How to Prepare Decision Making Section for XAT Exam

XAT Decision Making Preparation Strategy: XAT Decision Making is a unique section that assesses a candidate’s real-world problem-solving skills. In this section, candidates have to solve complex scenarios with limited details and time period. To excel in this section, they need to analyse complex situations, navigate options, and consider the best course of action. Read on to find out how to prepare decision making for the XAT exam along with the previous year's questions on this page.

Candidates can practice the MBA Exam Mock Test by Jagran Josh to ace the exam.

How to Prepare Decision Making for XAT Exam

XAT Decision Making is one of the most scoring sections in the XAT exam as it comprises a single section. This section is a major part of the XAT exam, with around 21-22 questions. To stay ahead in the competition, students must have a focused and structured XAT Decision Making preparation strategy. The XAT Decision Making questions are usually in the format of long passages related to business and ethical decision-making. 

Students must read the passages carefully and answer questions that are usually based on logical reasoning/data interpretation sets or behavioural and managerial types. They are required to choose the best solution that is advantageous to the majority of people. This involves making ethical decisions which is an important skill for leaders and business owners. Scroll down to learn more about how to prepare decision making for the XAT exam and other details.

Types of XAT Decision Making Questions Expected in 2025

XAT Decision Making questions are prepared to assess a candidate’s ability to think critically and make sound decisions in complicated scenarios. They are generally divided into two main categories as shared below:

• Mathematical Questions: These questions are based on data interpretation and logical reasoning. Questions can be asked from numbers, percentages, or graphs. Hence, it is imperative to ensure in-depth data analysis, discover patterns, and arrive at decisions based on the given information at the designated time. These questions can be solved by following the same techniques or approach used to solve DR or LR sets.
• Behavioural and Managerial Questions: These questions test student’s ability to understand human behaviour, ethical dilemmas, and business management. Questions are often based on real-world situations that require students to make decisions considering ethics, social impact, and strategic planning.

Format of XAT Decision Making Questions

XAT Decision Making questions typically include a scenario or a situation comprising a question or a set of questions. The questions are available in different formats as shared below:

• Single Question Prompts:  A single and focused scenario or situation is followed by a single and direct question
• Two to Three Questions per Prompt: A moderately detailed case study is asked in this type which includes two to three questions that examine the situation more closely.
• Four to Five Questions per Prompt: A detailed and complex case study is asked, followed by four to five questions that require critical thinking and sound decision-making. 

How to Prepare Decision Making for XAT Exam: Tips & Tricks

The Decision Making section in XAT is unique and requires a strategic approach. Here are essential tips and tricks to help you prepare decision making for XAT exam.

Practice Regularly

Students must check the decision-making question pattern & format and difficulty level to get an idea of the critical thinking required to excel in this section. Additionally, they must attempt the mock tests to acquire time-management skills and improve their speed & accuracy. With this, they can also improve their analytical skills by solving case studies from reliable sources.

Build Critical Thinking Skills

It is highly advised to analyse the scenarios from multiple perspectives and try to identify hidden information in the passage. Apart from this, you must also evaluate the relevance and credibility of the provided information to arrive at the best possible solution.

Improve Reading Comprehension

Inculcate the habit of reading newspapers, magazines, and books to improve your reading speed and comprehension. You must highlight all the important points, make short notes on the paragraphs, and ask questions to enhance your comprehension skills.

Develop Ethical Understanding

Before solving XAT decision-making questions, you must gain insights into the ethical principles and learn how to implement them in the business decisions. With this, you must also evaluate the impact of decisions on multiple stakeholders.

Learn Time Management

The right time management strategy allows you to attempt the maximum number of XAT decision-making questions in a limited time. For this, you must practice timed tests which will help you to prepare a robust strategy to allocate time to different question types. It is also advised to skip the time-consuming and difficult questions. This will help you to get sufficient time to review your answers and correct the mistakes, if any.

Stay Informed

The next XAT Decision Making strategy is to stay informed about all the current business trends, economic news, and social issues. For this, you can refer to the newspaper, current affairs magazines or any other reliable sources.

XAT Decision Making Questions for Practice

XAT Decision Making questions are designed to evaluate your understanding to analyse complex situations, identify patterns, and make sound judgments. By solving previous year's questions, you will get an idea of the type of questions asked and improve your critical thinking and problem-solving ability. Let’s discuss a question about XAT decision-making from the year 2023 for reference purposes. 

1. Read the following scenario and answer the questions that follow.

Moonlighting is the practice of working for one organisation while also accepting additional responsibilities and jobs, typically without the employer's knowledge in another organization. It is named as such because it is typically performed at night or on the weekends. "Doing two remote jobs at once was already happening; it was the biggest open secret out there in tech," said a US techie. Due to weaker margins, major Indian IT companies such as Infosys, TCS, and Wipro announced that they would delay, postpone, or reduce variable payouts to employees for the first quarter of fiscal year 2023. This drew attention to Moonlighting.

The Indian IT industry was divided on the issue of Moonlighting. Some considered it unethical, while others viewed it as an urgent necessity. lnfozeta Chairman Patrick's stance on this matter was crystal clear. "There is a great deal of talk about people working part­ time in the tech industry. This is cheating, pure and simple," he had tweeted. However, McMillan, CEO of Betauniverse, does not consider Moonlighting as "cheating.". "Employment is a contract between an employer who pays me for working 'n' number of hours per day," he explained. "Now, what I do after that time is entirely up to me; I can do whatever I please."

Ques. Which of the following options will have the LEAST negative consequence on Moonlighting employees?

A. Employer reducing daily working hours from eight hours to six hours

B. Employees's performance may be adversely affected because of overworking

C. Increased family problems because employees will not spend quality time at home

D. Employer reducing salaries of employees because of Moonlighting

E. Poor physical health of employees because of excess work

Ans. A