Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) 2013 - PT education · IC : PTpnrXAT2013 (1) of (9) SUBJECTIVE ANALYSIS...

IC : PTpnrXAT2013 (1) of (9)

SUBJECTIVE ANALYSIS CAT v/s the XAT Academically and experientially, three things make XAT eminently a better examination as compared to the IIMCAT.

1. The XAT is designed beautifully. It is more holistic (because of the Essay and the GK) as compared to the CAT. A candidate really needs to do a 360 degrees preparation.

2. The XAT is a paperbased test, and conducted on a single day. This helps it retain the old world touch of a competitive test, with hundreds or thousands at each test venue, unlike the totally ‘fizzledout’ feel one gets while writing the IIMCAT (10 or 20 people in a slot sitting in a comp lab). The crowd at XAT venues makes a big difference to a candidate’s mindset, and perhaps, is instrumental in bringing out the best in many.

3. The Decision Making section, which truly stands apart in its merit of judging what testtakers really believe in (the value systems stuff, and commonsense etc.)

Talking of XAT 2013 They modified the pattern once again, and removed all the differential scoring across sections. This must have made things a lot easier while strategizing at the beginning of the test. Since all questions carry equal marks, the SSSS technique can be applied directly – Scan and Search for the relatively easy ones, Select them (and mark with a pen or pencil), and Solve them. Do it a second time for the second round of tougher questions. And so on.

The XAT 2013 was in two parts: Part 1 – Aptitude Test – 140 minutes – covered three sections: Verbal and Logical Ability, Decision making, Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation Part 2—General Knowledge and the Essay. Separate OMR sheets were provided for both the stages, so maybe the scores will be used separately. No surety though!

FIRST PART APTITUDE TEST

Section A. Verbal and Logical Ability (30 questions – 12 EU/VA, 18 RC) Difficulty level : Tough.

Was a brilliantly designed set of questions that checked three skills:

1. Are you a regular, serious reader in English language? 2. Do you pay attention to the small things that matter?

3. Do you think and analyse facts and figures when you read, and have your opinion? The 12 questions in English Usage / Verbal were designed with a lot of thought.

The fill in the blank questions were quite tricky. With five blanks in each question, mostly based on articles (a, an, the…), only those with ample reading practice could have attempted them safely! Questions based on grammar and parajumbles were straightforward, but indeed required higherthannormal language skills, for sure! Reasoning questions were tough. The RC passages – four in number – were from themes as diverse as “the laws of Karma”, “Scientific measurement and estimation systems”, “Free market capitalism”, and “Scientific beliefs and verification/falsification”. As one can see, these are not easy themes that anyone can attempt off the shelf. The XAT repeatedly reminds its candidates that if you have not been serious with learning the language over several years, you won’t get through the portals easily. In several questions in RC, the use of words like “implies that” and “arguably” etc. made things more difficult as personal interpretation comes into play. In all, 18 questions in RC gave the serious reader a good chance to surge ahead.

You should get at least 1012 correct in this section to stand a fair chance at XLRI. Cutoff table given at the end also.

Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) 2013 January 06, 2013


Section B. Decision Making (25 questions) Difficulty level : Moderate to tough.

How does a manager or business leader work in real life? With all facts at his /her disposal? Or with halffacts and halftruths? More likely, the latter version reflects the real world’s subjective reality. And the Decision Making section of XAT precisely checks this nuanced ability to look between the lines (yes, yes, read also will do), and go beyond the obvious. A little bit of GK, a little touch of commonsense, some maths, and a lot of luck is surely a good combination to crack most of the DM questions. As expected, the questions forced the students to try making practical decisions or chart a specific course of action. The section this year had a good number of mathematical questions too. Many questions reflected the happenings in our corporate and national life, in recent times. So that made it slightly easy to put a question in context. Commonsense questions like the “Bank of Bharat losing customers yet improving its share price” check a student’s presence of mind, and reading span (ET, etc.). Questions on probability were interesting and not easy. Some questions were very lengthy, making them unwieldy. These were the RC type cases / caselets, again reinforcing the belief that XAT really wants you to be good at reading speed and comprehension (ok, ok, that’s the last time we say it). You should get at least 810 correct in this section to stand a fair chance at XLRI. Cutoff table given at the end also.

Section C. Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation (36 questions) Difficulty level : Easy to moderate.

This was the easiest of the three sections in Aptitude test. If you have prepared for the CAT thoroughly, then this section was very doable. The topics were all standard – Arithmetic, Geometry, Statistics, Number system, Algebra, P&C and Probability, Set theory, and of course, DI caselets. It is important to use the “elimination of options” technique to improve your chances. This is something we have stressed upon in all our Percentile Booster Sessions also.

The good part in this section was that identifying the speed breakers was easy. They should have been really avoided. Spotting the easy ones and attempting them in the first round is very important. It build your confidence as you move through the section. The DI questions looked long and complex, but were easy if the graphs were deciphered with some effort. You should get at least 15 correct in this section to stand a fair chance at XLRI. Cutoff table given at the end also.

SECOND PART GK AND ESSAY TEST

General Awareness / GK / Current Affairs Difficulty level : Moderate.

The examiner is trying to judge the following things: Are you really aware of what the corporate world in India is upto? Do you have idea of the scale and scope of what corporate and organizations do? Do you know that there is a world gathering called WEF? Do you realize that big companies are listed in a ranking called Fortune 500? Are you generally aware of the material and social challenges that policy makers face? Do you know what GDP really means, and how it is broken up into 3 major components? Are you aware of the major abbreviations and acronyms in use presently? Are you in the loop regarding major political and socioeconomic movements in India, and around the world? If you are asked to write the top 10 sociopoliticaleconomic headlines of the world, will you be able to do it correctly?

The options were very close in many questions. The student should have very carefully eliminated some choices before going to the right ones. Caution – a question may look easy, but the closely placed options may make answering quite difficult. Hence take an extra ten seconds before jumping to conclusions.

The questions clearly prove that you need to prepare for 12 months prior to the exam, with a daily reading of at least two English newspapers, under expert supervision. We are happy to share that almost 100% of the questions that appeared in XAT 2013 GK section were directly discussed in PT classes with lots of examples and explanation. All these were also uploaded through videos inside the PT SRC. The rigour with which PT has covered the GK section is absolutely unmatched.

The tips for students targeting XAT 2014: 1. Start reading The Economic Times, and The Hindu right from today (1 hr each) 2. Try reading at least 1 business magazine regularly. 3. Attend the entire LTS series of PT – total 8 lectures for getting a solid grip on major topics 4. Be regular with the GKCA sessions at PT – also revise by watching the videos on SRC 5. Solve all the tests in the SRC put inside the GKCA builder 6. Attend all test specific revision sessions

Remember students: There is no alternative to regular reading of newspapers, and regular mentoring by a professionally designed course and system. You should get at least 20 correct in this section to stand a fair chance at XLRI. Cutoff table given at the end also.


The Essay

“Corruption is the root cause of economic slowdown in India” – 200 words only please :)

While the topic looks pretty direct and simple, writing a meaningful essay on it will be far from anything simple. A really good effort should include the following ideas: • Definition of what ‘Corruption’ really means (deviation from set policies, personal greed, Mahatma Gandhi’s famous quote,

etc.)

• Definition of what ‘economic growth rate’ means (GDP growth rate, quality of living, purchasing power, etc.) • Are the two really connected directly and indirectly?

• What does growth rate mean to an average Indian citizen? • Is there any connection between inflation, growth rate, and quality of daytoday life? • Examples of leading nations – Scandinavian nations, the US, Singapore, Japan, China – to probe the relation between

Corruption and Growth Rate further • Citing the recent examples to illustrate how policy making and big business may collude at times, at least in the eyes of the

media and NGOs • Role of Media in exposing such practices – does that slow things down further? • Role of an active judiciary and civil society in exposing and taking action on such news – does that further slow things down?

• A fear psychosis gripping the bureaucracy – leading to policy paralysis • Is big business and big decision making really, inherently corruption prone?

• What are the differences in corrupt practices between the centre and state level bodies? • How do the anticorruption bodies work the world over? What about India’s CAG, CVC etc.? • Your suggestions to improve the system (in sync with your overall tone in the essay)

As a general rule, you should make a good start – a dramatic quote is always appreciated. Similarly, you should end on a good note, with a solution, and a hint of optimism.

As you can see, the topic looks easy, but the quality of written word will vary significantly. At PT, we tried to cover all these concepts at a great length in our classes. We are sure many of our students must have pieced together the ideas at the right time.

Connecting the dots, as we call it!

OVERALL, a difficult test, beautifully designed, and requiring the best of each candidate. Please go through the rest of the analysis, and Predicted CutOffs, and and Answer Keys below.

CUTOFFS

See table at the end.

All the best – Kar ke dikhayenge!


We present here an objective analysis of Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) held on January 06, 2013 in 43 cities across India and 2 International locations, Dubai, Kathmandu.

XAT 2013 concentrated on checking the reading skills of students. The verbal ability section, decision making section, essay writing and the newly introduced general awareness section bear a testimony to that. Many changes were introduced this year. First, differential marking was not there, i.e., all questions carried equal marks and the total number of questions increased from 85 to 91 in part A. So, for a student, selection became a very important factor. Second, in the second part of the paper, 30 questions of general awareness were intoduced.

The Decision Making Section had very few questions from Analytical Reasoning and this was the trickiest section. The English Language Ability and Logical Reasoning section was of moderate difficulty level and the Quantitative Ability section was manageable and easy as compared to last year. The topic for Essay writing was very general. One had to mark the answers on the OMR sheet with a pen; unlike some other exams, where the medium of marking is pencil. So there was no chance of changing an answer at the last moment. This was dangerous for the less prepared or for the ones in a jiffy!

Thus, the paper was full of surprises, which came to light sectionbysection in 3 hrs.

Bird’s Eye View XAT 2013 Total Number of Questions – 91 in PartA and 30 in PartB

Total Time – 180 minutes (140 min for PartA and 40 min for PartB)

The Marking Scheme – It was mentioned that all questions carry equal marks, and negative marking was 25%

Number of Options – 5

Sections/Sectional Time Limit – Three sections in PartA and Two in PartB

Essay Writing Topic – Corruption is the root cause of economic slowdown in India

Medium of marking – Blue or Black pen.

Sectional Breakup –

Part Sections Questions

Verbal and Logical Ability 30

Decision Making 25

Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation 36

General Awareness 30

Essay

Total 121

A

B

OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS


Verbal and Logical Ability This section was of moderate difficulty level. The vocabulary based questions, para jumbles and fill in the blanks were easy. The reading comprehension based questions and logical reasoning questions were slightly difficult. Their options were confusing.

The detailed breakup of this section is given below:

Topic No. of Questions Difficulty Level

Logical Reasoning 3 Moderate

Grammar 6 Easy

Parra Jumbles 3 Easy

Reading Comprehension 18 Moderate to Difficult

Total 30 Moderate

A score of 10+ can be considered good in this section.

Decision Making

This section was of higher difficulty level. The questions required the skill of prudent and speedy judgement.


Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation

This section was easy. With good selection and speed a student could manage to get a high score. DI sets looked lengthy, with a lot of data, but could be attempted eaily, because the questions did not require lengthy calculations.

The detailed breakup of this section is given below:

Topic No. of Questions Difficulty Level

Arithmetic 5 Easy

Geometry 4 Easy to Moderate

Statistics 1 Easy

Numbers 5 Moderate

Algebra 5 Easy

P and C and Probability 2 Moderate

DI 13 Easy to Moderate

Set Theory 1 Moderate

Total 36 Easy



General Awareness and Essay Writing

These sections were included in the second part of the paper and were easy to moderate. To score high one needed

a good reading habbit as the fundamental skill. The essay topic was very general, the GA questions laid importance on

current business and economic senario in the country. As observed in previous years, this part of the paper will not be

counted in the cutoff while giving calls, but might play a part during GD PI in XLRI.


Sections Topic XLRI BM XLRI PM and IR

XIMB

I VA and LA 10+ 8+ 7+

II DM 8+ 6+ 5+

III QA and DI 15+ 13+ 12+

Total 35+ 30+ 27+

Estimated Cut offs

~Kar ke Dikhayenge~


ANSWER KEY

Q. No. Question Correct option

1 Whether due to haste or design…………….. E

2 If there is any endeavour whose…………….. B

3 Business schools are ideally positioned …………….. C 4 ……….. wolf, meeting with …………….. A

5 ……………… bat who fell upon …………….. D

6 He got ………..next morning …………….. B

7 To be a great manager requires …………….. B 8 The tremendous insight of Einstein …………….. B

9 Economic theory fails to explain …………….. D

10 I was scarcely in position…………….. B

11 Finally he took a wrong turn …………….. C

12 As chroniclers of an incremental process …………….. E 13 "Future existences" in the …………….. D

14 Assertion : The meaning of karma …………….. A

15 Higher satisfaction leads …………….. C

16 Temporary feelings and …………….. D 17 A manager went out ot have …………….. C

18 Suppose you apply the same logic …………….. A

19 Quick estimate, as per Fermi, …………….. D

20 Given below are some statements …………….. D 21 Atomic bomb detonation was a result …………….. E

22 As per the paragraph, author believes …………….. B

23 As per the paragraph, which of the following …………….. D

24 According to the author, A. George Soros …………….. C 25 According to the author A. Ideas of critical …………….. E

26 The word deterministic ………………. D

27 According to Popper ………………. D

28 The statement, "this 'asymmetry' ………………. E

29 Verification is better than ………………. D 30 Falsification gives us an ………………. A

31 Over the last five ……………….. C

32 Gastric bypass surgery ……………….. A 33 Statement I: Online store accounted ……………….. C

34 What is the profit / loss ……………….. D

35 Which retail format is ……………….. B

36 Which retai l format gives the ……………….. A 37 Is it possible for the teacher ……………….. C

38 Three good students were ……………….. C

39 Students from four sections ……………….. E

40 There is a lot of interest in ……………….. A

Verbal and Logical Ability

Decision Making



41 Marathe should transfer Kale ……………….. A

42 Marathe sought an appointment ……………….. E

43 A Government of India study ……………….. A

44 Vardarajan does not find the work ……………….. E 45 Give Vardarajan a more challenging ……………….. C

46 You overheard a conversation ……………….. B

47 People's latent anger against ……………….. B

48 The common man had become ……………….. C 49 Media reports suggested ……………….. E

50 Subsequently, the minister ……………….. B

51 Looking at the public unrest ……………….. E

52 If you were Vijya ……………….. E

53 It was found that a large section ……………….. D 54 As a potential entrant ……………….. B

55 Vijya found that there were many such ……………….. D

56 Prof. Mandal walks to the …………….. D 57 At the centre of a city's …………….. A

58 Mr. Mehra is planning …………….. E

59 The mean of s ix positive …………….. D

60 Ramesh bought a total of …………….. E 61 Sara has just joined Facebook …………….. B

62 Albela, Bob and Chulbul …………….. A

63 The taxis playinng in Wasseypur …………….. C

64 Consider the expression …………….. E 65 Arun has to to go to the …………….. B

66 However, Arun's manager has told …………….. E

67 The radius of a circle …………….. A

68 Six playing cards are …………….. E

69 70% of the students …………….. B 70 p and q are positive numbers …………….. D

71 Ram, Shyam and Hari …………….. A

72 The central park of the city …………….. A

73 In a square PQRS …………….. C 74 How many whole number …………….. B

75 p, q and r …………….. C

76 A number is interesting …………….. E

77 Consider the expression (xxx)b…………….. E 78 103 and 7 are the only …………….. C

79 Consider a function f(x) …………….. D

80 In the country of four …………….. B

81 The figure below shows the graph …………….. C

82 Considering away matches only which of the following teams…………….. D 83 Considering away matches only the least number of teams…………….. D

Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation



84 Let us define a term …………….. A

85 How many unique values …………….. B

86 Which is the fastest train between HHH…………….. D

87 Which is the fastest train between AAA…………….. A 88 If you have to travel from AAA …………….. D

89 What is the ratio of the current …………….. E

90 Exports were more …………….. C

91 What was the approximate …………….. A

1 Which of the following Indian companies …………………. A 2 Which of these bodies …………………. A 3 CPI and WPI ………………. C 4 What is Davos famous ………………. D 5 Which of the followings are millenium ………………. E 6 Which of countries in Europe ………………. D 7 Which of the following countries would account ………………. B 8 Which of the following was not the reason ………………. E 9 Which of followings combination ………………. A 10 Earth summit is held…………….. B 11 Which of the following countries meet more…………….. B 12 Pick the right match from…………. A 13 Harish Hande who won……………. E 14 Indian government is planning…………… E 15 Who is the chairman of…………. C 16 Given below are some well‐known awards……… E 17 A few combinations of name of the companies……………. B 18 Excise duty is a tax……………. D 19 From which of the following items………………. D 20 Which of the following assets…………… C 21 Which of the following is the right match for…………. * 22 Which of the following African countries…………. A 23 Which of the following education institutions…………… E 24 Which country was the highest……………. E 25 What is the approximate share………….. D 26 Which of the following combinations………….. A 27 For which of the following reasons…………… C 28 What is the meaning of one unit………… C 29 Who is the author of………….. B 30 V Kurien was…………. A

General Awareness

* None of the options is correct

Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) 2013 - PT education · IC : PTpnrXAT2013 (1) of (9) SUBJECTIVE ANALYSIS...

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