XAT 2026 Question Paper (Available): Download XAT Question Paper with Solutions PDF

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Chanpreet Kaur

Content Writer | MBA Professional | Updated on - Jan 7, 2026

XAT Latest Updates

05 Jan, 2026 Find your expected percentile and potential top B-schools with XAT 2026 Score vs Percentile – Here

XAT 2026 Question Paper with Answer Key and Solution PDF is available here for download. XAT 2026 was conducted in a single shift from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM on January 4, 2026. XLRI will publish the official XAT question paper 2026 PDF on the website- xatonline.in.

Also Check : XAT 2026 Question Paper with Solutions PDF

XAT 2026 Question Paper

XAT 2026 Question Paper with Solutions PDF

XAT 2026 Question Paper with Answer Key Download PDF Check Solutions

XAT 2026 Paper Analysis

Rahul Sir has shared his analysis of XAT 2026. According to the analysis –

  • The paper was of moderate to difficult level, in line with the traditional XAT standard and slightly tougher than CAT in terms of decision-making and verbal reasoning. Verbal & Logical Ability was lengthy but manageable, with Reading Comprehension passages being dense and inference-based. Decision Making remained a key differentiator, with caselets requiring strong ethical judgment and clarity of thought.

XAT 2026 Question Paper Pattern

Part Sections Questions to Attempt Time Limit
Part 1 Decision Making 21 170 minutes
Verbal & Logical Ability 26
Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation 28
Part 2 General Knowledge 25 10 minutes
Keyboard Check - - 5 minutes
Total - 95 185 minutes

Frequently Asked Questions

Ques. Is there essay writing in XAT 2026?

Ans. Yes, there is essay writing in XAT 2026. The essay writing question in XAT question paper 2026 is clubbed with the GK section in Part 3. XLRI provides a total of 30 minutes to attempt 25 questions of GK and 1 essay writing. It is best to devote 15 minutes to GK and 15 minutes to essay writing.

Ques. Is there GK in XAT 2026?

Ans. Yes, there is GK in XAT 2026. XLRI has not introduced any changes in the question paper pattern of XAT. There are 25 GK questions in the paper. Note that negative marking is not applicable to the GK questions in XAT. There is a negative marking 0.10 for every question left unanswered after the first 8 unattempted questions. Also, GK scores are not considered while calculating the final XAT scores and percentile.

Ques. Is XAT 2026 tougher than CAT 2025?

Ans. In general, XAT is comparatively tougher than CAT especially due to the presence of additional sections of GK, decision making, and essay writing. The difficulty level of the quant & DI section in XAT is either higher or at par with CAT exam. CAT 2025 is already conducted on Nov 24 while XAT 2025 is scheduled on Jan 5, 2025. This year’s CAT exam was more difficult than the last 2 years. So, if you are appearing for XAT 2026, then it is highly recommended you attempt CAT 2025 question paper before the test day.

Ques. Does XAT 2026 have negative marking?

Ans. Yes, XAT 2026 has a unique negative marking scheme. There is a negative marking of 0.25 marks for each incorrect answer. What makes the marking pattern in XAT 2026 unique is the presence of negative marking for unanswered questions. Each question after the first 8 unanswered questions in a row carries a negative marking of 0.10 marks.

*The article might have information for the previous academic years, which will be updated soon subject to the notification issued by the University/College.

XAT 2026 Questions

  • 1.
    An artificial swimming pool is circular and water is flowing clockwise at a speed of 3 km/hr. Two swimmers Ayub and Rana start from diametrically opposite points, Ayub in the anticlockwise direction and Rana in the clockwise direction. They first meet at a point such that Ayub has covered 60 m by that time. Their second meeting point is such that Rana has covered another 180 m after the first meeting point. If the speed of Rana in still water is 3 km/hr, find the time taken by Ayub to cover one full circle in the clockwise direction.


      • 2.
        Arrange the following generations from the oldest to the youngest:
        1. Generation X
        2. Silent Generation
        3. Generation Alpha
        4. Baby Boomers
        5. Millennials

          • 2, 4, 5, 1, 3
          • 1, 2, 4, 5, 3
          • 4, 2, 5, 1, 3
          • 2, 4, 1, 5, 3

        • 3.
          Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.
          Brijbhushan, a microfinancier, lends money at the rate of Rs.10 per square meter to small farmers at a village. He charges an annual interest rate of 10%. All the farming plots in that village are rectangular, with areas varying between a minimum of 1000 square meters and a maximum of 10,000 square meters.
          This year, Brijbhushan has lent money only to five farmers: Aditya, Binod, Chhuttan, Dabloo and Govind. The perimeter of Chhuttan’s plot is 250 meters, with the length and width being at a ratio of 4:1. Aditya’s plot has an area three times the area of Govind’s plot. The area of Aditya’s plot is also the average of the areas of Govind’s plot and Dabloo’s plot. The plots belonging to Aditya, Binod and Dabloo are of the same width, but of different lengths. Moreover, the length of Binod’s plot is the sum of the lengths of Aditya’s plot and Dabloo’s plot.


          • 4.

            Light Chemicals is an industrial paint supplier with presence in three locations: Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The sunburst chart below shows the distribution of the number of employees of different departments of Light Chemicals. There are four departments: Finance, IT, HR and Sales. The employees are deployed in four ranks: junior, mid, senior and executive. The chart shows four levels: location, department, rank and gender (M: male, F: female). At every level, the number of employees at a location/department/rank/gender are proportional to the corresponding area of the region represented in the chart.
            Due to some issues with the software, the data on junior female employees have gone missing. Notice that there are junior female employees in Mumbai HR, Sales and IT departments, Hyderabad HR department, and Bengaluru IT and Finance departments. The corresponding missing numbers are marked u, v, w, x, y and z in the diagram, respectively.
            It is also known that:
            a) Light Chemicals has a total of 210 junior employees.
            b) Light Chemicals has a total of 146 employees in the IT department.
            c) Light Chemicals has a total of 777 employees in the Hyderabad office.
            d) In the Mumbai office, the number of female employees is 55.


            • 5.

              An investment company, Win Lose, recruit's employees to trade in the share market. For newcomers, they have a one-year probation period. During this period, the employees are given Rs. 1 lakh per month to invest the way they see fit. They are evaluated at the end of every month, using the following criteria:
              1. If the total loss in any span of three consecutive months exceeds Rs. 20,000, their services are terminated at the end of that 3-month period,
              2. If the total loss in any span of six consecutive months exceeds Rs. 10,000, their services are terminated at the end of that 6-month period.
              Further, at the end of the 12-month probation period, if there are losses on their overall investment, their services are terminated.
              Ratan, Shri, Tamal and Upanshu started working for Win Lose in January. Ratan was terminated after 4 months, Shri was terminated after 7 months, Tamal was terminated after 10 months, while Upanshu was not terminated even after 12 months. The table below, partially, lists their monthly profits (in Rs. ‘000’) over the 12-month period, where x, y and z are masked information.
              Note:
              • A negative profit value indicates a loss.
              • The value in any cell is an integer.
              Illustration: As Upanshu is continuing after March, that means his total profit during January-March (2z +2z +0) ≥
              Rs.20,000. Similarly, as he is continuing after June, his total profit during January − June ≥
              Rs.10,000, as well as his total profit during April-June ≥ Rs.10,000.

              Fees Structure

              CategoryState
              General2000

              Note: Additional Fees INR 200

              In case of any inaccuracy, Notify Us! 

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