XAT 2026 exam last-minute tips & exam day guidelines will help students to understand the most important topics, tricks, and overall exam pattern & chapters that they must focus on the exam day.
XAT 2026 Last-Minute Tips & Exam Day Guidelines are essential for every XAT aspirant. However, sometimes, all the efforts and preparation come to nought when candidates fail to pay attention to exam guidelines and rules. While some forget to take the hard copy of the admit card, some carry prohibited items with them to the exam hall, which can cause them trouble. Candidates should not stress about the topics they are unable to cover before the XAT exam; they must rather properly revise what they have already studied.
The XAT 2026 exam is one of the most popular MBA entrance exams in India, conducted by XLRI Jamshedpur every year for admission to the MBA/PGDM programs at XLRI Associate Management Institutes and other B-Schools accepting XAT scores. Students eager to know more about the XAT 2026 last-minute tips & tricks, along with exam day guidelines, can go through the XAT 2026 last-minute tips, section-wise preparation tips.
Also Read: What to Do 1 Week Before XAT 2026 Exam
XAT 2026 Last-Minute Tips
These are some of the best last-minute tips that will help you stay free from worry during the XAT 2026 exam.
- Carry at least two copies of the XAT Admit Card 2026 while going to the exam centre. No candidate will be allowed to enter the examination hall without the admit card.
- Visit the examination centre one or two times before the exam so that you do not face any kind of problem on exam day.
- Candidates should note that they will not be allowed to carry any other document except the admit card and ID proof inside the examination hall.
- Some of the documents that the candidates will have to carry on the examination day are a Driver's License, Voter ID, Passport, Aadhaar, and PAN Card.
- Candidates can check the exam centre as well as exam timings from the admit card. Besides this, they should also read the instructions provided on the admit card.
Section-wise XAT 2026 Last-Minute Preparation Tips
Here are some of the best tips that every candidate should follow during the final days of XAT preparation. These will help you improve your score and make the most of the time available.
XAT 2026 QA & DI Last-Minute Tips
Check out the following last-minute tips for the Quant section in XAT 2026.
- Candidates should try to learn shortcut techniques to solve numerical problems quickly.
- They can check the previous years’ question papers of XAT to get an idea of what percentage of questions are asked from which section.
- They should note that if they are facing problems with questions from Algebra, Geometry or any other topic in Quant, they should skip the question.
- Since 28 questions will be asked in this section, candidates should try to answer at least 15-20 to score well in the exam.
XAT 2026 VALR Last-Minute Tips
Go through these important last-minute tips to improve your Verbal score in XAT 2026.
- In this section, most of the questions will be asked about Sentence Correction, Critical Reasoning, Para Jumbles, Reading Comprehension and Sentence Completion (multiple blanks).
- Candidates should focus on improving their vocabulary. This will help them understand the passage easily.
- Candidates are advised to solve the questions from Sentence Completion, Cloze test, Para Jumbles, and Vocabulary before solving the Reading Comprehension.
- They can prepare their strategies to solve the Reading Comprehension.
XAT 2026 Decision-Making Last-Minute Tips
Decision-making is a section unique to XAT 2026. The following tips will help you do your best in this section.
- This section will contain behavioural and Mathematical decision-making questions. In behavioural questions, a situation will be describe,d and candidates will have to choose the answer according to the situation described in the passage
- Candidates are advised to understand the situation carefully before choosing the answer
Also Read: How to Improve English for MBA Exams
XAT 2026 General Knowledge Last Minute Tips
Here are some last-minute tips to help you do your best in the General Knowledge section of XAT.
- This section is the highest-scoring section in the CAT exam.
- Candidates are advised to quickly and carefully attempt this section to score well.
XAT 2026 Exam Day Guidelines
- Candidates should reach the exam centre one or two hours before the allotted time. They can check the exam timings from the admit card.
- Since there will be negative markings in the exam, candidates should double-check their answers before choosing the answer.
- Candidates are advised not to carry any kind of electronic gadgets like mobile phones, digital watches, or calculators to the exam centre.
- Candidates should follow the instructions provided by the Invigilator. Apart from this, they should not talk with any other candidate while sitting inside the examination hall.
- They should not roam inside the examination hall unnecessarily.
Documents to Carry to XAT 2026 Test Centre
Candidates should carry some of the documents provided below while going to the exam centre:
What to Carry | What Not to Carry |
|---|---|
|
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Also Read : What is a Good Score in XAT 2026?
Important Instructions for XAT 2026 Computer-Based Examination
- Candidates will be provided with 5 choices for each question in the examination. They will have to choose one that they feel is correct
- There is no sectional limit in the XAT 2026 examination. Candidates can answer questions in any order
- A timer will be provided on the upper right-hand side of the screen. Candidates can check the timer to know the time left to complete the examination
- If the candidate is not satisfied with the selected answer, they can click on the 'Erase' button given at the bottom to unmark the answer
- Candidates can bookmark a question if they wish to review it.
Also Read: What to Expect in XAT 2026?
Status of Questions in XAT 2026
There are various colours used in the XAT 2026 CBT exam representing different exam statuses. Check the table provided below to know the status of questions in XAT 2026:
Color | Status |
|---|---|
White | Unanswered |
Green | Answered |
Purple | Answered & Marked for review |
Yellow | Unanswered & Marked for review |
Also Read : XAT 2026 Predicted Question Paper
Exam Strategy of XAT 2026
Candidates should note that there is no fixed number of questions that the candidates will have to answer to score a good percentile in the XAT Exam. They should try to solve more than 60% of the questions to score well. They can check the XAT exam pattern 2026 provided below.
Total Number of Sections | 5 |
|---|---|
Name of Sections |
|
Total Questions | 102 |
Total Time allotted | 210 Minutes |
Marking Scheme |
|
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| XLRI Jamshedpur Selection Criteria 2026 |
So, XAT 2026 last-minute tips & strategies will help students to create a last-minute preparation & revision plan for the exam. They must make sure they check up their preparation levels, overall exam strategy & the action plan. Students need to make sure that they revise & stress less before entering the exam hall. They must have the XAT 2026 admit card, government ID & other relevant documents with them & report on time on the exam day. For any queries regarding XAT 2026 Exam Last-Minute Tips & Exam Day Guidelines, log on to our CollegeDekho Q&A Zone or contact our toll-free helpline number 18005729877.
FAQs
To prepare for XAT in the last month, candidates can follow the given tips:
1. Take as many mock tests as you can and aim for a 90 percentile.
2. Analyze your test scores to check your stronger and weaker areas.
3. Revise important topics you don’t feel much confident about.
4. Brush up your basics to ensure you’re prepared for every type of question.
5. Focus on improving your vocabulary and grammar skills.
The best study materials for XAT preparation are listed below:
1. XAT exam Syllabus to know important topics from all sections
2. Question papers from previous years to know what to expect in the exam.
3. Newspapers like Business Today or Financial Express.
4. Study materials from coaching institutes like TIME, IMS, and Career Launcher.
The best ways to prepare for XAT at home are the following:
1. Take official XAT mock tests available on the website.
2. Taking mock tests helps you know your preparation level.
3. Get a stronghold of the basic concepts.
4. Buy study materials provided by top coaching institutes.
5. Study the best books for XAT preparation.
Listed below are some goods for XAT preparation that candidates must study from:
- Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation - Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by R. S. Aggarwal
- Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning - Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension by Ajay Singh
- Decision Making - Analytical and Logical Reasoning by Arihant Publications
- General Knowledge - General Knowledge 2024 by Manohar Pandey
- Essay - Mastering Essay & Answer Writing - Disha Experts
To prepare for the XAT exam, candidates must keep the following points in India:
1. Analyze your strong areas and weak areas so that you know where you need to improve.
2. Solve numerical problems as many as you can and brush up your mathematical skills.
3. Read every day to increase your reading speed and get familiar with the new words.
4. Read newspapers and magazines to stay updated with current affairs.
5. Study from the best books and materials provided by the coaching institutes.
Below is the list of things that are not allowed to carry to the XAT exam hall:
1. Any electronic items (Mobile phones, iPad, calculators, etc.)
2. Bluetooth devices (watch, earphones, etc.)
3. No documents other than admit card and ID proof
4. Any stationary item other than a pen
5. Don’t wear jewelry or a jacket
6. No eatables are allowed inside the exam hall
Here are some strategies to solve the XAT question paper:
1. Students should first focus on solving easy questions which take lesser time and then move to the longer questions
2. Then focus on that section where you feel you will find it difficult to clear the cutoffs.
3. Lastly, focus on questions where you can maximize your scores.
4. Ensure that you balance time on both sectional cutoffs and overall scores.
5. Don’t waste too much time on intelligent guessing.
Here are the necessary documents to carry to the XAT exam hall:
1. Admit Card
2. ID Proof issued by the Government of India (PAN Card, Driving License, Voter ID, Passport, etc.)
3. Candidates belonging to the PwD category have to bring the necessary medical certificates
4. No books or notebooks are allowed in the exam hall
To get 95 percentile on XAT 2026, students have to score around 34 marks. It is not difficult to score a 95 percentile if a candidate puts continuous efforts into the preparation and solves the question paper with focus and proper strategy.
XAT 2026 last-minute tips include:
1. Getting the hard copies of the XAT admit card ready.
2. Locating the address of the XAT exam centre.
3. Checking the ID proof to be carried at the exam centre.
4. Checking the reporting time to avoid any delays.
5. Keeping calm and focusing on the exam.
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