XAT General Knowledge syllabus 2027

XAT General Knowledge does not affect your percentile. Attempt all 20 questions anyway. There is no negative marking in this section, and XLRI looks at the score at the interview and group discussion stage.

20 questions, 10 minutes, sat as Part 2 after Part 1 closes. Roughly 12 questions on current affairs and 8 on static general knowledge. The two-part structure is set out on the XAT syllabus.

Section structure

The question count moved from 25 to 20 recently. Mocks still running 25 questions in this section are out of date.

Current affairs

Drawn from roughly the 12 months before the exam.

• National politics and policy: legislation, government schemes, budget announcements, major judgments
• International relations: summits, treaties, conflicts, changes of government in significant countries
• Business and corporate news: mergers, acquisitions, funding rounds, IPOs, regulatory action
• Appointments: CEOs, governors, chief justices, heads of international bodies
• Awards and honours: national civilian awards, Nobel prizes, literary and film awards
• Sport: tournament winners, records, hosts of forthcoming events
• Science, technology and space: missions, launches, significant discoveries
• Obituaries of significant figures

Static general knowledge

• Indian history and the freedom movement
• Geography: capitals, rivers, boundaries, national parks, mountain ranges
• Constitution and polity: articles, schedules, institutions, parliamentary procedure
• Economy: institutions, banking, monetary policy terms, indices
• Company facts: founders, headquarters, taglines, logos, parent companies
• Books and authors
• Basic science
• Art and culture: dance forms, festivals, monuments, classical traditions

Why business GK matters more here

Business GK carries more weight in XAT than in most government exam GK sections. Founders, parent companies, taglines and recent acquisitions come up regularly, which is worth knowing if your preparation is built on general current affairs material aimed at civil services or banking exams.

A brand and business awareness habit, built by reading the business pages rather than a compilation, covers a large share of this section on its own.

How to use the 10 minutes

30 seconds a question and no penalty for a wrong answer.

• Answer every question you know immediately on the first pass
• Mark the rest and return with whatever time is left
• Guess everything remaining in the final 30 seconds
• Never leave a blank, since there is no cost to a wrong answer

Nobody should be finishing this section with unattempted questions. It is the only part of the paper where the optimal strategy requires no judgement at all.

Common mistakes

• Skipping the section because it does not count towards the percentile
• Leaving questions blank when there is no negative marking
• Preparing from civil services current affairs material, which under-covers business news
• Spending months on GK for 20 unscored questions, when the marginal return sits in Part 1

Frequently asked questions

Does XAT GK count towards the percentile?

No. It is excluded from the XAT score calculation.

Then why attempt it?

XLRI uses the score at the interview and group discussion stage, and there is no negative marking.

How many GK questions are there?

20, down from 25 in earlier years.

How much time is given?

10 minutes, as Part 2, after Part 1 closes.

Is there negative marking in GK?

No.

What period do current affairs come from?

Broadly the 12 months before the exam.

Can I go back to Part 1 during the GK section?

No. Part 1 closes before Part 2 begins.

How much preparation does GK need?

Less than most candidates give it. The section is unscored and 20 questions long, so the return on months of preparation is small.

Is static GK or current affairs more important?

Current affairs carries more questions, at roughly 12 of the 20.

Does CAT have a GK section?

No. Neither does the GMAT. XAT is the outlier among the major MBA entrance exams.