XAT 2021 – The Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) is a national-level exam conducted by XLRI on behalf of XAMI for admission to management courses offered by more than 150 institutes, including eleven XAMI member institutes. XAT 2021 will be a computer-based exam and will be conducted tentatively on January 3, 2021. The exam will be available across 71 cities in India and have around 1 lakh applicants. The XAT 2020 question paper will include around 99-100 MCQs, each question carrying 1 mark; there is negative marking of 0.25 mark for wrong answer. XAT 2020 registration will commence in online mode around the last week of August 2020. Candidates who successfully complete registration will be issued XAT 2020 admit cards, which will contain roll number, venue details, and date and time of exam. Go through the rest of the article to learn the full details of XAT 2021.
XAT 2021 – At a Glance
Name of the exam | Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) |
Conducting Body | XLRI, Jamshedpur |
Exam Level | National |
Mode of exam | Online |
Language | English |
Mode of application | Online |
Exam Fees | Rs 1700 |
Exam Purpose | Admission to management courses offered by: 150 odd institutes, including eleven XAMI member institutes |
Course Offered | MBA/PGDM |
Number of Test Cities | 71 |
Exam Website | xatonline.in |
Other MBA entrance exams like XAT | CAT, MAT |
XAT 2021 Important Dates
XAT 2021 is likely to be conducted January 3, 2020. The complete schedule of XAT 2021 can be checked below.
Events | Dates (Tentative) |
Start of Online Registrations | Third week of August, 2020 |
Last date to register | Fourth week of November, 2020 |
Availability of Admit card (through XAT website) | Third week of December, 2020 (Admit cards can be downloaded till commencement of exam) |
XAT Exam 2021 (to be conducted in online mode across 71 cities) |
January 3, 2021 (tentative) |
Declaration of Result (in the form of scorecards which can be downloaded from official website) | Third week of January, 2021 |
XAT Eligibility Criteria 2021
Candidates desirous of admission to management courses need to meet the following XAT 2021 eligibility criteria:
- The candidate must have completed 3-year Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in any discipline from a recognized university
- Students who are currently in the final year of their 3-year Bachelor’s degree program or are awaiting results may also apply
The application cum registration form of XAT 2020 will commence sometime in the 3rd week of August 2020. XAT 2020 registration process will be held online and is meant for candidates who meet the prescribed eligibility criteria.
How to fill XAT 2020 application form
- Go to the official XAT 2021 website
- Click on the “Register” tab
- The registration form will open
- Get registered by entering details like name, DOB, city, country, email id and phone number.
- The candidate has to next make the payment using net banking, credit or debit cards.
Application fee:
Fee type | Fee |
XAT Registration Fee (without late fee) | Rs. 1700 + Rs. 300 to apply to an XLRI program |
XAT Registration Fee (with late fee) | Rs. 2000 + Rs. 500 to apply to an XLRI program |
- After filling the form, upload the relevant documents in the prescribed specification
Document specification:
Document | Size | Dimension |
Photograph Remarks: should be in color, against a light-colored, preferably white background. |
10 kb – 20 kb | 200 x 230 pixels |
Signature Remarks: should be signed by the candidate on white paper with black ink-pen |
20 kb – 50 kb | 140 x 60 pixels |
- Submit the duly filled application form.
XAT Exam Centers 2021
XAT 2021 will have test centres in the following cities.
Agra | Goa | Mysuru(Mysore) |
Ahmedabad | Gorakhpur | Nagpur |
Allahabad | Guwahati | Nashik |
Ambala | Gwalior | Patna |
Amravati | Hooghly | Pune |
Amritsar | Hubballi(Hubli) | Raipur |
Bengaluru | Hyderabad | Rajahmundry |
Berhampur | Indore | Ranchi |
Bhatinda | Jabalpur | Roorkee |
Bhilai Nagar | Jaipur | Rourkela |
Bhopal | Jammu | Sambalpur |
Bhubaneswar | Jamshedpur | Siliguri |
Bokaro Steel City | Kannur | Surat |
Chandigarh/Mohali | Kanpur | Thiruvananthapuram |
Chennai | Kolkata | Tiruchirappalli |
Coimbatore | Kota | Tirupathi |
Cuttack | Kottayam | Tiruvallur |
Dehradun | Kurnool | Udaipur |
Delhi-NCR | Kurukshetra | Udupi Vadodara |
Dhanbad | Lucknow | Varanasi |
Dibrugarh | Ludhiana | Vijayawada |
Durgapur/Asansol | Madurai | Visakhapatnam |
Ernakulam | Mangalore | Warangal |
Gandhinagar | Mumbai |
Candidates planning to appear in the online exam should carefully go through the official XAT 2020 exam pattern:
Mode of examination | Online |
Sections | XAT question paper will have following FOUR sections: Decision Making Verbal & Logical Ability Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation General Knowledge |
Duration of exam | 180 minutes |
Type of questions | Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) |
Number of questions | 99-100 |
Total Marks | 100 |
Language of paper | English |
Marking scheme | +1 mark for correct answer; there will be negative marking of 0.25 marks for an incorrect answer Note: There is no negative marking for GK sections. |
XAT 2020 Section-wise questions and marks
Sections | Number of Questions | Total Marks |
Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation | 27 | 27 |
Decision Making | 21 | 21 |
Verbal and Logical Ability | 26 | 26 |
General Knowledge | 25 | 25 |
Total | 99 | 99 |
XAT Admit Card 2021
Exam officials will release the admit card of XAT 2021 in online mode sometime around the 3rd week of December. The XAT 2021 admit card is an essential document for taking the XAT 2020 entrance exam and will carry details like roll number, name and address of exam venue, and date and time of the exam.
How to download XAT 2020 admit card
- Go to the official XAT 2021 website
- Click on admit card download tab
- Enter user id and password
- On successful log-in admit card will be displayed on screen
- Download and take a printout of XAT admit card 2021
On the day of the exam, the candidate also needs to bring with them a valid photo id proof along with the admit card: Aadhar card, Voter ID, Passport, College/University ID, or Driver’s license.
XAT Answer Key 2021
XLRI Jamshedpur, the conducting body of XAT 2021, will release the answer key of XAT 2021 a few days after the conduct of the online exam. The XAT 2021 candidate response sheet will also be released alongside the answer key.
The XAT 2021 will contain the official answers to questions asked in the entrance exam, so one may compare one’s answers with the official version to calculate probable scores.
How to download XAT 2021 answer key
- Go the official XAT website
- A log-in page will open
- Log-in by entering user Id and password
- The answer key and response sheet will be displayed on screen.
Exam officials will declare the result of XAT 2021 through the official website tentatively in the 3rd week of January. XAT 2021 result would be released in the form of a score card, which has to be downloaded online; no hard copy of the score card will be sent.
To download XAT 2021 scorecard, the candidate needs to follow these steps:
- Go the official XAT 2021 website – xatonline.in
- Click on the result link
- A log-in window will open
- Enter log-in id and password
- The result of XAT 2021 will be displayed on screen.
- Download and take a printout of the XAT scorecard 2021
The XAT 2021 score card would carry details like exam date, XAT id, section-wise and overall percentage and percentile.
XLRI Selection Criteria
The application form of XAT 2021 allows a candidate to apply to multiple programs. But note that each program will have its own separate and independent interview processes. This means those applying for more than one programs have to appear in multiple interviews and/or group discussions.
To shortlist candidates for the interview, the XLRI admission committee may consider the following factors:
- Performance in XAT 2021
- Academic background
- Relevant work experience
Final selection will be based on the following points:
- Performance in personal interview (PI) and/or Group Discussion (GD)
- XAT 2021 performance
- Relevant work experience
- Academic background
- Extracurricular activities
Other institutes that will use XAT 2021 scores won’t participate in interviews conducted by XLRI. Instead they will have their own XAT 2021 selection process. So, candidates need to keep track of applications, as some of these institutes may start before conduct of XAT 2021 while others may release application forms only after declaration of XAT 2021 results.