Updated 23 October 2026
XAT’s marking scheme is unusual: it penalises not only wrong answers but also too many skipped questions. If you are moving from CAT preparation to XAT, this is the first thing to understand. Everything below is taken from the Exam Pattern & Overview section of the official XAT website, xatonline.in.
XAT 2027 sections
The official site lists four sections. Question counts are given as approximate:
- Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning (VALR): about 26 questions. Covers critical and analytical reasoning, reading comprehension (including poems, cartoons and passages), vocabulary, English grammar, and exercises such as para jumbles and cloze tests.
- Decision Making (DM): about 21 questions. Scenarios from personal and professional life that test critical thinking, problem-solving and prioritisation.
- Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation (QA & DI): about 28 questions. Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, mensuration and modern maths, plus interpretation and analysis of data.
- General Knowledge (GK): about 20 questions. 8 on static GK and 12 on current affairs.
The site gives 170 minutes for VALR, DM and QA & DI together, and 10 minutes for GK, for a total of about 95 questions in 180 minutes. The exam is on 3 January 2027, from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
The marking scheme
According to xatonline.in:
- Each question carries 1 mark.
- 0.25 marks are deducted for every incorrect answer.
- You can skip up to 8 questions without any penalty. For each question skipped after the 8th, 0.1 marks are deducted.
- The GK section has no negative marking. It does not count towards your overall percentile or cutoff score, but it is considered in the selection process for XLRI programmes only.
What the skip rule means in practice
On CAT, leaving a question you are unsure of usually costs you nothing. On XAT it can. After your first eight skips, every unattempted question costs 0.1 marks, while a wrong answer costs 0.25.
A few practical points follow from this:
- Count your skips during mocks. Know how many you typically leave and decide in advance how you will handle the ninth and beyond.
- Elimination matters more. If you can rule out options with confidence, an attempt may be worth it. Calibrate this on mocks rather than guessing on the day.
- Don’t ignore GK. It doesn’t affect your percentile, but XLRI uses it in its selection process.
Decision Making is the new skill
VALR and QA & DI overlap heavily with CAT preparation. Decision Making is the section most CAT candidates have not practised. The XAT website notes that, apart from DM, little extra preparation is needed beyond other MBA entrance exams. Use the weeks after CAT to do DM sets regularly. XAT also publishes previous years’ question papers on its official site, which is the most reliable practice material for this section.
Practise the overlap now
Your reading comprehension, quant and data interpretation work for CAT serves XAT too. Keep it going with CAT Gurukul’s free practice questions, and see our XAT, NMAT & SNAP preparation page.
Source: Exam Pattern & Overview and Marking Scheme on the official XAT website, xatonline.in. Question counts are listed there as approximate. Always confirm on the official site.
