What is MAT?
Management Aptitude Test or MAT as it is commonly referred to is a centralized test for admission into post-graduate degrees of Management and allied programmes in India. It started twenty-two years ago.
The HRD Ministry of the Government of India recognized this as a standard admission test in 2003. MAT is conducted four times a year in February, May, September, and December. The validity of the score is twelve months.
What is the testing mode?
The test is designed to be taken in the online or paper-based form. But owing to the present pandemic situation, the test has also been available through remote proctored mode on the internet since May this year.
The IBT allows test-takers to access the test from their homes using a web-cam and an uninterrupted internet connection. A test taker can opt to take upto two modes of the test.
What are the subjects tested in the MAT?
The test takers are tested on five sections: Language Comprehension, Mathematical Skills, Data Analysis, Sufficiency, Intelligence and Critical Reasoning, and Indian and Global Environment.
How is the test scored?
The test format of MAT is of 200 marks of Multiple-Choice Questions, divided into 40 marks each of all the five subjects. The correct answer earns the test taker one mark while the incorrect answer is penalized with a negative mark of 0.25.
But the General Awareness section is not counted in the overall percentage, and the marks of the other four sections are tabulated in the MAT scorecard, with Global Environment marks displayed separately. The scores reflect marks scaled to 800 instead of 160.
What is the duration of the test?
The test duration is two hours and thirty minutes. The test taker can navigate between sections during the entire duration of the test.
Who is eligible to take MAT?
AIMA (All India Management Association) has stipulated under graduation with a minimum of three years’ duration, in any discipline as the eligibility take the MAT. Students in the final-year of the undergraduate degree are also eligible to take the MAT.
What is the fees?
To appear for one mode (either paper-based or computer-based) in a test, you pay ₹ 1650 and for two modes (both paper-based and computer-based) you pay ₹ 2750.
Which institutes honour the MAT score?
Many institutes in India and abroad accept the MAT score for admission into MBA programmes. More than 600 B schools in India accept this score, which makes MAT the biggest test for B school admissions in India. This is the second most popular admission test after the CAT conducted by IIMs in India.
The MAT ready reckoner
| Name of the test | MAT |
| Full form | Management Aptitude Test |
| Conducted by | All India Management Assosciation |
| How often | 4 times a year – February, May, September, and December |
| Mode | Paper-based; computer-based; remote proctored internet-based |
| Score validity | One year |
| Subjects covered | Language Comprehension; Mathematical skills; Data Analysis and Sufficiency; Intelligence and Critical Reasoning; Indian and Global Environment |
| Number of questions | 200 |
| Duration | 150 minutes |
| Marks awarded | 40 in each of the 5 sections |
| Question type | Multiple choice |
| Application process | online |
| Fees | ₹ 1650/- for 1 exam; ₹ 2750/- for 2 exams |
| Good for | Admission to B schools in India and abroad |
If you plan to pursue a post-graduation in management in the coming year or next, you must take the MAT. The advantage of taking the MAT is, this score is a gateway to B schools not-only within India but also outside the country .
You can take it four times a year, and in two different modes too, which just increases your chances of using the higher score when you apply.
What is more, the difficulty level is not as high as other tests like the CAT, XAT, etc. Practice the questions in the sections and you stand a fair chance of a great score too.
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