | Ethical nature of questions | 1 Easy, 1 Difficult |
| Case 2 – Domestic Help | 2 | Ethical nature of questions | 2 Easy |
| Case 3 – Genius Consulting | 1 | Business decision | 1 Medium |
| Case 4 – Constructing house in Kerala | 3 | Business type of decisions | 2 Easy, 1 Difficult |
| Case 5 – New Tamil food business in Singapore | 3 | Business decisions | 1 Easy, 2 Difficult |
| Case 6 – Parking in College Campus | 2 | Decisions were both ethical and business based | 1 Medium, 1 Difficult |
| Case 7 – IT company | 1 | Ethical decision | 1 Easy |
| Case 8 – Anonymous mail to management college | 1 | Ethical Decision | 1 Easy |
| Case 9 – A set on Team Formation in 3 sports | 3 | | 3 Medium |
| Case 10 – A set on Scheduling | 3 | | 3 Difficult |
In 40-45 minutes, students should have solved about 10-12 questions confidently (about 75-80% accuracy), out of the 21 questions.
Section C – Quantitative Ability
The Quantitative Ability-Data Interpretation section was slightly easier than XAT-2016. Questions on Quantitative Ability were dominated by Geometry, Modern Mathematics and Arithmetic. There was one Data Sufficiency set with two questions. Unlike in XAT-2016, no questions were confusing and/or incorrect.
There were two Data Interpretation sets, with 4 questions each. The set on Table was fairly calculation intensive but doable. The other set on Tables and Scatter Plot was very complicated in terms of the representation of the data. This set tested the concepts in statistics. Students, who were familiar with the concepts such as correlation, mode etc. would have found the set manageable. This set should have been best left.
Overall, the level of difficulty of the section was slightly lower as compared to XAT-2016. In 60 minutes, about 15-17 attempts with 80% accuracy will be considered good.
| A | B | C | D | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Row Labels | Easy | Medium | Difficult | Total |
Geometry (Total 5 questions) |
| | | |
| Circles | 1 | | | 1 |
| Mensuration | | | 1 | 1 |
| Quadrilaterals | | 2 | | 2 |
| Trigonometry | | | 1 | 1 |
Modern Maths (Total 4 questions) |
| | | |
| AP-GP | 1 | | | 1 |
| Functions | | 1 | | 1 |
| Probability | | 1 | | 1 |
| Venn Diagram | | | 1 | 1 |
Algebra (Total 3 questions) |
| | | |
| Maxima-Minima | | 1 | | 1 |
| Simple equations | 1 | 1 | | 2 |
Arithmetic (Total 2 questions) |
| | | |
| Time-Speed-Distance | | 1 | | 1 |
| Work, Pipe & Cisterns | 1 | | | 1 |
Numbers (Total 2 questions) |
| | | |
| Pigeonhole principle | 1 | 1 | ||
| Surds & Indices | 1 | 1 | ||
Data Sufficiency (Total 2 questions) |
| | | |
| Logical | | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Miscellaneous (Total 1 question) |
| | | |
| Logical | | | 1 | 1 |
Data Interpretation (Total 8 questions) |
| | | |
| Table | | 4 | | 4 |
| Table & Scatter Plot | | | 4 | 8 |
| Total | 5 | 13 | 9 | 27 |
PART II
General Knowledge
The 25 GK questions contained a distribution of 7 current and 18 static questions. Majority questions were based on international events/topics. The section was such that it required the student to possess extremely good general knowledge ability in multiple areas to be able to score well. The topics of the questions were very diverse encompassing subjects such as History, Geography, Business and Economy, names of political personalities etc.
Students should have spent 15-20 minutes on GK, and as there was no negative marking, all questions should have been attempted without fail. A score of 8-10 would be a good score in this section.
Essay Writing
Essay Topic was on Globalisation and Jingoism.
XAT 2017 Cut-Offs
We expect the cut-off for XLRI BM program to be around 34-36 and for HRM program at around 32-34 marks (For the General Category).