XAT Score vs Percentile 2026 - Section-Wise Analysis & Cutoff Trends

Updated on 22nd December 2025 | 1:27 pm | #XATScoreVSPercentile

XAT Score vs Percentile 2026: To receive calls from the top B-schools accepting XAT scores and to qualify for the XAT 2025 selection process, a candidate must meet the cutoff criteria. To know how well one has performed in the exam, one must know their XAT score and XAT percentile. Whether you meet the cutoff requirements solely depends on your XAT Marks vs Percentile, which provides the minimum score or percentile a candidate needs to achieve in order to get through the XAT selection process.

The XAT score vs percentile shows the comparison between the sectional and overall XAT 2025 percentile against specific scores. Based on the XAT exam analysis, the expected XAT 2026 score vs percentile has been estimated. As per the analysis, to score around the 99+ percentile in XAT, candidates generally need an overall score of approximately 40, with a strong and balanced performance across QA, VALR, and DM sections. XAT percentile vs score analysis helps to determine the score needed in XAT 2026 to get the desired percentile.

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What Is XAT Score Vs Percentile 2026?

The XAT score shows how many marks a candidate got in the Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT); whereas, on the other hand, XAT percentile tells you how you have performed and what your score is in comparison to everyone else's scores. It shows the percentage of test-takers who scored the same or less than the candidate.


XAT Score VS Percentile 2025

After the exam is over, the immediate question that pops up in every aspirant's mind is probably, "How did I perform in the exam?" Well, the answer to this question comes once the answer key is released. However, to stop this curiosity, our experts have collated the expected XAT marks vs percentile table below based on XAT 2025 exam trends and analysis.

Candidates can analyse their estimated attempts and accuracy to gain insight into their performance in the XAT exam, and understand where they are likely to stand among other aspirants by referring to the XAT 2025 score vs percentile table, which can also be used as a reference by XAT 2026 aspirants to estimate their expected performance.

XAT Percentile

XAT Overall Score

XAT QA Score

XAT VALR Score

XAT DM Score

99.5%ile

40.7

17

16.5

15.5

99%ile

38.4

16.8

15.4

14.7

98%ile

35.4

14.3

14.1

14.2

97%ile

33.6

13.1

13.5

13.3

96%ile

33

12.4

12.4

12.9

95%ile

31.3

11.7

12.2

12.2

94%ile

30.3

11.2

11.8

12.1

93%ile

29.8

10.7

11.4

11.8

92%ile

28.8

10.4

11

11.3

91%ile

28.2

10

10.6

11.1

90%ile

27.5

9.7

10.3

11

89%ile

27

9.4

10

10.9

88%ile

26.4

9.1

9.8

10.7

87%ile

26

8.9

9.6

10.5

86%ile

25.4

8.7

9.4

10.2

85%ile

24.9

8.5

9.1

10

84%ile

24.6

8.3

8.9

9.8

83%ile

24.1

8

8.6

9.7

82%ile

23.7

7.8

8.5

9.6

81%ile

23.3

7.6

8.3

9.5

80%ile

22.9

7.3

8.2

9.4

79%ile

22.5

7.2

8

9.2

78%ile

22.2

7

7.8

9

77%ile

21.8

6.9

7.6

8.9

76%ile

21.4

6.7

7.4

8.7

75%ile

21

6.6

7.3

8.6

73%ile

20.4

6.2

7.1

8.4

72%ile

20.1

6.1

6.9

8.3

71%ile

19.8

5.9

6.7

8.2

70%ile

19.4

5.8

6.6

8

Note: The above table is indicative and based on XAT 2025 trends. Actual percentiles may vary year to year.


Top Target Colleges Accepting XAT Score for XAT 2026 Aspirants

Instead of focusing only on score-based cutoffs, aspirants should also evaluate colleges based on placements, fees, ROI, batch composition. The following table highlights some of the top target colleges accepting XAT scores.

College Name

Average CTC (₹ LPA)

Fees (₹ LPA)

ROI

Batch Size

XLRI Jamshedpur

31.08

28.60

1.09

184

XLRI NCR

31.08

28.60

1.09

179

XIMB

19.53

26.00

0.75

350

IMT Ghaziabad

16.07

21.53

0.75

400

IRMA

14.14

13.60

1.04

265

Great Lakes

17.30

21.63

0.80

350

IMI New Delhi

16.73

23.54

0.71

283

TAPMI

13.99

18.00

0.78

350

FORE School of Management

16.80

20.77

0.81

466

GIM Goa

15.13

13.12

1.15

301

KJ Somaiya

-

22.32

-

660

NIBM Pune

14.10

16.00

0.88

131

Note: The data above is indicative and based on publicly available institute information. Final admission depends on XAT score, profile, and institute-specific selection criteria.


Section-Wise XAT Score Vs Percentile 2025

Again, the sectional XAT marks versus percentile shared below are indicative and based on XAT 2025 exam analysis and past trends. This data is meant to serve as a reference point for aspirants and may vary depending on exam difficulty and overall candidate performance.

Out of 95 questions in XAT 2025, attempting around 42-45 questions with 85-90% accuracy was observed to be sufficient to secure a 99+ percentile, based on XAT 2025 performance trends. Below are the section-wise XAT marks vs percentile for reference, which can also be used by XAT 2026 aspirants to estimate their expected performance.

XAT 2025 Score Vs Percentile For QADI

XAT Percentile

XAT QADI Score

99.5%ile

17

99%ile

16.8

95%ile

11.7

90%ile

9.7

85%ile

8.5

80%ile

7.3

75%ile

6.6

70%ile

5.8

XAT VALR Marks Vs Percentile 2025

XAT Percentile

XAT VALR Score

99.5%ile

16.5

99%ile

15.4

95%ile

12.2

90%ile

10.3

85%ile

9.1

80%ile

8.2

75%ile

7.3

70%ile

6.6

XAT DM Score Vs Percentile 2025

XAT Percentile

XAT DM Score

99.5%ile

15.5

99%ile

14.7

95%ile

12.2

90%ile

11

85%ile

10

80%ile

9.4

75%ile

8.6

70%ile

8


XLRI Cutoff Benchmark (Based on XAT 2025 Trends)

The XAT cutoff for XLRI varies each year depending on factors such as exam difficulty, number of test-takers, seat intake, and program preference. The cutoffs shared below are based on XAT 2025 interview shortlisting benchmarks and should be treated as indicative.

XAT 2026 aspirants can use these figures as a reference to understand the expected percentile range required for XLRI programs.

XLRI BM Cutoff For Personal Interview

Stream

Gender

Total

QA

VALR

DM

Eng/Tech

Male

≥96

≥88

≥84

≥84

Eng/Tech

Female

≥91

≥82

≥80

≥80

Non-Engineer

Male

≥96

≥88

≥84

≥84

Non-Engineer

Female

≥91

≥82

≥80

≥80

XLRI HRM Cutoff For Personal Interview

Stream

Gender

Total

QA

VALR

DM

Eng/Tech

Male

≥95

≥83

≥90

≥87

Eng/Tech

Female

≥90

≥73

≥85

≥80

Non-Engineer

Male

≥93

≥76

≥90

≥87

Non-Engineer

Female

≥87

≥68

≥85

≥80


How To Calculate XAT 2026 Score?

To calculate your XAT estimated score by following the XAT marking scheme, and take the sum total of all four sections of XAT 2026, namely:

XAT 2026 Marking Scheme

The overall paper comprises multiple choice questions (MCQs) with 5 alternatives to choose from. The following is the brief XAT 2026 marking scheme, as follows:

To outshine your competition and stay ahead of your peers, you must focus on improving your communication and presentation skills for the next rounds. Enrolling in courses such as CL’s personality development program can be an added advantage for students with poor communication skills and can provide the push needed to ace your interview preparation.


How To Calculate XAT Percentile 2026?

To calculate the XAT percentile, the following formula is used:

XAT Percentile = Number of candidates − Rank of a candidate / Number of candidates x 100

For Example: If a candidate achieves a rank of 100 out of 10,000 students in the XAT, their percentile is 99%.

The percentile is the percentage of candidates who scored the same as or lower than a given candidate.

For Example: If a candidate scores in the 90%ile, they have performed better than 90% of other candidates who took the exam.


Factors Affecting XAT Score Vs Percentile

Several factors are considered when figuring out the XAT percentile. The first criterion is how difficult the entire examination is and how tough each section is. Other considerations include the total number of candidates who took the exam, the percentile in previous years, and how they normalize XAT scores.

Your XAT percentile depends on how hard each part of the test is. Another crucial factor is the number of people who take this test. The percentile tells you how well you performed compared to others who sat for it.

The XAT score is your total marks obtained, while the XAT percentile helps to determine where you rank compared to other candidates who took that test.

Based on XAT 2025 trends, which can be used as a reference by XAT 2026 aspirants, scoring around 40+ marks is typically required to achieve a 99+ percentile. Similarly, a score of around 35-38 marks is generally associated with a 95+ percentile, while a score of around 27-30 marks may correspond to a 90 percentile. A score in the range of 24-26 marks is often indicative of an 85 percentile, depending on exam difficulty.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. The XAT 2025 score vs percentile data can be used as a reference by XAT 2026 aspirants to estimate their expected performance. However, the exact score-percentile relationship may vary depending on the difficulty level of the exam.

Based on XAT 2025 trends, candidates typically need an overall score of around 40 or above to achieve a 99+ percentile. This may change slightly each year depending on exam difficulty and overall candidate performance.

The GK section is scored separately and does not impact the overall XAT percentile used for shortlisting. However, GK scores may be considered by institutes like XLRI at the final selection stage.

Yes. Institutes such as XLRI consider both overall percentile and sectional cutoffs in sections like QA, VALR, and DM while shortlisting candidates for the interview round.

Suggested Readings

What After XAT? Colleges Accepting XAT Score XLRI Jamshedpur Admission Process PI Preparation Tips GD Preparation Tips