XAT 2026 Difficulty Level (Expected): Important Topics & Preparation Tips

The XAT 2026 difficulty level is expected to be in the range of "moderate to difficult" as per the previous year records. The exam date has been announced and is scheduled for Jan 4, 2026. The detailed exam difficulty level with the sectonal paper analysis will be shared in the evening of the same day. However, for the upcoming exam having an idea of the expected difficulty level for each section will help you prepare accordingly.

Based on the previous year records, it is expected that the General English (VARC), Analytical & Logical Reasoning (Decision-Making), and Quantitative / Data Interpretation sections will be in the range of 'moderate to difficult.' The exam has marked to be challenging every year with tricky and lengthy questions every year.

XAT 2026 Section wise Difficulty Level (Expected)

You can find the XAT section wise difficulty level in the sections below to get a reference and then proceed with your XAT preparation accordingly.

XAT Sections	XAT Expected Difficulty
Verbal & Logical Ability (VARC)	Moderate to Difficult
Decision Making (DM)	Moderate to Difficult
Quantitative Ability & DI (QA & DI)	Moderate to Difficult (Toughest)
General Knowledge (GK)	Moderate (if included)

Ideal Number of Good Attempts in XAT 2026

You must know what is a good score to get into the top XAT score accepting colleges. And thus to achieve it, you must have a clear understanding of the ideal score for XAT 2026 to pass the exam. However, you must note that the given data is tentative and is based on references from previous year.

XAT SectionS	XAT Total Questions Expected	XAT 2026 Good Attempts
Verbal & Logical Ability (VARC)	26	14- 16
Decision Making (DM)	21	13- 15
Quantitative Ability & DI (QA & DI)	28	12- 14
General Knowledge (GK)	25	8- 10
Overall	100	39- 45

XAT Section wise Past 6 Years of Difficulty Level Analysis (2020- 2025)

After going through the given expected XAT difficulty level you can analyze and compare it with the past 5 years of exam analysis. The past year analysis will help you get a raw and factual idea of the exam paper.

XAT Exam Year	Overall Difficulty Level	Verbal / VALR Level	Decision Making (DM) Level	QA & DI Level
2025	Moderate to Difficult	Moderate to Difficult	Moderate to Difficult	Moderate to Difficult
2024	Moderate to Difficult	Easy to Moderate	Moderate	Moderate (QA-DI toughest)
2023	Moderate	Easy to Moderate (RCs harder)	Moderate	Easy to Moderate
2022	Easy to Moderate	Easy	Moderate	Easy to Moderate
2021	Moderate to Difficult	Easy	Moderate	Difficult
2020	Moderate to Difficult	Moderate to Difficult	Moderate	Moderate to Difficult

Important Topics to Focus for XAT 2026 Exam

The XAT exam 2026 is just months away. You must have a detailed list of the important topics for XAT 2026 from each section to prepare effectively. However, going through the important topics does not mean neglecting the rest of the XAT syllabus. Moreover, you must give more time and effort to solve questions from these sections.

XAT Exam Sections	XAT Section wise Important Topics
XAT VARC Important Topics (Verbal & Logical Ability)	Reading Comprehension (abstract/inference-heavy) Critical Reasoning Para Jumbles Grammar & Vocabulary Sentence Completion / Cloze Test
XAT Decision Making Important Topics	Ethical Dilemmas Business Caselets HR & People Management Resource Allocation Stakeholder Conflict Scenarios
XAT QADI Important Topics	Arithmetic (Percentages, Ratio, TSD, Time & Work) Algebra (Equations, Inequalities, Functions) Geometry & Mensuration Number System Data Interpretation (Tables, Graphs, Caselets)
XAT General Knowledge Important Topics	Current Affairs (8–10 months) Business & Economy Updates International Organizations & Summits Awards, Sports & Personalities Indian Polity & Govt. Schemes

Section wise Best Preparation Tips for XAT 2026

Here are a few XAT 2026 preparation tips shared below for your reference. These tips and strategies have been shared section wise fpr your understanding and must be followed by every aspirant if you aim to score better in the examination.

XAT Exam Sections	XAT Section wise Preparation Tips
XAT VARC Preparation Tips	You must practice comprehension passages from diverse topics such as abstract, philosophy, and economics You must focus on critical reasoning and argument-based questions as these are the most trickiest and lengthiest. Build your vocabulary by reading editorials and word lists. You must religiously solve previous year XAT comprehension questions along with a few CAT comprehension questions as well.
XAT Decision Making Preparation Tips	You are advised to practice previous 10 years of decision making caselets, as the pattern is repeated generally. You must approach with logical fairness, i.e., balance ethics and business sense. Avoid extreme choices as consistency matters more than being just correct. Discuss caselets in groups to understand multiple perspectives.
XAT QADI Preparation Tips	You must strengthen your Arithmetic & Algebra section as it is one of the highest weightage section. Revise the Geometry, Number Systems, and DI sections regularly as more questions are expected from this section. You should focus on accuracy and selection, i.e., do not waste your time on picking lengthy ones. Practice timed sectional mock tests at least twice a week.
XAT General Knowledge Preparation Tips	Go through newspapers and monthly GK capsules for the last 8–10 months to get the maximum of it. Focus specially on business, economy, international summits, awards, and government schemes. You can use different apps/quiz platforms for quick daily revision. You must duly revise static GK such as history, polity, geography basics in the last month.

How to Handle Tough Sections in XAT 2026 Exam

The oevrall exam difficulty level is "difficult" and moderate in just some cases. Thus no one section can be marked to be the tough one. If you aim to take the XAT exam you need to be persistent and constant with your XAT exam preparation. Here are a section wise few tips and tricks to deal with the XAT difficult sections in the exam. Some of the general strategies for tough sections of XAT are as follows:

• How to Deal with XAT Vebal Ability Section Tough Questions- Start with the reading comprehension section and quickly skim through the passages and the questions asked. Highlight the key arguments and facts being shared. The best way to deal with passages is to eliminate the wrong or the least matching answers. Do not attempt them all, pick just 2-3 RC questions and a few VA questions as well.
• Tips to Deal with XAT DM Tough Questions- The XAT DM questions are often asked in the repeated style and format, thus going trough the XAT previous year quetsion paper is one of the best ways to prepare for it. Spend at least 2 minutes for each caselet and if it demands more time, mark it for later and move further.
• XAT QA Tips to DEal with Tough Questions- You must target to attempt easy and straightforward questions from the arithmetic and algebra sections. Only pick DI caselets if they can be covered within 5 minutes. You must remember that even 10-12 correct attempts with around 80 accuracy will give you a good score. In the last 2 month time, revise the key formulas generously.
• Ideas to Deal with Toug Questions in XAT GK Section- Start with the easier and favourable questions first. Try to keep accuracy in attempting your answers.

Final Words for XAT 2026

Though XAT is not the toughest of all the management exams, it is CAT. However, it stands as the second number to be one of the toughest management exams. Thus, you need to give proper attention and practice to each section of it. The previous year exam analysis must be kept in mind to judge the upcoming exam pattern. Previous year papers are a boon to analyze it.