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Arithmetic PYQs (previous year questions) for XAT: Arithmetic (Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation) had 47 questions across the 9 official XAT papers we tagged (2016–2024), and appeared in 9 of them. Asked in 9 of 9 years. The concepts asked in the most papers: Speed and Distance, Profit and Loss, Ratio and Proportion.
Year-wise question count
Asked in 9 of 9 years.
Most-asked concepts
Sorted by the number of papers a concept appeared in.
| Concept | Questions | Papers | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed and Distance | 6 | 5 | 2024, 2021, 2018, 2017, 2016 |
| Profit and Loss | 5 | 5 | 2024, 2023, 2022, 2019, 2016 |
| Ratio and Proportion | 3 | 3 | 2024, 2021, 2018 |
| Averages | 2 | 2 | 2023, 2019 |
| Boats and Streams | 2 | 2 | 2023, 2021 |
| Clocks | 2 | 2 | 2022, 2021 |
| Data Sufficiency | 2 | 2 | 2018, 2016 |
| Mixtures and Alligation | 2 | 2 | 2023, 2018 |
| Percentage | 2 | 2 | 2023, 2020 |
| Pipes and Cisterns | 2 | 2 | 2017, 2016 |
| Successive Percentages | 2 | 2 | 2019, 2018 |
| Time and Work | 2 | 2 | 2020, 2018 |
| Statistics | 3 | 1 | 2024 |
| Ages | 1 | 1 | 2017 |
| Break-even Analysis | 1 | 1 | 2016 |
| Circular Motion | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Compound Interest | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Discounts | 1 | 1 | 2017 |
| Instalments | 1 | 1 | 2019 |
| Mensuration Cost | 1 | 1 | 2016 |
| Mixtures and Capacity | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Partnership | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Relative Speed | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Simple Interest | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Variation | 1 | 1 | 2019 |
How to practise Arithmetic PYQs
- Start with the concepts at the top of the table. They have come back the most.
- Solve one year’s Arithmetic questions from the official PDF against the clock, then check the answer listed below.
- Log every miss as a concept gap, a calculation slip or a misread. Each needs a different fix.
- Once a concept is clean in two papers, move to the next. Then sit a full paper from the year pages.
Questions by year
Each line gives the question number, type, concept, our one-line summary, with a link to the official PDF.
XAT2024
- Q.1 · MCQ · Ratio and Proportion: Students taking Economics after switches to a new specialization PDF
- Q.3 · MCQ · Speed and Distance: Arrival time of a delayed flight at a higher speed PDF
- Q.5 · MCQ · Profit and Loss: Maximum profit for a theatre at 80% occupancy PDF
- Q.20 · MCQ · Statistics: Possible value of a smudged data point from hinges PDF
- Q.21 · MCQ · Statistics: Possible average of thirteen work-experience values PDF
- Q.22 · MCQ · Statistics: Value of B after correcting a wrongly recorded value PDF
XAT2023
- Q.55 · MCQ · Percentage: Matches played given win-percentage changes PDF
- Q.58 · MCQ · Averages: Statement that must hold for five students' marks PDF
- Q.61 · MCQ · Profit and Loss: Profit percentage from discounts on printed price PDF
- Q.63 · MCQ · Boats and Streams: Data sufficiency for a rower's speed in still water PDF
- Q.67 · MCQ · Mixtures and Alligation: Water percentage after mixing two solutions PDF
- Q.69 · MCQ · Simple Interest: Amount borrowed given repayments and stock gains PDF
XAT2022
XAT2021
- Q.49 · MCQ · Compound Interest: Total sum split across two schemes earning compound interest PDF
- Q.50 · MCQ · Ratio and Proportion: Share of City B passengers who rode buses stopping midway PDF
- Q.52 · MCQ · Clocks: Minimum angle between clock hands from 2:30 to 3:00 PDF
- Q.58 · MCQ · Circular Motion: Total laps when four runners next meet at the start PDF
- Q.64 · MCQ · Boats and Streams: Minimum distance for a round trip lasting at least two hours PDF
- Q.66 · MCQ · Speed and Distance: Steps a deer needs to catch a running tiger PDF
XAT2020
- Q.1 · MCQ · Percentage: Share of jokes not sent by two of four friends PDF
- Q.10 · MCQ · Partnership: Y's share when profit is split in two ways PDF
- Q.12 · MCQ · Time and Work: Days for three experts with rest days to finish a job PDF
- Q.20 · MCQ · Relative Speed: Times a hare and tortoise are exactly 1 km apart PDF
- Q.22 · MCQ · Mixtures and Capacity: Number of smaller drums adequate to hold the water PDF
XAT2019
- Q.49 · MCQ · Successive Percentages: Employee with the least two-year hike given equal final salaries PDF
- Q.50 · MCQ · Variation: Percent decrease in b when inversely related a doubles PDF
- Q.53 · MCQ · Averages: Gap between mean and median salary of nine employees PDF
- Q.56 · MCQ · Profit and Loss: Mark-up value given discount and 4% profit PDF
- Q.61 · MCQ · Instalments: Monthly instalment for a computer bought on credit PDF
XAT2018
- Q.49 · MCQ · Time and Work: Possible attendance pattern giving half the work in 3 days PDF
- Q.51 · MCQ · Successive Percentages: Mark-up percentage when discount brings price back to original PDF
- Q.52 · MCQ · Mixtures and Alligation: Water absorbed by a porous medium from a three-liquid mixture PDF
- Q.55 · MCQ · Speed and Distance: Ratio of new speed to average speed on a walk with a rest PDF
- Q.59 · MCQ · Ratio and Proportion: Minimum girls joining to reach a given boy-girl ratio PDF
- Q.67 · MCQ · Data Sufficiency: Average age of six friends from two statements PDF
XAT2017
- Q.47 · MCQ · Pipes and Cisterns: Pipe configuration that half-fills a tank in 30 minutes PDF
- Q.48 · MCQ · Discounts: Marked price of a shirt under a buy-three offer PDF
- Q.52 · MCQ · Speed and Distance: When two travellers using walk, boat and car meet again PDF
- Q.53 · MCQ · Ages: Age gap between two brothers from family age sums PDF
XAT2016
- Q.53 · MCQ · Mensuration Cost: Minimum cost to tile a rectangular floor with two tile sizes PDF
- Q.54 · MCQ · Data Sufficiency: Who scored lowest among six from two statements PDF
- Q.55 · MCQ · Profit and Loss: Profit percent on apples given total and orange profit PDF
- Q.59 · MCQ · Pipes and Cisterns: Ratio of inlet to outlet pipes from filling time PDF
- Q.60 · MCQ · Break-even Analysis: Minimum students for a joint programme to be profitable PDF
- Q.61 · MCQ · Speed and Distance: Time from B to C using four walkers' route times PDF
- Q.68 · MCQ · Speed and Distance: Distance from temple to office given walk and drive times PDF
Other Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation topics
- Algebra PYQs
- Geometry and Mensuration PYQs
- Number System PYQs
- Permutations, Probability and Sets PYQs
- Data Interpretation PYQs
FAQ
How many Arithmetic questions come in XAT?
In the official papers we tagged: 6 in 2024, 6 in 2023, 2 in 2022, 6 in 2021, 5 in 2020, 5 in 2019, 6 in 2018, 4 in 2017 and 7 in 2016. That is 47 questions in all, about 19% of Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation.
Which Arithmetic topics repeat in XAT?
Asked in the most papers: Speed and Distance, Profit and Loss, Ratio and Proportion. The concept table lists every one with its count.
Are these official XAT questions?
Yes. Every question is from an official XAT paper hosted on our year pages. The one-line summaries are ours; open the PDF linked beside each question for the full text.