XAT Preparation 2025: Check Strategy, Expert Tips, Best Books & Guide

The XAT exam will begin on 5th January 2025, and candidates must start their preparation now. XAT Preparation should be comprehensive not only covering the full syllabus, but also leave time for the candidate to practice sample papers and revise the syllabus. XAT preparation requires almost 6-7 months to cover the entire syllabus, so the preparation must be started by now.

XAT Exam Syllabus & Preparation Guide: The preparation for XAT 2025 includes mastering the Quantitative Aptitude, Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Verbal & Logical Ability, General Knowledge and Decision Making skills. To be able to ace the exam the candidate must divide their preparation into 3 phases - covering the syllabus, practice mock tests, and the last month revision. Candidates must ensure to keep a balance between covering the syllabus and practicing the mock tests. Candidates should work on their speed since XAT is a time and speed based test.

Check XAT Exam Dates 2025 | XAT Admit Card

Check out the comprehensive study plan for XAT, Last Minute XAT exam preparation tips and other useful resources for preparation on this page.

Also Read: XAT Registration and XAT Application Form

How to Prepare for XAT 2025?

XAT preparation is based on practice and revision. The XAT exam is difficult and unique from other MBA exams, and includes unique concepts like decision making and poems in the exam. The exam requires a complete dedication and the negative marking for XAT is different from other MBA exams. It is recommended and advised that the candidates should not combine XAT preparation with any other exam. Refer to the below table for the XAT 2025 test pattern details.

Click Here for Detailed XAT Exam Pattern and Check XAT Official Guide and Syllabus

XAT Preparation Strategy & Tips

To prepare for an exam like XAT, candidates should start their preparation six to nine months in advance so that they have adequate time to finish the syllabus and revise it as well. XAT Preparation requires a lot of dedication and good number of hours to prepare. Candidates starting their preparation in the later month like October or November will need to speed up their process so that the syllabus is covered before December mid-week, and they have some time left at hand for revision. The best trick for last month preparation is to focus on your strongest skills and build on them. Given below are some of the best tips for XAT Preparation 2025.

• Make a dedicated study routine and invest at least 6-8 hours for preparation. Get hold of the XAT syllabus and start preparing by listing down your strengths and weaknesses.
• Understand the exam pattern and make a time-bound strategy to prepare. Focus on the areas from which the maximum questions are asked. 
• Join online study group or find a mentor to guide you with the preparation. You can also invest in a good MBA Coaching Institute if required.
• To study on the go and not waste time, download good online study material or an MBA exam preparation app.
• Solve mock tests and sample papers, and allot time to yourself. Assess your growth with this and do not overdo the time-limit.
• Prepare and keep a track of all important events, important formulae and facts, and other information that you feel is important. It will help you at the time of revision when you wish to revise the basic concepts at a glance.
• For easy access later, it is advised to either keep a separate notebook for each section or use a colour coding scheme to differentiate between sections in a single notebook.

Read More on XAT Preparation Tips | XAT Previous Year Papers Analysis

XAT Section-Wise Preparation Strategy

After CAT, XAT is considered the most difficult management exam to crack. Since it is not easy to crack, it requires a lot of hard work, dedication, and will power to study for the exam. Candidates firstly need to develop a habit of sitting for 3 hours straight because the exam is of 3 hours. They should focus on studying and keep themselves updated with current affairs and world affairs to be able to get through the GK section. To prepare for the Verbal reasoning section, candidates must develop a reading habit to perfect their grammar and comprehending skills. We have a curated a section-wise preparation strategy for XAT to help candidates with their preparation. This is just an example and the candidates can modify the strategies as per their ideas and convenience.

XAT Preparation Strategy - Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning (VA - LR)

The XAT VA-LR section consists of 26 questions in the exam focused on reading comprehensions, para jumbles, grammar, logical reasoning questions, etc. Below are some preparation tips to prepare the XAT VA-LR sections.

Build on your reading skills - The key area of focus here is to prepare for the reading comprehension section. It is advised that candidates read more newspapers, magazines, novels, and practice RC Passages and poems. This will help in improving the RC skills and also the vocabulary. It will also help the candidates improve their reading speed.

Practice RCs Regularly - To ace the RC section candidates should practice as many RC passages and poems as possible. It will give an idea about what kind of questions are asked in this section and what can be expected. To improve grammar and vocabulary, candidates should read these passages on a regular basis.

Practice & Enhance your Vocabulary - Improving the grammar and vocabulary is an important aspect of the VA-LR section. Candidates should regularly read English Newspapers, Magazines, and Novels to improve this skill. Practice your antonyms, synonyms, and basic grammar on a daily basis to get hold of the grammar section. Candidates can also subscribe to 'word of the day' alerts to enhance the vocabulary.

XAT Preparation Strategy - Decision Making (DM)

The decision making section consists of 22 question in the XAT exam and candidates should aim to improve their critical thinking and problem solving skills for this section. Some tips to work on this section are:

Practice XAT Previous Year Papers - Since there is no particular or defined syllabus in this section, the best strategy is to familiarise yourself with the kind of questions that are asked in this section. Candidates should solve previous year papers to get a hang of the questions and understand the logic used behind them. Past papers will also help in narrowing down the syllabus for the section.

Carefully Read the Questions - The basic and common approach here is to read and understand the question properly. Since the questions will be based on case-study, it is critical that n information is missed or misread by the candidates. The key here is to be calm and answer the questions with utmost concentration and focus. When preparing for this section, candidates should not focus on any other section.

Rely and Stick to the Available Data - The master key here is to solely rely on the information and data that is given to you. Do not create your own inputs or judgements and just work with the data that is readily available and presented to you.

XAT Preparation Strategy - Quantitative Aptitude & Data Interpretation (QA - DI)

This section covers 28 questions based on the high-school mathematics and data interpretation skills. The section is pretty similar to that of the CAT Exam. Below are a few tips to prepare for the section.

Work to Improve the approximation skills - The goal here is not to find the exact answer on your own but to estimate the answer based on the options available. This will require less time on calculations and will be easier to attempt the questions faster.

Use Elimination Method - Another important trick here is to know how to eliminate the wrong answers. It is advised to work backward on the answer as it will help you not get confused and you will be able to figure out the answer more easily.

Attempt Mocks Every Week - To ace the QA - DI section, it is important to work on speed and accuracy. To achieve this, it is advised that the candidates should attempt mocks every week to be familiar with the kind of questions asked and the effectiveness of their preparation.

XAT Preparation Strategy - General Knowledge (GK)

There is no negative marking in the XAT GK section and is included in the second part of the exam. The syllabus majorly includes Static GK and current affairs. Candidates need to stay updated with the past events, history, and all the latest news. Here are a few tips to win this section.

Read the Newspaper Daily - To cover all the latest events candidates should read the newspaper on a daily basis. The recommended sections for focus would be political events, major headlines, sports, technology, various government incentives, and business.

Prepare the History Section - The candidates should be well versed with the history and major historical events. Candidates should focus on both Indian and World history, and should also aim to learn the important leaders and their impact and roles.

Take Online Quizzes - Practicing online GK quizzes is an excellent way to learn history. This will not only help you analyze what you know but will also help you learn new events and expanding your knowledge in history. Attempt these quizzes at least once a week to stay updated, and ensure to revise the concepts.

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XAT Preparation Strategy for Last Month

The last month for XAT Preparation is crucial. Candidates are often exhausted with preparing and loose momentum. However, the last month is very critical and is the time to start revising the concepts learnt so far and practice them in reality. Below are some last month preparation tips for the XAT Exam.

• Start solving mock tests and time yourself. This is the time to analyse your time management skills and the concepts studied so far
• Keep a track of each mock test and see what are your strong and weak areas. Time yourself thoroughly and try to attempt each mock in less time than the previous one
• Keep aside an hour or two daily to check your concepts, the problems faced in mock tests, and start working on those immediately
• Along with solving mock tests, start revising the theorems and formulae. Prepare short notes for easy revision
• Focus on memorizing the vocabulary and grammar skills. This section can be taken up in the last month and the candidates should not worry if it wasn't prepared before
• GK section is the easiest in the XAT exam, and can easily be covered in the last month. However, the subject does have a vast syllabus and should not be ignored or left for the last minute

Must Check:

How to Prepare for XAT in 6 Months?

How to Prepare for XAT in 3 Months?

XAT Last Week Preparation Strategy

The last 7 days should be solely kept for the revision purposes. Candidates should give complete focus to revising the concepts and strengthen the concepts they know. Below are a few tips for the last week of XAT preparation.

• Fine tune the short cuts and tricks learnt while attempting the mock tests
• Do not take up a new concept or chapter to prepare
• Make a focused exam day strategy based on your strengths and weaknesses
• Watch & Read interviews of XAT Exam toppers to understand the strategy and the right approach of attempting the question paper
• Understand the marking scheme and sectional cutoff as it is mandatory to clear the XAT Sectional Cutoff
• Practice DM and GK with a focus on revising the theorems and formulae

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XAT Official Mock Test 2025 Series

XAT Preparation Books

Which books are best for XAT preparation: Finding the right books to prepare for the XAT exam with no specific syllabus is crucial. It is important to choose the right books and at the same time it is also essential to not follow too many different books for a single subject. Below is the list of a few best books to prepare for XAT exam.