XAT GD and PI 2024 Rounds will be conducted in mid-February-March 2024. The list of candidates shortlisted for the GD/PI round will be announced on the official website of XLRI in the third week of February 2024.

• XLRI Jamshedpur conducts the GD and PI rounds for the admission of candidates in their PGDM programmes.
• The final merit list is prepared based on the composite score of XAT 2024, GD/PI performance, academic profile, work experience, and sectional score of Essay and GK.
• The weightage of the GD/PI in the preparation of the final merit list is 25%.
• XAT Group discussion is conducted to test the candidate’s communication skills, general knowledge, teamwork, leadership quality, personality, and ability to handle group dynamics.
• XAT Personal Interview round is conducted in online mode to judge candidates based on their communication skills, confidence, content, personality and ability to think under pressure.
• XAT GD involves topics around current affairs, politics, economy, philosophy or social issues and the XAT PI includes questions of general knowledge and background and qualification of the aspirant.

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XAT Group Discussion

In a XAT Group Discussion round is an integral part of the selection process. In XAT GD, candidates are divided into groups of 8-15 participants. The number of groups is based on the number of candidates shortlisted and the number of GD rounds the institute wishes to conduct.

Each group is given a topic to discuss for a time span of 15-25 minutes. Topics of XLRI GD could be about current affairs, politics, economy, social issues concerning human rights, advertising, technology, education or business in India, etc.

XAT Group Discussion (GD) Preparation

The goal of the Group Discussion is to showcase your communication skills, general knowledge, teamwork, leadership quality, personality, and ability to handle group dynamics. Here are some tips to prepare for the XAT group discussion round:

• Be a Team Player: Group Discussions are not about dominating the group but your ability to work well within a group. To practice for the XAT GD, work on your communication skills, participate in the conversation of the group and discuss your ideas and thoughts on the subject.
• Leadership Skills: Another important thing that is important for GD is to showcase your ability to lead the team. Initiate the discussion with a concise and relevant point. Develop your leadership skills by taking on responsibilities and working with diverse teams. Also, actively seek feedback for continuous improvements.
• Practise Public Speaking: Some individuals have great difficulty speaking in public. This can be a huge drawback when it comes to group discussions. Improve your public speaking skills by taking up more opportunities to speak in public gatherings. It will eventually cater for your stage fear.
• Stay on Topic: stick to the assigned topic without going off on targets. Be on track to be relevant and focused. You can also support your viewpoints with facts, figures and examples. It adds credibility to your arguments and makes your opinions more effective.
• Be a Good Listener: Pay attention to fellow participants' viewpoints. When you make other people feel heard in a group, it shows respect and helps you build upon others' ideas. Towards the end, you have to summarize the key points discussed and conclude the discussion, so it will help in that regard too.
• Be Respectful and Handle Interruptions Well: Be respectful and considerate of other team members’ opinions, even if you disagree. If a fellow participant interrupts you while talking, wait for a pause and calmly continue your point. Engage in healthy arguments without being aggressive.
• Work on your Body Language: Maintain open Body Language and eye contact while talking. It showcases your engagement and confidence in the discussion. Sit straight, be active, and don’t intrude into other people’s space with your hand gestures.

XAT Group Discussion Topics

The XAT GD topics may range from current affairs, politics, economy, philosophy or social issues concerning human rights, advertising, environment, technology, education or business in India. The list of GD topics of XLRI from the past five years is given below:

XAT Personal Interview

XAT Personal Interview (PI) round has questions about the candidate’s background, academics, extracurricular achievements, and motive behind selecting MBA for their career. The panellist gauges the candidates based on their communication skills, confidence, content, personality and ability to think under pressure.

The questions in the XAT PI generally revolve around the CV of the candidate. The personal interview is conducted for around 10-15 minutes. Candidates must practice the XAT personal interview with the right approach and keep the judgement criteria in mind.

XAT Personal Interview (PI) Preparation

The goal of the personal interview is to showcase your personality, skills and potential. Candidates must be authentic, confident and well-prepared to excel this round. Here are some tips to prepare for XAT personal interview round:

• Confidence and Body Language: Be confident in yourself and maintain the general etiquette, such as greeting them with a smile, making eye contact, and addressing all the panellists while talking. Just speak under the assumption that you are confident in yourself even if you are not. Be well-dressed and well-groomed to look presentable.
• Know your Resume: Most of the questions asked in the PI will be around your CV. Be prepared to discuss it with panellists in detail. Highlight your academic achievements, extracurricular activities, work experience, and any relevant skills that make you a better candidate for admission.
• Research the Institute: Get knowledge about the institute you are interviewing for. Know about their values, programmes, faculty, and achievements. It will show your genuine interest to choose that institute for your career.
• Prepare STAR structure: Use real-life examples to showcase your skills. Practice answering your questions using the STAR structure: Situation, Task, Action, and Result. Use it to illustrate your experiences and achievements effectively in front of panellists.
• Listen to each question carefully: Sometimes the interviewers ask questions that are not understandable. So, pay attention to the questions and think before you respond. Do not speak over them. Wait for your turn and take a moment to formulate a thoughtful answer. It’s okay to ask for clarification if you did not hear something.
• Do Not Argue with the Interviewers: Some individuals can be argumentative. If you are completely sure that the Interviewer is wrong or you disagree with them, do not get involved in arguments. Communicate it in a non-threatening way and a respectful manner.
• Adaptability and Self-awareness: showcase your ability to adapt the new situations and constantly-changing environments. Highlight the real-life moments where you showcased your adaptive nature. Be honest about your strength and weaknesses and how you’re working on them.

XAT Personal Interview Questions

The XAT personal interview requires personalised preparation as well as generalized preparation. The generalized questions include basic knowledge of economics, finance, residential state/city, current affairs and common HR questions, while the personalized questions depend on the background and qualification of the aspirant. Check out some common XAT PI questions below.

XAT GD- PI Weightage in Final Selection

The final selection of the candidate in XLRI Jamshedpur is done based on the cumulative score of various components such as XAT score, GD/ PI performance, academic profile, work experience etc. Each component is assigned a different weightage. The XAT selection criteria weightage of each component for the final selection of candidates is given below: