Latest Update:
- XLRI has extended the last date to apply for XAT 2022 to December 10, 2021, without late fee.
- Xavier Aptitude Test, XAT 2022 exam is on Sunday, January 2, 2022. XAT registration and application fee is Rs. 1800/-.
- XAT is the mandatory entrance exam for XLRI admission. 160 other top B-schools will also accept XAT 2022 exam scores. Some of them include XIMB, IMT, TAPMI, K J Somaiya among others
XAT 2022 will be conducted in a single session of 3 hours duration as a computer-based test for admission to XLRI PGDM 2022-24 batch from 9.30 AM to 12.30 PM. There will be 100 MCQ-type questions in XAT 2022. During the 3 hours of test duration to solve the complete question paper there will be no sectional time limit. The XAT Registration process is online only.
XAT 2022 exam in full form is Xavier Aptitude Test and the exam is one of the largest MBA Entrance Exams for admission to XLRI, IMT, XIMB, TAPMI, and 160+ MBA Colleges in India. Every year more than 1,00,000 candidates from all disciplines including Engineering, Commerce, Humanities, Science, Law apply and appear in this exam to get into the various MBA programs offered by these top B-schools. Over the years, the Xavier Aptitude Test has become an easier test but to get a high percentile (90+) in this exam requires 4-5 months of serious preparation.
XLRI conducts XAT exam on behalf of XAMI. For more than 70 years XLRI has conducted this exam at all India levels to select the most appropriate students for management education. XAT entrance exam notification was released on August 9, 2021, with key exam dates and a complete schedule. Last year also, despite Covid pandemic, XLRI conducted the XAT exam as a centre-based test in 72 cities in India.
In this article, you will read all key points to plan your exam journey, including important dates to apply for the exam, syllabus & pattern, how to prepare, past toppers’ interviews and much more. You will also find important links to Free Mock Tests and genuine Past Test Papers for the exam, released by XLRI. So, read through the article till the end.
What is the XAT Exam?
The full form is the Xavier Aptitude Test. It is the Admission Test for admission to MBA/PGDM programs in XLRI and other top MBA colleges like XIMB, IMT Ghaziabad, TAPMI Manipal and 160 other top MBA colleges in India. XLRI will offer admission to its Jamshedpur and Delhi campuses on the basis of this exam score only and will not accept any other test score. There are more than 70 cities and more than 100 venues where the XAT 2022 exam will be conducted in India.
Important Changes in Exam Pattern
Following changes have been introduced in the Exam by XLRI:
- XAT 2022 exam application fee increased to Rs.1800/-
- The exam is now changed to a computer based test from paper based test
- Single slot, single day exam
- Test timing changed to 9.30AM to 12.30PM
- Total questions increased to 100 from 99
- No Essay Writing test
- NAT Questions without negative marking introduced
- All questions are of MCQ type
- Question paper with 4 sections with different number of questions
- The last section on GK with 25 questions is not counted for percentile calculation
- Visually impaired candidates with scribe are given additional 25 minutes to solve Part 1 of the exam
- Marks for every correct answer : +1
- ¼ Negative Marking for wrong answer
- No Negative marking for General Knowledge section in part-2 of question paper
- All the MCQ type questions have five options with one correct option
Xavier Aptitude Test 2022: Highlights & Key Features
Following are the salient features with details on the exam date, notification, eligibility criteria among other key points
| Test Conducting Body | Xavier School of Management (XLRI) Jamshedpur |
| Number of MBA colleges accepting exam score | 160+ |
| Mode of Exam | Computer Based Online Exam |
| Application Process | Online; Simultaneously apply for entrance exam and for XLRI PGDM Programs |
| Application Fee | Rs.1800/- |
| XAT exam Full Form | Xavier Aptitude Test |
| Cut offs for XLRI | 96 to 97 percentile |
| Total Questions in the Exam | 100 |
| Sectional Division of Test | 4 Sections with different number of Questions in Each Section. |
| Section which is not counted to prepare merit for shortlisting | GK |
| Exam Difficulty Level | Moderate to Difficult |
XLRI conducts Xavier Aptitude Test in the month of January every year. Along with releasing the Notification 2022 and finalizing the exam date, XLRI has announced the complete schedule and all important dates. Although XLRI will accept scores of only Xavier Aptitude Test, the other associated top MBA colleges will accept other exam scores also. XLRI has been conducting this exam for more than 70 years on behalf of XAMI. Earlier it was paper based test, but since 2018, the exam has become a computer based test
XLRI & Other Top MBA Colleges Cut offs, Fee, Intake
Check the fee, number of seats and programmes offered by XLRI and other MBA colleges accepting score of Xavier Aptitude Test in the table given below:
| Institute Name | Fee (Rs.in Lakhs)* | Seats* | Flagship PGDM Programme |
| XLRI Jamshedpur | 23.60 | 360 | PGDM-BM; PGDM-HR |
| XIM Bhubaneswar | 19.50 | 360 | MBA |
| IMT Ghaziabad | 19.53 | 180 | PGDM |
| IRMA Anand (Gujarat) | 15.17 | 180 | PGDRM |
| MICA Ahmedabad | 21.00 | 180 | PGDM-C |
| TAPMI Manipal | 15.10 | 285 | PGDM |
| K J Somaiya Mumbai | 18.78 | 540 | MBA |
*May increase for 2022-24 batch
XAT 2022 Exam Important Dates
XLRI has announced all the important dates with a complete schedule including application fee, admit Card date, exam date, result date among other important dates. After extension of last date to apply for XAT 2022, revised dates are as under:
| Xavier Aptitude Test 2022 Schedule | Important Dates |
| Notification 2022 Date | August 9, 2021 |
| Date for Registration start | August 10, 2021 |
| Last date for Registration & Application submission online without late fee | December 10, 2021 (Till 12 midnight) |
| Registration Last date with late fee | NA |
| Admit Card download Start Date | December 20, 2021 |
| Last date to Download Admit Card | January 2, 2022 |
| XAT Exam Date 2022 | January 2, 2022 (9.30 AM to 12.30 PM) |
| Result date | January 25, 2022 |