XLRI Jamshedpur
XAT 2027 (Xavier Aptitude Test)
Important Dates
Eligibility
Bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognized university. No minimum marks requirement. Final year students can also apply. No age limit.
Syllabus
Verbal & Logical Ability, Decision Making, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, General Knowledge.
Official Links
XAT 2027 — Complete Guide
XAT — Xavier Aptitude Test — is India's second most important MBA entrance exam after CAT. Conducted by XLRI Jamshedpur every year on January 1st week, it is accepted by over 150 top business schools including XLRI itself, XIMB Bhubaneswar, SPJIMR Mumbai, IMT Ghaziabad, and GIM Goa.
XLRI is known for its PGDM in Business Management and Human Resource Management — considered among the best in the country. If you want to study HR at a top B-school, XAT is practically mandatory.
Registration for XAT 2027 opens July 10, 2026 and closes December 5, 2026. Exam date is January 3, 2027.
Important Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Registration Opens | July 10, 2026 |
| Last Date to Apply | December 5, 2026 |
| Admit Card Release | Late December 2026 |
| Exam Date | January 3, 2027 |
| Result (Expected) | January 2027 |
Eligibility
Any graduate from a recognized university can apply — there is no minimum marks requirement and no age limit. Final year students can also register. Even people who have worked for 5-10 years often appear for XAT to get into XLRI's executive or regular programmes.
Exam Pattern
XAT has four parts. Three of them count toward your percentile — Verbal & Logical Ability, Decision Making, and Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation. The fourth section, General Knowledge, does not count in the percentile but is used separately during the interview stage.
| Section | Questions | Counted in Percentile? |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal & Logical Ability | 26 | Yes |
| Decision Making | 21 | Yes |
| Quantitative Ability & DI | 28 | Yes |
| General Knowledge | 25 | No |
One unique XAT rule: if you leave more than 8 questions unattempted, there is an additional penalty. This pushes you to attempt more rather than skip.
What Makes XAT Different
Decision Making is a section you won't find in CAT. It tests ethical judgement, business scenarios, and situational analysis — things that actually matter in real management jobs. This section separates XAT from every other MBA exam.
The exam is also slightly harder on the verbal side compared to CAT, with more inference-based and reasoning-heavy questions.
Application Fee
₹2,200 for XAT registration. If you want to apply to XLRI programmes separately (PGDM-BM or PGDM-HRM), add ₹200 per programme.
Colleges That Accept XAT
Besides XLRI, top XAT-accepting colleges include:
- XIMB Bhubaneswar
- SPJIMR Mumbai
- IMT Ghaziabad
- GIM Goa
- TAPMI Manipal
- LIBA Chennai
- XIME Bangalore
A XAT score of 90+ percentile is generally needed for XLRI shortlist (varies by category and year).
Official Website
xatonline.in — Registration from July 10, 2026.