XAT 2025 VARC PREPARATION
NATIONAL LEVEL ONLINE TEST
Table of Contents
How to Prepare for XAT Verbal Ability 2023: Syllabus, Pattern, Solved Questions, Cutoff, Preparation Tips
XAT 2023 Verbal Ability is one of the 4 sections of Part I of Xat. Verbal and Logical Ability consists of 26 objective-type questions. This section will include questions on topics like vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension, and critical reasoning. The question paper consists of around 4 Reading Comprehension Passages with 3-4 questions from each passage. CheckXAT Exam Pattern 2023
Despite being a single section, XAT Verbal Ability and XAT Reading Comprehension require separate preparation. Over the past few years, questions from XAT VA have mostly consisted of moderate to difficult questions with few easy ones. Check XAT Previous Paper Analysis
XAT Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension Difficulty
| Year | Decision Making Section Difficulty | Number of Questions |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Easy to Moderate | 26 |
| 2021 | Moderate to Difficult | 26 |
| 2020 | Mix of easy, moderate, and difficult | 26 |
| 2019 | Moderate to difficult | 24 |
| 2018 | Moderate to difficult | 26 |
| 2017 | Mix of easy, moderate, and difficult | 24 |
| 2016 | Moderate to difficult | 28 |
XAT 2023 Verbal Ability Key Highlights
The major highlights of the XAT VA section:
The Verbal Ability section is further divided into 2 parts; reading comprehension and English usage.
Reading comprehension is a rather difficult topic and the level of difficulty seems to be increasing every year.
A good attempt for XAT VARC would be around 7 - 8 questions out of 12 for the Reading Comprehension part.
XAT 2023 VARC Syllabus
Verbal Ability covers questions from the english vocabulary while in reading comprehension one has to answer questions from an entire paragraph.
XAT does not publish any official syllabus, so looking at the questions papers of previous years gives a good estimate on which topics must be covered or what can be expected. Also see:
XAT English Usage syllabus
XAT Verbal Ability is similar to that of the VA section in CAT. candidates can expect questions from the following areas:
- Antonyms
- Synonyms
- Completion of paragraph
- Correct Use of Words
- Error correction
- Contextual meaning of words
- Fill in the Blanks
- Jumbled Paragraphs
- Sentence Completion/Correction
- Vocabulary
XAT 2023 Reading Comprehension Syllabus:
A significant section which cannot be ignored, XAT reading comprehension is similar to that of the VARC section of CAT. passages are smaller but the difficulty level is high.
Types of passages include information based, author’s observation, inference based, central idea focused, right or wrong statements, and explanation of words or phrases. Candidates can expect the following questions from XAT reading comprehension section:
- Culture
- Economic Issues
- Fiction
- Psychology
- History
- Literature
- Science
- Social Issues
- Technology
- History
- Philosophy
- Narration of Incidents or Things
Also Read:XAT Syllabus
XAT 2023 Verbal Ability Preparation Books
| Book Name | Author Name |
|---|---|
| Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension | Ajay Singh |
| A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning | R.S. Aggarwal |
| A New Approach to Reasoning Verbal & Non-Verbal (Arihant) | BS Sijwali |
| How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension | Arun Sharma |
| Word Power Made Easy | Norman Lewis |
| High School English Grammar & Composition | Wren & Martin |
Getting the right resources for preparation is almost as important as the preparation part itself. This is applicable especially for students who are preparing for XAT without tuition/coaching classes or any other type of assistance. Suggested books for XAT VARC preparation with author has been tabulated above.
Some suggestion while spending on XAT VARC books:
It is suggested to students to choose books as per the section instead of one book that covers everything.
While choosing books, candidates must choose the latest version only especially for competitive exams such as XAT.
Always go for authors who are popular in this arena and have been trusted by most students over the years.
Do check the reviews to know the common opinion and get honest feedback on the same.
XAT 2023 Verbal Ability Patter
It is vital for XAT aspirants to familiarize themselves with the pattern of this exam to get a better idea of what to expect and prepare accordingly. Though XAT does not follow any particular pattern when the number of questions from a subtopic is concerned.
Highlights from XAT VARC Exam Pattern :
XAT is an online exam; Computer Based Test. Total time of XAT paper is 3 hours, and 165 minutes is given for the first 3 sections.
One mark will be awarded for correct responses. 0.5 marks will be deducted per question after 8 unanswered questions.
Candidates must answer a total of 100 questions. For incorrect responses, 0.25 or ¼ marks will be deducted.
Reading comprehension has been an important part of Verbal Ability carrying the maximum marks.
XAT 2023 Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension Solved Questions
Going through sample questions will give you an idea of the type of problems that usually come in XAT papers. We have given a problem and solution from each Verbal Ability topic. This will help in better prepration for XAT 2023 preparation for VARC.
XAT para completion sample question
Ques. Anybody setting up a new business or factory has to comply with a plethora of statutory requirements. It is not argued here that regulations are bad, but the rules should not be unrealistically stringent as to make compliance impossible. It appears that the purpose of regulation is not to enforce responsible behaviour among people and protect society but to provide an avenue for corrupt officials, who make easy money _______________.
- It Seems That Our Laws Serve As A Fertile Breeding Ground For Corruption.
- It Seems That Strict Laws Are Made Not To Be Observed, But To Be Paid Lip Service With The Connivance Of Corrupt Officials.
- It Seems That Indian Laws Are Typically Known For Their Complexity, Obtuseness, And Ambiguity.
- It Seems That The Statute Book Is Littered With Obsolete Laws Which Have Outlived Their Utility.
Answer: (b) It Seems That Strict Laws Are Made Not To Be Observed, But To Be Paid Lip Service With The Connivance Of Corrupt Officials.
XAT parajumble sample question
They subjected the residues from sherds of the rhyta-vessels to radiocark determine their ages and chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) - structure and isotopic composition and found that the vessels were used to store cheese.
In many Neolithic sites near the Adriatic Sea, researchers unearthed cone-shaped clay vessels, known as rhyta, with four legs on the bottom and a round opening on the side.
Fresh milk couldn't be kept for long without going bad; cheese, on the other hand, could be stored for months at a time, providing much-needed calories to early farmers between harvests.
Archaeologists who used to assume animals such as cows and goats were mainly used for meat early in their domestication history are thus forced to admit that humans might have been using animals for dairy quite early in their domestication history.
"If you kill one cow, you eat meat for about a week until it goes off; but by milking the animals, the farmer would be spreading the food gain from that animal over several months rather than just one week"
Ques. Rank the statements in a logical order from the options:
2, 1, 5, 4, 3
4, 5, 2, 1, 3
4, 2, 1, 3, 5
2, 1, 3, 5, 4
4, 1, 3, 5, 5
Solution - Option (d) 2, 1, 3, 5, 4
Tips to solve parajumbles:
Try to identify the tone and theme of the passage. You can do this by identifying the opening statement of that paragraph.
Try to form chains and connected links in the paragraph.
Avoid jumping to conclusions quickly or adopting a rigid approach.
Go through previous year papers to get an idea.
XAT fill in the blanks sample question:
Ques. Carefully read the paragraph below:__________, medicine has been operated by trial and error, in other words,__________. We know by now that there can be entirely_________ connections between symptoms and treatment, and some medications succeed in medical trials formere random reasons.
From the options below, choose the one that MOST appropriately fills up the blanks.
Formerly, randomly, accidental
Periodically, logically, arbitrary
Traditionally, analytically, casual
Historically, arbitrarily, fortuitous
Initially, statistically, unexpected
Solution: (d) Historically, arbitrarily, fortuitous
XAT Poem sample question
Read the poem below and answer the 2 associated questions:
Ques. Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But, if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To know that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
Question: Which of the following statements will the poet agree with the MOST?
Desire overpowers hatred to control humans.
Greed can destroy one’s world.
Ambition is more powerful than envy.
Both desire and hate can create self-doubt.
Hatred destroys what desire cannot.
Solution: (b) Greed can destroy one’s world.
Suggested Read:XAT Sample Papers/ Practice Papers, Previous Years' Question Papers
XAT Reading Comprehension Solved Question
Problem: Some psychologists and sociologists believe that psychopathy can be an asset in business and politics and that, as a result psychopathic traits are overrepresented among successful people. This would be a puzzle if n were so. If our moral feelings evolved through natural selection, then it shouldn't be the case dial one would flourish without them. And, in fact, the successful psychopath is probably the exception. Psychopaths have certain deficits. Some of these are subtle. The psychologist Abigail Marsh and her colleagues find that psychopaths are markedly insensitive to the expression of fear. Normal people recognize fear and treat it as a distress cue, but psychopaths have problems seeing it, let alone responding to it appropriately. Other deficits run deeper. The overall lack of moral sentiments—and specifically, the lack of regard for others—might turn out to be the psychopath's downfall. We non-psychopaths are constantly assessing one another, looking for kindness and shame and the like, using this information to decide whom to trust, whom to affiliate with. The psychopath has to pretend to be one of us. But this is difficult. It's hard to force yourself to comply with moral rules just through a rational appreciation of what you are expected to do. If you feel like strangling the cat, it's a struggle to hold back just because you know that it is frowned upon. Without a normal allotment of shame and guilt, psychopaths succumb to bad impulses, doing terrible things out of malice, greed, and simple boredom. And sooner or later, they get caught. While psychopaths can be successful in the short term, they tend to fail in the long term and often end up in prison or worse. Let's take a closer look at what separates psychopaths from the rest of us. There are many symptoms of psychopathy, including pathological lying and lack of remorse or guilt, but the core deficit is indifference toward the suffering of other people. Psychopaths lack compassion. To understand how compassion works for all of us non psychopaths, it's important to distinguish it from empathy. Now, some contemporary researchers use the terms interchangeably, but there is a big difference between caring about a person (compassion) and putting yourself in the person's shoes (empathy).
Questions:
Q1) The core deficit of Psychopaths affects their long term success because
They cannot sustain their behaviour.
They are less likely to succeed as HR managers than as finance managers.
They cannot hide their lack of compassion for long.
Empathy is essential for long term success.
Natural selection enables moral feelings.
Q2). Which of the following options is correct according to the author?
Compassion exists for a reason.
Empathy is a chance event.
Empathy is the cause of moral choice.
Caring for others is psychopathy.
Long term success in business is a freak accident.
Q3). A student approaches a faculty pleasing to increase his marks because failure in one more subject will result in the student having to leave the program. The faculty said, "I am sorry. But I cannot change your grades as it would be unfair to others" In the given circumstance
which are the following best describes the faculty?
The faculty is a psychopath.
The faculty was compassionate.
The faculty was both empathetic and compassionate but unfair
The faculty displayed empathy but not compassion.
The faculty displayed compassion but not empathy.
Solutions:
Q1. Answer - (c) They cannot hide their lack of compassion for long.
Q2. Answer - (a) Compassion exists for a reason.
Q3. Answer - (d) The faculty displayed empathy but not compassion.
Tips to solve RC questions:
In order to solve lengthy or tricky RC questions, you can find the key words and summarize the paragraphs in a line to avoid reading again.
For lengthy RCs, read questions first. If the answer looks too obvious, it might be a trap and is best avoided.
RC passages can be rather difficult and time consuming. Try to solve passages that have phrasal meaning, are fact based, or involve correlation questions.
XAT Antonyms and Synonyms Sample Question
Read the words given below:
Cacophonic
Cacographic
Calamitous
Catastrophic
Contraindicative
Cataclysmic
Question: which of the following words have similar meaning?
A. d and f only
B. a, b, e only
C. b, e, f only
D. c, d, f only
E. c, d, e, f only
Answer: Option d is the correct answer.
XAT Must Read Articles:
XAT Verbal Ability Previous Years Analysis
XAT verbal ability paper analysis gives students an insight on the level of difficulty that can be expected for the next XAT exam. It is also helpful in coming up with a preparation strategy based on the types of questions.
XAR Verbal Ability 2022 Analysis:
- 26 questions were asked from XAT Verbal Ability section.
- The overall difficulty level of the section was easy to moderate.
- The paper had 4 passages from topics with 3 questions each.
XAT Verbal Ability 2021 Analysis:
- 26 questions were asked and this year it was the easiest of all sections.
- Sectional cutoff is expected to be 9-10 marks.
- Desired sections percentile is 78-88 for male and 75-80 for female candidates.
- The paper had 4 RC Passages of around 300 words containing 14 Questions.
- 1 poem of moderate difficulty level.
- 12 Questions in VA included Antonyms, para jumbles, and Critical Reasoning
XAT Verbal Ability 2020 analysis:
- There were 26 questions from VA and the difficulty level was a bit higher than 2019.
- The reading comprehension questions covered topics such as arts, social issues, and psychology.
- Poem and para jumbles were of moderate difficulty. MCQ based problems had 5 options for each.
- Answering 15-17 questions with at least 70% accuracy would be a good attempt.
XAT Verbal Ability 2019 analysis:
- In 2019 26 questions were asked from Verbal Ability.
- This section was harder compared to 2018. Apart from 12 reading comprehension questions, topics included poem, analogy, para jumbles, and fill in the blanks.
- Para jumbles were on the easier side but fill in blanks was rather hard.
- A good attempt would be 16 - 18 questions with at least 65% accuracy.
XAT 2023 Verbal Ability Tips for Preparation
Overall difficulty level of XAT is higher than that of CAT. but with the right resources, preparation strategy, and tips, one can ace this exam with ease. We have listed the best suggestions that have proved to be helpful to XAT aspirants over the years. These tips include:
- Start solving your paper with para jumbles, grammar, and other non-RC questions. Do not spend much time on questions that are completely new to you.
- It is crucial to form a reading habit to ace RC. If you do not like reading newspapers or magazines, go for articles online that interest you or books. While reading, try to understand what the author is conveying to the readers.
- Watching good english movies or TV series is a good way to improve your command over the language and also a break from studies that is actually beneficial.
- In order to form a good reading habit, start with materials which are easy and work your way up to the harder ones.
- Try to learn new words everyday. Whenever you come across a difficult word, look up the meaning and write it down in a notebook. It is a good practice to maintain a notebook for new words.
- Do not try to attempt all questions in reading comprehension as it would be very time consuming, leaving little time for other sections. If 12 questions come, a good attempt would be around 7 - questions.
- If you are from an engineering or technical background, focus more on Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension. Similarly, if your knowledge of english is strong, focus on QA & DI.
- Out of 165 minutes allocated for the first three sections of XAT, try to attempt VA questions in not more than 50 minutes.
- For vocabulary and parajumble one should ideally spend about 10 - 15 minutes. For the reading comprehension part, do not take more than 30 minutes.
XAT VARC 2023 FAQs
Question: How many questions will be asked from XAT 2023 verbal ability sections?
Ans. Candidates can expect around 26 questions from the XAT verbal ability section.
Question: What is the marking pattern of the XAT verbal ability 2023 section?
Ans. Marking pattern for the XAT verbal ability section is 1 mark will be awarded for each correct answer and 0.25 marks will be deducted for incorrect responses.
Question: What is the best book to improve my vocabulary for XAT verbal ability 2023?
Ans. In order to score well in XAT Verbal ability, the book Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis is highly recommended.
Question: What are some good books for XAT verbal ability section 2023?
Ans. Some good books for XAT verbal ability are Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension by Ajay Singh, A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning by R.S. Aggarwal, A New Approach to Reasoning Verbal & Non-Verbal (Arihant) by BS Sijwali, How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension by Arun Sharma, Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis, and High School English Grammar & Composition by Wren & Martin.
Question: How much time should I take for XAT verbal ability 2023?
Ans. Out of 165 minutes allocated for the first three sections of XAT, try to attempt VA questions in not more than 50 minutes. For vocabulary and parajumble one should ideally spend about 10 - 15 minutes. For the reading comprehension part, do not take more than 30 minutes.
Question: Where can I get mock papers for XAT online for free?
Ans. Check Practice Papers to get free access to XAT complete practice papers, previous year papers, and sample papers.
XAT 2025 : 8 Answered QuestionsView All
Ans. 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
Ans. 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
Ans. 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
Ans. 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
Ans. 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
Ans. JBIMS, Mumbai is a highly respected management institute in India that offers a variety of programs including MHRD, MMS, M.Sc Finance, and Part-time MBA. Admissions to JBIMS MMS are divided into two categories: "Maharashtra State Candidates" and "Other than Maharashtra State Candidates." For candidates from Maharashtra, the MAH CET score is considered, while for candidates from outside Maharashtra, JBIMS accepts CAT/MAH CET/CMAT/GMAT scores. Shortlisted candidates are required to attend the CAP conducted by the Maharashtra State CET Cell. JBIMS only accepts valid MAH-CET scores for admission to its full-time MMS course, which is affiliated with Mumbai University. In the previous year, the highest cutoff for MAH-CET 2021 was 99.97%, recorded by JBIMS. For round 2 of MAH-CET, the score was recorded as 99.95%. MAH-CET releases cutoffs with merit lists for two distinct categories, the Maharashtra State (MH) category and the All India (AI) category, following a normalization method. Read more
Ans. IMI Delhi accepts only CAT/GMAT scores. The expected XAT cutoff for the rest of colleges are as follows: B-School Expected XAT cutoff IMI Kolkata 60 Fore Delhi 86.5 KJ Somaiya 70-73 TAPMI 85 Read more
Ans. There are no such qualifying marks for XAT. You need to clear the required cutoff of the particular institutes to be shortlisted. Here is the XAT cutoff 2022 for various institutes. Institute XAT cutoff percentile XLRI BM- 90-93 HRM - 87-92 XIMB 90-93 SPJIMR Mumbai 93-95 KJ Somaiya 85-90 IMT Ghaziabad 90-92 TAPMI Manipal 80-85 GIM Goa 85-90 MICA Ahmedabad 80-85 Grate Lakes Institute of Management 80-85 These are the expected cutoff based on last years cutoff trends. Read more
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, which will be updated soon subject to the notification issued by the University/College
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