In a nutshell, the XAT 2010 paper was a notch higher in difficulty level as compared to XAT-2009. Structure of the paper was very similar to that of XAT-2009. The number of questions reduced from 104 to 101. The three sections were more or less balanced in terms of level of difficulty. The problems in the AR section were challenging and time consuming. The Decision-making sets were lengthy and thought provoking. There was one RC set in the DM+AR section as well .The Verbal and Logical reasoning section was challenging and very tricky and involved a lot of logical thinking. Quant+ DI section was dominated by questions based on Modern Maths (Permutation, Probability, estimation etc.) and Arithmetic. In the quantitative section, there were a lot of easy picks but the Data Interpretation involved high intensity of thinking and calculation. For a change it looked as if XLRI people have worked hard to create a high standard of test paper when compared to tests like CAT, IIFT etc. There was minimal amount of ambiguity in the questions, which should be appreciated
Overall, the cut-offs can be expected to be lower than that of the last year's level. Following table summarizes an ideal situation.
Section |
Topics |
Number of questions |
Suggested |
Good score |
XLRI BM Cut-offs |
XLRI PMIR Cut-offs |
1 |
EU and RC |
31 |
40 minutes |
11+ |
8.5 (90%tile) |
9.5 (93%tile) |
2 |
QA&DI |
40 |
40 minutes |
10-11 |
9 (95%tile) |
6.5 (85%tile) |
3 |
AR and Decision Making + RC |
30 |
40 minutes |
10+ |
8 (90%tile) |
6 (80%tile) |
|
Total |
101 |
120 minutes |
31-32+ |
29-30(98%tile) |
27-28 (95%tile) |
Likely Cut-Offs for other institutes:
Institute |
Cut-off |
Expected cut-off XIMB |
28+ |
Expected cut-off GIM |
26 |
Expected cut-off BIM |
26 |
Expected cut-off LIBA |
22-23 |
Disclaimer: expert faculty of Career Launcher, who have attempted the XAT 2010 paper and might not be the actual XAT cut-offs, decides these cut-offs. These calculations are based on our experience and expertise.
Comparison with Last 3 year's XAT:
Parameter |
XAT 2010 |
XAT 2009 |
XAT 2008 |
XAT 2007 |
Number of sections |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
Number of questions |
101 |
104 |
120 |
130 |
Difficulty level (Overall) |
Difficult |
Difficult |
Difficult |
Difficult |
Expected cut-off (BMD) |
29-30 |
33 |
32-33 |
35+ |
Expected cut-off (PMIR) |
27 |
30-31 |
31-32 |
33+ |
Section-wise Analysis
Section I: English Usage & Reading Comprehension
There were 31 questions, to be attempted. The questions ranged between moderate and high in terms of difficulty level. It was a mix of many question types. Critical reasoning questions tested in depth logical ability. Vocabulary based question required very sharp thinking and ability to spot the correct choice. In many a questions one could have eliminated 3 three choices but coming down to the final choice required very high level of clarity and intensity.
Reading Comprehension
A good mix of passages! There were five passages. The passages were very short but were challenging. A good selection of questions would have helped you to score reasonably good, as most of the questions were inference-based.
Overall, an attempt of 16-17 questions & a score of 11 will be considered very good. Topic-wise breakup
Type of question |
No. of questions |
Difficulty level |
Five Sentence Para jumbles |
2 |
Moderate |
Critical Reasoning Type |
9 |
Average to Difficult |
Reading Comprehension [5 passages] |
11 |
Moderate to Difficult |
Vocabulary based+ Fill in the blanks+ Usage |
8 |
Moderate to Difficult |
Fact-Inference-Judgment |
1 |
Moderate |
|
31 |
|
Comparison with last 3 year's XAT :
Topic |
XAT 2010 |
XAT 2009 |
XAT 2008 |
Overall |
31 |
35 |
38 |
English Usage |
20 |
19 |
18 |
Vocabulary: Synonyms |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Vocabulary: Antonyms/ appropriate Usage |
3 |
0 |
0 |
Vocabulary: Analogies |
0 |
1 |
0 |
Metaphor-Hyperbole-Euphemism-Oxymoron-Non sequitur |
0 |
6 |
0 |
Fill in the blanks + Word usage |
5 |
0 |
5 |
Para Jumbles |
2 |
2 |
3 |
Critical Reasoning |
9 |
7 |
10 |
Sentence Correction + FIJ |
1(FIJ) |
3 |
0 |
Reading Comprehension |
11 (5 passages) |
3 passages (10 Qs) + 3 Short Paragraphs (6Qs) |
4 passages (20 Qs) |
Linguistics |
0 |
3 (1 Passage) |
0 |
Movie Transcript |
2 (1 Passage) |
0 |
0 |
Sociology |
|
3 (1 Passage) |
0 |
Philosophy/ psychology |
2 questions(1 Passage on Kantian ethics) |
0 |
11 |
Science & Research |
2 (1 Passage) |
0 |
3 |
Business/Economics/Management/ |
2 (1 passage on fashion), 2 (1 passage on probability of death) |
4 (1 Passage) |
6 |
Section II: Analytical Reasoning and Decision Making Ability
Total No of questions: 30
Decision Making+RC: 12, Individual Reasoning Qs: 0 and AR: 18 (in 5 sets)
Summary:
In this section of 30 questions, 18 were on Analytical Reasoning and 12 on Decision Making Ability. Most of the AR sets were of Moderate to high level difficulty level and at least 1 set of 4 questions was definitely manageable during the given time frame. AR sets were of typical XAT type with flavor of L-SAT type questions. The Decision Making Ability questions were time consuming. One RC set in the section was a cakewalk; it was just a matter of spotting the set within the stipulated time. Overall, the section had a high level of difficulty.
Analytical Reasoning:
Topic |
XAT 2010 |
XAT 2009 |
XAT 2008 |
AR+Decision Making |
30 |
31 |
38 |
AR-sets |
18 (5 Sets) |
17 (4 Sets) |
26 (7sets) |
Individual AR questions |
0 |
2 |
2 |
Decision Making + RC |
12 (5 sets) |
12 |
10 (2 sets) |
Section III: Quantitative Ability + Data Interpretation
Summary
Total number of questions: 40 (30 QA, 2 DS, 6 DI)
This section was of standard level of difficulty as expected of XAT paper. There were 12-13 questions, which a good student could have easily attempted in 40-42 minutes. Two case lets based on Government Bonds and automobile company were quite challenging and should have avoided by the test takers.2 DS questions in this section were of mixed level of difficulty.
Topic-wise breakup of Quantitative Ability:
Topic |
XAT 2010 |
XAT 2009 |
XAT 2008 |
XAT 2007 |
Overall |
30+2+6 |
23+2+13=38 |
44 |
36 |
Number System |
3 |
0 |
2 |
5 |
Arithmetic |
9 |
5 |
3 |
5 |
Algebra |
7 |
5 |
13 |
14 |
Geometry |
6 |
5 |
6 |
4 |
Permutation & Combination + Probability + Probability estimation |
6 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
Mathematical reasoning |
1 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
Set Theory |
0 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
Data Sufficiency |
2 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
Data Interpretation |
6 (2 sets) |
13 (3 sets) |
12 (3 sets) |
13 (4 sets) |
Essay
XAT also tests you on essay writing and 20 min is stipulated at the end of the 2-hour test period to write a page-long essay. The
topic for this year was:
"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed".
The topic was interesting and could have generated a lot of opinion based on facts. The key was to clearly understand the given quote and frame your ideas coherently; one should have substantiated one's opinion with facts. Some of the points that could have been explored in the essay were:
One should have maintained brevity while making an impact. One should have communicate in simple English and abstained from using rhetoric.
All the best!
CL extends its best wishes to all XAT aspirants
All the very best!!
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