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XAT GK Preparation 2023: Questions, Syllabus, Books, Analysis, and Tips

XAT 2023 GK is the second part of Xavier Aptitude Test which consists of 5 sections divided into 2 parts. General Knowledge marks are not taken into consideration for calculation of score in XAT Result. However, XAT GK Preparation is not to be neglected as, during the personal interview round of XAT Selection Process, questions from GK will be asked. 

  • In Part 2 of XAT 2023, there will be questions on General Knowledge and one Essay Question. 25 minutes will be allotted for Part 2- XAT GK 2023 and essay writing. 
  • There is no negative marking for wrong answers in the General Knowledge section. However, 0.10 marks will be deducted for more than 8 unanswered questions in XAT 2023. Check XAT Exam Pattern 2023
  • XAT General Knowledge usually has a moderate to difficult level with 60-70% weightage from static GK and 30-40% from current affairs. The questions from current affairs were difficult. However static GK had a moderate difficulty level. Check XAT Paper Analysis 
  • XAT 2023 is expected to be conducted on January 1, 2023. With the dynamic nature of General Knowledge sections, candidates should ensure that they start their preparation for the exam early. Check XAT Exam Dates 2023 

XAT GK Highlights

XAT GK 2023 Highlights 

Particulars Details
Number of Questions 25 questions 
Marking Scheme

+1 mark for each correct answer

No negative marking

Number of options for each question  5
Sectional Time Limit For Part II- 25 minutes 
Difficulty level of XAT GK Moderate to Difficult
Sectional Cut off Not considered for XAT percentile calculation
Duration  15 mins 

Also Read:


XAT GK Syllabus

XAT 2023 GK Syllabus

Politics Nation and States Indian Polity and Constitution
History Literature Business and Corporate GK
Important Dates National Capitals Currency 
Sports Awards and Recognitions Geography
Business Economics History
Personality  Books and Authors  Film and Television
International Relations International Relations Science and Technology
National Issues  Ecosystem and Diversity Society
Government Schemes  Company Logo Identification Headquarters 
Merger & Acquisitions Current Affairs (last 12 months) Culture 
Note: XAT General Knowledge Syllabus consists of topics from which questions can be expected. It has to be noted that XAT does not officially release any syllabus to which aspirants can strictly adhere to. But the probable topics can be estimated from XAT previous year papers. Here is a list of topics from which you can expect questions: Also Read: XAT Syllabus 2023

XAT GK Prep Books

XAT 2023 General Knowledge Preparation Books

Book Name  Author Name 
Objective General Knowledge (Lucent’s) Sanjiv Kumar 
General knowledge (Lucent’s) Dr. Binay Karna, R. P. Suman, Manvendra Mukul, Renu Sinha, Sanjeev Kumar 
General Knowledge 2021 Manohar Pandey

Choosing the best resources for self study is an important part for success in every competitive exam. Candidates who are preparing by themselves without any help from coaching or tuition must be extra cautious while choosing books. Best resources for the GK section of XAT  has been given above with the author name and ISBN.

Tips to choose XAT GK Preparation Books:

  • Always go for the latest edition only for any competitive exam. Older editions with lower prices might be available but are not recommended.

  • Choose popular authors who are trusted by most students and teachers.

  • Instead of buying one book that covers all sections in XAT, it is recommended to choose different books as per sections. 

  • If you are preparing for CAT and are able to solve all hard level questions, there is no need to buy XAT specific books. 


XAT GK Prep Resources

Best Resources for XAT GK 2023 Preparation

Since this is a knowledge based section and no practice is required to score in GK, the only way to crack it is by making the best use of reading materials. Some of the best resources for improving your knowledge in this area include:

  1. Economic Times
  2. Competition Success Review
  3. The Financial Times
  4. Business World
  5. Manorama Yearbook
  6. Business Line 
  7. Business Today
  8. The Hindu
  9. Hindu Business Line
  10. Current Affairs Yearly by Arihant
  11. Financial Express
  12. Wall Street Journal

Download XAT Free Practice Papers


XAT GK Exam Pattern

XAT GK Paper Analysis 

Number of question from different general knowledge topics in previous years:

Section Number of Questions
History 1
Geography 4
Economy & Business 7
Current Affairs 2
Personality & Awards 3
Science & Tech 2
Polity 2
Miscellaneous 2
Sports 2
Total 25

XAT GK Questions

XAT General Knowledge Questions

Sample questions are an effective way for students to get an overall idea of the type of questions to expect to avoid any surprises. Few sample questions are given below:

Question 1: Which of the following countries does not border the Mediterranian sea?

  1. Portugal

  2. Spain

  3. Greece

  4. Italy

  5. France 

Solution - (a) Portugal

Question 2: Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo have been recently awarded with: 

  1. The Hugo Award 

  2. The Man Booker Prize 

  3. The Costa Book Awards

  4. The Pulitzer Prize 

  5. The Nobel Prize 

Solution: (b) The Man Booker Prize 

Question 3: Which Indian bank was the first to issue “Green Bonds” for financing renewable and clean energy projects? 

  1. State Bank of India 

  2. ICICI Bank

  3. Bandhan Bank 

  4. Yes Bank 

  5. Axis Bank 

Solution - (d) Yes Bank

Question 4: Muamua is:

  1. An interstellar object 

  2. A small primate 

  3. A Buddhist chant 

  4. NASA’s spaceship to Pluto 

  5. A character in the TV series “Star Trek”

Solution - (a) - An interstellar object 

Question 5: Who among the following was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay award in 2019? 

  1. T.M. Krishna 

  2. Fayed Souza 

  3. Shekhar Gupta 

  4. Arnab Goswami 

  5. Ravish Kumar 

Solution - (e) Ravish Kumar 

Question 6: In India, February 28th is celebrated as:

  1.  Army Day
  2.  International Yoga Day
  3.  National Integration Day
  4.  National Science Day
  5.  Sadbhavana Divas

Answer: National science day

Question 7: The acronym "YAHOO" stands for:

  1. A song sung by Shammi Kapoor
  2. Yet Another Hierarchical Object Orientation
  3. Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle
  4. Young American Hi-tech Organization in Ohio
  5. None of these

Answer: Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle

Question 8: The G-7 is a group consisting of:

  1. The heads of the states of US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan
  2. The finance ministers of US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan
  3. The heads of the states of US, UK, France, Germany, Russia, Canada and Japan
  4. The finance ministers of US, UK, France, Germany, Russia, Canada and Japan
  5. The heads of the states of US, UK, France, Germany, Russia, Italy and Japan

Answer:  The finance ministers of US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan

Download XAT Mock Test 2022


XAT GK Analysis

XAT General Knowledge Paper Analysis

Year  XAT GK Section Difficulty Number of Questions
2022 Moderate to Difficult 25
2021 Moderate 25
2020 Moderate 25
2019 Mix of easy, moderate, and difficult 25
2018 Moderate to difficult 25
2017 Easy to Moderate 25
2016 Moderate to difficult 25
2015

Moderate to difficult

30

XAT 2022 General Knowledge Analysis:

  • XAT 2022 General Knowledge section was moderately difficult.
  • 13 questions were asked from Current Affairs which were difficult.
  • Static GK comprises of 12 questions, these questions were moderate- difficult.

XAT 2021 General Knowledge Analysis:

  • Level of difficulty was moderate.
  • Total 25 questions were asked this year.
  • Most question were from Current Affairs followed by Geography and Economy & Business
  • Other topics included Personality & Awards, Books & Authors, and Sports

XAT 2020 General Knowledge Analysis:

  • Level of difficulty was similar to that of 2019. 
  • 25 single statement based questions came from this section.
  • Questions were mostly from areas like Current Affairs, Moderate History, Economy & Business, Geography, Personality & Awards, Science & Tech. 
  • Overall difficulty level of the GK section was moderate.
  • Answering 12 - 14 questions with at 7 - 8 correct answers would ideally be a good attempt. 

XAT 2019 General Knowledge Analysis:

  • Level of difficulty was similar to that of 2020. 
  • Most questions were single statement based but few multiple statements based questions were also present. 
  • Most questions were asked from Geography, Economy, and Business. 
  • Overall section was moderate to difficult. 
  • Answering 12 - 14 questions with at 7 - 8 correct answers would ideally be a good attempt. 

XAT 2018 General Knowledge Analysis:

  • Difficulty level of the GK section was a little higher than that of 2017. 
  • There were 25 single statement based questions.
  • Most questions were from areas like History, Economics & Business, Personality & Awards. 
  • Overall difficulty level of GK in 2018 was moderate to difficult.
  • Answering 12- 14 questions with 9 - 10 correct answers would ideally be a good attempt. 

XAT 2017 General Knowledge Analysis:

  • Difficulty level in 2017 was similar to that of 2016. 
  • There were 25 single statement-based questions.
  • Questions were mainly asked from Geography, Economy, and Business. 
  • Answering 12- 14 questions with 9 - 10 correct answers would ideally be a good attempt. 
  • Overall difficulty level of GK in 2018 was moderate to difficult.

XAT 2016 General Knowledge Analysis:

  • This year's General Knowledge section was harder than that of 2015.
  • There were 25 single statement-based questions.
  • Most questions were from static and current GK.
  • The overall difficulty level for this section was moderate to difficult. 
  • Answering 10 - 11 questions with 7 - 8 correct answers would ideally be a good attempt. 

Must Read: XAT Top Coaching Institutes (City-wise)

XAT GK Preparation Tips and Strategy

Some preparation tips that has helped students to create an effective study strategy has been given below:

  • Make a habit of reading articles and news pieces on a regular basis. There is no other way to crack this exam. 
  • If you don't like reading newspapers, consider downloading apps such as in short which gives major heading in a few sentences. 
  • Learn basic geography. Keep a world map pasted to your wall or a globe nearby and look at the countries at least once a day.
  • Do not spend much time on questions that you are not familiar with. You can go for guesswork as there is no negative marking but do not engage more than 30 seconds. 
  • Put more emphasis on topics from which the majority of questions are asked such as current affairs, business, geography, economics. 
  • Make the best use of resources such as recommended books. You can also gain more knowledge by watching international news channels. 

XAT GK FAQs

XAT General Knowledge 2023 FAQs

Question: How many questions will be there in XAT 2023 General Knowledge?

Ans. Candidates can expect about 25 questions from the XAT GK section.

Question: Is there negative marking in XAT 2023 GK?

Ans. GK is the only section in XAT 2023 with no negative marking. One mark will be awarded for correct responses. 

Question: What is the sectional time limit for the GK section in XAT?

Ans. Candidates will get 15 minutes for solving 25 GK questions in the XAT paper. 

Question: What are some good resources for GK in XAT?

Ans. Some good resources for GK in XAT include Economic Times, Competition Success Review, The Financial Times, Business World, Manorama Yearbook, Business Line, Business Today, The Hindu, Hindu Business Line, Current Affairs Yearly by Arihant, Financial Express, and Wall Street Journal. 

Question: What are some good books for the GK section in XAT?

Ans. Some recommended books for the GK Section in XAT are Objective General Knowledge (Lucent’s), General knowledge (Lucent’s), and General Knowledge 2022. 

Question: What are some tips to score in the GK sections in XAT?

Ans. To score well in the GK sections of XAT, Make a habit of reading articles and news pieces regularly, download apps such as in short which gives major heading in a few sentences, keep a world map pasted to your wall or a globe nearby and look at the countries at least once a day, do not spend much time on questions which you are not familiar with, put more emphasis on topics from which majority questions come such as current affairs, business, geography, economics, and make the best use of resources such as recommended books. 

*The article might have information for the previous academic years, which will be updated soon subject to the notification issued by the University/College.

XAT 2023 : 8 answered questions

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Ques. What is the CAT/XAT cut off for a non profile based calls from SP Jain?

● Top Answer By Arpita Banerjee on 07 Dec 21

If your profile is suitable for the specialization that you have opted for and you didn’t get a call based on your profile, then a CAT score of 95-96 can get you a call. But it is not necessarily true that everyone with a score of around 96+ will get a score-based call. They evaluate profiles too for shortlisting. 96-97 is a decent score for XAT. A score above 98 in either of these two should get you a call....Read more

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Ques. Will aspirants be at a certain advantage this time around with the CAT results being announced before the XAT?

● Top Answer By Vishesh Thapa on 07 Dec 21

Some XAT aspirants might have already been receiving calls from IIMs before they write XAT. While the others who did not will be all the more determined to qualify XAT.  Yes, it will be an advantage to all students appearing for XAT because they will know where they stand. Most of the people who get really good scores in CAT rarely sit for XAT....Read more

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Ques. Is the XAT exam tougher than the CAT exam?

● Top Answer By Manali Tomar on 13 Dec 21

Yes, as the questions are a bit more difficult than CAT in both quant and English.  VARC can be a bit difficult, if you have not focussed on topics of critical reasoning and decision making in your class. Quant sees a number of questions from inequality, progression, boolean algebra, PnC and the general level is higher than CAT.  The percentile-score balance and cut-offs for top 5 colleges which accept XAT scores, have low requirements.  People aren't able to get those scores also because the exam is tough.  XAT is easier because it is largely predictable.  CAT is famous for being very unpredictable.  So XAT is tougher than CAT by the level of questions asked. But as their paper is largely predictable it makes it comparatively easier to attempt....Read more

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Ques. What is the cut off for JBIMS through CAT, XAT, CET for Maharashtra people?

● Top Answer By Chirag Mishra on 11 Apr 23

JBIMS is a well-known management institute located in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The cut-off for JBIMS through CAT, XAT, and CET for Maharashtra people varies each year and depends on various factors such as the difficulty level of the exam, the number of applicants, etc. Here are some approximate cut-off scores for JBIMS through CAT, XAT, and CET for Maharashtra people: CAT: The approximate cut-off percentile for JBIMS through CAT for Maharashtra candidates is 95+ percentile. XAT: The approximate cut-off percentile for JBIMS through XAT for Maharashtra candidates is 85+ percentile. CET: The approximate cut-off score for JBIMS through CET for Maharashtra candidates is 135+ out of 200. These are approximate cut-offs, and the actual cut-offs may vary from year to year. Also, meeting the cut-off is just the first step towards getting into JBIMS, and the selection process involves several other factors such as academic performance, work experience, group discussion, and personal interviews. It is advisable to prepare well and aim for a high percentile or score to increase your chances of getting admission to JBIMS....Read more

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Ques. What is the expected cutoff for SPJain (both profile based calls and normal calls) and XIMB (BM and HR) through CAT and XAT?

● Top Answer By Ishant Jain on 13 Mar 23

SPJIMR According to the information available, the expected cutoff for SP Jain Institute of Management for both profile-based and normal calls through CAT and XAT is not released yet. So  I will base the answer on last year's cutoff XAT : 93.5 percentile  CAT : 85 percentile  However it’s important to note that for more certainty of admission, one must score around 93-95%ile score and a 680-690 min on GMAT. XIMB The XLRI admission cut-off is directly influenced by the difficulty level of the XAT question paper. XAT 2023 exam was held on January 8, 2023. The question paper was of moderate difficulty level, the same as last year. Given below are the section-wise XAT cut-off for XLRI admission 2023: General Engineers (BM) 95 Male 92 Female General Non Engineer (BM) 95 Male 92 Female General Engineers (HRM) 93 Male 91 Female General Non Engineers (HRM) 90 Male 88 Female XIMB CAT cutoff for the previous year was 91 percentile for Business Management and HRM cutoff hasn’t been released yet....Read more

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