Score vs. Percentile Mapping

Estimated marks required to achieve top percentiles.

Percentile	Overall Score
99.9 %ile	40
99 %ile	35
95 %ile	27
90 %ile	22
80 %ile	18
70 %ile	12
60 %ile	10
50 %ile	8

The Bottom Line

Verdict: Moderate Difficulty

The XAT 2024 exam didn't throw too many curveballs, largely mirroring the difficulty standards set by the 2023 paper.

• Verbal: Felt slightly heavier and more challenging than 2023.
• Quant & DI: A relief for many, appearing marginally easier than the previous year.
• Decision Making: Held its ground with standard ambiguity and difficulty.

Projected Score Requirements (Cutoffs)

Based on real-time feedback from XATking students and our expert faculty, here are the estimated score ranges.

1. XLRI Business Management (BM)

Category	VALR Score	DM Score	QADI Score	Overall Score
Male	6 - 7	5 - 6	9 - 10	30 - 32
Female	5 - 6	4 - 5	8 - 9	28 - 30

2. XLRI Human Resource Management (HRM)

Category	VALR Score	DM Score	QADI Score	Overall Score
Male (Eng)	7 - 8	5 - 6	8 - 9	29 - 31
Female (Eng)	6 - 7	4 - 5	7 - 8	27 - 29
Male (Non-Eng)	7 - 8	5 - 6	7 - 8	27 - 29
Female (Non-Eng)	6 - 7	4 - 5	6 - 7	26 - 28

Exam Blueprint: XAT 2024

Section	Questions	Total Marks	Ideal Time	Good Attempts
PART A (175 Minutes)
Verbal & Logical Ability	26	26	55-60 min	13 - 14
Decision Making	21	21	50-55 min	11 - 12
Quant & Data Interpretation	28	28	55-60 min	18 - 19
Total (Part A)	75	75	-	-
PART C (30 Minutes)
General Awareness	25	25	10-15 min	12 - 14
Essay Writing	1	Eval only*	15-20 min	1 Essay

* Negative Marking: 0.25 marks deducted for incorrect answers in Part A.
* Unattempted Penalty: 0.1 marks deducted for every unattempted question (after 8 skips).

Section-Wise Deep Dive

1. Verbal & Logical Ability (26 Qs)

Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult. Slightly tougher than 2023. The poem was the hardest set.

Topic	Count	Difficulty Level
Reading Comp (Prose)	12	Medium/Hard
Reading Comp (Poem)	3	Hard
Grammar	3	Mixed
Critical Reasoning	3	Medium
Para Jumbles	2	Easy/Medium

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2. Decision Making (21 Qs)

Difficulty: Medium. No calculation-based sets this year. Focus was on Ethical Dilemmas and Business Decisions.

• Ethical Themes: HR credentials, Domestic help termination.
• Business Themes: Taxi competition, Car sales, Deep sea gas extraction.

Strategy: Attempting 11-12 questions with high accuracy was the sweet spot.

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3. Quant & Data Interpretation (28 Qs)

Difficulty: Easier than 2023. Quant was approachable; DI was manageable.

Area	Detail	Qs Count	Difficulty
Arithmetic	TSD, Profit/Loss	3	Easy/Med
Algebra	Linear Eq, Polynomials	5	Mixed
Geometry	Triangles	2	Mixed
DI Sets	Stats, Cricket, Coupons	13	Mixed

Part C: GK & Essay

General Awareness

Target: Since there is no negative marking, attempt everything. A score of 6-7 is considered good.

Essay Writing Topics