Exams
The CAT 2024 exam is scheduled for November 24, 2024, and will serve as a key step for admission to the 21 IIMs and top MBA colleges across India. IIM Calcutta will be conducting this year’s exam. As per the official CAT notification released on July 28, 2024, the registration process will open on August 1, 2024, and close on September 20, 2024.
Given the challenging nature of the CAT exam, it’s important to begin preparation well in advance, ideally at least nine months before the exam. However, if you haven’t started yet, there's still time. The final batch of the IMS CATapult Live Online Program for CAT 2024 starts in August, offering a chance to complete the syllabus and be exam-ready.
Exam Pattern
The section-wise questions vary in the XAT exam. Additionally, candidates get a specified time limit to complete the questions in different parts of the XAT exam. The table below presents the detailed section-wise XAT exam pattern 2025 along with question types:
Section | Subjects | Questions | Time Taken | Negative Marking |
---|---|---|---|---|
Part 1 | Verbal Ability & Logical Ability | 26 | 175 mins | +1, -0.25, -0.1 (for more than 8 unattempted questions) |
Decision Making & Analytical Reasoning | 22 | |||
Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation | 28 | |||
Total | 76 | |||
Part 2 | Mock Keyboard Testing | - | 5 mins | No |
Part 3 | General Awareness | 25 | 30 mins | |
Essay Writing | 1 | |||
Total | 102 | 210 mins |
XAT Marking Scheme
Part I
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+1 mark is awarded for EACH correct answer
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*Negative marking for unattempted questions is like -
- 0-8 unattempted questions: No marks deducted.
- More than 8 unattempted questions: Marks deducted calculated as 0.1×(number of unattempted questions−8)0.1 \times (\text{number of unattempted questions} - 8)0.1×(number of unattempted questions−8).
Part II
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+1 mark is awarded for EACH correct General Knowledge answer
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Negative marking does not apply to the General Knowledge questions (GK)
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Negative marking does not apply to the Analytical Essay Question (AEW)