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XAT 2027 New Negative Marking Rules Explained
The number of Part 1 questions that may be left unanswered without loss of marks has been raised from 8 to 12, which is the only change in the XAT 2027 new negative marking rules explained by XLRI for the test on Sunday, January 3, 2027. A wrong answer in Part 1 (75 questions in 170 minutes) still carries a penalty of 0.25 marks, and each blank after the first 12 carries 0.10 marks, while General Knowledge has no negative marking.
XAT 2027 New Negative Marking Rules: What Has Changed?
As per the XAT 2027 new negative marking rules, candidates are permitted to leave 12 Part 1 questions unanswered without any loss of marks, as against 8 in XAT 2026. As per the XAT Exam Pattern 2027, every other mark value in Part 1 has been kept the same as in XAT 2026. The higher limit applies to the test to be held in January 2027.
In XAT 2026, a deduction of 0.10 marks was made for each unanswered Part 1 question after the 8th, whereas in XAT 2027 the same deduction will begin only after the 12th. It may be noted that the higher limit changes only the point at which this deduction begins, and hence more Part 1 questions may now be left blank before any marks are lost.
XAT 2027 Revised Marking Scheme for Correct and Wrong Answers
As per the revised XAT 2027 marking scheme, a correct answer is awarded +1 mark in both parts of the paper, and a deduction of 0.25 marks is made by XLRI for a wrong answer in Part 1 only. The same marks apply in all three sections of Part 1, i.e. Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning, Decision Making, and Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation. The XAT cutoff scores are based on Part 1 marks, whereas the General Knowledge marks are used by XLRI only in the selection for its own programmes and are counted towards neither the percentile nor the cutoff.
Situation | Marks |
Part 1, correct answer | +1 |
Part 1, wrong answer | -0.25 |
Part 1, unanswered, first 12 questions | 0 |
Part 1, each unanswered question after the 12th | -0.10 |
Part 2 (GK), correct answer | +1 |
Part 2 (GK), wrong answer | 0 |
How Many Questions Can You Leave Unanswered in XAT 2027?
Up to 12 questions may be left unanswered in Part 1 of XAT 2027 without loss of marks, and the limit is applied by XLRI to Part 1 as a whole (i.e. across all three of its sections). Part 1 contains 26 questions in Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning, 21 in Decision Making, and 28 in Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation, which makes 75 in total.
- Each blank beyond the twelfth carries a deduction of 0.10 marks, and the deduction adds up with every further blank.
- A total of 170 minutes is allowed for all 75 questions of Part 1, with no sectional time limit, and hence the choice of sections for the 12 blanks rests with the candidate.
- The full XAT 2027 paper has 95 questions, whereas the limit of 12 covers only the 75 questions of Part 1.
- No deduction is made for an unanswered General Knowledge question, since there is no negative marking in Part 2.
Read More: XAT 50-Day Preparation Plan 2027, Section-wise Strategy
XAT 2027 Negative Marking: Old vs New Rules
The old XAT 2026 rules and the new XAT 2027 rules for negative marking have been kept identical by XLRI in all respects except one, i.e. the number of Part 1 questions which may be left unanswered without any loss of marks. The mark for a correct answer, the penalty for a wrong answer and the rule for General Knowledge remain the same in both years. Under both sets of rules, no deduction is made for an unanswered Part 1 question up to the free limit, and the same deduction applies to each such question thereafter.
Rule | XAT 2026 | XAT 2027 |
Correct answer, Part 1 | +1 | +1 |
Wrong answer, Part 1 | -0.25 | -0.25 |
Free unanswered questions, Part 1 | 8 | 12 |
Unanswered question within the limit, Part 1 | 0 | 0 |
Each unanswered question after the limit | -0.10 | -0.10 |
Correct answer, General Knowledge | +1 | +1 |
Wrong answer, General Knowledge | 0 | 0 |
How to Calculate Negative Marks in XAT 2027?
Negative marks in XAT 2027 are calculated for Part 1 only, as there is no negative marking in General Knowledge. The Part 1 score is reduced by wrong answers and by unanswered questions beyond the twelfth, whereas with 12 or fewer blanks only the wrong answers reduce the score; since Part 1 has 75 questions, the correct, wrong, and unanswered questions always total 75.
Step | Calculation |
1 | Correct answers in Part 1 are counted at 1 mark each |
2 | Wrong answers in Part 1 are multiplied by 0.25 |
3 | Unanswered questions beyond the first 12 are multiplied by 0.10 |
4 | The amounts from Steps 2 and 3 are subtracted from the total in Step 1 |
5 | Correct General Knowledge answers are counted as a separate score at 1 mark each, with nothing deducted for wrong ones |
XAT 2027 Negative Marks Calculation Example
Example, Part 1 (75 questions) | Number | Marks |
Correct answers | 40 | +40 |
Wrong answers | 20 | -5 |
Unanswered questions, first 12 | 12 | 0 |
Unanswered questions beyond 12 | 3 | -0.30 |
Part 1 score | 75 | 34.70 |
Should You Skip or Attempt Difficult Questions in XAT 2027?
In XAT 2027, a difficult question may be attempted when some of its five options can be ruled out, and the same may be skipped when no option can be judged, and penalty-free blanks are still available. As per the marking scheme, every question in Part 1, whether easy or hard, carries +1 mark if answered correctly and -0.25 if answered wrongly.
- No deduction is made for a blank among the first 12, as against 0.25 marks for a pure guess which turns out to be wrong.
- The same two numbers (i.e., the 12 penalty-free blanks and the 0.25-mark penalty) apply in the actual paper, and hence the skip-or-attempt choices in XAT mock tests should be based on them.
- With every option that is eliminated, the chance of earning the full 1 mark goes up.
- Once the twelfth blank has been used, each further blank is subject to a deduction of 0.10 marks, and hence a question which can be narrowed down becomes worth attempting.
- All the General Knowledge questions should be attempted, since a wrong answer there carries no deduction, and each of its 20 questions is worth 1 mark if correct.
Read More: Which Section Should You Attempt First in XAT 2027? Check Now
XAT 2027 New Negative Marking Rules: Conclusion
The XAT 2027 new negative marking rules provide greater flexibility by increasing the number of unanswered questions allowed without penalty from 8 to 12. Candidates will continue to receive +1 mark for correct answers and lose 0.25 marks for incorrect answers in Part 1. Understanding the revised marking scheme helps you manage attempts and avoid unnecessary negative marks.
Aspirants should focus on accuracy, question selection, and time management rather than attempting every question. Practising with XAT 2027 mock tests based on the updated marking scheme can help candidates decide when to attempt or skip difficult questions and improve their overall performance.
