How to crack XAT in 5 months?

“Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.” ― Thomas A. Edison. Let us begin by establishing a fact that nothing is impossible. Now to make and live out the next statement, yes it is possible to crack XAT in 5 months. Hard work pays. Nothing is unachievable if you work hard to turn your dreams into reality. By the time you are done reading this article, "How to crack XAT in 5 months?" will no longer be a question but your next aim!

XAT aka Xavier Aptitude Test, is known to be one of the largest National level entrance exams for MBA. Around 1 lakh students sit for XAT every year. Unlike the other MBA entrance exams, XAT pays attention to decision making, general knowledge and essay writing as well. This is in addition to all the other sections which include Quantitative Ability and Verbal Ability.

Preparing for any entrance exam requires prior knowledge about the exam and the pattern it follows. Be it a time span of 5 months or 8, you’ll need to know your weaknesses, the pattern of the examination and the area on which you need to work the most. The best way to begin with your preparation is to go through the previous year’s question paper once. This gives you a rough idea about what the exam will be like.

General Knowledge:

With general knowledge included in XAT, it gets necessary to have knowledge of the happenings around the globe. You must be well-versed with the basics and inculcate a habit of reading newspapers to catch up with news everyday. In times when you’re free, google: “what’s new” and give it a quick read. By the time your exam will come into view, you’ll have a basic understanding of what’s happening in and around the world.

Decision Making:

Another section that you need to focus on is decision making. This section, often ignored by XAT aspirants, plays an important role in the examination. To master this, you must solve as many mock tests and papers as possible. More the number of cases you solve, the better will be your approach. Being a unique section, decision making is your key to crack this examination. You must read the case carefully, collect the required facts and then identify the impacted parties. This will help you in forming the problem statement and coming to an optimum decision.

Verbal Ability:

One more section that you need to lay emphasis on, is the reading ability. This section is comparatively tougher in XAT with respect to other MBA entrance exams. Read as much as possible to improve your vocabulary. Work on your writing skills to score well in the essay writing section. Maximise your attempt in para jumbles, vocabulary and non-RC questions to increase your overall score. The reading comprehension questions or RCs in XAT can be challenging. Make sure you go through them thoroughly before answering them.

Quantitative Ability:

This section is a lot similar to the one in CAT. If you’ve prepared for CAT already, you’ll gain benefit here as well. XAT does not have a specific section for LR/DI. However, a few DI (data interpretation) questions may appear under the Quant section. 

In other words, how to crack XAT in 5 months is an achievable aim to set. All you need to do is focus your attention entirely towards the examination and work accordingly. Dedicate yourself towards it and never run away from working hard for it. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam said: “If four things are followed - having a great aim, acquiring knowledge, hard work, and perseverance - then anything can be achieved”.

With this, we wish you all the best! May you shine bright and accomplish everything you set your heart on.