XAT Negative Marking Calculator
XAT is one of the few MBA exams that penalises skipped questions. This calculator shows exactly how many marks you lose to wrong answers and to skips beyond the free 8.
Calculate Your XAT 2027 ScoreXAT marking scheme
Each correct answer earns +1. Each wrong answer costs −0.25. In Part 1, the first 8 unattempted questions are free; every unattempted question after that costs −0.10. General Knowledge has no negative marking and is not counted in your percentile.
| Response | Part 1 (VALR, DM, QA&DI) | GK |
|---|---|---|
| Correct | +1 | +1 |
| Wrong | −0.25 | 0 |
| Unattempted (first 8) | 0 | 0 |
| Unattempted (9th onwards) | −0.10 each | 0 |
Worked example
Say you answered 60 Part 1 questions out of 76, with 48 correct and 12 wrong. Your raw score is 48 − (12 × 0.25) = 45. You left 16 questions, so 8 are free and 8 cost 0.10 each: a 0.8 penalty. Your final Part 1 score is 44.2.
Should you guess in XAT?
A wrong answer costs 0.25 while a skip beyond 8 costs 0.10. With five options, a blind guess has a 20% chance of +1, which works out to 0 expected marks, compared with −0.10 for a skip beyond the free 8. So once you have used your 8 free skips, an educated guess is usually better than leaving a question blank, and eliminating even one option improves the odds further. Random guessing still adds risk to your score.
How to reduce marks lost
- Plan to attempt enough questions that you skip no more than 8 in Part 1.
- Pick long DM caselets carefully; their questions are often linked.
- Use the last minutes for questions where you can eliminate options.
XAT exam pattern and marking
| Section | Questions | Max marks | In percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verbal & Logical Ability | 26 | 26 | Yes |
| Decision Making | 22 | 22 | Yes |
| Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation | 28 | 28 | Yes |
| General Knowledge | 20 | 20 | No |
| Part 1 total | 76 | 76 | Yes |
+1 correct · −0.25 wrong · −0.10 per unattempted Part 1 question after 8 · GK has no negative marking
Frequently asked questions
How much is the XAT negative marking?
−0.25 for each wrong answer and −0.10 for each unattempted Part 1 question after the first 8.
Is there negative marking in XAT GK?
No. GK has no negative marking and is not counted in the percentile.
Does the unattempted penalty apply section-wise?
The first 8 free skips apply across Part 1 as a whole, not to each section.