Akhilesh Kumar
Xavier Aptitude Test or popularly known as XAT is a national-level management entrance test conducted by XLRI, Jamshedpur, for admission to management programs at XLRI and other XAT participating institutes across the country. XAT 2021 will be conducted on tentatively in first week of January, 2021, in online (computer-based) mode. Around 75,000 candidates are expected to appear for XAT 2021.
The registration cum application process for XAT 2021 will begin tentatively from August 23 and will continue until November 30, 2020 (without late fee) and December 7, 2020 (with late fee). To apply for the exam, candidates must have a graduation degree in any discipline from a recognized institution. The scores of XAT 2021 will be accepted by XLRI Jamshedpur and around 150 B-schools across India for admission to MBA/PGDM programs. XAT 2021 might undergo some major changes in terms of exam pattern and application fee. It is expected that these changes will be applicable for XAT 2021 as well. The overall difficulty level of XAT is expected to be high.
XAT 2021 Eligibility Criteria
As per the XAT 2021 eligibility criteria, one must have a bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognised board or university. The duration of the graduation should be a minimum of three years.
One can also apply for the test if s/he is a final year graduation student and completing the degree by June 10, 2021.
XLRI will not prescribed any age limit to apply for the exam under the XAT eligibility criteria 2021.
XAT 2021 Highlights
| Full Exam Name | Xavier Aptitude Test |
| Short Exam Name | XAT |
| Conducting Body | XLRI Jamshedpur |
| Frequency of Conduct | Once a year |
| Exam Level | National Level Exam |
| Languages | English |
| Mode of Application | Online |
| Application Fee (General) | 1700 Rs [Online] |
| Mode of Exam | Online |
| Mode of Counselling | Offline |
| Participating Colleges | 655 |
| Exam Duration | 3 Hours |
XAT 2021 Application Process
Mode of Application : Online
Mode of Payment : Net Banking | Credit Card | Debit Card
The registration cum application process for XAT 2021 is expected to start from August 23, 2020. The process will continue till December 10, 2020 midnight, without late fee. Earlier the last date to register for XAT 2021 without late fee is expected to be November 30, 2020. Eligible candidates can fill the application form online.
The fee for XAT 2021 application process all categories (General, SC, ST, PWD, OBC, etc.) will be Rs. 1700, unless increased by XLRI Jamshedpur, the conducting authority. Candidates who fill the application form after the last date will have to pay Rs. 2000. The application fee had increased in 2020. Candidates can pay the application fee in online mode only (Net Banking, Credit or Debit card).
While filling the XAT application form 2020, candidates need to enter their personal and academic details. So, keeping the records handy is a good idea. Candidates also need to upload their passport size photograph (size – 20 KB to 50 KB) and signature (size – 10 KB to 20 KB) in jpeg/jpg format.
XLRI may also allowed the candidates to change the test city preference like last year. Candidates can write to admis@xlri.ac.in mentioning their XAT ID, Father’s Name, Date of Birth, chosen exam city and updated city latest by the requisite date. Remember, a candidate can apply for this change only once. Change of XAT test city option is provisional and XLRI will have the final decision on it.
Candidates who successfully submit the XAT 2021 application form and pay the application fee will appear for the test.
Application Fees
| Category | Quota | Mode | Gender | Amount |
| SC, General, OBC, ST | Online | Male, Transgender, Female | ₹ 1700 |
XAT 2021 Syllabus
Verbal and logical ability
Decision making
Quantitative ability and data interpretation
General knowledge
XAT 2021 Exam Pattern
XAT exam pattern states that it has objective (multiple choice questions) questions. The exam has four sections – Decision Making, Verbal and Logical Ability, Data Interpretation and Quantitative Ability (DI & QA), and General Knowledge. The number of question in each section keeps changing every year. Each question carries one mark. So, for every correct answer, one mark will be awarded and 0.25 marks will be deducted for every incorrect answer. Unattended questions beyond eight will also result in negative marking of 0.05 marks per question.
The duration of XAT 2021 will be 3 hours (180 minutes).
XAT 2021 Mock Test
XLRI is expected to release the official XAT 2021 mock test in the first week of January 2021. To ace in the preparation of XAT 2021, candidates are advised to appear for the mock test released by the conducting body. In order to access the online assessment/mock test of XAT 2021, test-takers will have to enter the User ID and Password created during the XAT 2021 Registration. Mock Test will help candidates understand the XAT exam pattern and design of the online XAT 2021 test.
XAT 2021 Admit Card
Candidates applying for XAT 2021 exam must download the admit card tentatively from December 20 2020 till January 3, 2021. The XAT 2021 admit card is a must-have document for candidates as they will not be allowed to write the exam without it. The admit card of XAT 2021 will be available in online mode only.
To download the admit card, candidates need to login to the official website with their XAT user id and password received at the time of XAT registration.
Name of the candidate, photograph, exam centre name and address, date of the exam, etc. details will be mentioned on the XAT 2021 admit card.
Test takers must keep a copy of the admit card until the entire admission process gets over as it will be required at every stage.
XAT 2021 Exam Centers
| State | City |
| Gujarat | Ahmedabad |
| Surat | |
| Punjab | Amritsar |
| Uttar Pradesh | Allahabad |
| Greater Noida | |
| Kanpur | |
| Lucknow | |
| Noida | |
| Varanasi | |
| Madhya Pradesh | Bhopal |
| Indore | |
| Jabalpur | |
| Chandigarh | Chandigarh |
| Tamil Nadu | Chennai |
| Coimbatore | |
| Tiruchirappalli | |
| Delhi | New Delhi |
| Haryana | Gurgaon |
| Rajasthan | Jaipur |
| Udaipur | |
| Maharashtra | Pune |
| Mumbai | |
| Nagpur | |
| Nashik | |
| Karnataka | Bengaluru |
| Mangalore | |
| Odisha | Berhampur |
| Bhubaneswar | |
| Cuttack | |
| Rourkela | |
| Sambalpur | |
| Kerala | Kochi |
| Thiruvananthapuram | |
| Uttarakhand | Dehradun |
| Goa | Panjim |
| Assam | Guwahati |
| Telangana | Hyderabad |
| Jammu and Kashmir | Jammu |
| Jharkhand | Jamshedpur |
| Ranchi | |
| West Bengal | Kolkata |
| Bihar | Patna |
| Chhattisgarh | Raipur |
| Andhra Pradesh | Visakhapatnam |
| Vijayawada |
Documents Required at Exam
- Admit card
- Photo identity proof
- Coloured passport size photograph
XAT 2021 Answer Key
After conducting the exam, the exam conducting body, XLRI Jamshedpur, is expected to release the XAT official answer key 2021 on January 9, 2021. Candidates can also file objections against the Answer Key of XAT 2020 within the given deadline.
The answer key will help the test takers to match their answers with the official answers which allows them to calculate their estimated score. Once they know an approximate overall score, they can actually check the list of probable colleges. 655 Colleges Accepting Admission through XAT.
XAT 2021 Result
The result of XAT 2021 will be announced tentatively on January 16, 2021. The XAT 2021 result is available online in the official website of the exam. Using the XAT user id and password, candidates will have to login to the official exam website to check their result and download the scorecard. The scorecards would be available for download till March 31, 2021.
Candidates can request for the hard copy of the scorecard by paying Rs. 300 by Demand Draft drawn in favour of XLRI Jamshedpur, payable at Jamshedpur. The XAT result 2021 shows the overall and sectional scores along with the XAT registration id, candidate’s name, date of the test, etc.
After the result, the exam cutoff will be released by XLRI and other member institutes to shortlist the candidates for the selection procedure – GD, WAT and PI.
XAT 2021 Cutoff
The cutoff is the minimum marks to be scored by a candidate in order to qualify for the admission process. If a candidate meets the XAT 2021 cutoff criterion, s/he will be shortlisted for the selection rounds – Writing Test, Group Discussion and Personal Interview.
The cutoff will be released in the Male and Female category. The cutoff of XAT 2021 will be released by XLRI Jamshedpur, the exam conducting body, and its 11-member institutes along with the result. The XAT cutoff is usually different at each institute.
Meeting the XAT cutoff criterion is the first stage of the admission process. If the test taker qualifies, s/he attend GD, WAT and PI. The overall performance in each round along with the candidates’ academic scores will be considered before the final selection.
Around 75,000 candidates appear for the exam. So, it’s a huge challenge to get shortlisted as the competition is really high.
XAT 2021 Selection Process
The selection procedure of XAT usually starts in the month of February after the announcement of the result. The selection process includes GD, Essay Writing, and Personal Interview.
First, XLRI, its 11-member institutes and other XAT participating institutes shortlist the test takers on the basis of cutoff. Then the shortlisted one attends the mentioned selection rounds. Many institutes do not conduct all three rounds.
Past academic scores, work experience (if any), profile, XAT score will be considered along with the performance in XAT selection rounds for the final admission.
XAT 2021 Selection Process
The selection procedure of XAT usually starts in the month of February after the announcement of the result. The selection process includes GD, Essay Writing, and Personal Interview.
First, XLRI, its 11-member institutes and other XAT participating institutes shortlist the test takers on the basis of cutoff. Then the shortlisted one attends the mentioned selection rounds. Many institutes do not conduct all three rounds.
Past academic scores, work experience (if any), profile, XAT score will be considered along with the performance in XAT selection rounds for the final admission.
XAT 2021 GD and PI Process
When a candidate appears for GD and PI rounds, his/her communication skills, self-confidence, interaction skills, etc. are checked. If s/he performs well and meets the standards of the respective institute, the chances of admission increases. However, writing test, XAT score, and some other factors such as 10th, 12th and graduation score, professional work experience, etc. are also considered for final admission.
Documents Required at Counselling
- Admit card
- Scorecard
- Photo identity card
- Mark sheets and certificates of bachelor’s degree, class X and class XII
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Question: How can I fill the application form of XAT 2021?
Answer:
Students will be able to fill the application form of XAT 2021 in online mode only. Link of the registration will be activated soon.
Question: Is there any age criteria to apply for XAT 2021?
Answer:
No there is no age criteria to apply for XAT 2021.
Question: Can I edit the application form after payment of the application fee?
Answer:
Application once submitted cannot be edited or modified.
Question: What is the exam pattern of XAT 2021?
Answer:
XAT exam pattern 2021 will consist of four sections viz., verbal and logical ability, decision making, quantitative ability and data interpretation, general knowledge.
Question: Will there be any negative marking for XAT 2021?
Answer:
Yes, for every incorrect answer 0.25 mark will be deducted.
