Dear all, After CAT, the midnight oils are now burning to crack the other big whammy - the XAT exam. To help you with some last minute advice on cracking the XAT, we have on board several *students from Xavier’s Institute of Management, …
Dear all,
After CAT, the midnight oils are now burning to crack the other big whammy - the XAT exam.
To help you with some last minute advice on cracking the XAT, we have on board several students from Xavier's Institute of Management, Bhubhaneswar (XIMB), who scored 99+ percentile in last year's XAT and will now answer your questions and suggest how to remove your roadblocks in your preparation.
You could ask them...
- how each section should be tackled
- how is XAT different from CAT or SNAP or IIFT or FMS
- what strategy should be followed in the exam
- what works in the essays section
- what to eat before the XAT exam D-day (just kidding)
What you CANNOT ask here...
- XIMB-related questions. This thread is for XAT and XAT only.
- Questions that have already been asked by others. Please go through the entire thread and its pages to see if your question has already been asked and answered. Please do not bore people by asking the same thing again and again.
So shoot away with your questions for the XAT exam and make use of XIMB's 99 percentilers presence on the forum to strengthen your preparation.
All the best to everyone! 
Cheers,
Dear all,
After CAT, the midnight oils are now burning to crack the other big whammy - the XAT exam.
...
Me first !!!
Okiee... seniors... enlighten us about the essays please... Because rest of the exam we are atleast familiar with... having given papers on the same line before..
What all do they look for in the essay...?
What kind of topics can we expect...?
And anything which you think mite be useful...
Thanks in advance.
hey,
i just have a couple of queries for xat. Firstly, has xat always had quant and di combined as one section and reasoning as another section?..secondly since level of diff of quant is tougher, wt would be the best strategy to tackle it i.e. whether one shud look at attempting more of 'di' or more of 'quant' or balance it out?
What all do they look for in the essay...?
What kind of topics can we expect...?
And anything which you think mite be useful...
Well, as we always begin...no one actually knows for sure what the admission committee is looking for in any component of the paper, be it an essay or a section. For all you know, XLRI may be looking for creativity while XIMB may be looking for strong written communication skills. :)
However, having said that, I think it would be safe to assume that clarity of thought, smooth flow of ideas and a fairly grammatical error-free essay is what they will look for overall. Do concentrate on getting as many of these aspects right as possible. As for the topics, one generally sees them lean towards current affairs, albeit with a slight twist. So, do brush up on ur current affairs.
hey,
i just have a couple of queries for xat. Firstly, has xat always had quant and di combined as one section and reasoning as another section?..secondly since level of diff of quant is tougher, wt would be the best strategy to tackle it i.e. whether one shud look at attempting more of 'di' or more of 'quant' or balance it out?
Well, what is relevant for ur prep right now is that in the recent past, the quant and di sections are combined in XAT, and there is no indication from XLRI to lead us to believe otherwise. Some people have quant as their strong point while its DI for others. My advise would be to first know ur strengths and then formulate a strategy. Wat is known for certain is that the institutes do not look for attempts of "sub-sections". So, if u like quant, and answer enough questions in quant to clear the institute cut-offs for that section, it's party time for u!!!
First of all thanks to seniors for taking time out to help XAT aspirants!:D
Regarding the Business Judgement section- how to tackle this section and any special prepration/reading we can do?
Any suggestions for a strategy (though depends on an individual too) for time distribution across sections?
Can any of the seniors throw some light as to how much shud one score in the QA section to cross the 95 %ile barrier . I know Xat does not disclose the scores but m sure u must be having some vague idea based on ur experience with the exam.
Cheers
Okie i also take this opportunity..I have a few questions
1) I am appearing for XAT for 1st time in my 3 years of MBA prep stint, so i am not that aware of the process. I want to know if essay marks are declared saperately like GMAT does or they are included and rated on percentile basis (Although the later one seems illogical)
2) If we take last year's benchmark, what should be one's strategy to clear and maximize the score? i mean with the differential negative marking scheme?
3) How many attemts per section are considered good? and do XLRI and XIMB looks for sectionals? and what different strategy from CAT, one should use?
Thank you for starting this thread..I have already asked toom any question with looping them..:1eye:
Thanks,
Ameya
Regarding the Business Judgement section- how to tackle this section and any special prepration/reading we can do?
The most important part to remember in this section is that NEVER compromise on ethics. Try and take the most ethical path but, at the same time, dont forget that it should have a semblance of business logic behind it too!!! 😁 As for reading, just keep up to date with the current happenings in the business world.
Can any of the seniors throw some light as to how much shud one score in the QA section to cross the 95 %ile barrier . I know Xat does not disclose the scores but m sure u must be having some vague idea based on ur experience with the exam.
Cheers
Since score is declared as a percentile and not as a percentage, it is very difficult to judge how much exactly one has scored in the section. A good benchmark would be to try and score somewhere in the region of 40+ overall with a decent mix over all section. Again, the std disclaimer that this is MY analysis applies! ;)
Okie i also take this opportunity..I have a few questions
1) I am appearing for XAT for 1st time in my 3 years of MBA prep stint, so i am not that aware of the process. I want to know if essay marks are declared saperately like GMAT does or they are included and rated on percentile basis (Although the later one seems illogical)
2) If we take last year's benchmark, what should be one's strategy to clear and maximize the score? i mean with the differential negative marking scheme?
3) How many attemts per section are considered good? and do XLRI and XIMB looks for sectionals? and what different strategy from CAT, one should use?
Thanks,
Ameya
XAT does NOT declare essay marks. In fact, the essay is not considered in your percentile score. It serves as a guideline for evaluation during the GD/PIs.
Follow the simplest strategy - do not make too many mistakes...be accurate! :D
As I said earlier, a decent attempt per section would depend on how tough the section is for that year, coz after all, it's relative grading. XLRI and XIMB both use sectional cut-offs. As for differentiation frm CAT, the DI and Quant section is combined in XAT with LR forming an additional section. So, I suppose u get a sort of choice between Quant and DI so that u can play to ur strengths.
Hii...
can u pls let us know wat was the sectional and overall %ile reqd to fetch a call from XIMB last year ??
Also is pattern of XAT fixed...I mean no of questions and their distributions ?
shashi
hi.. is thr any book like prev year papers of xat or something like dat...
Hey People...Pls help me out in quant...
My quant is not good and really dont knw what to focus on in it to score some decent marks in quant section of XAT....
My target colleges are XIM B, GIM, Welingkar, LIBA....
seniors, can u please advise about how to prep for higher maths in qa? i think it wasnt there at all in last year's paper...
Hii...
can u pls let us know wat was the sectional and overall %ile reqd to fetch a call from XIMB last year ??
Also is pattern of XAT fixed...I mean no of questions and their distributions ?
shashi
Last year, the overal cutoff was somewhere in the region of 97 pcle, while the sectionals was hovering arnd 90 pcle. This is an approximation we have arrived at after discovering that none of our batchmates was below this approx figure.
As for the pattern, you can be fairly sure that the sections shall not be changed. However, how many questions and the amt of negatives etc. may vary each yr and is really nebody's guess!
chottaDON Sayshi.. is thr any book like prev year papers of xat or something like dat...
Previous years' XAT papers are easily available on the net. Just google for it and you should find lots of sites hosting the file. If you have enrolled for XAT classes, you can ask ur coaching institute to provide you with a copy.
Hey People...Pls help me out in quant...
My quant is not good and really dont knw what to focus on in it to score some decent marks in quant section of XAT....
My target colleges are XIM B, GIM, Welingkar, LIBA....
XAT attempts to test ur knowledge in all sections. Hence, you need to possess a basic level of proficiency for quant too. At this stage, I am of the opinion that it is too late to start nething new for XAT 2009. My advice would be to relax and continue to solve more and more mocks, as it gears u up for the examination environment.
meshed Saysseniors, can u please advise about how to prep for higher maths in qa? i think it wasnt there at all in last year's paper...
Preparing for maths will depend on a lot of factors and vary from person to person. Ur concentration level in the subject, ur existing proficiency, ur grasp of new concepts in the subject - all are factored into the equation. If u r taking XAT 2009, my advice to u would be the same as it is to shankla. Just practise, practise and then, practise some more! 😃
Dear all,
After CAT, the midnight oils are now burning to crack the other big whammy - the XAT exam.
To help you with some last minute advice on cracking the XAT, we have on board several students from Xavier's Institute of Management, Bhubhaneswar (XIMB), who scored 99+ percentile in last year's XAT and will now answer your questions and suggest how to remove your roadblocks in your preparation.
You could ask them...
- how each section should be tackled
- how is XAT different from CAT or SNAP or IIFT or FMS
- what strategy should be followed in the exam
- what works in the essays section
- what to eat before the XAT exam D-day (just kidding)
So shoot away with your questions for the XAT exam and make use of XIMB's 99 percentilers presence on the forum to strengthen your preparation.
All the best to everyone!
Cheers,
Hey Puys
!Welcome to the thread..
:With just around 2 weeks to go b4 the 4rth of Jan its time to gear up... I'll just add a few things before we start...
XAT is definitely very different from CAT and other exams - a tough VA/RC section, a very unique section which tests ur decision making ability and of course the essay - these are the differentiators when u compare XAT with the other exams..
And so the strategies to follow to crack XAT are also very different from the ones u can use in CAT and other exmas..
But inspite of this you dont have to be a maths genius or literature major to crack this test..All you need is a bit of patience, a little hardwork and loads of self-belief..
So puys shoot ur queries ..But please be specific.
'What should be the strategy for XAT ?' 'How should i crack quant/VA/LR/essay?' will not work as it varies from person to person
Before asking any question please Give us details like ..
Your level of preparation, strong and weak areas,Your performance in the mocks XAT tests and also in CAT 08 or any other exams which u have given this season.Your current strategy for XAT
and we'll help u figure out the answers that u seek
Cheers,
hey ,
This is Ankit and i wanted to know the scores that were the threshold for 99%iles overall and in each section in XAT 2008?
I have given one AIMXAT till now and have scored 33.5 overall out of a total of 120(format was similar to last year's).
CAT 2008 was a pleasant surprise and have done well, expect somewhere around 99%ile with balanced sectionals.
I also wanted to know what shall be done with 2 weeks to go, and very less time in hand given two major papers during the 2 weekends, SNAP and NMAT.
Adding to my woes are my internal exams coming and i am totally blank.
Please help me out
Hey Puys!
Welcome to the thread..
With just around 2 weeks to go b4 the 4rth of Jan its time to gear up... I'll just add a few things before we start...
XAT is definitely very different from CAT and other exams - a tough VA/RC section, a very unique section which tests ur decision making ability and of course the essay - these are the differentiators when u compare XAT with the other exams..
And so the strategies to follow to crack XAT are also very different from the ones u can use in CAT and other exmas..
But inspite of this you dont have to be a maths genius or literature major to crack this test..All you need is a bit of patience, a little hardwork and loads of self-belief..
So puys shoot ur queries ..But please be specific.
'What should be the strategy for XAT ?' 'How should i crack quant/VA/LR/essay?' will not work as it varies from person to person
Before asking any question please Give us details like ..
Your level of preparation, strong and weak areas,Your performance in the mocks XAT tests and also in CAT 08 or any other exams which u have given this season.Your current strategy for XAT
and we'll help u figure out the answers that u seek
Cheers,
hi as far as quant and LR is concerned I a quite comfortable in these.
But wen it comes to Verbal - apart from RC everything else I feel is not my cup of tea. Reason lesser Vocab power and many mistakes in grammar.
So apart from these 3 topics wat different kinda questions may be thr in XAT verbal ?? and assuming level of difficulty to be same of last year how much do u consider a decent attempt with 70% acuracy.
also am targetting XIMB .....so are u guys sure the sectional cut off is 90%ile for it. I mean it looks like a bit higher..:sad:
Shashi
And yes,
i had a talk with the Faculty at my institute and they told me that higher Maths have appeared very few times in XAt and that too not during the last 3 years. the difference between CAt nd XAT in MAths is the focus areas.
XAT has alot of questions on Algebra and Functions etc.
I want you to validate the statement and want to find out how true the fact is.
ANd yes,
As we all know DI and QA are combined together in 1 section , so is DI very calculation intensive or we can bank upon it in case QA is unmanageable.
hey ,
This is Ankit and i wanted to know the scores that were the threshold for 99%iles overall and in each section in XAT 2008?
I have given one AIMXAT till now and have scored 33.5 overall out of a total of 120(format was similar to last year's).
CAT 2008 was a pleasant surprise and have done well, expect somewhere around 99%ile with balanced sectionals.
I also wanted to know what shall be done with 2 weeks to go, and very less time in hand given two major papers during the 2 weekends, SNAP and NMAT.
Adding to my woes are my internal exams coming and i am totally blank.
Please help me out
Hi Ankit,
XAT percentage scores are not revealed. Hence, it is difficult to identify threshold scores for any given percentile.
With the limited amt of time left, I wud advise u to take as many mocks as possible in order to align urself mentally with the XAT examination atmosphere. The only mantra now wud b practice!!! 😁