The XAT 2021 exam was conducted on Jan 3, 2021. The XAT 2021 question paper PDF is available for download. The difficulty level of the XAT 2021 exam was moderately difficult.
The XAT exam included a total of 100 questions divided into 4 sections. XLRI Jamshedpur conducted XAT 2021 in a single slot on Jan 3, 2021. Candidates found the Quantitative Ability and DI sections the most challenging, followed by the GK section.
Moreover, the Verbal and Logical Ability and Decision-making sections were easy to moderate. Yet, there were a few tricky questions on critical reasoning, ethical dilemma, and vocabulary. Refer to the page below to get XAT 2021 Question Paper PDF.
XAT Question Paper 2021 PDF
Click the downloadable PDF link below to get the XAT question paper 2021. One must solve previous years’ papers to get familiar with the exam pattern and type of questions.
| Question Paper | PDF Link |
| XAT Question Paper 2021 | Click Here |
Also Read: How to Prepare for XAT Verbal?
XAT Question Paper 2021: Highlights
Following are some essential details related to the XAT question paper 2021:
- The essay writing section was removed from the XAT exam 2021. Earlier, candidates had to attempt one essay-type question in the XAT exam.
- Candidates could leave only 8 questions unattempted in the test. In the case of leaving over 8 questions unanswered, there was a negative marking of 0.10 marks per question.
- In XAT 2021, candidates saw the introduction of NAT (Numerical Answer Type) questions.
- There was no negative marking for the GK questions. Moreover, the marks obtained in the GK section were not considered for calculating the percentile.
- Compared to last year, the difficulty level of the XAT 2021 was higher.
- The XAT question paper 2021 included 3 DI sets. But, there were only 2 DI sets in the previous years’ XAT question papers.
Also Read: How to Prepare for XAT in 6 Months?
XAT 2021 Number of Questions and Difficulty Level
Part A of the XAT question paper 2021 involved 75 questions. Moreover, part B consisted of 25 questions. Check out the difficulty level of XAT 2021 and section-wise number of questions.
| Part | Section | No. of Questions | Difficulty Level |
A |
Verbal and Logical Ability | 26 | Easy to Moderate |
| Decision making | 21 | Moderate | |
| Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation | 28 | Difficult | |
| B | General Knowledge | 25 | Moderate |
| Total | 100 | Moderate to Difficult |
Also Read: XAT Preparation without Coaching
XAT 2021 Question Paper Analysis
The pointers below highlight the overall analysis of the XAT question paper 2021.
- Aspirants claimed that the XAT 2021 question paper was moderately difficult.
- The Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation section was the most challenging section.
- Decision-making, as well as Verbal and logical ability sections, were easy to moderate.
- The DI questions were lengthy and time-consuming.
XAT 2021 Analysis for Verbal and Logical Ability
Here is the Verbal and logical ability section analysis of XAT 2021:
- The section contained 26 questions which were inferential and application based.
- A total of 17 RC questions were there from 6 passages and 1 poem. The length of the passage was around 150-350 words.
- The difficulty level of this section was higher as compared to the previous year.
- The answer options were quite similar in nature. Therefore, some questions were confusing for candidates.
| Question Topics | Total Questions | Difficulty Level |
| Correct sentences | 1 | Medium |
| Incorrect sentences | 2 | Medium |
| Jumbled Paragraphs | 2 | Medium |
| Fill in the blanks | 1 | Medium |
| Critical Reasoning | 3 | Medium to Difficult |
| Passage 1 | 3 | 2 Easy, 1 Medium |
| Passage 2 | 2 | Difficult |
| Passage 3 | 2 | Difficult |
| Passage 4 | 3 | Medium to Difficult |
| Passage 5 | 2 | Medium |
| Passage 6 | 2 | Difficult |
| Passage 7 | 3 | Medium to Difficult |
Also Read: XAT Essay Topics
XAT Decision-making Analysis 2021
The following are the major takeaways from the Decision-Making section of XAT 2021:
- The DM section had 21 questions with no questions from quant.
- Most questions were short and easy to understand. However, a few questions were tricky.
- Business-related questions dominated the GK section.
- Candidates revealed that the questions were difficult compared to last year.
- Overall, the DM section was moderately difficult.
| Question Topics | No. of Questions | Level of Difficulty |
| Business Decision | 3 | Medium |
| Business Decision | 3 | Medium to Difficult |
| Business Decision | 3 | Medium to Difficult |
| Ethical Dilemma | 3 | Difficult |
| Ethical Dilemma | 3 | Difficult |
| Decision on Business | 3 | Medium to Difficult |
| Ethical Dilemma | 3 | Medium to Difficult |
Read More: Different Types of MBA Courses
XAT 2021 Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation Analysis
Check out the XAT 2021 Quantitative Aptitude and DI analysis given below.
- The Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation section involved 28 questions.
- It was the most difficult section of the XAT 2021 exam.
- There were 22 questions from the quant section. Out of this, 20 questions were standalone.
- Six questions were asked from the DI section.
- In the DI section, there were 3 sets containing 3 questions each.
- The section was time-consuming as the DI sets were lengthy.
| Question Topics | Total |
| Arithmetic | 5 |
| Geometry | 5 |
| Modern Maths | 3 |
| Algebra | 4 |
| Numbers | 1 |
| Misc. (Logic) | 1 |
| Table | 3 |
| Venn Diagram | 3 |
| Scatter Plot | 3 |
| Total | 9 |
Read More: General MBA vs Specialized MBA
XAT 2021 Analysis for General Knowledge
Following is the analysis of the GK section of XAT 2021:
- Candidates had to answer 25 GK questions in 15 minutes.
- The level of the GK section was moderate.
- Most questions in the section were related to Static General Knowledge.
- The following topics were covered in static GK questions:
- CEO/CM
- Authors
- Olympics
- National Parks
- History
- Mountains
| Section | No. of Questions |
| Current Affairs | 7 |
| Economy and Business | 4 |
| History | 1 |
| Geography | 5 |
| Polity | 1 |
| Science and Tech | 1 |
| Sports | 3 |
| Books and Authors | 1 |
| Personality and Awards | 2 |
| Total | 25 |
Also Read: MBA Entrance Exam Syllabus
Advantages of Solving Previous Years’ XAT Question Papers
Here is why candidates must solve previous years’ question papers for the XAT 2023:
- Solving XAT previous years question papers will help candidates experience the exam-like atmosphere and pressure.
- Aspirants will get to know which topics they need to improve on. Accordingly, they can create a strategy for exam preparation.
- Candidates will hone their time management skills by solving previous years' XAT papers.
- Practising from model papers will help aspirants self-evaluate their XAT exam preparation.
Also Read: Extracurricular Activities for MBA Admission
