XAT 2022 Section-wise Question Paper Analysis
Notably, there was no sectional timing in Part A and no negative marking in Part B. The section-wise highlights of the XAT 2022 question paper have been tabulated below:
Section | Number of Questions | Marks Per Question | Total Marks | Suggested Time Allocation | Good Attempts | Marking Scheme |
---|
PART - A (165 minutes) |
Verbal and Logical Ability | 26 | 1 | 26 | 55 - 60 minutes | 13 - 14 questions | - +1 Mark for each Correct answer
- -0.25 Negative Marking for each wrong answer
|
Decision Making | 21 | 1 | 21 | 50 - 55 minutes | 12 - 13 questions | - +1 Mark for each Correct answer
- -0.25 Negative Marking for each wrong answer
|
Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation | 28 | 1 | 28 | 55 - 60 minutes | 16 - 18 questions | - +1 Mark for each Correct answer
- -0.25 Negative Marking for each wrong answer
|
Total | 75 | - | 75 | - | - | - |
PART - B (25 minutes) |
General Awareness | 25 | 1 | 25 | - | 15 questions | +1 Mark for each Correct answer No Negative Marking for incorrect answer |
Essay | The essay was evaluated if the candidate was shortlisted for the interview. | Descriptive |
Verbal and Logical Ability Section
A total of 26 questions were asked from this section. The questions in the Verbal and Logical Ability section of XAT 2022 were framed on the lines of last year’s paper. 14 questions were asked from 4 Reading Comprehension passages and one poem. The RC based on the poem of 11 lines was an abstract one. The 4 RC passages were of 300 – 450 words each approximately and the questions based on them varied from moderate to difficult. Passages were based on Psychological richness, Arendt's public consciousness, Bullshit, and Stupidity. A large section of the questions were inferential and application-based. The options were close and candidates were required to choose the most inappropriate answer out of them.
In the Verbal ability/ Verbal Reasoning section, there were 12 questions that were a fair blend of grammar, vocabulary, and reasoning-based questions (Critical Reasoning, Correct/Incorrect statements and Jumbled Paragraphs). There were 2 Paragraph Jumble questions that were difficult due to lack of continuity. The questions on grammar were easy enough to answer. Vocabulary-based questions were in the form of paragraph completion with three and four blanks. The five-sentence paragraph jumbles were difficult to answer. An ideal attempt in this section was 13-14 questions in about 55-60 minutes with 75-80% accuracy.
Area/ Questions | Number of Questions | Difficulty Level |
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Verbal Ability/ Reasoning |
Grammatically incorrect sentence | 2 | 2 Moderate |
Grammatically correct sentence | 1 | 1 Easy |
Fill in the Blanks (3/4 blanks to be filled in a very short paragraph) | 1 | 1 Moderate |
Paragraph Jumble (5-sentence para jumbles on Education and Coding) | 2 | Difficult |
Jumbled Paragraphs | 2 | 2 Moderate |
Critical Reasoning (4 questions on Geology, Swiss Cheese theory, Labour-work, Social Conditioning) | 4 | 3 Moderate, 1 Difficult |
Poem-based Inference | 1 | 1 Moderate |
Cloze Passage (4 blanks) | 1 | 1 Moderate |
Reading Comprehension |
Passage 1 (How lying differs from bullshitting – 300 words) | 3 | Difficult |
Passage 2 ('Hedonic/Eudaimonic'- Contrast/ Define/ Conclusion) | 3 | Moderate |
Passage 3 (Stupidity as a cognitive failing – 350 words) | 3 | Moderate |
Passage 4 ('Arendt - Behaviour/Public responsibility' - Categorize/ Describe/ Reason) | 3 | Difficult |
Passage 5 (Poem on 'Smile in the Library' - Inference question) | 1 | Moderate |
Poem on 'Voice/Legs' - Theme and Meaning | 2 | Difficult |
Decision Making & Analytical Reasoning
A total of 21 questions were asked from this section. Like 2021, none of the questions were quantitative. 7 sets were given and 3 questions were asked from each section. Most of the questions were based on Ethical Dilemma. The passages were easy to read and not lengthy. As usual, there was a fair deal of ambiguity in some questions, in which either no option could be identified as an appropriate answer or more than one option appeared correct. Overall, the difficulty level of the questions was moderate. Therefore, the candidates’ personal preferences and strengths had a direct impact on the choice of sets/ questions to attempt. An ideal attempt in this section was 12-13 questions in about 50-55 minutes with 75-80% accuracy.
Area/ Questions | Number of Questions | Level of Difficulty |
---|
Case 1 – Allotment of accommodation to scientists (of 3 different seniority levels) in a research institute | 3 | Moderate |
Case 2 – Regarding an individual’s use of a vehicle (diesel-based) that is non-compliant with pollution rules | 3 | Moderate |
Case 3 – Regarding recruitment and confirmation of faculty members in an engineering college | 3 | Moderate |
Case 4 – Running a dosa Stall in a hospital; business | 3 | Difficult |
Case 5 – Regarding school fees payment by financially able parents during the pandemic | 3 | Moderate |
Case 6 – Regarding an assignment submission in a management college | 3 | Difficult |
Case 7 – Regarding the concerns of residents of an island village about how a proposed new bridge connecting their island to the mainland might impact them, business and ethics | 3 | Difficult |
Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation
A total of 26 questions were asked from this section in which 16 questions were from Quantitative Ability and 12 questions from Data Interpretation. Overall, the difficulty level of the questions was moderate and the paper was easier than XAT 2021. Four sets of Data Interpretation with 3 questions each were given out of which two sets were somewhat logical in nature (one was based on table and the other on bar graph). The level of difficulty was medium although candidates encountered one tricky question in each set. The remaining two sets were calculation-intensive and required a lot of observation. 2 questions of medium difficulty were asked from candlestick and Line graph. An ideal attempt in this section was 16-18 questions in about 55-60 minutes with 80% accuracy.
Topic | Number of Questions | Level of Difficulty |
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Clocks | 1 | Difficult |
Modern Maths | 4 | 1 Easy, 2 Moderate, 1 Difficult |
Numbers | 4 | Easy - Moderate |
Algebra | 1 | Easy |
Data Sufficiency | 1 | Moderate |
Table | 3 | 2 Moderate, 1 Difficult |
Bar Graph | 3 | 2 Moderate, 1 Difficult |
Candlestick | 3 | Moderate |
Line Graph | 3 | Moderate |
Functions | 1 | Easy |
Geometry & Mensuration | 1 | Moderate |
Heights & Distances | 1 | Moderate |
Inequalities | 1 | Difficult |
Percentages, Profit & Loss | 1 | Moderate |
Probability | 1 | Moderate |
Progressions | 2 | Moderate-Difficult |
Quadratic Equations | 1 | Easy |
Simple Equations | 1 | Moderate |
DI 1 - College Admissions | 3 | 2 Moderate, 1 Difficult |
DI 2 - Broken Pencils | 3 | 2 Moderate, 1 Difficult |
DI 3 - Stock Prices | 3 | 2 Moderate, 1 Difficult |
DI 4 - Correct Answers | 3 | 1 Moderate, 2 Difficult |
General Knowledge
13 current affairs questions and 12 static GK questions were asked in this section. 16 to 17 questions were based on national events, 7-8 questions were based on international events and miscellaneous topics. Science & Technology, history, geography, sports, business, etc. dominated this section. A minimum of 15 questions must be answered seriously in this section and a score of 6 - 7 would be a good score in this section.
Area | Number of Questions |
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Arts & Culture | 3 |
Business | 3 |
Current Affairs | 3 |
Geography | 1 |
History | 3 |
Politics | 2 |
Science & Technology | 8 |
Sports | 2 |
Essay Writing
Two topics were provided out of which the test-takers had to select one topic and write an essay in approximately 250 words. The topics in the Essay Writing segment were:
- Capitalism and democracy follow different logics: unequally distributed property rights on the one hand, equal civic and political rights on the other. debate, compromise and majority decision-making within democratic politics versus hierarchical decision-making by managers and capital owners. Therefore, Capitalism and democracy cannot co-exist.
- In management we do not need people who have never experienced setbacks. Such people are highly risk averse. Because business schools mainly focus on stellar academic achievements during admissions, the selected students turn out to be average managers