XAT Exam Answer Key 2026

Most candidates expect the XAT answer key to be a public PDF, the way JEE Main or a state CET puts one out for everyone to download. XAT doesn't work like that. Many candidates see this gap and assume XLRI skips the answer key step completely. That's not true.

XLRI Jamshedpur has released a provisional key and then a final key in both XAT 2025 and XAT 2026. The difference is where you find it. The key sits behind your candidate login on xatonline.in. It doesn't show up as a public page that search engines can index. That's the real difference from JEE Main. The key is there. It's just not public.

Here's what that means in practice. In recent cycles, the provisional key has come out about a week after the exam. After that, an objection window opens for a few days. You pay a fee for each question you challenge. XLRI hasn't announced the exact fee for 2027 yet. XLRI then reviews the objections and releases a final key. XLRI calculates your actual score from this final key, before the result comes out.

XLRI has scheduled XAT 2027 for January 3, 2027. The official site confirms this as of 12 September 2026. Expect the provisional key about a week later, inside your own candidate login. XAT 2025 and XAT 2026 both followed this same pattern. Here's what we know for sure so far.

Is the XAT 2027 answer key out?

No. XAT 2027 hasn't happened yet. The exam is on January 3, 2027. Once the exam is over, expect a provisional key behind your candidate login within about a week. XAT 2025 and XAT 2026 both went this way. It won't be a public PDF you can find without logging in.

XLRI hasn't announced an exact date yet. XAT 2027 is still months away. Here's what the pattern from the last two cycles tells us.

XAT 2026's exam was on 4 January 2026. Its provisional answer key came out on 8 January, four days later. XAT 2025 followed a similar pattern. Its key came within about a week of that year's exam too. In both cycles, XLRI released the key soon after the exam, well before the result.

If XAT 2027 follows the same pattern, expect the provisional key in the first or second week of January 2027. That's just a few days after the 3 January exam. This is an estimate based on the last two cycles, not a confirmed date.

Does XLRI publish a provisional and final XAT answer key?

Yes, both. The provisional key comes first, behind your candidate login. Then an objection window opens, where you can challenge a specific question for a fee. XLRI announces the exact amount closer to the exam. XLRI reviews the objections and then releases a final key. XLRI calculates your actual score from this final key, before the result is out. None of this happens on a public page. All of it is inside your own login at xatonline.in.

Here's how it has worked in the last two cycles. This is what to expect for 2027.

1. Log in to your XAT candidate account on xatonline.in, using your registered credentials.
2. Open the response sheet first. XLRI typically posts this a day or two before the provisional key. It shows exactly what you selected for each question.
3. Check for the provisional answer key link inside the same login. It appears within about a week of the exam, going by the 2025 and 2026 cycles.
4. Download it as a PDF and keep a copy, the same way you'd keep a scorecard.
5. Watch for the objection window if you plan to challenge a specific answer. Note the fee per question before you submit.

How do I check my XAT 2027 response sheet?

Your candidate login on xatonline.in is the only place it appears. The response sheet usually shows up a little before the provisional answer key, going by the last two cycles. Check the same login again a few days later for the key itself.

Video: What Happens When the Key Drops

Here is how the response sheet and provisional key actually appeared inside the candidate login last cycle. It's a preview of what to expect once XAT 2027 wraps up.

There's no separate public download link, because the key itself isn't public. The only real place to check is your own candidate login at xatonline.in. This works once XLRI conducts XAT 2027 and activates the key for that cycle.

The link that matters won't be on a coaching site or forum. It shows up inside your own account once XLRI activates it for that cycle.

People often use these two terms as if they mean the same thing. XLRI actually releases both, at different times, inside the same candidate login.

• The response sheet shows what you selected, question by question. It says nothing about which answer was correct. It appears first, a day or two before the key, going by the last two cycles.
• The provisional answer key lists the correct option for every question. It follows the response sheet. It's also what opens the objection window.

You need both to estimate your score. The response sheet tells you what you picked. The key tells you what was correct. Neither is a public page. Both need your own login to xatonline.in.

Is XAT's response sheet the same as an answer key?

No. The response sheet only confirms your own selections. The answer key adds the correct answer for each question. This is what lets you calculate a score. XLRI usually releases the response sheet a little earlier than the key. That matches the 2025 and 2026 pattern. So don't expect both on the same day.

XLRI does run an objection process. Its general FAQ page doesn't spell this out clearly, but the process is real. You handle it inside the same login as the key itself, not through a separate public form.

The objection window stays open for only a short time, going by past cycles. So don't wait to review the key once it's out. XLRI reviews every objection before releasing the final key. XLRI calculates your actual score from this final key.

Can I raise an objection against a wrong XAT question?

Yes. Log in once the provisional key is out. Flag the specific question and pay the objection fee XLRI sets for that cycle, within the announced window. XLRI's final key reflects the objections it accepts. This final version, not the provisional one, decides your score.

Once your provisional key is out, here's how to turn it into a score estimate. XAT's marking scheme is public. The official exam pattern page confirms it.

Part 1 covers Verbal and Logical Ability, Decision Making, and Quant and Data Interpretation. That's 75 questions in total. Here's how the marking works:

• +1 mark for every correct answer
• -0.25 marks for every wrong answer
• -0.10 marks for every unattempted question beyond your first 8 skips. Your first 8 skips in Part 1 cost nothing.

Part 2, the General Knowledge section (20 questions), has a lighter penalty: +1 for correct, zero for wrong. Skipping a GK question costs nothing either way.

What if I skip more than 8 questions in Part 1?

The marking scheme penalises only the skips beyond your first 8, at -0.10 each. If you skip 8 or fewer, there's no deduction. This rule affects how much you should guess, so factor it into your estimate.

A worked example. Say you attempted 65 of the 75 questions in Part 1, leaving 10 blank. You got 50 right and 15 wrong.

• Correct: 50 × 1 = 50
• Wrong: 15 × -0.25 = -3.75
• Skipped beyond the free 8: (10 - 8) × -0.10 = 2 × -0.10 = -0.2
• Part 1 score: 50 - 3.75 - 0.2 = 46.05

Now the GK section. Say you attempted 15 of 20 questions, getting 10 right and 5 wrong.

• Correct: 10 × 1 = 10
• Wrong: 5 × 0 = 0
• Part 2 score: 10

Your estimated raw XAT score: 46.05 + 10 = 56.05

That raw number alone doesn't tell you where you stand. XLRI converts XAT scores into a percentile against every other test-taker that year. The XAT exam pattern 2027 page has the full section-wise breakdown. Check it before you rely on this estimate.

Once XLRI releases the final answer key, and later the actual XAT result 2027, those numbers are what count, not this provisional-key estimate. Treat this calculation as a planning tool for the weeks between the exam and the result. It's not a guarantee.