The General Knowledge section in XAT 2025 is an important section. The syllabus is vast and with the essay being removed, you will get no extra time for it. GK is the fourth and the last section after – Decision Making, Verbal & Logical Reasoning, and Quant & Data Interpretation. Here is all you need to know about it.
1. Features of GK Section
- There are 25 multiple choice questions in this section
- There is NO negative marking in the section
- The score of this section will not be considered for calculating the percentile
- The score in GK section holds a significant weightage in the final selection process
- The GK questions could be discussed during latter stages of the final selection process – writing ability test, group discussion, and / or personal interview.
2. What to Expect of GK Section
The difficulty level of the question asked under the GK section would be between moderate to difficult. They are a mix of static and current affairs. The distribution of questions is almost even with more preference being given to static affairs.
Here is a look at the previous year breakup:
|
XAT GK Section |
2018 |
2017 |
2016 |
|
Static |
14 |
13 |
15 |
|
Current |
11 |
12 |
10 |
3. What are the Topics Covered under GK Section
XAT authorities do not release a syllabus for the exam. Based on the previous year papers and pattern, here is a list of topics that are usually asked under this section:
- Awards- Nobel Prizes, Booker Prize etc
- Books and Authors
- Business Deals & Developments
- Countries & Capitals
- Currency
- Entertainment
- Finance
- Geography
- Government Schemes & Initiatives – Ayushman Bharat, Swtach Bharat, Make in India etc.
- History – India & World
- Indian Constitution
- International News
- Mergers & Accusations
- Politics
- Science
- Sports
- World Records
4. Advantage of GK Section
Although syllabus – wise GK section is quite vast, yet it is scoring and should take no more than 5 to7 minutes while attempting. The big advantage is that there is no negative marking in this section and its score does not impact your final percentile. All you need to do is take out those 5 minutes to attempt the questions from the 180 minutes.
How to Prepare for GK Section
There is a sea of information that you need to grasp. Preparation for the GK section is a gradual and continuous process. You cannot expect to mug up in a small amount of time. Here is what you can do:
- Read & Watch
- Be a voracious reader
- Daily, spend at least 30 minutes reading the newspaper
- Read and watch the news on national and international channels
- Read business and political magazine at least few times every week
- Note down and remember the winners of various awards in the last 2 years.
- Divide & Rule
- Team up with a friend and divide focus areas for each person. Then make and share notes about current and static affairs
- This will save time and quicken your learning process.
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