MAT Exam Analysis 2024 (Dec Session): Check MAT Question Paper Analysis Here

MAT Exam Analysis 2024

The MAT exam analysis 2024 is now available here. The same provides test takers with an insight into the difficulty level, important topics, and other factors related to the MAT question paper. The exam analysis for the December session will be made available in detail here. Overall, the difficulty level of all the modes (CBT, PBT, and IBT) is expected to be easy to moderate. The question papers will have 5 sections - Language Comprehension, Intelligence & Critical Reasoning, Data Analysis & Sufficiency, Mathematical Skills, and Indian and Global Environment, each containing 40 Multiple Choice Questions (a total of 200 questions). Each question carries 1 mark and there is a negative marking of -0.25 marks per incorrect question.

MAT (Management Aptitude Test) is held four times a year in various modes- Paper Based Test (PBT), Computer Based Test (CBT), and Remote Proctored Internet Based Test (IBT). The MAT exam analysis 2024 will be based on feedback from students who appeared for the exam and inputs from the experts. You can also find below previous years' exam analyses as well.

Session-wise MAT 2024 Exam Analysis

The MAT 2024 exam analysis is updated below as soon as the exams have been conducted: 

Feb Session

MAT 2023 December Exam Analysis

There was no element of surprise in the MAT 2023 December exam, and it followed the same exam pattern as the September 2023 exam. There were 5 sections in the December session of the MAT 2023 exam with 40 questions of MCQ type in each section. To calculate the percentile, the score of the fifth section on the Indian and global environment will not be taken into consideration. The exam had a moderate to easy difficulty level. The total score that is taken into consideration for merit is 160 out of 800 (5 marks x 160 Qs).

• There were four 400–500 word RC passages and 20 questions in the language comprehension section of the MAT 2023 December session. 
• 2 RC passages were fact-based, and the other 2 were opinion-based and based on abstract concepts.
• The overall difficulty level of the reasoning section was moderate, with a few tricky and challenging questions.
• The Reasoning section comprised 18 to 20 questions about statements of cause and effect and family relations.
• There were more questions on graphs and pie charts in the sections dedicated to data analysis and data sufficiency. The difficulty level of these questions was high.
• In the section on mathematical skills, Arithmetic accounted for the majority of questions with a moderate difficulty level. 
• Questions from Language and Data Analysis were high in difficulty level.
• According to feedback from candidates, the MAT Remote Proctored Internet-Based Test was considered moderate by them, even though certain sections of the Verbal, Data Analysis, and Reasoning sections required more time to complete.
• As there would be fierce competition for admission to a reputable MBA college, candidates would need to achieve higher scores to increase their chances of admission.   
• An overall raw score of 110 is anticipated to yield a 95 percentile cut off.

MAT 2023 December Question Paper Composition for IBT/CBT/PBT Exams

The number of questions asked from each section and the ideal time to solve them have been provided in the table below.

MAT Sectional Analysis

Provided below are the MAT exam analysis for each section along with their difficulty level: 

Section 1: Language Comprehension
40 questions of moderate difficulty level constituted this section. A few of the questions were difficult The major topics and number of questions are:

Section 2: Mathematical Skills

The level of difficulty of the questions was moderate. For candidates who performed well in this section, it may serve as a percentile booster. A score of 28–29 could place you in the 90+ percentile for this section.

• A significant number of questions were based on Arithmetic out of the total number of 40 questions.
• Topics like Interest, Percentages, Time and Work, Profit, Loss, and Partnership constituted around 15 questions. Even though the questions were moderate, they took a little while to complete.
• The remaining questions covered topics like probability, geometry and mensuration, equations, ratios, proportion and variation, and permutations and combinations.

Section 3: Data Analysis and Sufficiency

• Most questions in this section were associated with data interpretation. More than fifty percent of the section's questions focused on data interpretation (DI), with the remaining questions covering data comparison and data sufficiency.
• This section featured a greater number of graphs, pie charts, bar charts, line graphs, and data comparisons.
• Time was considered the biggest obstacle to answering these questions quickly and accurately.
• To receive the 90th and higher percentile, a score of 21–22 marks is required.

Section 4: Intelligence and Critical Reasoning

• There were 40 questions in this section.
• 10 questions covered the topics of family relationships, 10 questions were based on statements- cause and effect, while the remaining questions were based on assumptions, reasons, analogies, direction, series, and incorrect terms.
• There were more questions on logical and analytical reasoning and fewer on critical reasoning.
• Questions in sets as well as individual questions were included in the format of the questions.
• The section had a moderate degree of difficulty and was a little lengthy.
• In this section, a percentile above 90 can be obtained with a score of 25–26 marks.

Section 5: Indian and Global Environment

The marks of this section are not taken into consideration during percentile calculation in the MAT exam. 

• Although AIMA suggested 15 minutes to answer the 40 questions in this section, 10 minutes was sufficient to attempt this section.
• Questions were asked from topics like G-20 Summit, Climate Change Summit, Constitution of India, Appointments, Capitals, Current National and International Events, Budget, GST, CAA,  US Trade Policy, JIO-Facebook deal, Awards, Government policies, rules, regulations, Russia-Ukraine War, and Israel-Hamas conflict among others.
• For the things you don't know or don't understand, there was no need to reconsider or recall. A lot of candidates chose to omit or answer minimum questions in this section to save time for other sections.
• It took less than 30 seconds to answer a single question.

MAT 2023 September Session Exam Analysis

The analysis of the MAT exam offers a comprehensive examination of the test paper, encompassing assessments of the difficulty levels in each section, the distribution of questions by topic, and an estimation of the recommended number of questions to attempt. The following points of the MAT analysis represent a comprehensive overview of the examination.

• The examination featured four RC passages, each spanning 400-500 words, followed by a Language Comprehension section comprising 20 questions.
• While the Reasoning section presented a few challenging questions, it generally maintained a moderate level of difficulty.
• Two of the RC passages delved into opinion-based topics and abstract ideas, while the other two were centered on factual content.
• The Reasoning section included a substantial number of questions, ranging from 18 to 20, primarily focusing on topics related to Family Relations and Statements – Cause & Effect.
• In the Data Analysis and Data Sufficiency sections, there was an emphasis on questions related to graphs and pie charts.
• Data Sufficiency included several challenging questions related to graphs and pie charts.
• Arithmetic played a significant role in the Mathematical skills section, with a majority of questions falling under the moderate difficulty category.
• The IBT MAT exam introduced some notably challenging questions, particularly in the Language and Data Analysis sections, while the PBT version was relatively more manageable.
• Candidate feedback suggested that the MAT Remote Proctored Internet Based Test was of moderate difficulty, with some candidates reporting that the Verbal, Data Analysis, and Reasoning sections required extra time for completion.
• To secure admission to competitive MBA programs, candidates were advised to target a raw score of around 110, corresponding to the 95th percentile cutoff in the MAT exam.

MAT 2023 May Session Exam Analysis

Given below is a comprehensive analysis of the May session of the MAT 2023 exam.

• A relatively higher level of difficulty was exhibited in the May session of the MAT 2023 exam.
• It followed the conventional exam pattern and consisted of 200 multiple-choice questions that were systematically segmented into 5 sections.
• While most test-takers said the exam seemed fairly easy and manageable to moderately tough, several sections, including Verbal and Data Analysis, showed significant complexities that called for extra concentration and close attention to detail.  

Sectional Time Division for MAT 2023 May Session

Candidates must have completed each section of the MAT 2023 exam within the specified time as mentioned below.

Section-Wise MAT May Session Exam Analysis 2023

The MAT exam comprises 5 sections. The analysis of each of these sections has been provided below in detail.

Language Comprehension

• 40 questions were asked in the section.
• The difficulty level of this section was moderate. Only few questions were found to be challenging.
• Candidates had ample time to answer the questions in this section.
• Candidates should have scored 26-27 marks in the Language Comprehension section obtain to a percentile of 90.

The major topics and number of questions are provided in the table below:

Intelligence and Critical Reasoning 

Mathematical Skills

• The difficulty level of this section was moderate.
• Higher weightage was given to Arithmetic-based questions that covered topics like Percentages, Interest, Time and Work, Profit, Loss, and Partnership.
• The Arithmetic section was a little time-consuming.

Data Analysis and Data Sufficiency

Indian and Global Environment

• Although the AIMA recommended 15 minutes to complete the 40 questions in this section, however, 10 minutes were sufficient to complete it.
• Questions have been asked regarding the G-20 Summit, Central Vista, the SCO Meeting, COVID-19 and its global significance, the JIO-Facebook deal, awards, government policies, laws, and regulations, the budget, GST, CAA, the Indian Constitution, appointments, and capitals, as well as current national and global happenings and US trade policy.
• There was no need to reconsider or recollect anything that you don't know or are unsure of.
• Less than 30 seconds was the ideal amount of time to answer one question.
• In the MAT exam, this part is not taken into account for calculating percentiles. In order to save time for other areas, several candidates skipped or answered only a few questions in this portion. 

MAT 2023 February Session Exam Analysis

The exam pattern for the MAT 2023 February session was the same for all three test modes which included PBT, CBT, and IBT. There was no sectional time limit for the MAT exam. Candidates had 150 minutes or 2 hours and 30 minutes for the entire MAT question paper. Check out the major highlights of the MAT 2023 mentioned below:

Here are the major highlights of the MAT 2023 February session exam analysis:

• The Language Comprehension section consisted of 4 RC passages of 400-500 words in length. Additionally, there were 20 questions in this section.
• 2 RC passages were based on Abstract topics and 2 RC passages were fact-based.
• The Intelligence and Critical Reasoning section was moderately difficult with a few tricky questions. 18-20 questions in this section were based on Family Relations and Statements – Cause & Effect
• Graphs and Pie charts dominated the Data Sufficiency portion of the Data Analysis and Sufficiency section. Some of the questions on Graphs and Pie Charts were challenging.
• The Mathematical Skills section was dominated by Arithmetic-related questions. This section was moderate in terms of difficulty level.
• Questions from the Language and Data Analysis section were comparatively difficult for the IBT MAT exam.
• If candidates are aiming for a 90+ percentile score, they would have to score a raw score of 110 or above.

MAT 2022 Exam Analysis

The MAT 2022 question paper pattern is the same for CBT, PBT, and IBT modes. There is no section-wise time limit for the exam. Candidates have access to the complete paper at all points during the exam and they have to attempt it in 150 minutes.

However, AIMA has suggested the time a candidate should take in each section- 30 minutes for Language Comprehension, 40 minutes for Mathematical Skills, 35 minutes for Data Analysis and Sufficiency, 40 minutes for Intelligence and Critical Reasoning, and 15 minutes for Indian and Global Environment. Given below are the important highlights of the MAT 2022 question paper:

• The test had 20 questions in the Language Comprehension section including 4 RC Passages of 400–500 words.
• Two RC passages were factual, while the other two were opinion-based and focused on abstract concepts.
• No time limit for any one section. Candidates have the option of moving to any part or question.
• Reasoning had a few tricky questions otherwise the section was moderately difficult.
• 18–20 questions in Reasoning's Cause and Effect and Family Relations sections.
• There were more questions on graphs and pie charts in the separate part for data analysis and data sufficiency.
• A few challenging graphs and pie chart problems were in the Data Sufficiency section.
• The majority of the questions in the section on mathematical skills that dealt with arithmetic were of medium complexity.
• Some of the toughest questions in both language and data analysis were included in the MAT exam.
• Candidates have said that the MAT was moderate, despite the fact that some of the verbal, data analysis, and reasoning problems required more time to complete.
• The rivalry for admission to reputable MBA schools would be fierce, thus applicants would require higher marks.
• Candidates who wish to obtain a 90+ percentile score in the MAT exam would have to fetch an overall raw score of 110 in MAT.

MAT 2022 Exam Analysis: Session-wise

Candidates had to attempt a total of 200 questions given in MCQ format with four choices and one correct answer only. There was an equal weightage of 1 mark for each correct answer and minus 0.25 mark for every incorrect answer.  Here's the detailed analysis of MAT 2022 IBT, PBT, and CBT exams.

MAT 2022 Exam Analysis: December Session

MAT PBT 2022 Exam Analysis: September Session

The MAT September 2022 PBT exam was held on September 4, 2022, at various exam centers for a duration of 150 minutes. The MAT PBT Question Paper for September 2022 session has questions from Language Comprehension, Intelligence and Critical Reasoning, Data Analysis and Sufficiency, Mathematical Skills, and the Indian and Global Environment. Here is a detailed analysis of the question paper.

MAT PBT 2022 Exam Analysis: May Session

The MAT PBT exam for the May session was conducted on May 15 and May 28, 2022. MAT 2022 internet-based test (IBT) was held from May 14 to May 29. Here is the detailed exam analysis for MAT May session 2022 provided in the table below:

MAT Exam Analysis 2021

The February, July & September sessions of MAT 2021 were held in all three modes, i.e. CBT, PBT, and IBT modes. Following is an analysis of the MAT question paper for previous shifts.

MAT 2021 Question Paper Analysis - July Session

Given below is the section-wise analysis of the MAT 2021 question paper in the July session.

Here is a more detailed description of each section.

MAT 2021 (July) Mathematical Skills Analysis

The Mathematical Skills section in MAT 2021 July question paper was of Moderate difficulty. The dominant topics in this section included Algebra, Arithmetic, Modern Math and Geometry.

MAT 2021 (July) Language Comprehension Analysis

The Language Comprehension section in MAT 2021 July exam was Easy to Moderate. The section contained 2 RC passages, which were doable with moderate effort. Apart from that, the section included questions from topics such as Antonyms & Synonyms, One-Word Substitution, Idioms & Phrases, Para jumbles etc.

MAT 2021 (July) Intelligence & Critical Reasoning Analysis

Student feedback suggests that the section was Easy to Moderate in difficulty. It was an all-around section and no one topic was dominant. Important topics include Coding-Decoding, Blood Relations, Series etc.

MAT 2021 (July) Data Analysis and Sufficiency Analysis

The Data Analysis and Sufficiency section in the MAT July exam had Easy to Moderately difficult questions. The questions were a usual mix of Charts, Graphs and Tables in Data Analysis and Arithmetic and Mensuration-based questions in Data Sufficiency.

MAT 2021 (July) Indian and Global Environment Analysis

The Indian and Global Environment section was Easy with most of the questions based on Static GK and some questions based on the affairs of the last few years.

MAT 2020 Exam Analysis: February Session

The MAT 2020 PBT exam has been conducted on 16 February 2020. The MAT 2020 PBT exam was conducted from 10 AM to 12.30 AM at 51 exam centres across India. According to the experts, the pattern of MAT 2020 PBT exam was quite similar to the exam conducted in December 2019. Going by the detailed exam analysis of both MAT variants (PBT & CBT), it has been found that there are a number of differences in the exam pattern of both. This is expected to be followed in future exams as well. However, there was no surprise element in the MAT February 2020 exam and it was found to be similar to the December 2019 exam in most respects.

While the overall difficulty level of questions in the MAT 2020 PBT exam was found to range from easy to moderate, a number of questions from Language Comprehension, Data Analysis and Mathematical Skills were found to be a bit difficult. After a detailed paper analysis of the MAT 2020 PBT exam, it has been concluded that 110+ would be a good score to get a 90+ percentile in the exam.

Candidates would be interested in knowing that this is the second time that AIMA has conducted the PBT exam after the CBT has been conducted. Earlier, it happened in September 2019. In December 2019, the PBT exam was conducted before the scheduled date of the MAT CBT. Since fewer candidates appeared for the MAT PBT exam, it was conducted at just 51 centres throughout the country.

MAT PBT (February) Exam Analysis 2020

Given below is a detailed paper analysis of the MAT 2020 PBT exam.

• Starting with the Language Comprehension section, there were 4 RC passages that appeared in this section carrying 5 questions each. 2 of the RCs were fact-based while the other 2 had opinion-based passages.

• The Reasoning section had 18 - 20 questions mostly based on Family Relations and Statements - Cause & Effects topics. Except for a few tricky questions, the overall difficulty level of the section was found to be moderate.

• A healthy number of Graphs and Pie Chart questions were included in the Data Analysis and Data Sufficiency section as a whole.

• There were only a few Data Sufficiency questions form Graphs and Pie Charts but they were found to be on the difficult side of the spectrum.

• The Mathematical Skills section was found to be composed of majorly questions from Arithmetic. The difficulty level was moderate.

MAT CBT (February) Exam Analysis 2020

The MAT CBT February exam was conducted on 2 February 2020. Here is a detailed exam analysis of the MAT 2020 CBT February exam.

• The MAT CBT exam was found to be of moderate difficulty except for a few time-consuming questions in the Language Comprehension and Data Analysis sections.

• Some of the questions that were found to be difficult were limited to the Language Comprehension, Data Analysis and Mathematical Skills sections of the exam.

• As compared to the previous year's questions, the level of difficulty of questions in the Intelligence & Critical Reasoning section was found to be higher than before.

• 110 can be considered to be a good score in the MAT 2020 CBT February exam to get 90+ percentile.

MAT (February) Good Score and No. of Attempts 2020

Refer to the table given below for more information on what is a good score in the MAT 2020 exam.

MAT (February) Section-Wise Analysis 2020

Here is a detailed sectional analysis of the MAT 2020 February exam.

MAT (February) Language Comprehension Analysis 2020

The 40 questions in this section covered most of the major topics from the MAT syllabus. While the majority of the questions in this section were of moderate difficulty, a few RC questions were found to be on the easier side while a couple of topics contained the few difficult questions in the section. A score ranging from 26-28 can be considered good for candidates targetting 90+ percentile.

Here is a topic-wise distribution of questions and their difficulty level in the MAT 2020 exam.

MAT (February) Intelligence & Critical Reasoning Analysis 2020

Following were the important highlights of the Intelligence & Critical Reasoning analysis.

• The section was found to be strewn with time-consuming questions although the difficulty level was moderate.

• Questions from Analytical and Logical Reasonings dominated the section in terms of numbers. Comparatively fewer Critical Reasoning questions appeared in the section.

• The topic-wise distribution of questions can also be said to be a bit skewed. 10 questions were from Family Relations, 10 from Statements - Cause & Effects and the rest were from a number of different topics including Analogies, Series, Direction, Statement - Assumptions, Reasons, and Incorrect Terms.

• Going by the overall level of questions in this section, 22 - 24 marks can get a candidate in the 90+ percentile range.

MAT (February) Mathematical Skills Analysis 2020

The highlights of the Mathematical Skills section have been given below.

• Questions from Arithmetic were in majority in the Mathematical Skills section of the MAT 2020 exam. 15 out of a total of 40 questions were from Arithmetic topics such as Profit & Loss, Partnership, SI & CI, Time and Work, and Percentages.

• Questions from topics including Permutation and Combination, Geometry, Mensuration, Ratio & Proportion, Probability etc. made up the rest of the 25 questions in the section.

• The overall difficulty level of the section was found to be moderate, with a score of 29 - 30 considered good for 90+ percentile rank.

MAT (February) Data Analysis and Sufficiency Analysis 2020

The major highlights of the Data Analysis and Sufficiency section can be found below.

• More than half of the questions in this section were from Data Interpretation (DI).

• Rest of the questions were largely from Graphs and Pie Charts, Data comparison, Bar Diagrams etc.

• This section was found to be one of the most time-consuming sections of the exam. It was difficult to manage time while also maintaining speed and accuracy while solving questions.

• 21 - 23 marks in this section can be considered sufficient for a 90+ percentile rank.

MAT (February) Indian and Global Environment Analysis 2020

The following points emerge on doing an analysis of the Indian and Global Environment section.

• Questions from the following topics were asked in this section of the MAT exam -- Awards, GST, CAA,  Budget, US Trade Policy, Government Policies, Constitution of India, Appointments, Capitals, Current National and International Events etc.
• Since the section is not counted towards the overall percentile calculation of MAT, candidates either hurried through the section or skipped some of the questions in favour of attempting questions from other time-consuming sections.

MAT 2020 Exam Analysis: September Session

MAT PBT 2020 exam has been conducted successfully on October 3, 2020. The exam was conducted without any glitches and strict safety protocols were followed to ensure that safety of MAT PBT aspirants amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The MAT PBT 2020 Exam Pattern was the same as last year with no changes to the number of questions or duration of the exam. Candidates also did not report any glitches from any examination centres and the overall process was conducted smoothly.

The temperature of candidates was taken at the time of entry and candidates with abnormal symptoms were not allowed to enter the examination hall. There was sufficient arrangement to ensure a hassle-free process for every student.

MAT PBT September 2020 Difficulty Level

Candidates who appeared for MAT PBT this year reported that the overall difficulty level of the exam was Moderate. The question paper was as expected with no surprise elements of changes working in the favour of the candidates.

A detailed exam analysis of MAT PBT September 2020 will be released soon. Keep checking this space to know the section-wise breakdown of MAT PBT question paper including the difficulty level, topic-wise distribution of questions, good attempts etc.

MAT 2020 Exam Analysis: December Session

MAT 2020 was conducted in the CBT mode on December 28, 2020. The exam was held in the CBT mode after a gap of 9 months. Students also appeared for MAT 2020 in the PBT and IBT mode this year. The analysis of MAT PBT and MAT IBT can be found below. MAT PBT 2020 exam was conducted on December 6, 2020. This year, MAT 2020 is being conducted through both paper-based and internet-based modes. Candidates can find MAT PBT December 2020 analysis below.

The entire timetable for MAT has been declared and the IBT exam is being held from November 21, 2020, to December 15, 2020. The MAT 2020 PBT December analysis will help the MAT 2020 test-takers to know about the nature of the test, MAT 2020 expected cutoffs, exam pattern and top MBA colleges accepting MAT score etc.

MAT is conducted 4 times a year and the exam has already been wrapped up for the months of February, May and September. The MAT exam is yet to be held for the December session. Meanwhile, you can go through the previous MAT exams and get an idea of the type and nature of questions and pattern that might appear in the upcoming exam.

MAT IBT 2020 Section-Wise Analysis

The MAT IBT is similar to MAT CBT and PBT. The only difference is that for MAT IBT, candidates have to appear from home. The difficulty level of the IBT exams held from May-July was reported to be moderate with the Verbal, Data Analysis, and Reasoning Questions a bit time-taking.

Language Comprehension

Let's take a look at the MAT 2020 IBT Section-Wise Analysis which includes the topics, number of questions and the difficulty level. A score of 27-28 marks is decent to help candidates score 90 percentile in this section.

Intelligence and Critical Reasoning

The Intelligence and Critical Reasoning section had more questions focused on Analytical and Logical Reasoning and the number of Critical Reasoning questions was reported to be less. This section was found lengthy by the students and a score of 26-27 marks would be decent to help candidate score 90 percentile. 

Mathematical Skills

This section of MAT 2020 IBT had 40 questions and Arithmetic questions were more on topics such as Interest, Time and Work, Percentages etc. The level of difficulty of this section was moderate and it was reported to be time-taking. There were also questions on Ratio, Geometry and Mensuration, Equation etc. A score of 29-30 marks will help the aspirants get 90+ percentile. 

Indian and Global Environment

This section included 40 questions with most of the questions on COVID-19 and its impact globally, JIO Facebook deal, GST, CAA, Appointments, Government Policies, US Trade Policy, Recent National as well as International Events.

Data Analysis and Sufficiency 

About 50 per cent of this section of MAT had questions on Pie Charts, Graphs, Charts, Bar Diagrams, Data Comparison. Rest of the section had questions from Data Comparison and Data Sufficiency. A score between 20-23 will help candidates score 90 percentile and above. 

MAT 2019 (December) PBT Exam Analysis

The Paper-Based MAT 2019 December exam has been successfully conducted on December 08, 2019. Candidates can check the detailed MAT exam analysis for December 2019 PBT exam. Overall, the paper-based test remained on the same lines as that of last paper-based MAT conducted in the month of September. There were no surprise elements in the paper pattern. The exam comprised of 5 sections of 40 question each, which means a total of 200 questions. Each question was followed by 4 options and there was a negative marking of 1/4th of the marks for every incorrect answer.

Most of the questions asked in the paper were easy to moderate, although Language Comprehension, Data Analysis & Sufficiency and Quant sections had some tricky questions. As compared to previous MAT exams, some questions in Intelligence and Critical Reasoning section turned out to be a bit tough. 

Selecting questions judiciously is the best way to maximise one’s score.

MAT December 2019 Question Break-Up & Good Attempts

Section-wise Analysis of MAT PBT December 2019 Examination

Language Comprehension

The Reading Comprehension had a total of 20 easy to moderate questions. There were 4 passages and each passage was 400 words long. In every passage, test takers were supposed to answer 5 questions. The remaining 20 questions were based on Verbal Ability and Verbal Reasoning.

Solving this section within 35 minutes would be a good strategy. Attempting as many Verbal Ability and Verbal Reasoning questions as possible in the beginning, and then attempting the remaining Reading Comprehension questions would be a good idea.

Intelligence & Critical Reasoning

In this section, candidates, as usual, had to tackle a mixture of Verbal Reasoning (15 questions) and Logical Reasoning (25 questions) questions. While VR had 15 questions, LR had 25 questions. The questions in this section can be termed easy to moderate in terms of the difficulty level.

Mathematical Skills

Arithmetic dominated the Mathematical Skills section, as usual. While most of the questions were straightforward, some questions required lengthy calculations. In terms of the difficulty level, this section can be considered easy to moderate.

Data Analysis &Sufficiency

In this section, test takers had 30 questions on Data Interpretation (6 sets of 5 questions each) to be solved. The questions asked in some sets were direct but some needed tedious calculations. Attempting the right sets was the key to successfuly crack this section.

Indian and Global Environment

Majority of the questions asked in this section were around the events of the past few months. About 19 questions were on national events whereas 21 were based on international events. Therefore, a person with a good General Knowledge, or anyone who stays updated about the current economic and political scenarios in India and abroad and has a habit of reading the newspapers regularly would've found this section easy.

Out of the total 40 question asked in this section, about 10 questions could be termed easy, 10 tough and 20 moderately tough.

With inputs from IMS

MAT February 2018 Exam Analysis

AIMA conducted the Management Aptitude Test (MAT) in the Paper-Based format on February 4, 2018 as well as in the Computer-Based format on February 17, 2018. The offline exam had no surprise elements although Verbal, Critical Reasoning and Data Analysis & Data Sufficiency sections had some tricky questions, which were time-consuming.

The overall difficulty level of MAT exam conducted on Sunday, Feb 4 was medium. According to students, GK in Indian and Global Environment, Critical Reasoning, and Data Analysis sections had few questions that were tough in terms of difficulty level. These questions turned out to be lengthy and therefore students were found gasping for time. Managing time is an important factor to successfully all the 5 sections of the MAT exam.

In the Management Aptitude Test, there are usually 200 questions which are divided into 5 sections. The exam was taken by students in 51 test cities across the country from 10 AM to 12.30 PM. Students had a time limit of 150 minutes to attempt 200 questions, which means that less than 1 minute was available to attempt each question.

In this paper, students were found struggling to finish the exam as certain questions were really time-consuming. The same pattern was followed in the Computer-Based Test, which took place on February 17, 2018. Both the papers had the same difficult level.

All the questions asked in the test carry equal marks. For every correct answer, 1 mark is awarded. For every wrong answer, there is a negative marking, which means 0.25 mark is deducted. All the questions asked in the examination are in MCQ format. Each question is followed by 4 options of answers.

The following table shows the ideal time limit to tackle each section of MAT and attempts required per section to score well in the exam.

Watch out for detailed analysis of MAT Feb 2018!

MAT December 2017 Exam Analysis

The paper-based test conducted on 10th December, 2017 from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM had 200 questions divided into 5 sections. Candidates were supposed to answer the 200 questions within the time limit of 150 minutes. This means that MAT test takers had less than 1 minute to answer each of 200 questions in the examination. 

According to the feedback from test takers, the overall difficulty level of MAT 2017 December exam was moderate with the section of Data Analysis & Reasoning being on the tricky side. In the section of Indian and Global Enviornment, a few of the GK question were difficult and consumed candidates' extra time. The previous MAT exam was on the same lines, with the Data Analysis & Sufficiency as well as Critical Reasoning sections being a little tough and time-consuming.  

There was no notification from AIMA (All India Management Association) regarding any change in the MAT December 2017 exam. Therefore, it was expected to be similar to the previous test. 

The MAT exam score is accepted by various participating institutes such as TAPMI Manipal, Christ University Bangalore etc for admissions to their management programmes. The MAT cut-off 2017 is expected to go higher in most B-Schools. The cut-off may touch 95+ percentile for top B-Schools accepting MAT score above 600. Meanwhile, candidates may check Latest News & Updates on MAT December 2017 exam.

Brief Analysis of MAT December 2017 Exam

MAT Exam Analysis 2018 (December)

The paper-based Management Aptitude Test (MAT) 2018 has been conducted successfully on December 9, 2018 from 10 AM to 12.30 PM in 58 cities across the country. Candidates can now check our detailed analysis of MAT 2018 December exam.

CollegeDekho has published the MAT exam analysis for paper-based test to give an insight into the MAT exam structure, overall and section-wise difficulty level of the paper. There are many coaching institutes in India that often release their own version of the paper analysis. Apart from this, there are some experts in India who independently publish their analysis of the paper. 

The MAT December 2018 Analysis will also reveal if there were any surprise elements in the paper, what were the key topics section-wise, and what kind of questions were asked in the exam. Also, test takers will be given an idea of cut-offs in top MBA colleges that offer admission based on MAT score.

As per inputs from experts, the MAT 2018 December exam did not have any surprise elements. The overall difficulty level of the paper was moderate, although candidates found some questions in Verbal, Data Analysis & Data Sufficiency, and Critical Reasoning a little time-consuming and tricky as compared to the previous MAT exams.

Section-wise Analysis of Paper-based MAT 2018

Language Comprehension

This section comprised of a total of 40 questions with 4 Reading Comprehension passages of 500 words based on which 20 questions were asked. Except for Antonyms and Phrases & Idioms Substitution by words that had a moderate to tough difficulty level, other topics in the Language Comprehension section including RC passages, Synonyms, Fill in the Blanks, Jumbles Paragraphs, Errors in Sentence Formation and One-word Substitution had a moderate difficulty level. Except a few, candidates were able to answer most of the questions in time. 

Mathematical Skills

In the Mathematical Skills section, Arithmetic questions commanded major weightage, with around 15-16 questions based on Interest, Time and Work, Percentages, Profit & Loss, Partnership. Equations, Proportion & Variation, Geometry & Mensuration, Ration, Permutation and Combinations, Probability etc. were some other topics based on which some other questions were asked in this section. With an overall moderate difficulty level, this section could help boost the percentile of those who performed well in this section.

Data Analysis & Sufficiency

Data Interpretation (DI) covered over half of the section. Maximum questions were based on DI. Pie Charts, Bar Diagrams, Line Graphs, Data Comparison were prominent in this section. Candidates found it a little tough to manage time in this section. They were not able to handle the questions with speed and accuracy.

Intelligence & Critical Reasoning

This section turned out to be time-consuming with a moderate difficulty level. Out of the total 40 questions, Analytical and Logical Reasoning questions were more whereas Critical Reasoning had fewer questions. Some of the topics on which the questions were based are Statements-Cause & Effect, Family Relation, Statement –Assumptions, Clocks & Calendars, Reasons, Direction, Series, Analogies, and Incorrect Terms.

Indian and Global Environment

Time management was not an issue in this section, as it did not require candidates to do any thinking or recalling. The 40 questions asked in this section were based on Taxation & Duties, Film Awards, Indian Constitution, the States of India, Who’s who, Sports, and Recent events. With less than 30 seconds required to attempt each question, many candidates preferred saving their time to attempt other sections. Basically, those who've attempted this section should've been good with conventional GK, current affairs, business and economics, and international affairs.

In the table below, you can see the broad Sectional Analysis of MAT Paper-based test with the total number of questions in each section, idea time required to attempt every section, idea attempts and the score required to achieve 90+ percentile:

Management Aptitude Test (MAT) is popular management entrance exam organised by All India Management Association (AIMA) for candidates seeking admission various B-schools of India that offer admission in MBA and allied programmes on the basis of MAT exam.

The examination is held both in Paper-Based format or Computer-Based format, and candidates have the option to take either of them as per their suitability. MAT is held four times in a year - in February, May, September, and December. Candidates can take the exam anytime and fulfill their dream of pursuing management education from any of the participating B-School. 

MAT February 2017 Exam Analysis

The feedback from test takers suggested that the Critical Reasoning and Data Analysis & Sufficiency sections were a bit trickier as compared to the rest of the sections. Some of the questions asked in Indian & Global Environment section turned out to be a little difficult to answer. There was, however, no surprise element in the entrance exam. The overall difficulty level of MAT February 2017 exam was moderate.

Brief Analysis of MAT February 2017 Exam

Get Detailed Section-wise Analysis of MAT February 2017 Exam!

MAT May 2017 Exam Analysis

There were 5 sections with a total of 200 questions, which had to be attempted in 150 minutes. According to the feedback from test takers, the Data Analysis & Sufficiency section had tricky questions, and the section on Intelligence and Critical Reasoning was quite time-consuming. There was no surprise element in the MAT examination, which was taken by around 20000 candidates. The difficulty level remained almost similar to that of MAT 2017 February exam.

Brief Analysis of MAT May 2017 Exam

MAT September 2017 Exam Analysis

MAT September 2017 was conducted successfully in the month of September in offline as well as online mode. According to exam experts, the paper was moderate to difficult in terms of its level of difficulty. The MAT exam format was on the same lines as the previous tests, with 5 sections comprising of 200 questions and time duration being 2 hours 30 minutes.

Brief Analysis of MAT September 2017 Exam