In short
XLRI's XAT 2027 changes: 12 questions can be skipped without penalty (was 8), PGDM-HRM seats 180 to 240, 17 new associate B-schools. Exam 3 Jan 2027.
XLRI Jamshedpur, which conducts the Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT), has announced four changes for XAT 2027 on xatonline.in. The biggest is in the marking: the number of questions a candidate can leave unanswered without a penalty goes up from 8 to 12. XLRI is also adding 60 seats to its PGDM in Human Resource Management, taking the intake from 180 to 240.
XAT 2027 is on Sunday, 3 January 2027. Registration is open until 6 December 2026, and admit cards are due from 20 December 2026 (tentative), according to the XAT 2027 bulletin. XLRI expects the result in the last week of January 2027.
The four changes
| Change | Before | XAT 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Questions that can be left unanswered without penalty | 8 | 12 |
| Seats in XLRI's PGDM (Human Resource Management) | 180 | 240 |
| New XAT associate institutes | - | 17 added |
| XAT 2025 and 2026 question papers with answer keys | - | Given to those who complete the XAT 2027 application by 11 November 2026 |
What the skip rule means
In XAT, a wrong answer costs 0.25 marks, and until now candidates could leave up to 8 questions unanswered before every further skipped question also cost marks. For XAT 2027, XLRI says the first 12 unanswered questions carry no penalty, which gives candidates more room to leave out questions they are unsure of instead of guessing. The General Knowledge section has no negative marking and, according to XLRI, does not count towards the overall percentile; XLRI uses it only in its own selection.
More seats and more institutes
The PGDM (HRM) seat increase applies to XLRI Jamshedpur; for its PGDM (BM) and PGDM (HRM), XLRI shortlists candidates for interview on XAT scores. The 17 new associate institutes, which can use XAT scores in their own admissions, include the Arun Jaitley National Institute of Financial Management in Faridabad, Mahindra University in Hyderabad and Dayananda Sagar Business School in Bengaluru; the full list is on xatonline.in. Each associate institute runs its own application and selection.
What to do now
If you plan to take XAT, completing the application by 11 November 2026 gets you XLRI's set of the last two years' papers with answer keys. Otherwise, the last date is 6 December 2026. For the full timeline, XLRI's selection process and the institutes that accept XAT, see our XAT 2027 page.
Source: XLRI announcement on xatonline.in and the XAT 2027 bulletin.
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