Over time, Abhishek realizes that the learning opportunities in his current role have plateaued. Given his longstanding interest in blockchain and cryptocurrency, he starts exploring opportunities in that vertical within the company. This change is not possible without the consent of his immediate boss, Mukesh. When Abhishek brings this up with Mukesh, he acknowledges Abhishek’s curiosity and enthusiasm; however, he emphasizes how Abhishek’s competencies fit him rightly into the current vertical. Mukesh assures Abhishek that more challenging assignments in the future are forthcoming, but he remains a good team player. Further, he shares his skepticism about the long-term prospects of cryptocurrency. Hence, Mukesh politely declines Abhishek’s request.
Abhishek is not happy with Mukesh’s decision. Abhishek is aware that he needs to be in the good books of Mukesh for his performance rating. However, he is passionate about cryptocurrency; hence, he considers approaching Neha directly to discuss a possible move. Neha can take such decisions independently, but Neha and Mukesh usually see eye to eye on most issues.
Which of the following reasons, IF TRUE, will BEST encourage Abhishek to reach out to Neha regarding his desired change to a different vertical?
Which of the following reasons, IF TRUE, will BEST encourage Abhishek to reach out to Neha regarding his desired change to a different vertical?
Show Hint
- A colleague got her vertical changed by presenting her case to the higher-ups, bypassing her immediate boss.
- Mukesh is infamous for not letting his team members go to any other vertical.
- Abhishek strongly feels that he cannot continue for one more year in his current role.
- Neha is known to Abhishek as they are alumni of the same business school.
- The crypto team is always running short of talented employees.
The Correct Option is
Solution and Explanation
Abhishek is interested in shifting to the cryptocurrency vertical within the company, but his immediate boss, Mukesh, has declined his request. Abhishek is looking for a valid reason to approach Neha, who can independently make decisions regarding vertical changes.
Step 2: Evaluate each option.
- (A) If a colleague successfully moved to a new vertical by bypassing their immediate boss, it could give Abhishek confidence that he too can approach Neha directly. However, this would not necessarily address the critical need for the crypto team to hire more talent, which is the strongest reason for Neha to act.
- (B) Mukesh’s reluctance to let team members switch verticals suggests that Abhishek may face resistance from his direct boss, but it doesn’t directly help him convince Neha.
- (C) While Abhishek’s dissatisfaction with his current role may motivate him to move, this reason alone does not justify bypassing Mukesh to approach Neha, especially if the crypto team isn’t actively hiring.
- (D) Knowing Neha personally as an alumna is helpful, but it does not address the specific need for talent in the crypto team, which would make Abhishek’s case stronger.
- (E) The fact that the crypto team is always running short of talented employees provides the strongest justification for Neha to act. Abhishek can present himself as a qualified candidate for the role, increasing his chances of a vertical change.
Step 3: Conclusion.
The best reason for Abhishek to approach Neha is (E), as the shortage of talented employees in the crypto team makes his case more urgent and relevant, providing a clear incentive for Neha to consider his request.
Dissatisfied with Mukesh’s response, Abhishek reaches out to Neha for a vertical change. Though she listens to Abhishek, she shares her displeasure with the request. In fact, she brushes his request off, telling him to resign from Payseasy if it does not charm him anymore. Abhishek gets worried as he has a huge educational loan to pay, and such a departure will put him in a fix.
Later that day, in one of the team meetings, Abhishek is ignored as he is cut twice while he tries to share his project progress. Thereafter, he starts believing that Mukesh is not happy with him. This fear appears to get substantiated when Mukesh assigns an important project to another team member, which Abhishek wants to work on. His fear keeps growing regarding Neha and Mukesh not being happy with him. However, when he receives his annual rating, he finds out that Mukesh has rated him as the “best performer” of the year, based on his previous year’s performance.
Abhishek wants his relationship with Mukesh to be back on track, as it was, before he reached out to Neha.
Which of the following options will BEST enable Abhishek to rebuild his relationship with Mukesh?
Later that day, in one of the team meetings, Abhishek is ignored as he is cut twice while he tries to share his project progress. Thereafter, he starts believing that Mukesh is not happy with him. This fear appears to get substantiated when Mukesh assigns an important project to another team member, which Abhishek wants to work on. His fear keeps growing regarding Neha and Mukesh not being happy with him. However, when he receives his annual rating, he finds out that Mukesh has rated him as the “best performer” of the year, based on his previous year’s performance.
Abhishek wants his relationship with Mukesh to be back on track, as it was, before he reached out to Neha.
Which of the following options will BEST enable Abhishek to rebuild his relationship with Mukesh?
Show Hint
- Abhishek should reach out to Mukesh and apologize for his perceived immaturity.
- Abhishek should double down on his performance to demonstrate his value to the team.
- Abhishek should stay low profile for some time as the past time heals the past.
- Abhishek should request Mukesh for an open discussion to get rid of any misunderstandings.
- Abhishek should request Neha to help him in rebuilding his relationship with Mukesh.
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Abhishek is in a difficult situation where he feels that Mukesh is not happy with him. His relationship with Mukesh is important for his performance ratings and career growth.
Step 2: Evaluate each option.
- (A) Apologizing for his perceived immaturity and acknowledging Mukesh’s authority is the best way to rebuild their relationship. This will show humility and a willingness to correct mistakes, which is critical in professional settings.
- (B) While improving performance is important, this will not directly address the strained relationship between Abhishek and Mukesh.
- (C) Staying low profile may avoid further conflict, but it does not proactively solve the problem or rebuild the relationship.
- (D) Asking Mukesh for an open discussion is a good option, but it may be seen as confrontational or unnecessary if Abhishek can show the maturity through a simple apology.
- (E) Asking Neha to intervene may not be appropriate, as it could further complicate the situation and damage Abhishek’s relationship with Mukesh.
Step 3: Conclusion.
The best approach for Abhishek is (A), where he takes responsibility and seeks to rebuild the relationship with Mukesh through an apology.
After two years at Payseasy, Abhishek applies to a competing firm and is called for an interview. The hiring manager, Amit, is impressed with Abhishek and tells him that he will take the final decision to select Abhishek in a day or two. After the interview, Amit wants to know more about Abhishek since Abhishek will be leading a team of 15 people and his people management skills are very important for the team’s success. He calls Mukesh, Abhishek’s superior. Mukesh is Amit’s classmate who Amit trusts immensely. Mukesh informs Amit that though Abhishek is a good talent, he questions his superiors too often. Mukesh further shares that such a behavior makes it difficult for the superiors to manage the team.
Amit needs a good talent, but is confused if he should recruit Abhishek, given Mukesh’s assessment of Abhishek.
Which of the following data will BEST enable Amit to take a decision on Abhishek’s recruitment?
Amit needs a good talent, but is confused if he should recruit Abhishek, given Mukesh’s assessment of Abhishek.
Which of the following data will BEST enable Amit to take a decision on Abhishek’s recruitment?
Show Hint
- Amit’s organization is very democratic, where people are encouraged to share their critical views without any fear of consequences.
- Two years back, Mukesh discouraged Amit from offering a role to one of his subordinates, who later went to a competing firm and is now a star performer there.
- Payseasy has been seeing attrition of good talent to Amit’s organization in the recent past due to the high salaries that Amit’s organization offers.
- Mukesh is known to be very possessive of his subordinates.
- Abhishek was kind and cooperative throughout the selection process of Amit’s organization.
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
Amit is looking for a good talent who can manage people and work within a team. Mukesh’s feedback on Abhishek raises concerns about Abhishek’s ability to fit into a leadership role, but Amit needs more context to make a fair decision.
Step 2: Evaluate each option.
- (A) While the democratic nature of Amit’s organization is valuable, it doesn’t directly address Abhishek’s potential or fit within the team.
- (B) Mukesh discouraging Amit from hiring a subordinates is more about Mukesh’s judgment and does not necessarily reflect on Abhishek’s potential.
- (C) The fact that Payseasy is losing talent to Amit’s organization due to better compensation provides a strong argument for Abhishek. This suggests that Abhishek could be valuable to Amit’s firm if he can offer better working conditions.
- (D) Mukesh’s possessiveness doesn’t add much value in assessing Abhishek’s potential or suitability for the role.
- (E) While being kind and cooperative is important, it does not address the core concern of Abhishek’s ability to manage a team and work with superiors.
Step 3: Conclusion.
The most relevant data for Amit to consider is (C), as it provides a clear indication of Abhishek’s potential value based on his previous success at Payseasy.
Top Questions on Caselets
Ned Flanders and Homer Simpson Partners Limited is a law rm, known for its unwavering commitment to client satisfaction. They treat the clients as family members who have grown along with the rm. Further, they are highly regarded in the industry, consulted by the country’s top organizations. Among the founders, Homer Simpson is amboyant, while Ned Flanders is serious. Together, they bring a dynamic balance to the team.
The organization believes in a strong socialization ritual that bonds the new lawyers (newcomers) with the existing members. Also, the socialization ritual ensures that newcomers fully understand the nature of their work and integrate seamlessly into the company’s culture. During their rst week, newcomers are overloaded with a barrage of artificial tasks, unexpected client calls, and a challenging meeting with the founders. This results in newcomers getting overwhelmed, and doubting their decision to join the rm, only for the founders to meet them and reveal that this is one big prank and a way to welcome them to the organization. This socialization ritual has served them well for the past two decades. However, not all the newcomers appreciate the utility of this ritual.
One of the lawyers, Ms. Lisa Simpleton, who joined in 2023 and went through the same socialization ritual, found it unwelcoming. She believes that other newcomers might also share the same opinion. Lisa thinks that the current generation, especially post-COVID, needs more friendly welcome, and the rm must put an end to this ritual.Mr. Zubin Mistry is the owner and the chief editor of the newspaper The Pluralist, renowned for its high reporting standards and outstanding writing quality. The Pluralist’s authentic reporting distinguishes it from other newspapers that sensationalize news. They are responsible employers, known to be highly supportive towards their employees. Its news editing team is led by Ms. Ramya Kattabomman, a respected veteran in the newspaper reporting industry, wellknown for her stringent adherence to the ethical standards of newspaper reporting.
Mr. Aditya Swaroop Verma, an award-winning senior journalist, has brought in an exposé into the activities of a mining company, operating in an ecologically vulnerable area. In his hardhitting reporting style, he has presented interviews with tens of people, delineating how the mining company has used illegal means to start mining in that area. These mining activities may lead to the destruction of the local ecological balance. However, Aditya Swaroop is unable to obtain an interview with the management of the mining company.
Aditya Swaroop’s investigative report article offers signi cant revelations about the alleged illegal activities of the mining company which were hardly covered in the media otherwise. Nevertheless, his sources have requested for complete anonymity- What is the total number of jackets, shoes, and room heaters distributed?
- Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.
DeepSea is a natural gas extraction company that retrieves natural gas from rock formations beneath the seabed. This gas is then transported through its extensive pipeline network to a bottling plant, located at the sea surface, for processing. The gas in rock formations is pressurized, enabling it to flow to the surface and reach the bottling plant. Yet, excessive pressure can cause bursts in the pipeline, leading to uncontrolled gas release, known as blowout. A blowout carries a staggering cost, encompassing not only environmental damage but also reputation loss and financial losses totaling crores of rupees. Additionally, the impacted section of the pipeline requires a complete replacement. Industry safety regulations divide the pipeline network into three levels: Level 3 is the part under the seabed, Level 2 is the part above the seabed but in the deep sea, while Level 1 is near the surface. The safety regulations require multiple blowout preventer valves, from now on simply referred to as valves, to be placed at the three different levels of the pipeline network. The valves are normally kept closed, but when the pressure in any part of the pipeline rises beyond a critical level, nearby valves are opened remotely to release the pressure in a controlled manner to prevent blowout. The number of valves across the pipeline helps localize the pressure release, with a greater number of valves providing a backup mechanism, helping in improving pressure localization in case of a blowout. Given that the valves themselves can occasionally malfunction and not release the pressure when needed, using a higher number of valves ensures that a malfunctioning valve can seek the safety of a nearby functioning valve.
A valve can malfunction in two ways: it may fail to release pressure when needed, as previously mentioned, or it can leak gas during regular operation, resulting in unwanted losses. When a valve malfunctions, it necessitates manual replacement.
In the DeepSea Network, 30% of the valves are located at Level 3, which is the deepest level. The remaining valves are evenly distributed between the top two levels. These valves are critical to ensuring safety and are exclusively supplied by GoValve, a highly specialized manufacturer that holds a monopoly in the country’s market. - Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.
ABC Business School was a school with a difference. Regarded as one of the top business schools in western India, but relatively unknown beyond that, the school catered to smaller organizations seeking to hire students for sales and marketing positions, with occasional openings in HR roles. These students were open to secure job opportunities, even if they offered relatively lower salaries. The organizations, that recruited from ABC, did not really care for the talent, but appreciated the students' ability to follow orders without questioning them. The school’s strength laid in its alumni, who consistently returned to the institution for recruitment, thereby ensuring the school’s continued existence. Given the placement record, the school attracted a specific segment of business school aspirants, who wanted a solid job but were not excited about learning.
Questions Asked in XAT exam
- An artificial swimming pool is circular and water is flowing clockwise at a speed of 3 km/hr. Two swimmers Ayub and Rana start from diametrically opposite points, Ayub in the anticlockwise direction and Rana in the clockwise direction. They first meet at a point such that Ayub has covered 60 m by that time. Their second meeting point is such that Rana has covered another 180 m after the first meeting point. If the speed of Rana in still water is 3 km/hr, find the time taken by Ayub to cover one full circle in the clockwise direction.
- XAT - 2026
- Time and Work
- Arrange the following generations from the oldest to the youngest:
1. Generation X
2. Silent Generation
3. Generation Alpha
4. Baby Boomers
5. Millennials
- XAT - 2026
- Current Affairs
- Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.
Brijbhushan, a microfinancier, lends money at the rate of Rs.10 per square meter to small farmers at a village. He charges an annual interest rate of 10%. All the farming plots in that village are rectangular, with areas varying between a minimum of 1000 square meters and a maximum of 10,000 square meters.
This year, Brijbhushan has lent money only to five farmers: Aditya, Binod, Chhuttan, Dabloo and Govind. The perimeter of Chhuttan’s plot is 250 meters, with the length and width being at a ratio of 4:1. Aditya’s plot has an area three times the area of Govind’s plot. The area of Aditya’s plot is also the average of the areas of Govind’s plot and Dabloo’s plot. The plots belonging to Aditya, Binod and Dabloo are of the same width, but of different lengths. Moreover, the length of Binod’s plot is the sum of the lengths of Aditya’s plot and Dabloo’s plot.- XAT - 2026
- Mensuration
Light Chemicals is an industrial paint supplier with presence in three locations: Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The sunburst chart below shows the distribution of the number of employees of different departments of Light Chemicals. There are four departments: Finance, IT, HR and Sales. The employees are deployed in four ranks: junior, mid, senior and executive. The chart shows four levels: location, department, rank and gender (M: male, F: female). At every level, the number of employees at a location/department/rank/gender are proportional to the corresponding area of the region represented in the chart.
Due to some issues with the software, the data on junior female employees have gone missing. Notice that there are junior female employees in Mumbai HR, Sales and IT departments, Hyderabad HR department, and Bengaluru IT and Finance departments. The corresponding missing numbers are marked u, v, w, x, y and z in the diagram, respectively.
It is also known that:
a) Light Chemicals has a total of 210 junior employees.
b) Light Chemicals has a total of 146 employees in the IT department.
c) Light Chemicals has a total of 777 employees in the Hyderabad office.
d) In the Mumbai office, the number of female employees is 55.
- XAT - 2026
- Pie Charts
An investment company, Win Lose, recruit's employees to trade in the share market. For newcomers, they have a one-year probation period. During this period, the employees are given Rs. 1 lakh per month to invest the way they see fit. They are evaluated at the end of every month, using the following criteria:
1. If the total loss in any span of three consecutive months exceeds Rs. 20,000, their services are terminated at the end of that 3-month period,
2. If the total loss in any span of six consecutive months exceeds Rs. 10,000, their services are terminated at the end of that 6-month period.
Further, at the end of the 12-month probation period, if there are losses on their overall investment, their services are terminated.
Ratan, Shri, Tamal and Upanshu started working for Win Lose in January. Ratan was terminated after 4 months, Shri was terminated after 7 months, Tamal was terminated after 10 months, while Upanshu was not terminated even after 12 months. The table below, partially, lists their monthly profits (in Rs. ‘000’) over the 12-month period, where x, y and z are masked information.
Note:
• A negative profit value indicates a loss.
• The value in any cell is an integer.
Illustration: As Upanshu is continuing after March, that means his total profit during January-March (2z +2z +0) ≥
Rs.20,000. Similarly, as he is continuing after June, his total profit during January − June ≥
Rs.10,000, as well as his total profit during April-June ≥ Rs.10,000.
- XAT - 2026
- Logical and Analytical Reasoning Skills