XAT 08 is going to be a tough test: Professional Tutorial on XAT 2008

Aspirants across the country wish to know what they should expect from XAT and some last minute tips to soothe their nerves. MBAUniverse.com spoke to Mr Sandeep Manudhane, Founder Chairman, PT Education for his advice to all XAT takers.

Mr Manudhane believes that XAT is going to be tough exam. Said Mr Manudhane, The test is going to be a tough one, especially for those who had also taken SNAP and NMAT. Considering the past two years trend, Mr Manudhane said, The toughness level of some questions in Maths, specially from Algebra, could be high.

Offering an overview of XAT pattern, Mr Manudhane said, XAT 2007 had in all 130 questions to be attempted in 120 minutes, while XAT 2006 had 127 questions to be attempted in 120 minutes. As far as the test structure is concerned, we do not expect any major changes. The questions that one can expect from XAT 2008 can be from the following standard areas (as have been seen in the past few years too): a) Quantitative Aptitude + Data Interpretation + Data Sufficiency, b) Logical Reasoning and Decision Making, and c) English Usage + Reading Comprehension. Apart from this a test taker must be prepared to write the Essay too ... which has been a regular and a unique feature for XAT over the past many years.

When asked how many questions should a candidate attempt, Mr Manudhane said, Considering the attempts made by some of the XLRI call getters, I personally feel that attempting 45-50% of the questions should be sufficient to get a call. This is purely considering the fact that the toughness of the test does not change in comparison to the last 2 years tests. Also, try and work with 85%+ accuracy.

While sharing the tips on Quant section, Mr Manudhane said, Be prepared for some higher level Maths questions. Considering the last years paper, he said, Be ready to face surprises. The last XAT had questions on Decision Making (a new type of questions, not generally seen earlier). There could be more of such things this year too! On Reading Comprehension, Mr Manudhane said, Be prepared for tough RC passages. Give them ample time and try and maximize your scores there. Make sure that you maintain your accuracy.

Giving his final word of advice, Mr Manudhane said, Be careful about the 33% negative marking (for the first 5 questions that one gets wrong in every section) and there after 50% for the rest of the questions going wrong. More wrongs in one or more section could lower your score drastically. Divide your time well amongst all the test areas so that you can score well. Try and avoid attempting any new varieties of questions at the first place ... leave them for the end.

Indias leading management portal MBAUniverse.com will continue its special coverage of management exam trends and advice from top experts. Stay tuned for coverage of XAT 2008.