XAT Syllabus 2021: Section wise syllabus, Important topics, Preparation tips

XLRI will conduct the Xavier Aptitude Test or XAT 2021 on January 3, 2021 and will provide admission to various management programmes. XAT is a computer-based test and the total time allotted for this exam is three (3) hours. To prepare for the XAT 2021, candidates should have in-depth knowledge of the XAT syllabus 2021. Candidates can also take a look at the XAT previous year question papers to know the kind of questions asked in the XAT exam. Any changes in the XAT syllabus 2021 would be updated by the examination authority on their official website. As far as XAT syllabus PDF is concerned, XLRI does not release an official document for it. But generally, XAT entrance exam syllabus involves 4 major sections namely,

• Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation
• Decision Making
• Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning and
• General Knowledge

Earlier, the XAT syllabus 2021 was divided into five sections till 2018, but from 2019 there are some changes made by the authority such as now there are only four sections as stated above. Given that the upcoming XAT 2021 exam is scheduled on January 3, 2021, knowing the XAT syllabus 2021 and exam pattern is very important. So candidates have to know about them to prepare well for the exam. 

XAT syllabus 2021 Details

XAT syllabus 2021 has been the same over the years. Questions are asked from the basics. But the level of difficulty remains moderate to difficult. Candidates who prepare for the CAT exam will find it easier to crack the XAT exam. But Xavier's Aptitude Test has one more section called Decision Making. XAT exam syllabus is not released officially so candidates can refer the previous year question papers of XAT to get knowledge of the types of questions asked and from which topics questions are being asked and many more. The XAT exam subjects and XAT syllabus for those subjects are listed below. 

XAT Syllabus 2021 for Quantitative Aptitude & Data Interpretation

This section comprises of 15 questions of a total of 27 marks. The difficulty level of this section is always high. If a candidate scores 70% in this section, it is considered good. XLRI has made some changes in the XAT syllabus 2021 for quantitative aptitude. A total of 50 per cent of the quants questions are asked from the sections named Numbers, Geometry and Mensuration whereas for Data Interpretation questions are mainly asked from Data tables, graphs, charts, bar diagrams, data analysis & comparison. From Data Interpretation candidates must attempt at least 4-5 questions and from Quantitative Aptitude, candidates should cover 13-14 questions overall. Then it will be considered a good attempt. The XAT Quantitative Aptitude syllabus is tabulated below,

XAT syllabus 2021 for QA & DI

XAT syllabus 2021 Topics
Algebra Functions
Geometry
Probability
Profit and Loss
Quadratic Equations
Logarithm
Statistics
Trigonometry
Arithmetic
Direction Sense & Time
Data Interpretation – Table, Combination
Mensuration – 2D and 3D
Complex Numbers
Clocks
Heights & Distance
Graphs
Table
Surds and Indices
Linear Equations
Speed & Distance

XAT Syllabus 2021 for Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning 

For Verbal Ability, questions will be mainly asked from English vocabularies such as fill in the blanks, antonyms, synonyms and many more whereas for reading comprehension, candidates have to read the whole paragraph to mark the correct answers. The questions from Logical Reasoning sections are mostly asked in sets. If the candidates are able to crack one logical reasoning question, then he/she will able to answer at least 2-3 questions. A total of 26 objective questions will be asked from this section and 56 minutes will be required to solve this section. Answering 15-16 questions from this section will be considered as a good attempt. The topics that will be included in XAT Logical Reasoning Syllabus are tabulated below:

XAT syllabus 2021 for VA & LR

XAT syllabus 2021 Topics
English Usage Topics
Grammar
The contextual meaning of words
Para completion and para jumble
Error correction
Vocabulary (Antonyms and Synonyms)
Critical Reasoning
Arguments
Reading Comprehension Topics
Narration of Incidents
Science
Literature and fiction
Psychology and social issues
Economy
Culture

XAT Syllabus 2021 for Decision Making 

As this section is not included in most of the MBA entrance exams, it is totally new XAT exam syllabus for the candidates who are appearing for XAT 2021. But this section is not that much difficult. A total of 21 questions can be expected from this section and it includes negative marking as well. Answering 16-17 questions will be considered as a good attempt for the candidates. The XAT Decision Making syllabus is tabulated below:

XAT syllabus 2021 for Decision Making

XAT syllabus 2021 Topics
Decision Making in a situation
Data Arrangement Test
Case Lets
Reading Comprehension
Condition and Group Testing
Arithmetic
Analytical Reasoning
Situational Questions
Semi-Quantitative Topics

XAT Syllabus 2021 for General Knowledge

To prepare for this section, candidates must keep themselves updated with the current affairs and the trending topics. There will a total of 25 questions that will be asked from this section. Candidates will be given 15 minutes to solve the questions of this section. The difficulty level of this section is moderate and negative marking is not applicable. The number of questions that will be asked from General Knowledge and Current Affairs will be in the ratio of 60:40. The topics that will be covered in XAT GK syllabus are given below:

XAT syllabus 2021 for General Knowledge

XAT syllabus 2021 Topics
Politics
History
Sports
Business
International Relations
Merger & Acquisitions
Nation and States
Literature
Awards and Recognitions
Economics
Society

Reference Books for XAT Syllabus 2021

Apart from solving the XAT previous year papers, candidates must refer to the best books for the preparation of XAT 2021. Books for XAT play a major role in the preparation of any exam. These books contain the topics that are included in the XAT syllabus 2021. Separate books are there for each section and they are listed below:

Books for XAT Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation

Although multiple books are there, here we are providing the details of the best books of Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation which will contain the XAT syllabus 2021 for the XAT exam preparation. Candidates can check these books and choose the books for their learning as per their preferences.

• Fast Track Objective Arithmetic (Arihant) Rajesh Verma

• Arithmetic for General Competitions

• Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations (S.Chand) R.S.Agarwal

• Data Interpretation Magical Book Series

Books for XAT Logical Ability

The books for XAT Logical ability as per the XAT syllabus 2021 are listed below. Candidates can refer to these books and can practice accordingly. 

• Modern Approach to Verbal Reasoning By R.S. Agarwal (S.Chand)

• A Modern Approach to Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning (S.Chand) by R.S.Agarwal

• A New Approach to Reasoning Verbal & Non-Verbal (Arihant) by BS Sijwali

• Analytical Reasoning by MK Pandey.

Books for XAT Verbal Ability

Candidates can refer to the best books of XAT Verbal Ability below. These books are the best for the preparation of this section as per the XAT syllabus 2021.

• Word Power Made Easy By Norman Lewis

• Descriptive General English by SP Bakshi and Richa Sharma

• Objective General English By R. S. Agarwal and Vikas Agarwal

• High School English Grammar by Wren & Martin.

For better preparation, these books can be referred by the candidates. Although XAT exam is tough and the syllabus is also not released officially, still candidates can refer these books along with the XAT 2021 syllabus and can score good marks in the XAT exam. For more details on XAT syllabus, candidates can refer to XAT Syllabus 2021 PDF Download.