Most aspirants treat the second mock as a score check. It works better as a strategy rehearsal. XAT rewards judgement and selective attempts more than raw speed, so the useful questions are how the paper is built, where Decision Making fits, and how many questions to attempt.
This guide answers those. If you want the mock’s overall details first, read our XAT 2027 second mock test overview.
XAT 2027 Exam Pattern at a Glance
The paper follows the familiar structure of Decision Making (21 questions), Verbal & Logical Ability (26), Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation (28) and General Knowledge (20). That makes about 95 MCQs. Part 1 runs 170 minutes and Part 2 (GK) runs 10 minutes.
| Part | Section | Questions | Marking | Counts for percentile? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VALR | 26 | +1 / −0.25 | Yes |
| 1 | Decision Making | 21 | +1 / −0.25 | Yes |
| 1 | QA-DI | 28 | +1 / −0.25 | Yes |
| 2 | General Knowledge | 20 | +1 / none | No |
There are no sectional time limits in Part 1, so you can move freely between sections. The official pattern can be revised, so cross-check with the official XAT website.
XAT Negative Marking Rules
- Each correct answer earns +1, and each wrong answer costs −0.25.
- You can skip up to 8 questions in Part 1 without penalty. From the 9th skip onward, each one costs 0.10. The count runs across VALR, DM and QA-DI combined.
- GK has no negative marking, and GK marks do not affect your percentile. Institutes may still consider GK at the selection stage.
Worked example: if you leave 18 questions blank, the first 8 are free and the other 10 cost 1.0 mark in total. Leaving a few extra questions blank is therefore cheap, but wrong answers cost more than skips. Past the 8-skip limit, marking a question where you can eliminate two options is almost always worth it.
Decision Making (DM): What to Expect
DM is XAT’s signature section. It is scenario-based and tests ethical judgment more than calculation. Expect seven sets of three questions each.
Typical set types
- Ethical dilemmas: a manager faces a clash between honesty, loyalty and results.
- Management case studies: the set describes a business problem with several stakeholders.
- Stakeholder conflicts: you rank actions or pick the most suitable decision.
Questions usually ask for the best action, the most appropriate reason, or what a decision-maker should avoid. Recent analyses noted multi-layered ethical cases, so read slowly.
A 5-Step Method for Any DM Set
- Identify the decision-maker. Answer from that person’s role, not your own.
- List the stakeholders and what each stands to lose.
- Separate facts from opinions. Only facts in the passage count.
- Filter options for legality, ethics and feasibility. XAT generally favours the best business decision in favour of the greater good. Shiksha
- Prefer balanced, long-term actions over extreme or purely reactive ones.
Difficulty: in the last paper, VALR and DM were reported as more doable than QA-DI. Treat DM as a section where accuracy can be high if you don’t rush.
VALR: Question Types and Difficulty
In the previous paper, VALR had 15 Reading Comprehension questions, 2 poem-based questions and 9 Verbal Ability/Reasoning questions. Expect this mix:
- Reading Comprehension: inference-heavy passages on abstract or philosophical topics, and sometimes unconventional formats.
- Poem-based questions: tone, imagery and meaning.
- Verbal ability and reasoning: para-jumbles, summaries and critical reasoning.
Difficulty was moderate to difficult, and around 16–18 doable questions were achievable with smart selection. Attempt RCs whose first paragraph you can follow, and leave the densest passage for last.
QA-DI: Topics and Difficulty
QA-DI is the largest section at 28 questions. Analyses call it the toughest section last time, with geometry-heavy, calculation-intensive questions. A data sufficiency-style question also returned, and application-based questions replaced direct formula problems.
- Priority topics: geometry, arithmetic, algebra, number systems and DI sets.
- Approach: on the first pass, take questions you can finish in under two minutes. Skip long DI sets until the second pass.
How Many Questions Should You Attempt?
Expert estimates for a recent paper suggest around 58–60 good attempts in Part 1, and one guide recommends 55–65 attempts with high accuracy. For reference, 40–42+ marks fetched a 99 percentile in the earlier paper. Scores shift with paper difficulty, so use the illustrative maths below (calculated with the +1 / −0.25 / −0.10 rules).
| Scenario | Attempts | Correct | Wrong | Net score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selective and accurate | 50 | 44 | 6 | 40.8 |
| Balanced | 60 | 48 | 12 | 44.3 |
| Aggressive, weak accuracy | 60 | 42 | 18 | 36.8 |
| Over-cautious | 45 | 40 | 5 | 36.6 |
The comparison shows that accuracy above about 80% matters more than the raw attempt count. Set your target as roughly 50–60 attempts at 80%+ accuracy.
Time-Management Blueprint for Part 1 (170 Minutes)
| Phase | Time | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Pass 1: VALR | 50 min | Two or three RCs, all VA questions |
| Pass 1: DM | 45 min | All 7 sets, about 6 minutes each |
| Pass 1: QA-DI | 55 min | Easy and medium questions only |
| Pass 2 and review | 20 min | Marked questions, unattempted count check |
Keep the 8-skip limit in mind. Check the unattempted count before submitting.
Step-by-Step Post-Mock Analysis Framework
- Record raw data: score, attempts, accuracy and time per section.
- Sort every wrong or skipped question into a cause: concept gap, misread, time pressure, careless slip or poor selection.
- Log each error in a running sheet.
- Spot patterns. For example, repeated DM errors on “extreme options” show a judgement habit rather than a knowledge gap.
- Reattempt the same questions after 48 hours without looking at solutions.
- Set one target for the next mock. Fix a single measurable habit instead of many.
Sample error log
| Q. no. | Section | Error type | Root cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DM-12 | DM | Wrong option | Chose reactive over long-term action | Re-read the decision-maker’s role |
| QA-7 | QA-DI | Time overrun | Started a 4-minute geometry question | Set a 2-minute cut-off |
| VA-20 | VALR | Misread | Missed a “not” in the stem | Underline negatives |
A mock percentile is a relative snapshot of that attempt. Comparative rank analysis is provided after the attempt, so read it next to your section-wise accuracy.
Summary
- Part 1 has 75 questions in 170 minutes (VALR 26, DM 21, QA-DI 28). GK adds 20 questions in a separate 10-minute part and is not counted in the percentile.
- Marking is +1 / −0.25, with 8 free skips and −0.10 per skip after that.
- DM rewards role-based, balanced, ethical judgement.
- VALR needs selective RC choice, and QA-DI needs a two-pass approach.
- Target about 50–60 attempts at 80%+ accuracy.
- Every mock needs an error log, not just a score.
FAQs
1. How many questions are in XAT 2027, and how is Part 1 divided?
XAT has about 95 MCQs. Part 1 has 75 questions: VALR 26, DM 21 and QA-DI 28. Part 2 has 20 GK questions.
2. What is the XAT negative marking rule?
Each wrong answer costs 0.25 marks. Skipping up to 8 questions is free, and each skip after that costs 0.10. GK has no negative marking.
3. How many questions should I attempt in the second mock?
Aim for roughly 50–60 attempts in Part 1 with 80%+ accuracy. Adjust based on paper difficulty.
4. What kind of questions come in Decision Making?
Ethical dilemmas, management case studies and stakeholder conflicts, in seven sets of three questions. You pick the best action or reasoning.
5. Does the GK section count towards the XAT percentile?
No. GK is not counted in the percentile, but institutes may consider it in later selection stages.
Conclusion
The second mock is a rehearsal for how you choose questions, split time and judge DM cases. Practise the two-pass method, keep an eye on the 8-skip rule, and log every error by cause. The mock is useful because of what you change afterwards.
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