XAT Exam Analysis 2026: Check Difficulty Level, Paper Review, Good Attempts Here

XAT 2026 Exam Analysis: The XAT 2026 exam was conducted by Xavier School of Management, formerly Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI), on January 04, 2026, at designated XAT exam centres spread across more than 100 cities. The exam was conducted in a single shift from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. According to the students' and experts' feedback, the overall exam was moderate to difficult, and some questions were both lengthy and tricky.

Around 1.42 Lakh aspirants registered for the exam. In this article, we will discuss the XAT 2026 exam analysis based on the overall difficulty level, test takers, good attempts, and types of questions asked from different topics. 

XAT Cut Off 2026: Check Course-wise and Section-wise Expected Percentile

XAT Section-wise Exam Analysis 2026

After the initial reactions, let’s get the section-wise detailed analysis of the XAT 2026 Exam. Based on student reactions and expert insights, the exam had a moderate to tough difficulty level. In terms of section-wise analysis, VALR was relatively easy, while DM and QADI were moderately difficult.

XAT 2026 VALR Exam Analysis

The Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning (VALR) Section contains 26 questions based on verbal ability, reading comprehension and logical reasoning. The VALR section encompasses critical & analytical reasoning, reading comprehension (including poems & passages), vocabulary, English grammar, and other related exercises such as para jumbles, cloze tests, etc.

The VALR Section of the XAT 2026 exam was relatively easier compared to the previous year. With a total of 26 questions, the majority of students managed to handle this section quite easily. Reading Comprehension comprised 4 passages with 4 questions each.

XAT 2026 DM Exam Analysis

This section comprises 21 questions from Decision Making (DM). The DM section was moderate to difficult this time. The questions in this section were similar to those in previous years and assessed critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and prioritisation to make informed decisions. Some students faced difficulty in answering questions and reported that this section had some tricky questions. Overall, this section was of moderate difficulty.

XAT 2026 QADI Exam Analysis

The Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation (QADI) section contains 28 questions. The questions asked in this section were from a foundational understanding of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, mensuration, modern maths, etc. However, the questions on DI were form interpretation, summarisation, and insightful analysis of the data. Some questions asked in this section were tricky and lengthy.

XAT 2026 GK Exam Analysis

The General Knowledge (GK) section contains 20 questions. Out of these 20 questions, around 8 questions were asked from static GK, while the remaining 12 questions came from current affairs. Overall, the difficulty of this section was easy to moderate.

XAT 2026 Section-wise Difficulty Level

Each section of the exam has a different level of complexity and tests different skills. A section-wise difficulty analysis helps in evaluating performance and estimating scores. Below is a clear breakdown of the difficulty level of each section based on student feedback and expert review.

XAT 2026 Number of Good Attempts

As per the feedback from the test-takers and analysis of experts, the overall number of good attempts for a decent score and good percentile mark at 52 to 55 attempts of the total questions with 10% accuracy. In terms of section-wise Good Attempts, for VALR, which was a relatively easy section, an attempt of 12 to 14 questions should make one feel comfortable. In DM, which was quite tricky, the number of good attempts would be around 10 to 12 out of the total 21. While in the QADI section, a good attempt would be around 15 to 17 questions.