What is MAT? MAT is a national level test being conducted by AIMA since 1988 to screen candidates for management and other allied programs. Almost three lakh MBA aspirants appear for the test annually, making it India’s largest management entrance exam. MAT is a gateway to more than 600 B-schools and management colleges.
The difficulty level of MAT is less than CAT, XAT, IIFT and some other management tests. MAT is conducted four times a year. The number of exam applicants increase every year.
What is the structure of MAT exam? Candidates have the option to appear either in offline format (pen/paper-based test) or online format (computer-based test) of the exam. You can appear in online as well as offline mode of the exam. The duration of the exam is 2 hours and 30 minutes (150 minutes).
The exam is divided into five sections:
Mathematical skills
Intelligence and Critical Reasoning
Language Comprehension
Data Interpretation and Sufficiency
Indian & Global Environment
There are total of 200 multiple-choice questions with one mark for each correct answer. The scaled score is calculated out of 800. There is no time limit assigned to various sections. Candidates need to effectively manage their time to answer 200 questions in 150 minutes. The exam officials advise that candidates shouldn’t spend more than 30 minutes in any section. Apart from the overall cut-off, many of the institutes evaluate the candidates on the basis of sectional cut-off score.
Some of the participating B-schools do not consider the marks scored in the Indian & Global Environment section. The score of Indian & Global Environment is separately displayed but is not taken into account to calculate percentile score or merit in the MAT score card. MAT score is valid for one year for most of the management institutes.
When is the MAT exam conducted? MAT is conducted four times a year, in the months of: February, May, September, and December. The detailed notification is released on the official website (https://www.aima.in/). You will get to know about all the important dates, application fee, MBA/PGP programmes and other essential information related to MAT. From 2018, AIMA discontinued the offline mode of form submission. MAT application form is to be filled in online mode only.
Separate admit cards are issued for offline and online mode of the exam. The admit card can be downloaded from the website seven days before the exam date. The candidates opting for both PBT and CBT have the advantage of selecting two additional management institutes for sending their scores in addition to the existing option of selecting five management institutes. MAT is conducted in almost 60 major cities across the country along with two international cities, i.e. Dubai and Singapore.
Who can appear for MAT exam? There is no age limit to appear for MAT. Candidates with Bachelor’s/ equivalent degree as well as final year students are eligible for the exam. There is no minimum percentage criterion to appear for MAT but admission to MBA colleges may require a minimum percentage/marks. NRIs and foreign nationals can also apply for MAT exam.
Which colleges/institutes accept MAT scores? The number of colleges accepting MAT scores keeps varying every year. A total of 332 B-schools accepted MAT scores in February 2017. Some of top management colleges accepting MAT scores are:
Jagan Institute of Management Studies, New Delhi
Indus Business Academy, Bangalore
Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow
International School of Business & Media, Pune
Institute of Public Enterprise, Hyderabad
Institute of Management Studies, Ghaziabad
Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship (XIME), Chennai
New Delhi Institute of Management, New Delhi
Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida
PSG Institute of Management, Coimbatore
AIMS School of Business, Bangalore
IES Management College And Research Centre, Mumbai
SCMS Cochin School of Business
St. Joseph’s Institute of Management (SJIM), Bangalore
Alliance School of Business, Alliance University, Bangalore
ITM Navi Mumbai, ITM Group of Institutions
Balaji Institute Of Modern Management (BIMM), Pune
Asian School of Business Management (ASBM), Bhubaneshwar
Fortune Institute of International Business (FIIB), New Delhi
Apeejay School of Management, Dwarka, New Delhi
TAPMI School Of Business, Jaipur
MAT selection procedure starts after the announcement of MAT result and the management institutes shortlist the candidates on the basis of their MAT score cutoff. The shortlisted candidates are required to appear in the group discussion, written ability test and personal interview for final evaluation.
