How to prepare for the XAT
As a test, XAT is possibly as tough, if not tougher, than the CAT with a unique section and many unique question-types. This post lays out a prep strategy for the XAT.
As a test, XAT is possibly as tough, if not tougher, than the CAT with a unique section and many unique question-types. This post lays out a prep strategy for the XAT.
All b-schools seem to be falling over each other in trying to pose questions or set tasks for call-getters or potential call-getters via their forms that are really unique. Gone are the simple what are your career goals or one incident where you demonstrated leadership skills; the new breed of questions are taking it to a different level altogether. A case in point is the latest set of questions that XLRI call-getters are supposed to fill.
It is a different world altogether when one moves from a CBT with sectional time-limits such as the CAT to a PBT with no sectional time-limits such as the XAT. While on the face of it both with test concepts (not necessarily the same) at a fundamental level they end up testing something very different. A test of competence versus a test of strategy A test with sectional time-limits is primarily a test of competence — how many questions can you answer in 60 minutes? It does not matter if can you solve the section under the given time-limit or if given 10 minutes more you can clear the cut-offs. The moment it becomes a PBT test-takers have to perform more like managers — maximise the return they get from their resources. Many test-takers prefer sectional time-limits since they feel the stress of time and resource management goes out of the window. But the really good ones would know that a PBT with no sectional time-limits gives them more control of the test. For example, …
Well, once you were done with school you would have never imagined having to write an essay ever again. But here you are a few weeks away from the WAT-GD-PI rounds and are not exactly looking forward to writing essays on topics that vary from the political, social, ecological to the outright esoteric.
Back online after the floods here in Chennai! Am not sure how many of my students here are back online. Some of you would have rightly left the city. Hope all of you are safe. Power is back since last night in some areas, while there is still no network. Hopefully things will be back to normal soon and we should be able to start the sessions by next weekend.
A lot of students have now rightly trained their sights on XAT and are looking for a prep plan for the same. So let’s take the first step by knowing the test inside out. XAT Demystified – Part I