B-Schools

MAT is an objective type test with multiple-choice answers. Candidates have to answer 200 Questions in 150 minutes. The test is designed to measure a student’s aptitude for business education. It is important that a student scores marks in all the sections of the test. Students are not allowed to use calculators during the examinations. There is negative marking for wrong answers. Hence guess work does cost you marks. Beware. Questions are divided into five sections as follows:

1. Language and Comprehension: 40 questions – 30 minutes
2. Mathematical Skills: 40 questions – 40 minutes
3. Data Analysis and Sufficiency: 40 questions – 35 minutes
4. Intelligence and Critical Reasoning: 40 questions – 30 minutes
5. Indian and Global Environment: 40 questions – 15 minutes

The MAT examination tests the students on the following:

Language & Comprehension: Topics covered are Paragraph completion, Paragraph jumbling, Sentence correction, Sentence completion, Synonyms/antonyms and Fill in the blanks. To fare well in this section it is important to develop vocabulary by reading thought provoking books, magazines and editorials in newspapers. Update your grammar by reading books which enhance English language skills.

Mathematical Skills: Focus of the test is on the basic concept of Mathematics. The topics include Arithmetic, Geometry and Mensuration, and miscellaneous topics such as Time, Speed & Distance, Simple/Compound Interest, Series, Mixture and Set theory. The right way to prepare is to study Mathematics books of NCERT from Standard VII to X. Learning as many formulae as possible and remembering them would help. Learn the shortcuts to remember the formulae.

Intelligence and Critical Reasoning: Data Arrangement, Input Output type, Strong and Weak Argument, Probably/Definitely True, Critical Reasoning, Blood Relations, Series Completion, Coding Decoding, Letter Sequence, Number Sequence, Analogies, etc. are tested in this section. Reasoning demands a lot of practice. It requires training your brain to think and act in a particular way. Enhance your skills by solving puzzles. Discuss with your friends and teachers to find solutions, if you cannot solve. Speed in answering is the essence of scoring in this section. Practice, practice, practice.

Data Analysis & Data Sufficiency: Number crunching is very important for aspiring managers. In this section, ability to deal with Tables, Charts, Line graph, Data sufficiency, Pie chart, Combinational graph, Bar graph, etc. are tested.

Indian and Global Environment: General awareness of the students is an important requirement for management education. Hence general knowledge of the students is checked in this section. Basic knowledge of Science, Geography, History, Economics, Current Affairs, Politics, etc. would be useful to do well in this section. Current affairs, acquisitions, mergers, economics, business ideas, statistics, punch lines, brands, etc. would help. A good knowledge of all branches of general knowledge can be acquired by reading books, newspapers that will keep you updated with the happenings around the world. Students may read year books from Malayala Manoram, Competition Success Review, etc. for scoring better in this section.

Analyze your strengths and weaknesses in each of the above areas. Prepare a plan to capitalize on your strengths and eliminating the weaknesses. Start your preparation as soon as possible. Remember the saying ‘early bird catches the worm.’ Plan in such as way that there is some time left at the end for revision. This is what most of the students miss out on.

Madhuri, a final year student in undergraduate program in Science, is aspiring for a good career. Her friends’ suggestion was to pursue management education at post-graduation level. They said that a good B-School would provide lucrative placement and a challenging and rewarding career. Her search for admission into good B-School was a nightmare. She discovered that there are a plethora of entrance tests. Common Admission Test (CAT), Xavier Admission Test (XAT), Management Aptitude Test (MAT), AIMS Test for Management Admissions (ATMA), Symbiosis National Aptitude Test (SNAP), IBS Admission Test (IBSAT), Joint Management Entrance Test (JMET) and many other tests by various institutes confused her. She is clear that she would not be able to crack CAT or XAT. But she would like to get into a good B-School anywhere in India. The question upper most in Madhuri’s mind is which examination she should undergo so that she will have a wider choice of B-schools to choose from for her admission. The answer is MAT.

Four times in a year:

Management Aptitude Test or MAT as it is popularly known is one of the main entrance exams conducted by All India Management Association (AIMA) for admission into participating B-Schools. MAT is approved by the Ministry of HRD, GOI as a National Entrance Test. The unique features of MAT include multiple tests in a year and broad spectrum of B-Schools who accept the scores of MAT for admission into the post graduate program in management. MAT is for students who have an all India aspiration for getting admitted into B-school. MAT is conducted four times in a year, making it the only examination of its kind. Graduate or graduating students belong to various streams such as science, arts, commerce, medicine, engineering and architecture can pursue a career in management based on MAT entrance examination score and eligibility conditions of the B-School/University. It is conducted both in paper based and computed based patterns. MAT scores are valid for a period of one year. A student has the option to choose five institutes from the list of participating B-Schools/Universities while registering for MAT examination.

Syllabus and Pattern of Question Paper:

Clearing MAT is not an easy task; one has to burn midnight oil. It is important for a student to be aware of the syllabus and the pattern of question paper of MAT. In fact, the basic structure of MAT examination is the same as the Common Admission Test (CAT). With proper planning and organization, one can come out with flying colors in MAT. How to prepare for MAT Examination is the question on top of aspiring students at this time of the year.

MAT is usually conducted 4 times in a year on the first Sunday in the months of February, May, September and December. The duration of the test is 2 hrs and 30 minutes. It is usually conducted from 1000 hrs to 1230 hrs. The minimum qualification for appearing in MAT is graduation in any discipline from any recognized University or equivalent recognized degree. A final year student in any undergraduate program such as B.B.A, B.A, B.Sc., B.Com., B. Phram., B.Tech., etc. can also appear provisionally. Apart from the score in MAT, students should also fulfill the minimum percentage of marks in their graduation as prescribed in the prospectus of the B-School/University.

MAT test can be given either through a Paper Based Test or Computer Based Test. The Computer Based Test is usually conducted from Saturday i.e. six days after the paper based test in different time slots.

Validity of MAT Scores:

The number of B-Schools or the Universities accepting the MAT score as a criteria for admission in to post graduate program in management varies from test to test. Admission criteria for each of the participating B-Schools/Universities is different. All participating B-Schools/ Universities in MAT are either AICTE, DEC approved. The AICTE approved institutes usually offer Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) certification, while the Universities award MBA degree. Aspiring students should understand the implications of receiving a PGDM vis-à-vis MBA certification. AIMA publishes the list of various participating B-Schools/Universities in MAT bulletin along with the admission notification. It is the responsibility of the students to check the recognition status of various programs offered by the participating B-Schools/ Universities directly from the concerned Authorities/ Institutes/ Universities. AIMA does not take responsibility for the recognition status of the programs offered by participating Institutes.