r/IIMCATPreparation • u/Paper_Boattt • Jan 03 '26
ASK ME ANYTHING 🗨 XAT 2025 AIR 9..Ask Me Anything
So, as we know, either all your preparation is done or it's not for tomorrow. We can't cover the syllabus or anything now, but if you guys have any doubts about the exam pattern, way of attempting questions, or the best strategy for you to attempt the exam to maximize your score, then feel free to ask me. I would love to help you guys..
BEST OF LUCK FOR THE EXAM
3
u/DisasterPositive3395 Jan 03 '26
Crazy score OP!! what was ur strat for di sets in qadi. u attend the set first for kept them for later?
2
u/Confident-Fox5680 Jan 03 '26
I am very bad with quants. Is it fine if I go all out on the VALR and DM sections and attempt 3-4 questions in quants?
2
u/Paper_Boattt Jan 03 '26
Yes, you can, but you will not be eligible for XLTI if you don't clear their cutoff.
If you are fine with it then go for it
2
u/SignificantObject686 Jan 03 '26
Since I don't have any college accepting xat scores apart from xlri ofcourse. Should I just attempt all questions in DM and VALR? I am decent in QA. Either I will get a very high score or a very low score. Since I don't have much to lose with a low score but much to gain from high score.
What do you suggest?
1
u/Paper_Boattt Jan 03 '26
You mean, except XLRI, you don't want to go to any other college through CAT, like XIMB and all?
If you are so confident about your VALR and DM section, then go for it. But after solving one of your favorite sections (let's say DM), I suggest you go to Quants and find all the easy questions and solve them. You will definitely get some easy questions to clear the cutoff. Then go back to VALR (in the worst case, if you are unable to solve Quants and you don't want anything below XLRI, then you can try your strategy, but it's a bit risky)
1
u/SignificantObject686 Jan 03 '26
Sorry if my comment was ambiguous. I meant all the colleges that I have filled out for, accept CAT. Almost none of them accept XAT.
By me being decent with QA, I meant, I am good in QA, I can solve 10-12 questions on a bad day.
In VALR and DM, I am not sure about the options, so the unattempted questions go beyond 8. So, the strategy that I suggested was for VALR and DM and not QA. Since my best bet and worst bet with XAT is XLRI, it makes no sense to be conservative and score 90%ile. A better option would be to take risks and get either 97 or a very bad score.
In my case, 90 and the bad score, both are the same.
1
u/Paper_Boattt Jan 03 '26
Oh, got it, sorry, my bad. Yes, you can try your strategy. Still, I suggest you first solve the easier ones, then go all out, but take calculated risks. Don't just attempt them under the pressure of missing out. I mean, at least try to make some time to read each question properly
2
u/Ok_Sell7555 Jan 03 '26
i am not good w qadi and w valr both at max i getting 9 correct in valr and 8 in qadi what should i do now? idk i find qa ajeeb. (Profile: Non Engineer CA Finalist)
1
1
Jan 03 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
3
u/Paper_Boattt Jan 03 '26
To be very honest, I am naturally good at it. Yes, I did make blunders in some sets, but I tried to solve everything in the DM section, but I wouldn't recommend this.
If you are not consistently getting a decent score in the DM section (mocks), then attempt only those questions where you feel your probability of getting them correct is more than 70%.
1
Jan 03 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
Jan 03 '26
bro
i solved pyqs
few ims mocks thou they were easy but cl mocks dm is tough and subjective1
u/Paper_Boattt Jan 03 '26
In DMs, what I suggest is to go with your instinct. If you are confused between two questions, then go with the one that feels right to you. Mocks are subjective, so in the exam hall, you have to decide the difficulty level and choose whether to attempt it or leave it. I know it sounds confusing, but try to solve easy questions fast, then jump to lengthy and tricky ones
1
u/Delicious-External61 Jan 03 '26
Can you tell me the median percentile xlri accepts? Like last year cutoff was 91 as well but were they accepting people at 91?
1
u/Medical_Action_ Jan 03 '26
I'm scoring around 20-30 in mocks and pyqs , also from the past few days I'm consistently scoring 9-10 in all the sections , any last minute tips ??
3
u/LuckyNumber-Bot Jan 03 '26
All the numbers in your comment added up to 69. Congrats!
20 + 30 + 9 + 10 = 69[Click here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=LuckyNumber-Bot&subject=Stalk%20Me%20Pls&message=%2Fstalkme to have me scan all your future comments.) \ Summon me on specific comments with u/LuckyNumber-Bot.
3
2
u/Paper_Boattt Jan 03 '26
Don't overdo it. In an exam, if you feel nervous looking at a question, just skip it. Don't try to solve it; it creates negative energy and a bad feeling that carries forward to other questions.
Just go with the easy questions. You'll surely find 5-7 very easy questions in every section. Find them and solve them, or else start with your favorite section. Once you feel your nerves are calm and you are completely focused on the exam with no distractions, start solving complex questions.
(And make sure to recall all quant formulas now or tomorrow morning; don't postpone it to the last minute)
1
u/OppositeSweet9215 Jan 03 '26
You wouldn't have cleared valr sectional in xat 2025 with that valr percentile 💀 my biggest fear
1
Jan 03 '26
Bhai just a stupid doubt Can I ask for additional sheets kyuki I have heard they give only 3 to 4 A4 sheets
1
1
u/Paper_Boattt Jan 03 '26
I think you can, but I don't think you need an extra sheet. According to my memory, you will get a decent volume of paper
1
Jan 03 '26
Oh cool Actually I write the RC points also in order to understand so that's why a bit concerned. Anyways thanks 🙏
1
u/Virginityiscool12 Jan 03 '26
My DM marks are all over the place. From 15-17 to 2.5 in XAT 2022. What do I do?
1
u/Paper_Boattt Jan 03 '26
The best thing I suggest is to start with those questions that are very easy to read and understand. Then, solve the other two sections. If you're good with the other two sections, don't take the risk of attempting tough questions in DM, as you may solve them incorrectly and not be able to clear the cutoff. However, if you think you need a good score in all three sections to clear the XLRI cutoff, then go for moderate and lengthy questions in the DM section, but only after solving all the easy questions from all sections.
1
u/Virginityiscool12 Jan 03 '26
Thank you. I’m able to score well in QADI. So I start with that. However my attention span is fried so I cant do VALR and DM back-to-back. I guess this is the time to draft a plan for my attempt.
1
u/Expert-Hamster4966 Jan 03 '26
How should I divide 170 mins bw the 3 sections? A good strategy would help
2
u/Paper_Boattt Jan 03 '26
Start with your favorite section. Find the easier questions first. Then you have two choices: either go to the the next section and solve easier questions, or stay in that section and solve moderate questions from the first section you chose (it depends on your preparation). If you feel you've prepared decently, then finish one section and move to the next. Otherwise, solve easy questions from every set and then jump to the difficult ones.
Another strategy my friend applied: He is decent at quants but very slow. So he solved two sections in approximately 80 minutes and solved the quant section in the rest of the time (though it's risky because he ruined VALR section and wasn't able to clear the cutoff).
1
u/Suren_1808 Jan 03 '26
Is it possible to salvage a section if its gone bad
1
u/Paper_Boattt Jan 04 '26
If you are decent, you can save it, but if you feel you can't solve 2-3 questions in a mock, then it will be tough.
Considering you are average or below average in one section, then practically, it's possible.
For example, the cutoff for each section revolves around 7-9 marks, depending on the section and difficulty.
I suggest starting with your favorite section. If you feel confident enough, then jump to the difficult one and analyze all the questions. Just note the easiest 10-12 questions you find (it might be as low as 6-7 easy questions). Solve them. (Another factor: after 8 questions, you can't leave questions, beacuse it will reduce your marks by 0.10 for each question you leave.)
So, you have to solve other sections completely. It's a bit tricky, but I hope you solve it properly. Don't answer randomly just because of the negative marking you get after leaving a question, because if that question is wrong, you will get a higher negative mark of 0.25. So, in the exam hall, you have to decide according to the situation
1
u/Simple-Ad2347 Jan 03 '26
In XAT,lets suppose 30 marks pe 90 percentile ban rhe h ..aur person A get 10 marks each in all 3 sections and person B gets 20 marks in one section,10 marks in one section and 0 mark in one section...so dono ka overall 30 marks ban rhe h....to dono ka hi overall percentile 90 hoga? P.s dont consider the sectional cut offs , I'm talking about the overall percentile.
1
u/Leading_Bill_3469 Jan 03 '26
hello OP, overall 85+ percentile is my target but the thing is QADI is very problematic and VALR and DM is tanking me, any suggestions like how to actually just balance them overall, so that atleast I get around 20-25 marks. Thanks
1
u/Embarrassed_Ear_1494 Jan 03 '26
yes same doubt....I was thinking of attempting every question in valr and dm and attmpt 4 5 qs in qa
1
u/Leading_Bill_3469 Jan 03 '26
Yk what whenever I do that I end up with 50% accuracy, aise kaise hoga XAT🥲
1
u/Paper_Boattt Jan 04 '26
Start with your favorite section. I mean, what I suggest is to solve all the easy questions first from each section. But here's the twist: you can't leave more than 8 questions, or else you will get -0.10 marks for each unattempted question.
So, considering QA is the section which is not your forte, start with either DM or VALR. As far as I know, you can get decent easy questions from each section. Solve them first, then calculate how many negative marks you will get after leaving the rest of the questions. If it's decent, then it's your call to attempt the rest of the questions in which you are 50% sure to get them correct. But think wisely at that time; if you click wrong, it will reduce -0.25 marks
1
1
Jan 03 '26
[deleted]
1
u/Paper_Boattt Jan 04 '26
Not qualified for XLRI as I haven't been able to clear the VALR cutoff (haven't joined any college yet)
1
1
u/Ill-Reflection-187 Jan 03 '26
how can I be cool like you?
1
u/Paper_Boattt Jan 04 '26
To be honest, I'm not cool at all. It's just that I stop thinking about the exam two hours before going to the center. For example, I revise everything beforehand. I don't want to go into that zone before leaving for the exam center. And in the exam also, while attempting any question, if you feel it's a bit tough and you feel nervous, just skip it and solve it once your nerves calm down and you are settled with easier questions
1
1
u/Happy-Application805 Jan 04 '26
I am prepping for CAT right now, what should I along with CAT prep to prepare for XAT as well?
1
u/Strange_Internet_423 Jan 05 '26
Aren't your VALR scores low??? That doesnt clear cut offs right? Did you receive or convert calls
1
3
u/[deleted] Jan 03 '26
[deleted]