CAT vs XAT: Pattern, Marking and Topic Data Compared (2017–2025)

CAT vs XAT in one line: CAT is a two-hour, three-section test (VARC, DILR, QA) with sectional time limits and type-in-the-answer questions; XAT is a three-hour test (Verbal & Logical Ability, Decision Making, Quant & DI, plus a separate GK part) with +1/−0.25 marking and no CAT-style DILR section. From our tagging of every question in both exams from 2017 to 2025, the biggest content differences are Decision Making, the extra verbal types XAT still asks, and DI sitting inside XAT's Quant section.

Below is a side-by-side table, a section-by-section comparison with data, a note on schools, and how to prepare for both with one plan in the 35 days between CAT (29 November 2026) and XAT (3 January 2027).

CAT vs XAT at a glance

Our CAT exam pattern guide covers CAT's structure in more detail.

Section by section: what the data shows

How we counted: we tagged every question in every CAT and XAT paper from 2017 to 2025 to a chapter (a few carry two tags, so totals slightly exceed question counts) and compared shares within each section.

Quant: CAT QA vs XAT QADI

The core overlaps: Number Theory is the top maths chapter in both, at 8.0% of CAT QA and 8.1% of XAT QADI over 2017 to 2025. The differences:

• DI is XAT's biggest Quant chapter. XAT DI Tables & Graphs is 17.8% of QADI; all DI is 19.0%. CAT keeps DI out of Quant entirely.
• XAT asks chapters CAT Quant does not. Probability (9 questions) and Data Sufficiency (10) appear in XAT; CAT QA had neither from 2017 to 2025.
• CAT is heavier on algebra. Algebra chapters are 41.8% of CAT QA vs 23.6% of XAT QADI. Logarithms alone is 5.0% of CAT QA but 1.6% of XAT.

Detail: most asked topics in CAT Quant and most asked topics in XAT QADI.

Verbal: CAT VARC vs XAT VALR

Reading Comprehension is about two-thirds of both: 66.7% of CAT VARC and 65.2% of XAT VALR in 2021 to 2025. The rest is where they part ways. All 120 non-RC CAT VARC questions in those years are paragraph-based (para jumbles, summaries, completion, missing sentence, odd one out). XAT's non-RC questions include 25 grammar, vocabulary, fill-in-the-blank, argument and fact/inference/judgement questions, types CAT has not asked in that period. XAT passages and options are also widely seen as denser, so the same reading habit needs more care on XAT. Practise both: CAT RC and XAT RC.

DILR vs Decision Making

CAT has a full DILR section of 20 to 22 questions in four or five sets; in 2021 to 2025, Tables & Graphs (21.9%) and Mathematical Reasoning (16.1%) led. XAT has no such section: its DI is inside QADI, and its logical-reasoning items (5.8% of QADI, plus a few in VALR) are scattered. In its place XAT has Decision Making: 21 or 22 questions per paper on business and ethical cases. Some numerical DM cases carry a "Simple Equations" tag and some long case passages an RC tag in our data; DM is still its own skill. See our XAT Decision Making guide and the latest XAT 2025 DM paper.

GK

XAT has a separate General Knowledge part that does not count toward the percentile. CAT has none.

How the marking changes your test-taking

The two marking schemes reward different habits. In CAT, a wrong MCQ costs a third of a correct answer's value, while a TITA guess costs nothing but time, so a reasonable attempt at a TITA question you have half-solved is usually worth entering. Sectional timers also mean a weak section cannot borrow time from a strong one: each 40-minute block has to stand on its own.

In XAT, a wrong answer costs a quarter of a correct one, and leaving many questions unanswered also carries a small penalty. That makes informed guessing (after eliminating one or two options) more attractive than in CAT, and blind skipping of large blocks less attractive. Read the XAT 2027 notice for the exact unanswered-question rule, then decide your skipping policy before the exam and practise it on full papers, rather than deciding question by question under pressure.

Which schools: CAT or XAT?

CAT is the entrance test for the IIMs and is accepted by a large number of other B-schools. XAT is the test for XLRI, and many other schools accept XAT scores as well. Policies change each year, so check each school's admission page for the tests it accepts. For most aspirants the practical answer is to write both: the preparation overlaps heavily and the dates do not clash.

Preparing for CAT and XAT with one plan

• Shared base (most of your time): arithmetic, algebra and geometry; RC daily; DI calculation and chart reading; paragraph-based verbal.
• CAT-only: DILR set selection and the CAT format (TITA, sectional timing). Take recent papers such as CAT 2025 DILR Slot 1 in full.
• XAT-only: Decision Making (start a few sets a week now, not after CAT), grammar and vocabulary, probability and data sufficiency, and a little GK in December.
• Practice material: the CAT previous year papers and XAT previous year papers pages have every section with solutions, and the test builder makes timed sets from chosen chapters of either exam.

The 35 days between CAT and XAT

1. Until 29 November: CAT first. Keep XAT alive with two or three DM sets a week. Register for XAT before 6 December. Our CAT 2026 last minute preparation plan covers these weeks.
2. 30 November to 6 December: rest for a day or two, then switch: daily DM, XAT verbal types, probability, data sufficiency, timed DI sets. Confirm your registration before it closes.
3. 7 to 27 December: full XAT papers from 2021 to 2024, one or two a week with full review, plus short daily GK reading.
4. 28 December to 2 January: XAT 2025 (QADI, VALR and DM) as your final full paper, then light revision.

The full week-by-week version is in our XAT 2027 preparation plan.

Frequently asked questions

Which is tougher, CAT or XAT?

Neither is simply harder. XAT adds Decision Making and a broader, denser verbal section, and puts DI inside Quant; CAT has a demanding DILR section, sectional time limits and TITA questions. Many aspirants find XAT verbal and DM the hardest parts across both.

Is the XAT syllabus the same as CAT?

Largely overlapping for Quant and reading. XAT adds Decision Making, GK, grammar and vocabulary, probability and data sufficiency; CAT has a separate DILR section.

Can I prepare for CAT and XAT together?

Yes. Most of the preparation is shared. Add DM and XAT's verbal types a few hours a week before CAT, then switch to XAT-specific practice after 29 November.

Does XAT have negative marking like CAT?

Yes, but differently: −0.25 for a wrong answer (CAT: −1 on MCQs) and a small penalty for leaving many questions unanswered. Check the XAT notice for the exact rule.

How many days are there between CAT 2026 and XAT 2027?

35 days: CAT is on 29 November 2026 and XAT on 3 January 2027.