MAT 2024 Intelligence & Critical Reasoning: Tips for Preparation, Topics, Good Score
Here are some preparation tips for the Intelligence & Critical Reasoning section of MAT that will help candidates prepare and score well in the section. Find out the syllabus, good score and more in this article.
MAT 2024 Intelligence & Critical Reasoning Tips: The Reasoning section of any MBA entrance exam in India is considered to be one of the most difficult and time-consuming sections. The same is the case with the Management Aptitude Test (MAT). However, the section is very important for any student who wishes to get a good score on the MAT exam. This section evaluates the analytical thinking abilities of the candidates.
Many students get worried at the thought of attempting the Intelligence & Critical Reasoning section of the MAT exam. But what if we told you that the reasoning section can turn out to be the most rewarding in the exam? It requires consistent practice and adoption of good question-solving strategies, which are taught at many of the popular MAT coaching centres in India, but you can significantly reduce the time taken to solve the MAT reasoning section and make it a section you look forward to solving.
However, your preparation must not be disorderly. It should be organized and based upon a proper understanding of the MAT exam pattern and MAT syllabus. In this article, we cover some of the most important aspects of the Intelligence & Critical Reasoning section of the MAT exam. Here, you will get an idea of the syllabus, topics, marking scheme, and an average or good score in the MAT reasoning section.
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MAT 2024 Intelligence & Critical Reasoning Preparation Tips
The MAT Intelligence & Critical Reasoning section is very scoring, since all you need to score well, is a sound strategy and lots of practice. Before beginning your preparation for the MAT 2024 exam, it's crucial to have a firm understanding of the MAT Intelligence and Critical Reasoning question pattern. To prepare well and ace the MAT section on Intelligence & Critical Reasoning, look over these preparation tips:
- The only way to achieve a score of greater than 30 on the MAT Intelligence & Critical Reasoning section is through practice. Therefore, to ace the MAT exam, practice as many questions as you can (at least 20–30 per day).
- Before drawing conclusions, carefully read the question and consider what it is asking. To choose the right response and weed out the incorrect ones, carefully read each answer option.
- To improve speed and accuracy, practice as many questions as you can on crucial subjects like syllogisms, blood relations, and cause-and-effect statements.
- To understand all of the fundamentals and learn quick tips to solve challenging puzzles and arrangements, consult books by renowned authors like Arun Sharma and R S Aggarwal.
- Never assume any information that isn't explicitly asked for. When selecting the responses to each question, take into account only the information provided.
- To better understand the questions' formats and develop your time management abilities, complete a few (at least 2 - 3) MAT ICR Mock Tests each week.
- In questions based on syllogisms, statements, and assumptions, always select the conclusion that unquestionably follows from the information provided to you.
MAT Exam Pattern 2024
There are a total of 5 sections in the MAT exam. Each section has 40 questions. Every correct answer awards 1 mark to the candidate while 0.25 marks are deducted for every wrong attempt.
The most important thing to note is that there is no time limit for each section of the MAT exam. Candidates are now allowed to switch between sections during the test. This is a very important factor to consider while preparing from MAT as the option to switch between sections can be beneficial for a candidate or cause a waste of time, depending on how well a candidate has prepared.
In such a case, it is highly recommended that candidates place a time limit on sections during their preparation and also consider several factors such as their speed, accuracy, and target score in each section of MAT.
Since time is a precious commodity, and very limited for the number of questions in the exam, deciding a section-wise time duration of the MAT exam must be the basis of any candidate's MAT 2024 preparation strategy.
Section | No. of Questions | Suggested Time | Scaled Score |
Language Comprehension | 40 | 30 minutes | 0 - 100 |
Mathematical & Critical Skills | 40 | 40 minutes | 0 - 100 |
Data Analysis & Sufficiency | 40 | 35 minutes | 0 - 100 |
Intelligence & Critical Reasoning | 40 | 30 minutes | 0 - 100 |
Indian & Global Environment | 40 | 15 minutes | 0 - 100 |
TOTAL | 200 | 150 minutes | 400 |
Candidates can get a composite score between 199 and 801 in the MAT exam. Any candidate who gets a score between 199 is given a 199 score in MAT and any candidate who has scored above 801 is given an 801 composite score in MAT. However, both these instances are very rare.
The score of the Indian & Global Environment section of MAT is not considered when calculating the final percentile of a candidate in the MAT exam.
MAT 2024 Intelligence & Critical Reasoning Topics
Intelligence & Critical Reasoning is the 4th out of the 4 sections of the MAT exam. It contains 40 questions. The section is designed to test the Analytical Reasoning and Critical Reasoning sections of the MAT exam.
Out of the 40 questions in the Intelligence & Analytical Reasoning section, 28 are from Analytical Reasoning, and 12 cover topics from Critical Reasoning. The topics covered in the Intelligence & Critical Reasoning section of MAT include the following.
Family Tree | Blood Relations | Statements and Assumptions |
Directions | Puzzles | Arrangements |
Data Sufficiency | Series | Assertions & Reasons |
Coding-Decoding | Analogy | Odd-One-Out |
Multi-Dimensional Arrangements | Column Graphs | Critical Reasoning |
Visual Reasoning | Syllogisms | Graphs Representing Area |
Mostly, questions from these topics make up most of the Intelligence & Critical Reasoning section of MAT. It is also very important that a candidate refers to the best books for MAT preparation to find out the comprehensive list of topics as well as the type of questions included in the MAT exam. Candidates can also check the MAT previous year question papers for the same.
Mistakes To Avoid During the MAT Intelligence and Critical Reasoning Section
Since the MAT Intelligence and Critical Reasoning Section primarily focuses on the critical reasoning and analytical skills of candidates, it is essential that candidates exercise caution while solving this section. Presence of mind and a calm attitude while solving this section can significantly enhance the performance of a student. Check out these common mistakes to avoid during the Intelligence and Critical Reasoning section of MAT given below:
- Rushing Through Questions: Do not skim over the information provided in the questions. Before drawing conclusions, carefully read the question and consider what it is asking. Read the entire article carefully because skipping even one detail can result in erroneous inferences.
- Wasting Time on a Single Question: Never speculate a question for more than 40 seconds. Leave the question and move on to the others if you are unable to understand it.
- Overlooking Important Information: Candidates frequently read factual information but, while solving, overlook some crucial terms that significantly alter the meaning of the sentence. It is crucial to pay close attention to key terms like:
- Only and Only If
- Unless, Not, and Definitely
- All, some, none
- Negative Prefixes like un-, dis-, non-, etc.
- Not Applying Timesaving Approaches: The inability to learn abbreviations and quick tips for family relations topics can cost you a lot of valuable time when attempting to answer these questions.
- Approaching Questions Plainly: This section calls for logical problem-solving and an analytical approach. Answering these questions solely based on a factual interpretation of the data is insufficient.
Good Score in MAT 2024 Intelligence & Critical Reasoning
Candidates are often found asking what is a good score in the Intelligence & Critical Reasoning section of MAT. While there can be no one true answer for everyone, it depends on several factors such as which is your target college or what is your target percentile in the MAT exam.
Generally, a score of 17-19 in Intelligence & Critical Reasoning can result in a 90+ percentile in the MAT exam. You can always go for a higher score but it is very important to establish a balance between the target score and the time you can provide to a certain section. You must keep sufficient
Several other factors also define how much a candidate can score in the Intelligence & Reasoning Section of MAT. Here are some related articles that can help you set a target percentile for MAT based on your choice of college.
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MAT Intelligence & Critical Reasoning Sample Questions 2024
Here are some of the MAT Intelligence & Critical Reasoning sample questions.
Sample Question 1
Directions: Find out the correct group of letters from the answer options (1) to (4) to represent the same relationship among the group of letters as established among the set at the top. | |
| (1) UYZ | (2) AEX |
| (3) EIX | (4) OUW |
Sample Question 2
Direction: The question below is followed by two arguments numbered I and II. You have to decide which of the given argument is a "strong" argument. Should telecasting feature films be stopped? Arguments: I Yes, feature films misguide young children. Give your answer as | |
| (1) if only argument I is strong. | (2) if only argument II is strong. |
| (3) if both I and II are strong. | (4) if neither I not II is strong. |
Sample Question 3
| Isha is older than Sunder. Misha is older than Harbans. Harbans is younger than Gyan. Sunder and Gyan are of the same age. If the above facts are true, which of the following conditions must also be true? | |
| (1) Misa is older than Gyan. | (2) Misa is older than Isha. |
| (3) Sunder is younger than Misa | (4) Isha is older than Harbans. |
Sample Question 4
| Seven men, A, B, C, D, E, F, and G are standing in a queue in that order. Each one is wearing a cap of different colors like violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red. D can see in front of him green and blue, but not violet. E can see violet and yellow, but not red. G can see caps of all colors other than orange. If E is wearing an indigo-colored cap, then the color of the cap worn by F is | |
| (1) blue. | (2) violet. |
| (3) red. | (4) orange. |
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About MAT 2024
Management Aptitude Test (MAT) is conducted by the All India Management Association (AIMA) for admission to the Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) courses in some of the top MBA colleges in India.
The exam is conducted once every quarter, in February, May, September, and December. Candidates appearing for the MAT exam can choose to appear for the exam in the CBT format (computer-based / online) or the PBT format (paper-based / offline).
Stay tuned to CollegeDekho for more information about MBA admissions in India. If you have any queries regarding MBA admissions, get them solved by our experts by posting a question on the CollegeDekho QnA Zone!Those who want admission-related assistance may fill out our Common Application Form.
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FAQs
What are the topics with the highest weightage in the Intelligence & Critical Reasoning section of MAT?
Blood relations and statements (cause and effect) account for around 50% of the weight in the MAT exam's Intelligence & Critical Reasoning section. Other important topics are Direction sense, Incorrect Terms, and Assumptions, and candidates can anticipate 8–10 questions on each of these subjects. In addition to these 2 topics, questions will also be asked about logical series and sequences, analogies, syllogisms, and direction tests.
How prepare for the Intelligence & Critical Reasoning section in MAT 2024?
The first step in preparing for the Intelligence & Critical Reasoning section of the MAT 2024 exam, is to practice the sample questions for each subtopic. Learning quick shortcuts and techniques to answer problems quickly and correctly is also essential for this section. Before moving on to the next topic in the syllabus, be certain that you have a firm grasp of the fundamental ideas. Every day, practice at least 5–10 questions on all the subjects you are learning. When preparing, prioritize the most challenging topics and finish them last.
What kind of questions are asked in the Intelligence & Critical Reasoning section of MAT?
The types of questions included in the Intelligence & Critical Reasoning section of the MAT exam are similar to that of the logical reasoning questions asking in other popular MBA entrance exams like CAT, XAT, NMAT, SNAP, etc. The key areas for the MAT's Intelligence & Critical Reasoning section are Family Relation, Statements-Cause & Effect, Statements-Assumptions, Reasons, Analogies, Direction, Series, and Incorrect Terms. In the exam, they are frequently asked, and the answers are typically found quickly.
Is the Intelligence & Critical Reasoning section of MAT tough?
The Intelligence & Critical Reasoning component of the MAT exam is rated as being of moderate difficulty based on an analysis of prior years' exams. Syllogism, blood relations, and critical reasoning problems are a little time-consuming and challenging yet manageable. The direction sense, rating, and series questions are simpler and take less time to complete.
What are the best books and study materials for Intelligence & Critical Reasoning preparation?
As we know, following the right books and study material is as important as investing enough time and effort during exam preparation. Here are some of the best books for Intelligence & Critical Reasoning preparation for the MAT exam:
- How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for CAT by Arun Sharma
- A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning by RS Aggarwal
- Analytical Reasoning by MK Pandey
- Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation for CAT by Nishit K Sinha