XAT Quant and DI syllabus 2027

At 28 questions this is the largest section in XAT, and it is generally rated harder than CAT quant. The difference is not the topic list. It is that XAT leans towards geometry, pure maths and multi-step problems where CAT leans towards arithmetic.

1 mark per question, 0.25 negative, no sectional time limit. It shares 170 minutes with the other two Part 1 sections under the XAT exam pattern, and it is the section most worth protecting time for.

Section structure

Arithmetic

• Percentages, profit and loss, discount, successive change
• Simple and compound interest, instalments, growth rates
• Ratio, proportion and variation, compound ratio, partnership
• Averages, weighted averages, mixtures and alligations
• Time and work, efficiency, pipes and cisterns
• Time, speed and distance, relative speed, boats and streams, trains, races

Algebra

• Linear and quadratic equations, nature and relationship of roots
• Simultaneous and higher degree equations
• Inequalities and modulus
• Functions, graphs, domain and range
• Logarithms and their laws
• Surds, indices and exponents
• Arithmetic, geometric and harmonic progressions, and series sums
• Binomial theorem

Geometry, mensuration and trigonometry

This is where XAT quant is heavier than CAT. Trigonometry is asked directly, which CAT has largely stopped doing and which the GMAT dropped along with all of its geometry.

• Triangles: similarity, congruence, special triangles, medians, centroids, area relationships
• Circles: tangents, chords, secants, cyclic quadrilaterals, arcs and sectors
• Quadrilaterals and polygons: properties, angles, regular polygons
• Coordinate geometry: lines, distance, section formula, circles, basic conics
• Mensuration: 2D areas, 3D volumes and surface areas, composite solids
• Trigonometric ratios and identities
• Heights and distances

Number systems

• Factors, multiples, HCF and LCM
• Divisibility rules and divisibility of expressions
• Remainders and cyclicity
• Last digits and trailing zeroes
• Base systems
• Primes, integers and factorial properties

Modern maths

• Permutations and combinations, including restricted arrangements
• Probability, including conditional cases
• Set theory and Venn diagrams

Data interpretation

Usually three to five sets embedded within the 28 questions, or standalone calculation-heavy questions.

• Tables with missing values
• Bar, column and line charts
• Pie charts, often paired and on different bases
• Caselets given entirely as prose
• Mixed sets combining a chart and a table
• Data sufficiency

XAT DI tends to be calculation-heavy rather than logic-heavy. Approximation and percentage shortcuts save more time here than in CAT DILR, where the difficulty sits in the puzzle rather than the arithmetic. There is no calculator, so the ability to estimate to within a few per cent is worth real marks.

How to spend the time

Around 55 to 60 minutes of the 170 available, and it should be the last section you sit rather than the first.

• Scan all 28 questions before starting and mark the DI sets
• Do the standalone questions you can see a route into first
• Take DI sets as whole blocks, since the setup cost is shared across several questions
• Give nothing more than two minutes on the first pass
• Keep an eye on the blank rule if you are skipping heavily in Part 1

Common mistakes

• Assuming CAT quant preparation covers the geometry and trigonometry asked here
• Starting DI sets late, when the setup time no longer pays back
• Calculating precisely when an approximation would answer the question
• Leaving this section until under 40 minutes remain, which happens to most candidates who start with it last without a firm allocation

Frequently asked questions

How many questions are in XAT quant?

28, the largest section in the paper.

Is trigonometry asked in XAT?

Yes. This is one of the clearest differences from CAT.

Is XAT quant harder than CAT quant?

Most candidates who sit both say yes, mainly on geometry and multi-step problems.

Is data interpretation a separate section in XAT?

No. DI sits inside the Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation section.

Is there a calculator?

No calculator is provided.

Is there a sectional time limit?

No. This section shares 170 minutes with VALR and Decision Making.

How much time should this section get?

Around 55 to 60 minutes, because it is both the largest and the slowest per question.

Is calculus asked in XAT?

No. The mathematics stops at school level, as it does in CAT.

How many DI sets appear?

Usually three to five, embedded within the 28 questions rather than grouped separately.

Does XAT quant have TITA questions?

The section is multiple choice. Type-in-the-answer questions are a CAT format.