MAT-hematics: A suggested test-taking strategy for September MAT 2011

The D-day for some MBA aspirants comes earlier than usual. If you are one of those who are taking the Management Aptitude Test (MAT) this Sunday (September 4, 2011), read on.

You must be aware that the MAT is a 150 minute long test with 200 questions split across five sections. Here is a recommended scheme of splitting the time between the five sections.

As you can see for yourself, the number of questions is the same in each section but the recommended time varies. The reason is that in the Indian & Global Environment section the questions are based on General Knowledge. All of these questions are of the either you know it or you dont variety. If you do not know who the RBI governor is there is no way you can calculate or figure out or guess it (it is Dr D Subbarao). The time spent on these questions is equal to the amount of time spent on reading the question and browsing the options. An equal split of time for the five sections would imply that each section gets 30 minutes of your time. I think that most MBA aspirants can wrap up the Indian & Global Environment section in 15 minutes. This gives you extra 15 minutes which you can split between the Mathematical Skills and Data Analysis & Sufficiency sections.

The good part about the MAT exam (or the bad part, depending on which side of the fence you are on) is that unlike the CAT, which tests application of knowledge, it is raw and tests a student on basic knowledge itself. This makes the MAT exam a bit predictable. I would strongly recommend that you got hold of a few papers from previous years and became accustomed to the format. Typically, this is what you can expect from a MAT exam,

Language Comprehension/English Usage: 4/5 paragraphs with 4/5 questions each (total 20). Questions on Fill In The Blanks, Sentence Correction, Para jumbles and Identification of the Correct Sentence are asked to test English Usage.

Mathematical Skills: This section is typically very heavy on Arithmetic (Time Speed Distance, Work, Percentages, etc.). There are questions on Geometry as well but they are concentrated on Mensuration with a little bit of Trigonometry thrown in. There are questions on Permutation & Combination and Probability as well but they are on the difficult side. It is very easy to make a mistake in these questions so I would recommend staying away from guesses.

Data Analysis & Sufficiency: Out of the 40 questions typically you can expect around 25 based on Data Interpretation (ie based on Line Graphs, Pie Charts, Tables, etc.) and at least 5 on Data Sufficiency. Some of the questions based on Line Graphs can be calculation intensive in nature so it is advised that you pick your sets carefully.

Intelligence & Critical Reasoning: Questions in this section are typically from the standard formats of Linear Arrangements, Relations, etc. This section also has typically 5-6 questions on series (Number & Alphabet both). In the series questions, if you cannot see the connection/link in the first 30 seconds, I recommend that you move on to the next question. It is easier said than done because you always get a feeling that you can crack them. But, more often than not, it is not going to be worth your time.

Indian & Global Environment: This section has questions on current affairs, awards, sports, business, economics, etc. Once again, I will recommend not spending too much time on any of these questions. You should stick to the 15-minute window scheduled for this section.

You should be comfortable with speedy calculations for making the most of your time in the MAT. Given below are a couple of last minute tips which might help.

Funda 1: Calculating Squares

For natural numbers 41 to 59: If the distance of the number from 50 is x, the last two digits will be x² and the first two digits will be 25+x.

For natural numbers ending in 5: If we remove the last digit 5 from our number and are left with x, then the square will be 25.

Example 1,

54².

Distance from 50 is 4

? First two digits 25 + 4 = 29

? Last two digits 4² = 16

? 54² = 2916

Example 2,

43².

Distance from 50 is -7.

? First two digits 25 7 = 18

? Last two digits (-7)² = 49

? 43² = 1849

Example 3,

65²

? Remove 5 from the number, we are left with 6.

? 6 * 7 = 42

? 65² = 4225

Example 4,

195²

? Remove 5 from the number, we are left with 19

? 19 * 20 = 380

? 195² = 38025

Funda 2: Calculating Percentages

Often a lot of calculations can be minimized if you convert percentages into corresponding fractions and vice versa. Here is a table that will help you get started.

I hope that this post helps you do well in MAT this Sunday. Best of Luck, or as friends in college would say PAPER PHOR DENA!!

Author Ravi Handa has taught Quantitative Aptitude at IMS for 4 years. An alumnus of IIT Kharagpur where he studied a dual-degree in computer science, he has also written a book on business awareness.