XAT 2027 has announced an important change for test strategy and XLRI admissions on 6 November 2026. Students can now leave 12 questions unanswered in Part 1 before a penalty applies, compared with eight earlier. XLRI Jamshedpur has also expanded its on-campus PGDM in Human Resource Management (HRM) intake from 180 to 240 seats.
What changed in XAT 2027 marking?
Earlier rule: Up to 8 unanswered Part 1 questions without the additional non-attempt penalty.
Revised rule: Up to 12 unanswered Part 1 questions without the additional non-attempt penalty.
Beyond the first 12 unanswered questions, each additional unanswered Part 1 question attracts a penalty of 0.10 marks. This specific rule concerns unanswered questions; it does not cancel the usual penalty for an incorrect answer.
What changed at XLRI Jamshedpur?
XLRI has increased the intake of its full-time, campus-based PGDM-HRM programme from 180 to 240 seats. That is 60 additional seats, an increase of one-third. The extra capacity creates more places for the incoming batch; it does not guarantee selection or predict a lower cutoff.
More institutes in the XAT network
The official XAT 2027 site says 16 additional associate institutes have joined. It also separately identifies Xavier Institute of Management and Informatics, Jaipur, as a new XAMI member. Some media reports count 17 additions in total because they combine the 16 associates with the one XAMI member. Programme eligibility and whether a specific new institute offers a full-time on-campus MBA or PGDM must be checked separately with that institute.
Question papers for early applicants
According to the 6 November announcement, candidates who complete their XAT 2027 application by 11 November 2026 will receive XAT 2025 and 2026 question papers with answer keys. This is an optional preparation benefit, not a change to the ordinary XAT registration closing date of 6 December 2026.
XAT 2027 is scheduled for 3 January 2027.
What should students do?
Reassess your skipping strategy for Part 1: the penalty-free unanswered-question allowance is now 12, not eight. Do not guess solely to avoid the non-attempt penalty. If applying to XLRI HRM, note the revised intake of 240. Check the current bulletin, official updates and registration details on xatonline.in before making an application decision.
Verification note: The XAT official website confirms the 12-question threshold, 240-seat HRM intake and 16 associate institutes. The 6 November 2026 Indian Express report and the same-day press release corroborate these changes.
Key facts
| Test date | 3 Jan 2027 |
Source: XAT official website; Indian Express Education, 6 November 2026 16:23 IST; XAT/ANI release (official notice)