XIMB-RAT Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar MS-Word Version
Research Aptitude Test
GENERAL INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS
The XIMB Research Aptitude Test (XIMB-RAT) is a test of some basic skills considered essential for
researchers, namely written communication, analytical reasoning, and data interpretation skills. Please
keep in mind the following instructions regarding the test. Similar instructions will appear on the cover
page of the test booklet. You should reach the test centre 30 minutes before time, so that you will have
time to read the actual instructions before the test begins.
1. You should have with you the XIMB-RAT Admit Card, a scale (or paper knife, to tear open the seal in
the test booklet), and your pens. Books, notebooks, calculators, computing aids, and mobile phones are
not allowed. Use a pen with either black or blue ink. Once the test begins, you will not be allowed to leave
the room until the test is over.
2. The test booklet contains four sealed sections (A, B, C, D). All the pages are printed on one side of the
paper, leaving the reverse side empty. The time allowed for different sections are: Section A: 30 minutes,
Section B: 40 minutes, Section C: 20 minutes, and Section D: 30 minutes [Total: 120 minutes].
3. You will be evaluated essentially on your writing, logical/mathematical reasoning, and data
interpretation skills. You should use formal English for all your answers (i.e. avoid informal abbreviations,
casual usages, slang vulgar expressions, etc.). Section A is a self-portraitsection, in which you will write
about yourself and your individual perspective on certain matters. Section B will assess your skills
ofwriting. Section C will assess your reasoning, and Section D will assess your quantitative and data
interpretation skills.
4. During the test, you should feel free to write any feedback (about the test, specific questions, defects in
the booklet, etc.) on the feedback page given at the end. You should not write your name, ID, or any
identification anywhere in the test booklet, except on the front page, within the space provided for this
purpose.
5. When the invigilator announces the time to start, you will use your scale (or paper knife) to tear open
the seal for Section A and start answering.
6. There will be no negative marking. All the questions are self-explanatory. No further clarification should
be sought from the invigilator. In all the sections, you are allowed to do rough work either in the margin or
on the reverse side of the paper. Such rough work will not be taken into account for evaluation.
7. All answers are to be written within the space provided. No additional paper will be given. Therefore,
you should plan your answers suitably. If for any extraordinary reason you need extra space while
answering Section A and B, you could write on the reverse side of the page.
8. For some of the questions, the answers will be expected within a specified a word-count range. This
helps in assessing your ability to compose an answer of an expected size. Therefore, answers that fall
outside the specified range will not be taken favourably. You mustwrite the actual word-count at the end
of your answer to such questions and ensure it is within the range specified.
9. If you finish answering a section before time, you should utilize your balance time in revising your
answers in that section. You are not allowed to go forward until the invigilator announces the time to go to
the next section. You are not allowed to go back to the previous section(s) at any time.
10. At the end of the test, you should leave the room quietly after all the test booklets and admit cards are
collected by the invigilator.
SAMPLE QUESTIONS WITH GUIDELINES FOR ANSWERING
SECTION A (30 minutes)
Total marks: 5
This is the self-portrait section. There are two questions (A1, A2) in this section. There are no right or
wrong answers to these questions. Therefore, you should feel free to write what comes to your
mind naturally. The evaluation will be based on how well you adhere tostandard written English. You will
be evaluated for the quality of sentence construction (spelling, grammar, syntax, style, etc.) and the
quality of composition (logical flow of thoughts, clarity of expression, persuasiveness and impact of the
text, etc.). For this section, both the answers will be read together and assessed jointly. A single mark will
be awarded out of 5. Remember that word-limits apply to both the questions. You must count and write
the number of words at the end of each answer. This section may also be used at the second stage of the
selection process, if you are short-listed.
Sample Questions
A1. It is said that, "Some people reach the top of the ladder only to find it is leaning against the wrong
wall." Please reflect on this statement and apply it to your own life. Discuss what this means to you in
your own personal journey (within 150-250 words).
Guidelines for answering: To answer such questions, you have to be clear about
the view (or insight) the quoted statement conveys. You have to then relate
that view (or insight) to your own personal experiences. You may or may not
fully agree with the position expressed in the quotation. But, you should make
an effort to present an authentic account of what the statement means to you,
especially in the context of your own worldview and your own approach to life.
Remember, your answer must be within the specified word-count range. At the
end of your answer, you should count the exact number of words you have
written and write the word-count in the space provided.
A2. Please describe how you have prepared for taking up doctoral-level studies at a management school
(within 150-250 words).
Guidelines for answering: For such questions, you should given an authentic
answer. Remember, your answer must be within the specified word-count range.
At the end of your answer, you should count the exact number of words you have
written and write the word-count in the space provided.
When you finish writing both the answers, you should review your answers in this section only. The
invigilator will announce when it is time to go to the next section.
SECTION B (40 minutes)
Total marks: 15
There are two questions (B1 and B2) in this section. These are intended to assess your skills of writing
and comprehension. Question B1 will involve summarising a given passage and Question B2 will involve
writing a composition on a given theme. Remember that word-limits apply to both the questions. You must
count and write the number of words at the end of each answer.
Sample Questions
B1. Please read the following text carefully. Write a brief summary of the text within 100-200 words, in the
space provided after the text. Give a suitable title to the summary. You are allowed to take notes on the
margins, or underline words in the text.
Text: (Some text of about 700 words will be given.)
Guidelines for answering: For this question, it is important that all the key
ideas expressed in the given text find a place in the summary. The summary
should convey the message of the original text without altering its focus,
scope, or intent. Your answer will be evaluated for these aspects, as well as
your sentence construction and composition skills. Remember that your answer
must be within the specified word-count range. At the end of your answer, you
should count the exact number of words you have written and write the word-
count in the space provided.
B2. "Whenever man comes up with a better mousetrap, nature immediately comes up with a better
mouse." Please compose an essay of 200-300 words to present your perspective on this statement. You
may consider the topic from different standpoints, but you must present a clear stance on the matter. You
must organise and develop your viewpoint in a lucid and coherent manner, supporting it with relevant
arguments and examples. You will be evaluated on your adherence to standard written English and your
ability to state your thoughts in a structured way.
Guidelines for answering: Your essay will be evaluated on your sentence
construction and composition skills as well as your ability to state your
thoughts in a coherent and logically defensible manner. Remember that your
answer must be within the specified word-count range. At the end of your
answer, you should count the exact number of words you have written and write
the word-count in the space provided.
When you finish writing both the answers, you should review your answers in this section only. The
invigilator will announce when it is time to go to the next section.
SECTION C (20 minutes)
Total marks: 10
There are 4 questions (C1-C4) in this section. These questions are designed to assess your reasoning
skills. Rough work is allowed in the margin or on the reverse side of the paper, which will not be
evaluated. There is no negative marking.
Answers are given to all the sample questions. The answers appear in this font
style (boldface).
C1. Please read the following paragraph carefully and answer the questions following it:
The 'balanced aquarium' is a well-known concept amongst environmentalists. It is an aquarium sealed
with a glass cover. Within it is a closed cycle, so without food being added and without being cleaned it
maintains itself for years. Plants capture sunlight and produce energy-rich food; a few snails graze on the
rich bacteria flora, which develops in the sand. But only two tiny fish can be supported in an aquarium of
about five gallons of water. If more fish are added, the cycle falls into a spiral of irreversible decay. The
plants die, causing the water to become foul, after which the bacteria take over in massive numbers until
their food, too, is used up. Our earth is that aquarium. We have too many fish in the tank, there is too
much waste being produced, and only the bacteria will reap a benefit if we don't act quickly.
(a) What is the main argument presented in the paragraph?
We are consuming too much natural resource and producing too much waste far
beyond the carrying capacity of earth. If we do not act quickly, most life
forms will be wiped out from the face of the planet.
(b) List the unstated assumptions made in the paragraph which are necessary for the argument to hold
good.
The 'balanced aquarium' truly represents the earth's ecosystem.
Waste produced on earth is directly proportional to the size of our
population.
Going beyond the carrying capacity of earth will result in the complete
elimination of the human race.
Some of us are capable of reducing the rate of consumption of natural
resources and the production of waste.
(c) What logical weaknesses do you find in the argument?
Over-extension of the 'balanced aquarium' analogy to a very large-scale and
complex domain.
Humans are compared with fish, but some of them are ascribed the capacity of
judgement and action to change the global situation.
C2. Mr. Sharma depicts all the 10 living members in his joint family (A to J) as given in the figure. The
logic that he followed in arriving at this hierarchical structure is, a member to the right of a particular
member is younger (e.g., C is younger to B) and a member to the left is older (e.g., E is elder to D).
Based on the figure, please answer the questions below.
Question Space for Answer
From the following, choose the pair that represents (C, J)
(youngest, eldest)? (A, F); (C, J); (F, J); (J, C)
Which of the following members are definitely E, C
younger to F?
E, G, A, H, C
C3. Two persons, Amar and Ishwar, are having a witty conversation. Ishwar says he has three children,
all of whom have the same birthday (but all weren't necessarily born in the same year). Amar asks their
ages. Isaac replies, "The product of the ages of my children is 72." Amar points out that this is not enough
information to determine their ages. Ishwar responds with another clue -- he tells Amar the sum of the
ages of his children. But Amar again points out that there is not enough information. Finally Ishwar says,
"My youngest child is Ganesh." At last, Amar correctly determines the ages of Ishwar's children. What are
the ages of Ishwar's children?
Answer: 2, 6, 6
C4. There are some arguments/statements appearing below, which may have some logical oddities/flaws.
Please indicate whether the arguments/statements are logically sound or unsound. If it is the latter,
then describe the flaws you notice in them:
Arguments or Statement Space for Answer
(a) All cars can be categorised Unsound: There is a logical problem. Multiple
into three broad classes: luxury criteria have been used in the classification of
cars, low-priced cars, and non- cars, furthermore in an incomplete manner. As a
polluting cars. result, the classes are overlapping and do not
cover all cars.
(b) I am an Indian and India lives Unsound: There are logical and semantic problems.
in her villages. Therefore, I live in Logically, there is a category mistake in assuming
a village. what is true of India must also be true of Indians.
Semantically, the word 'live' assumes different
meanings in the two sentences.
SECTION D (30 minutes)
Total marks: 20
This is the last section, containing 4 questions (D1-D4). These questions are designed to assess your
quantitative and data interpretation skills. Rough work is allowed in the margins or on the reverse side of
the paper, which will not be evaluated.
D1. Each bit carries one mark. Space for Answer
(a) Which of the following expressions has the
highest magnitude (if 0 < x < 1)?
(b) An additional observation of value 15 is included 15
in a series of 11 numbers and its arithmetic mean
remains unaffected. What was the arithmetic mean
of the series?
(c) The arithmetic average of two series of data with 77
15 and 20 observations are 73 and 80 respectively.
What is the combined average of the pooled series?
(d) What is the next number in this sequence? 143 (Explanation: either 11*13 or
Why? 12x12-1)
48, 63, 80, 99, 120, …
(e) The sales revenue (S) of a company depends on Rate of change of sales revenue due to
the advertising expenditure (A), among other things. a small change in the ad. expenditure,
What is the meaning of the following expression? all other things remaining constant.
D2. A coin tossing game requires two people to play the game. Suppose Menak and Raunak are playing
the game with each other. If head turns up then Menak is supposed to give one rupee to Raunak, and if
tail turns up then Raunak is supposed to give one rupee to Menak. The players have Rs.100 each to start
with. Please answer the following questions:
Question Space for Answer
After 10 tosses by each, what is chance that both Raunak
and Menak have Rs. 100 each?
After 40 tosses by each, is it possible for Raunak to win all No
the Rs.100 from Menak? Yes; No
After 50 tosses by each, is it possible for Raunak to win all Yes
the Rs.100 from Menak? Yes; No
D3. The following table contains coconut production data for India for the financial year 1999-2000.
Please read the data carefully and answer the questions that follow:
State/ Union Territory Area under coconut Coconut production Productivity
production (million nuts) (million nuts
(‘000 hectares) per 1000 hectares)
Andhra Pradesh 101.7 1051.8 10.3
Assam 20.2 150.1 7.4
Goa 25.0 121.6 4.9
Karnataka 320.6 1670.3 5.2
Kerala 899.1 5167.0 5.7
Maharashtra 15.1 226.7 15.0
Orissa 29.0 163.3 5.6
Tamilnadu 304.0 3222.0 10.6
Tripura 9.1 7.5 0.8
West Bengal 24.2 324.3 13.4
A&N Islands 24.7 87.5 3.5
Lakshadweep 2.8 28.3 10.1
Pondicherry 2.2 31.2 14.2
ALL INDIA 1777.7 12251.6 6.9
Answer the following questions using the previous table.
Question Space for Answer
What is the productivity of the most productive 6000
State/UT measured in terms of coconuts produced
per acre? [1 hectare = 2.5 acres (approx.)]
Is it correct to state that the top three coconut- Yes
producing States/UT account for more than 80% of
the total production of the country?
What is the average productivity of the Union 1980 (can also be 1960 or 1920, due to
Territories (incoconuts produced per acre)? approximations used in calculation)
Mr. Kabra wishes to produce about 1000 coconuts Pondicherry
p.a. in south India. He wishes to produce this from
the smallest plot of farmland. Going by the above
data, which State/UT should he explore first?
Going by the above data, is it possible to indicate No
the State/UT where coconut farmers earn the
highest annual income from coconuts?
Yes; No
D4. In the figure, AB is the chord of a circle with its centre at C. AB
is extended to D such that BD = BC. The straight line DC is
extended to meet the circle at E. If ADE = X degrees, then what is
the magnitude of ACE?
Answer: 3X degrees
With this section completed, you reach the end of the XIMB Research Aptitude Test. If you still have time,
you should feel free to review your answers in this section only.
SOME USEFUL TIPS
1. To get more clarity on the types of question expected in this test, you may read more
about: analytical writing, common errors in English, standard English, logical fallacies, logic
puzzles, mathematical reasoning, data interpretation, data analysis, probability and statistics, etc.
2. Writing an answer within a specified word-count range requires some practice. To improve your
skill in this area, try writing something (e.g., your views on education or your summary of an
interesting article) using different word-counts. At first you may write it in about 100 words. Then
write it again in about 50 words. You may continue experimenting with this for different lengths,
say 150 or 200 words, etc. When a range is specified in a question, you should target to write an
answer that will have a word-count near the mid-point of the range. For example, if the question
specifies 100-200 words, you should target to reach about (100+200)/2 = 150 words. That way,
you are more sure to stay within the specified range.
3. The numerical questions in Section C require a higher-secondary level mathematical knowledge.
Although XIMB-RAT is not designed to be a speed-test, you should use your time in this section
judiciously. Be careful with the calculations and double-check your answers.