XAT 2025 Question Paper | XAT BDM

XAT Bussiness Decision Making | XAT 2025 Question Paper

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Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.

Sundaram Stores operated in a gated community, situated about 30 Kilometers away from the main town. The store owner Mr. Sundareswaran Pichaimuthu, or Sundaram as he was called by everyone, secured a space in the gated society through a competitive bidding process. The residents’ association, led by Mr. Thangamoorthy Selvaganapathy, selected Sundaram over three other bidders, based on his willingness to pay the highest rent. Desperate to augment his post-retirement income, Sundaram agreed to pay a very high rent, banking on the prospect of generating exceptional revenue from the gated community.
Sundaram was awarded the contract to establish the store, with provisions for a review every three years. Feeling elated during the meeting with the residents’ association to finalize the contract, he enthusiastically committed to offering a 15% discount on all groceries and stationary, cementing goodwill and reinforcing the partnership established through the contract. The association was delightedly taken aback by his generous assurance. Sundaram hoped to make up the difference through volume.
Although his sales were strong during the initial months, he soon realized that the SUV-owning residents of the gated community primarily made their purchases at large, branded retail chains in the main town. These stores offered deeper discounts, which he could not afford to compete with. However, gradually, Sundaram store became their go-to store for daily essentials and occasional urgent big purchases such as replacing a broken mixer-grinder.

XAT 2025 Question Paper BDM

While reviewing his monthly accounts, Sundaram realized that he was barely breaking even, primarily due to the substantial rent he was paying to the residents’ association. He realized that while his sales were stagnated, the rental costs were contractually scheduled to increase every three years. He was determined to do something to increase his profits.

Which of the following will be the MOST sustainable way to increase Sundaram’s profits?
1. He should offer to procure items unavailable at his shop from the town on residents’ demand.
2. He should meet with the residents’ association to negotiate a lower rent.
3. He should introduce “cheap Wednesdays” where he will sell groceries at 40% discount.
4. He should advertise about his shop through a leaflet in the gated community.
5. He should remove all the discounts he was offering and sell at the maximum retail price.
Choice E
He should remove all the discounts he was offering and sell at the maximum retail price.
XAT 2025 Question Paper BDM

To increase his profits, Sundaram diversified into selling vegetables. Earlier, a vegetable vendor used to visit the gated community once every week. The vendor, after seeing dismal sales ever since Sundaram started selling vegetables, stopped visiting the gated community. The residents’ association did not like losing the rent they were receiving from the vendor. Additionally, the maintenance staff of the gated community benefitted from receiving vegetables either for free or at extremely low prices, as the vendor, reluctant to take back the unsold stock, chose to distribute them at little to no cost. This enabled the residents’ association to retain maintenance staff whose attrition rate was increasing with more gated communities coming up in the nearby area.

Which of the following options will BEST address the concerns of the residents’ association arising out of Sundaram getting into selling vegetables?
1. The residents’ association should impose a fine on Sundaram since he was not contracted to sell vegetables.
2. The residents’ association should ask Sundaram to give a specific quantity of vegetables to the maintenance staff for free.
3. The residents’ association should discount the rent for the vegetable vendor to increase competition and ask him to continue.
4. The residents’ association should request for bids from various shop owners to open another grocery store in the vacant place.
5. The residents’ association should ask Sundaram to use the erstwhile space for selling vegetables and pay rent for the same.
Choice C
The residents’ association should discount the rent for the vegetable vendor to increase competition and ask him to continue.
XAT 2025 Question Paper BDM

Sundaram is a happy man now. He has managed to get contracts with two more nearby gated communities. He feels like the grocery king of the suburb.
However, his happiness is short-lived as Rush’em, a new startup, begins making waves among gated communities. This app-based startup promises to deliver any grocery item within 15 minutes, leveraging its own large warehouses. Earlier, Rush’em was confined to the main town, but now, the startup has expanded its delivery services to the suburbs, including gated communities where Sundaram operates. Of course, for the suburbs, Rush’em promises delivery within 60 minutes, given the distance.
Though not an official slogan, the rumour in the market is that Rush’em’s founder inspired her employees by shouting “Rush’em or Crash’em, but Push’em through that door!” Sundaram started losing business to Rush’em. He felt rushed, pushed, and was wondering if his business would come crashing.

What should Sundaram BEST do to ensure that his revenues do not come down due to Rush’em?
1. Sundaram should not bother since the nearest town is 30 kilometers away.
2. Sundaram should employ a few helpers who will do home delivery of his products within 10 minutes across the three gated communities.
3. Sundaram should demand that his rent be reduced to one-third since Rush’em has free access to these societies
4. Sundaram should start giving discounts on every product he sells.
5. Sundaram should explore starting his own delivery startup Finish’em, dedicated to the suburb, competing with Rush’em.
Choice B
Sundaram should employ a few helpers who will do home delivery of his products within 10 minutes across the three gated communities.

Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.

Humane Dynamix is a leadership training organization based in Mumbai. Established in 2015, the organization is gradually becoming a leader in behavioral training. In the organization, trainers are assigned to training projects based on their expertise. Corporates seek behavioral training services on a regular basis, from Humane Dynamix, for upskilling their executives. Humane Dynamix is headed by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), to whom the Training Assignment Officer (TAO) reports. The TAO position rotates among the senior trainers for a fixed tenure; the CEO assigns this position to a senior trainer.
Companies, desirous of hiring Humane Dynamix, share their training needs with the organization. The TAO assigns a trainer to the client. Typically, the satisfied client requests for a particular trainer that the client is satisfied, giving repeat business to Humane Dynamix from the same client company. However, the TAO takes the final call. Years of training experience plays a big role in client satisfaction, and hence, senior trainers conduct most training programs while the newly recruited trainers apprentice with them. However, the senior trainers have the autonomy to decide on who they want to accept as an apprentice.
Further, during a training program, the senior trainer takes most of the sessions, if not all, while the apprentice helps the senior trainers to organize their sessions, and occasionally take a few sessions. As the apprentices gain experience, they start getting their own independent projects, but that typically takes quite some time.
Dheeraj, a senior trainer, takes over as the TAO. As soon as he assumes the office, the CEO shares a concern with him: “We have a lot of young trainers who we have recently recruited. Since they are not known to the outside world, they do not get enough opportunities. Many of them are impatient to prove their mettle. Unless they are assigned more programs, we risk losing them rapidly.”

XAT 2025 Question Paper BDM

Dheeraj knows that his senior colleagues are very good at training, and, hence, they conduct most of the training programs. They keep the clients satisfied and, consequently, bring repeat business. However, as asked by the CEO, Dheeraj needs to do something to enable the young trainers get more opportunities and increase their training engagements.

Which of the following options should Dheeraj execute to BEST enable the young trainers to get more training opportunities, without affecting their relationships with the client companies?
1. Dheeraj should mandate that the senior trainers must allow the young trainers to take at least thirty percent of their training sessions.
2. Dheeraj should request the repeat clients to switch to the services of the young trainers who bring a lot of energy to their sessions.
3. Dheeraj should assign some of the repeat projects from the satisfied clients with particular senior trainers to the young trainers.
4. Dheeraj should request the CEO to urge the senior colleagues in giving up some of their existing clients in the interest of others’ careers.
5. Dheeraj should explore for those clients who would be comfortable working with the young trainers.
Choice A
Dheeraj should mandate that the senior trainers must allow the young trainers to take at least thirty percent of their training sessions.
XAT 2025 Question Paper BDM

Dheeraj decided to assign some of the repeat clients, at random, to their young trainers, to address the concerns of the CEO. Many young trainers appreciated him for giving them more opportunities.
Sudha Iyer, a senior trainer, popular for her training programs in “Deceptive Communication Methods,” was surprised to see that some of her long-standing clients were assigned to a young person. She was concerned that the clients would feel shortchanged. Moreover, she was chagrined that she was not even consulted. This led to the reduction in her number of training hours.
Since, Humane Dynamix incentivizes trainers who cross a mandated number of training hours every year, Sudha was also concerned about her possible revenue loss.
Sudha wanted Dheeraj to stop assigning established clients to the young trainers.

Which of the following actions would BEST help Sudha to stop Dheeraj from assigning her programs to the young trainers?
1. She should propose training the young trainers in her innovative methods so that they become independent in future.
2. She should confront the CEO and share that his concerns should not be addressed at the cost of her revenues.
3. She should share with Dheeraj that assigning her client companies to novice trainers will lead to loss of those clients.
4. She should approach the CEO and request that Dheeraj be removed from his role as the TAO.
5. She should contact the client companies and ask them to reject Dheeraj's assigned trainers.
Choice C
She should share with Dheeraj that assigning her client companies to novice trainers will lead to loss of those clients.
XAT 2025 Question Paper BDM

Dheeraj assigned a repeat client of Nandini Hegde, another very senior trainer, to Kirti Gowda, a promising young trainer.
A few days later, the client company reached out to Nandini, off the record, and informed her that they were very unhappy with Kirti’s training. They also shared that Dheeraj, when informed about this, had claimed that the client would appreciate Kirti with more exposure to her training programs.

What BEST can Nandini do to regain the client for herself, without appearing to be against the organization’s focus on providing the young trainers more opportunities?
1. Engage in a follow up conversation with the client, requesting that they communicate their concerns to the CEO of Humane Dynamix directly.
2. Share the client’s feedback with Kirti, and ask her to opt out of future training assignments with that client.
3. Tell the client that to ensure quality, they must demand her exclusively as the trainer for their upcoming training programs.
4. Arrange a meeting with Dheeraj, informing him that she is aware of the situation, and Dheeraj’s actions may lose the client for Humane Dynamix.
5. Propose to Dheeraj that in future assignments with the client, Kirti be a co-trainer with Nandini to help improve her performance.
Choice E
Propose to Dheeraj that in future assignments with the client, Kirti be a co-trainer with Nandini to help improve her performance.

Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.

KindCare hospital, located in the small industrial town of Chinar, is one of the largest hospitals within 50-kilometers radius. It is well-regarded among the locals for emergency services. However, for critical surgeries, they prefer to travel to the nearest city Shamili, which is 100 kilometers away.
When KindCare was established 50 years ago, the town was still in its early stages of development. Consequently, the hospital needed to incorporate several facilities within its premises, including a 24-hour cafeteria, to accommodate needs of the patients and their relatives who would come from nearby places. Another facility that KindCare built and takes pride in is its state-of-the-art testing lab. It is the most sought-after testing lab in Chinar even today when many independent labs have come up around KindCare. Moreover, many other facilities have also come up in the surrounding area of the hospital such as pharmacies, food joints, hotels etc. Further, a standalone pharmacy chain has gained a strong foothold in Chinar as they expand their reach into Tier-3 cities.
When it comes to KindCare, a significant proportion of its patients are outpatients with a substantial number seeking emergency services. As the sole 600-bed hospital in the region, KindCare plays a crucial role in medical services, and receives generous funding from two major corporations operating locally, further enabling KindCare to cater to the growing medical needs of the community.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, KindCare made significant investment in enhancing internet connectivity, enabling many doctors, and the majority of administrative staff, to seamlessly work remotely. This investment also allowed KindCare to bring in doctors from other cities through remote care.
Further, COVID-19 was a wakeup call for KindCare to enhance their infrastructure. Though KindCare made significant improvements, they kept the major renovations on hold due to the constant flow of patients. KindCare believes that if the held renovations are not taken up on an urgent basis now, the operations at the hospital will get obstructed.

XAT 2025 Question Paper BDM

KindCare feels that it needs to be better prepared before a similar situation like COVID-19 chances upon the city again. The hospital decides to invest immediately in improving their infrastructure. However, this would mean that, temporarily, it should either reduce, or shut down the operations of a few departments.
It is considering the following options:
A) Reduce their outpatient capacity to half
B) Shut down the cafeteria for the period of renovation
C) Ask their administrative staff to work remotely
D) Strip the pharmacy operations down to emergency and critical medications
E) Shut down the medical lab, and arrange medical tests from a local lab

Which of the following combinations will LEAST affect the functioning of the hospital?
1. ACD
2. BCD
3. BCE
4. ABE
5. ABC
Choice B
BCD
XAT 2025 Question Paper BDM

KindCare needs to maintain a large inventory of medicines and other auxiliary supplies in their storage unit. The storage unit ensures adequate and timely supply to Intensive Care Unit and the emergency services, and always runs to capacity. The renovation team suggests that the storage unit be shut down for seven days for urgent renovation. However, the hospital building being old, in the past, renovation work had stretched beyond estimated time.

Which of the following actions BEST ensures KindCare operates efficiently during the renovation of the storage unit?
1. Rent a large space, about one hour away from the hospital, for seven days.
2. Shut down the hospital until further notice, except for the emergency ward, which can run on outside supplies.
3. Renovate the storage unit part by part while halving the capacity of the emergency services until the renovation completes.
4. Start building a new storage facility, as their capacity is already stretched.
5. Shut down the cafeteria until further notice and relocate the storage unit.
Choice E
Shut down the cafeteria until further notice and relocate the storage unit.
XAT 2025 Question Paper BDM

KindCare Hospital has to renovate its storage unit, given the complexity of the medicines and the need to store other critical supplies. The renovation is supposed to take seven days. However, as the work starts, the team entrusted with the work realizes that the work will take more than 15 days. KindCare feels that even this revised estimate is modest. Already the outpatient services are affected, and people visiting the hospital are being turned away. Stretching it further will attract a strong public resentment.

Which of the following actions offers the MOST sustainable solution for KindCare to reduce the number of patients being turned away?
1. Arrange with a larger hospital, in Shamili, to take over their critical patients.
2. Stop the renovation work immediately, and resume normal operations.
3. Resume some operations from rented spaces, scattered around the region.
4. Start reduced operations gradually, and hire a team of experts to find ways to expedite the renovation.
5. Bring in a reputed renovation team at triple the cost, which guarantees to finish this work in three days.
Choice E
Bring in a reputed renovation team at triple the cost, which guarantees to finish this work in three days.

Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.

Aarya had always been a mediocre student. Luckily, after finishing her undergraduate degree from a tier-two engineering college, she secured a decent, but modestly paying job at a reputable IT company.
However, after a year on the job, Aarya found her role mundane. When her best friend at the company, Shruti, left to pursue an MBA from a top-tier business school, citing significant career growth and potential salary increase upon graduation, Aarya felt intrigued and inspired to follow the same path. Shruti appreciated Aarya’s aspirations, telling her that doing MBA from a top-tier business school could not only land Aarya a lucrative job, but also it could fast track her career progression. However, Aarya was concerned whether she would be able to balance between her MBA entrance-exam preparation and her current job. Aarya considered resigning to focus entirely on MBA entrance-exam preparation, but Shruti cautioned her that top-tier business schools might view a career break unfavourably, as they prefer continuous professional engagement. SubQuestion No : 38

XAT 2025 Question Paper BDM

The CEO of Aarya’s IT firm tied up with a premier business school to reserve thirty seats in an online management certificate program, aimed at grooming working professionals. The CEO, however, declared that the employees participating in this program will have to sign a three-year bond with the firm. Further, the CEO added that though good performance was a criterion for selection, he would hold authority to take a final call.
Aarya, well aware of her academic limitations, was unsure about the time available to prepare for the MBA entrance exams. She contemplated going for the management certificate program, instead of preparing for the MBA entrance exams.

Which of the following considerations will BEST help Aarya decide whether to apply for the online management certificate program?
1. Aarya keeps getting appreciated for her performance by the HR department.
2. Aarya wants to be part of a very good alumni network.
3. Shruti attempted the MBA entrance exams twice, before she could get selected.
4. Aarya feels that the online program is light enough to manage while working full time.
5. Those who complete this online management certificate program do well in their career.
Choice E
Those who complete this online management certificate program do well in their career.
XAT 2025 Question Paper BDM

After working hard on MBA entrance-exam preparations for one year, Aarya received an admission offer from the two-year agribusiness program of a premier business school. While she aspired to be a part of that premier business school, she had no interest in agribusiness. While deliberating, she received an offer from a brand new, but buzzworthy, global one-year executive MBA program in General Management, in a mid-tier business school. The program boasted excellent placement for its first batch of students. While the program was typically geared towards students with a considerable industry experience, being new, it also allowed some exceptions for “well-deserving students” with little or no experience.

Aarya was worried whether, being a candidate with a minimal experience, she would be a good fit in the executive MBA program. Which of the following considerations would BEST help Aarya in taking admission in the one-year executive MBA program?
1. Aarya does not have the confidence to spend another year in MBA entrance-exam preparation.
2. The agribusiness program is not the flagship program of the premier business school.
3. The unique structure of the executive MBA program has gained a lot of attention from the new start-ups.
4. Aarya has a better chance of furthering her career in a field of her interest through the executive MBA program.
5. The executive MBA program offers generous scholarships to women with IT experience.
Choice D
Aarya has a better chance of furthering her career in a field of her interest through the executive MBA program.
XAT 2025 Question Paper BDM

After working hard on MBA entrance-exam preparations for one year, Aarya received two admission offers: one from the two-year agribusiness program of a premier business school, and another one from a brand new, but buzzworthy, global one-year executive MBA program in General Management in a mid-tier business school. As she did not have much interest in agribusiness, Aarya opted to enrol in the one-year executive MBA program, and promptly submitted her first instalment of fees towards admission. She was very happy that she would soon embark on her MBA journey.
To her shock, a few days later, she received a call from the authorities of the mid-tier business school. They informed her that due to a technical glitch in their system, more admission offers were made than the available seats. Consequently, candidates lower on the merit list, including Aarya, were being offered a choice from the following options: a deferred admission next year to the same program, or a full refund of the fees. They also said, if interested, Aarya could right now join a similar program, starting in a newly launched campus of the same business school, where many seats were available.
Aarya considered the whole episode a breach of trust, and wondered, if it would at all be worthwhile to be associated with this business school now or in the future.

Which of the following considerations will BEST restore her faith in this business school?
1. A similar incident happened three years back in another business school, and all deferred candidates eventually got good placements.
2. A deferment by a year will give her a chance to build on her work experience.
3. The business school owned the mistake, and tried their best to help the affected candidates.
4. The business school runs many management training programs on ethical leadership for corporates.
5. Many mid-tier business schools give offers to more candidates than available seats to tackle rejections.
Choice C
The business school owned the mistake, and tried their best to help the affected candidates.

Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.

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, well-known 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 hard-hitting 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 significant 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.

XAT 2025 Question Paper BDM

Ramya is trying to decide whether to publish the article. While publishing the article may enhance the reputation of The Pluralist, there are possibilities of political and economic backlash for reporting on the powerful mining company. She has consulted the legal team of the newspaper, who have warned that the report, relying mostly on anonymous sources, is likely to be legally vulnerable. On the other hand, Aditya Swaroop is a senior journalist, well known and well respected for the quality of his investigative reporting. The topic of the report is time sensitive: if the report is not published within the next 2-3 days, the mining company would get an important government project in the same area.

Which of the following reasons will BEST enable Ramya to publish the article?
1. Ramya should publish the article because any investigation by Aditya Swaroop has enhanced the reputation of The Pluralist till date.
2. Ramya should publish the article because a similar article was published on another mining company last week in another news daily.
3. Ramya should publish the article because the same news can get published by a competitor known for breaking such news.
4. Ramya should publish the article because her legal team is mostly over cautious about any possibility of backlashes.
5. Ramya should publish the article given the time-sensitive nature of the report.
Choice A
Ramya should publish the article because any investigation by Aditya Swaroop has enhanced the reputation of The Pluralist till date.
XAT 2025 Question Paper BDM

After the article is published next morning in The Pluralist, it goes viral. However, the mining company pushes back with a public declaration, contesting some of the findings of the article. While the potential inaccuracies do not entirely invalidate the article, they substantially undermine its message if proven true.
When Ramya asks Aditya Swaroop to bring in further proof to publish a rebuttal, he informs her that his sources, for a vital part of the article, were two employees recently fired by the mining company. And, they now admit that they were not completely honest in their initial interaction with him. Though some points raised in the article might still be valid, it is difficult to separate the inaccuracies given the unreliability of the sources. Ramya immediately brings it to the attention of Zubin, while admitting that she hastily permitted the publication of the article.

What is the MOST responsible action should Zubin take, keeping in view the recent developments due to the inaccuracies of the article?
1. Publish an article accusing the mining company of bullying witnesses to change their versions.
2. Publish a modified version of the article next day, defending the investigative journalism of Aditya Swaroop.
3. Retract the entire article, and publish that Aditya Swaroop will no longer be with the newspaper.
4. Retract the entire article, and publish Ramya’s apology in the newspaper.
5. Publish a follow-up article disclosing the identity of the sources used for the article, attributing the responsibility of the errors to them.
Choice D
Retract the entire article, and publish Ramya’s apology in the newspaper.
XAT 2025 Question Paper BDM

After the article is published in The Pluralist, the mining company pushes back with a public declaration, contesting some of the findings of the article.
This has hit Aditya Swaroop’s reputation because he trusted unreliable sources. Nevertheless, he is confident about the illegal activities of the mining company; he wants to redeem himself. He approaches Zubin with a request to go back to the mining company project to find new sources and rewrite an article with reliable pieces of evidence. Though his fresh investigation will require time and money, it might also enhance the reputation of the newspaper.
Zubin respects Aditya Swaroop and wants his reputation to be restored. However, Zubin is confident that continuing to work on the mining company project will not yield any results.

Which of the following actions by Zubin will BEST enable Aditya Swaroop to enhance his diminishing reputation?
1. Assign Aditya Swaroop to work as an anonymous journalist for the next few months, until he feels confident of himself.
2. Tell Aditya Swaroop that he plans to delegate the mining company project to a fresh team, who will work in consultation with Aditya Swaroop.
3. Assign a new investigative project to Aditya Swaroop, advising him to focus on the new project without worrying about the past project.
4. Ask Aditya Swaroop to start his own YouTube channel, since more people are aware of him now than before.
5. Ask Aditya Swaroop to focus on mentoring new and young journalists instead of working on any investigative report for some time.
Choice C
Assign a new investigative project to Aditya Swaroop, advising him to focus on the new project without worrying about the past project.

Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.

TrueColor, an event management company in eastern India, had been in a business of inviting Tollywood singers to a city called Tivanna, and made money out of selling tickets of their concerts. The stars were paid a fixed fee regardless of the number of tickets sold. The company had a specialized team that negotiated the singers’ fee with their managers. However, for selling the tickets of such events, they were reliant on an external media agency called Zedius. Zedius had a long-standing relationship with TrueColor, and had been instrumental in achieving a target of 50,000 tickets for each of the flagship events.
Mr. Sukanta Rao joined TrueColor as an inhouse sales and marketing manager, a position exclusively created for him. The CEO, Mr. Adil Banerjee, had assigned a task of increasing the sales of tickets to 100,000. In Sukanta’s earlier stint, he had seen that similar cities sell more than 75,000 tickets for such events. He felt that, over time, reaching 100,000 was plausible for TrueColor.

XAT 2025 Question Paper BDM

Sukanta felt that the aspirational target can be achieved only if Zedius is replaced. However, he is not sure if he should make any major changes in his first year.

Which of the following reasons will BEST help Sukanta NOT to start making major changes immediately?
1. The owners of Zedius are respected citizens of Tivanna.
2. TrueColor recruited Sukanta specifically to increase ticket sales by whatever means necessary.
3. Zedius has managed TrueColor’s marketing for the last five years.
4. Sukanta needs more time to learn about the dynamics of the eastern market.
5. For around a decade, ticket sales have consistently hovered at 50,000.
Choice D
Sukanta needs more time to learn about the dynamics of the eastern market.
XAT 2025 Question Paper BDM

Just two weeks before the flagship event, Adil received a few emails from competing media agencies that accused Zedius of selling phony tickets in the “black” market. When Adil enquired with the security agency in charge of gatekeeping the events, they told him that they had no mechanism to check the authenticity of tickets.

Which of the following options will BEST help Adil to ignore the accusations from the competing media agencies, and maintain status quo?
1. In Tivanna, the competing media agencies keep defaming each other out of fierce competition.
2. Tivanna being a small city, a few prominent personalities have to be allowed in without tickets.
3. Zedius is the largest media agency in Tivanna.
4. Some attendees admitted to paying cash to gate keepers to get in.
5. Zedius promises a particular threshold of ticket sales as decided by TrueColor.
Choice A
In Tivanna, the competing media agencies keep defaming each other out of fierce competition.
XAT 2025 Question Paper BDM

The following year, Sukanta discussed with Adil that unless they got into the ticket selling process, they might not be able to improve the ticket numbers. However, this would mean moving away from Zedius, and the transition could cause short-term pains since TrueColor would be entering into unchartered territory. Further, Sukanta added that TrueColor would achieve self-sufficiency over couple of years. Adil was concerned about the risk of taking over an activity that the organization was not competent at, but understood Sukanta’s point. In the interest of building long-term competencies, he authorized Sukanta to take it forward. Sukanta did not renew Zedius’s contract in the following year; instead, he recruited a skeletal team of three freshers from a premier business school as his support staff.
As the event approached, the team dedicated themselves to executing their plan. However, by the time the ticket sales window closed, they managed to sell only 40,000 tickets. This shift in strategy provoked considerable dissent within the company, challenging Sukanta's decision.
Disturbed by the situation, witnessing the internal turmoil, Adil must now navigate the company's immediate reaction.

Which of the following should now be Adil’s BEST course of action?
1. He should make Sukanta and his team to go back to Zedius immediately.
2. He should dismiss Sukanta’s team and let the earlier media agency to take over.
3. He should threaten Sukanta that if sales do not improve by next year, he and his team will be fired.
4. He should engage a different media agency which is working for TrueColor’s main competitor.
5. He should wait and watch as the investment in Sukanta may need more time to bear result.
Choice E
He should wait and watch as the investment in Sukanta may need more time to bear result.

Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.

Ned Flanders and Homer Simpson Partners Limited is a law firm, known for its unwavering commitment to client satisfaction. They treat the clients as family members who have grown along with the firm. Further, they are highly regarded in the industry, consulted by the country’s top organizations. Among the founders, Homer Simpson is flamboyant, 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 first 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 firm, 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 firm must put an end to this ritual.

XAT 2025 Question Paper BDM

When a new batch of lawyers joins in 2024, Lisa feels that it is her moral responsibility to reprieve the newcomers from the ensuing stress. However, Lisa, like the others who joined along with her, is on probation for two years. During the probation period, her skills and performance are under evaluation. Upon successful completion of this two-year assessment, she will be eligible for confirmation. Since she is yet to be confirmed, she wants to be seen as fitting within the organization’s culture.

Which of the following options will BEST enable Lisa to save the newcomers from the socialization ritual, without being singled out for questioning the organization’s culture?
1. Meet one of the newcomers in secret and tell her about this practice.
2. Seek a meeting with Ned Flanders, suggesting him to put an end to this practice.
3. Join a team of lawyers, petitioning to the founders to end this practice.
4. Organize a generic workshop for newcomers regarding workplace politics.
5. Be silent this year until her performance review is over and she is confirmed.
Choice C
Join a team of lawyers, petitioning to the founders to end this practice.
XAT 2025 Question Paper BDM

When a new batch of lawyers joins the organization in 2024, they receive an anonymous email, warning them about the socialization ritual, just as it is about to start. Though no newcomer paid heed to the mail, the founders are furious. They call a meeting, and announce that while employees are welcome to express their opinions, this cowardly act of sending an anonymous email shall not be tolerated.
The watercooler discussions murmur Lisa’s name. Lisa is pleased that someone shares her perspective on the socialization ritual and has acted. However, she did not write the aforementioned email. As her name continues to be mentioned, she feels overwhelmed and wonders if she needs to do something about it.

Which of the following actions by Lisa can BEST enable her to defuse the situation?
1. She should meet the founders and share that while she has reservations about the practice, she did not send the anonymous email.
2. She should send a public email clarifying that while she has reservations about the practice, she is not the author of the anonymous email.
3. She should publicly apologize for having questioned the tradition of the organization to put all doubts to rest.
4. She should simply focus on her work, and hope that the founders would ignore the rumours.
5. She should apologize to the founders, taking accountability for creating a climate that resulted in someone sending the anonymous email.
Choice A
She should meet the founders and share that while she has reservations about the practice, she did not send the anonymous email.
XAT 2025 Question Paper BDM

It is 2025: a new batch of lawyers has joined the firm.
Some lawyers from the 2024 batch have approached the founders to express their appreciation for the intent behind the socialization ritual. They shared that the experience offered them a glimpse of the world they are about to enter. However, they feel that the ritual has become archaic in its execution, showing its age and necessitating some fresh thinking.
As they leave, Ned feels that the time has come to abandon the ritual due to changing times. However, Homer disagrees; he thinks that exposing the employees to what the profession has to offer, in the first week, is very critical. Moreover, it helps the organization know whether the newcomer is ready for such a profession. Further, he adds that the socialization ritual has been effectively helping them for decades in grooming the talents of their organization.

Which of the following actions should the founders BEST take, if they still want to welcome their newcomers by exposing them to the harsh reality of the profession, while being empathetic to the demands of the times?
1. They should talk to their competitors in the same industry and check what kind of practices they follow.
2. They should stick to what they are doing but hire a mental health professional who the newcomers can refer to if they feel the need.
3. They should invite suggestions from their young lawyers regarding formulating a new socialization ritual.
4. They should get a mental health professional to design their socialization ritual.
5. They should, in their website, share details about how tough the workload is going to be.
Choice C
They should invite suggestions from their young lawyers regarding formulating a new socialization ritual.