Management Aptitude Test (MAT 2018) is a national level test conducted by All India Management Association (AIMA) to screen candidates for admission to MBA and allied programs offered by the various B-schools of the country who will participate in the MAT 2018. It is conducted four times in a year, i.e. in the month of May, September, December, and February. Candidates can choose to take either Paper Based Test or Computer Based Test as per their convenience. The pattern of MAT December was similar to previous MATs but this time the difficulty level was a little higher.
Comprehensive Analysis of MAT December 2018
MAT December 2018: Broad analysis
MAT December 2018 (PBT 1) was held on December 9, 2018. There were 200 questions comprising five sections viz. Language Comprehension, Data Analysis and Sufficiency, Mathematical Skills, Intelligence and Critical Reasoning, Indian and Global Environment with 40 questions in each section. The level of difficulty was moderate to difficult.
The basic purpose of the exam analysis is to make test takers aware about the types of questions, number of questions, marking scheme, level of difficulty, sectional weightage, and duration of the exam.
Exam Pattern December 2018 MAT Exam
Further, following table will give you insights about the marks distribution and the level of difficulty of different sections in the test.
| Section |
Total Question |
Total Marks |
Difficulty Level |
| Language Comprehension |
40 |
40 |
Moderate to difficult |
| Mathematical skills |
40 |
40 |
Moderate- Difficult |
| Data Analysis and Sufficiency |
40 |
40 |
Moderate-Difficult |
| Intelligence and Critical Reasoning |
40 |
40 |
Moderate to difficult |
| Indian and Global Environment |
40 |
40 |
Moderate - Difficult |
Overall Summary – Different Sections
Mathematical Skills
| Question topics |
No. of questions |
| Time & work |
3 |
| Pipe & Cistern |
3 |
| Time & distance |
4 |
| Number system |
2 |
| Geometry, Mensuration |
6 |
| Partnership |
4 |
| Ratio/Fraction/Proportion |
6 |
| Profit & Loss/Percentage |
5 |
| Simple interest/Compound interest |
2 |
| Probability, Permutation & Combination |
4 |
| Others |
1 |
| Total |
40 |
This section was dominated by arithmetic questions which were around 18 and followed by geometry & mensuration, permutation & probability etc. The questions were a little time consuming and tricky. One should have a conceptual clarity of conventional topics such as time & work, profit loss, percentage, SI/CI to score well in this section.
Data Analysis and Sufficiency
| Question topics |
No. of questions |
| Line + Bar |
5 |
| Bar diagram |
5 |
| Line diagram |
5 |
| Pie charts |
5 |
| Case lets |
5 |
| Data sufficiency |
5 |
| Data Analysis & Comparison |
5 |
| Bar + Pie |
5 |
| Total |
40 |
There were tricky questions on data interpretation which were maximum in number and rest of the questions were of Data sufficiency, data analysis & comparison. Overall, this section was moderate and needed speed and accuracy to score well.
Intelligence and Critical Reasoning
| Question topics |
No. of questions |
| Cause - effect |
5 |
| Statement – Assumption/Reason |
5 |
| Statement Conclusion |
2 |
| Blood Relation |
6 |
| Symboperation |
5 |
| Series |
2 |
| Coding/decoding |
1 |
| AR Blocks |
10 |
| Clock and calendars |
2 |
| Others |
2 |
| Total |
40 |
This section was dominated by Analytical & Logical Reasoning. This section also had a few tricky questions based on verbal reasoning.
Language Comprehension
| Question topics |
No. of questions |
| Vocab |
6 |
| Sentence Improvement |
3 |
| RC passages |
20 |
| Idioms |
3 |
| Sentence Rearrangement |
3 |
| Sentence Completion |
3 |
| One word Substitution |
2 |
| Total |
40 |
As usual this time also the Language Comprehension section had four RCs with five questions each. RCs this time were tricky in terms of understanding and questions were also tricky. So it is important to learn the tricks to solve different types of questions, based on Reading comprehension. After RCs, the other dominated section was of vocabulary. There were nine questions based on vocabulary and they included sentence-completion, idioms and one word substitutions. There were a few questions (three each) based on grammar part –error and sentence rearrangement. The overall feel of the section was moderate to tough.
Indian and Global Environment
- This time in this section questions predominantly focused on the current affairs with utmost importance given to general awareness with almost more than half of the questions being asked from the current affairs.
- Good study of the current financial condition of the country could also be helpful for cracking some questions.
- The level of this section could be considered as moderate.
- For those who spend good time reading the newspaper this section could have appeared to be comparatively easy.
- At least 10-15 minutes should have been given to this section.
Management Aptitude Test (MAT 2018) is a national level test conducted by All India Management Association (AIMA) to screen candidates for admission to MBA and allied programs offered by the various B-schools of the country who will participate in the MAT 2018. It is conducted four times in a year, i.e. in the month of May, September, December, and February. Candidates can choose to take either Paper Based Test or Computer Based Test as per their convenience. The pattern and difficulty level of MAT May were similar to previous MATs.
Comprehensive Analysis of MAT September 2018
MAT September 2018: Broad analysis
MAT September 2018 was held on September 2, 2018. There were 200 questions comprising five sections viz. Language Comprehension, Data Analysis and Sufficiency, Mathematical Skills, Intelligence and Critical Reasoning, Indian and Global Environment with 40 questions in each section. The level of difficulty was moderate to difficult.
The basic purpose of the exam analysis is to make test takers aware about the types of questions, number of questions, marking scheme, level of difficulty, sectional weightage, and duration of the exam.
Exam Pattern September 2018 MAT Exam
Further, following table will give you insights about the marks distribution and the level of difficulty of different sections in the test.
| Section |
Total Question |
Total Marks |
Difficulty Level |
| Language Comprehension |
40 |
40 |
Moderate |
| Mathematical skills |
40 |
40 |
Moderate- Difficult |
| Data Analysis and Sufficiency |
40 |
40 |
Moderate-Difficult |
| Intelligence and Critical Reasoning |
40 |
40 |
Moderate to difficult |
| Indian and Global Environment |
40 |
40 |
Moderate - Difficult |
Overall Summary – Different Sections
Mathematical Skills
| Question topics |
No. of questions |
| Time & work |
4 |
| Pipe & Cistern |
2 |
| Time & distance |
5 |
| Number system |
1 |
| Geometry, Mensuration |
5 |
| Partnership |
5 |
| Ratio/Fraction/Proportion |
5 |
| Profit & Loss/Percentage |
7 |
| Simple interest/Compound interest |
1 |
| Probability |
3 |
| Others |
2 |
| Total |
40 |
The questions were a little time consuming and of moderate level. Geometry & Arithmetic dominated this section of the exam. One should have a conceptual clarity of conventional topics such as time & work, profit loss, percentage, SI/CI to score well in this section.
Data Analysis and Sufficiency
| Question topics |
No. of questions |
| Line + Bar |
5 |
| Bar diagram |
5 |
| Line diagram |
5 |
| Pie charts |
5 |
| Case lets |
5 |
| Data sufficiency |
5 |
| Data Analysis & Comparison |
5 |
| Bar + Pie |
5 |
| Total |
40 |
There were tricky questions on data interpretation which were maximum in number. Overall, this section was moderate and needed speed and accuracy to score well.
Intelligence and Critical Reasoning
| Question topics |
No. of questions |
| Cause - effect |
5 |
| Statement – Assertion/Reason |
5 |
| Statement Conclusion |
3 |
| Blood Relation |
6 |
| Symboperation |
5 |
| Series |
2 |
| Coding/decoding |
1 |
| AR Blocks |
10 |
| Others |
6 |
| Total |
40 |
This section had a few tricky questions based on verbal reasoning along with questions based on analytical and logical reasoning.
Language Comprehension
| Question topics |
No. of questions |
| Summary based |
4 |
| Sentence Improvement |
3 |
| RC passages |
20 |
| Idioms |
3 |
| Sentence Rearrangement |
4 |
| Sentence Completion |
3 |
| One word Substitution |
3 |
| Total |
40 |
As usual this time also the Language Comprehension section had four RCs with five questions each. Except passage 1, all other three were of short length. Most of the questions were direct and were therefore easy to answer. There were one or two inference based questions, which were a little tricky and also three contextual vocabulary based questions. So it is important to learn the tricks to solve different types of questions, based on Reading comprehension. After RCs, the other dominated section was of vocabulary. There were nine questions based on vocabulary and they included sentence-completion, idioms and one word substitutions. There were a few questions (three each) based on grammar part –error and sentence rearrangement. Another part that was asked was four summary-based questions. The overall feel of the section was moderate.
Indian and Global Environment
- This time in this section questions predominantly focused on the current affairs with utmost importance given to general awareness with almost more than half of the questions being asked from the current affairs.
- Good study of the current financial condition of the country could also be helpful for cracking some questions.
- The level of this section could be considered as moderate.
- For those who spend good time reading the newspaper this section could have appeared to be comparatively easy.
- Atleast 10-15 minutes should have been given to this section.
Management Aptitude Test (MAT 2018) is a national level test conducted by All India Management Association (AIMA) to screen candidates for admission to MBA and allied programs offered by the various B-schools of the country who will participate in the MAT 2018. It is conducted four times in a year, i.e. in the month of May, September, December, and February. Candidates can choose to take either Paper Based Test or Computer Based Test as per their convenience. The pattern and difficulty level of MAT May were similar to previous MATs.
Comprehensive Analysis of MAT May 2018
MAT May 2018: Broad analysis
MAT May 2018 was held on May 6, 2018. There were 200 questions comprising five sections viz. Language Comprehension, Data Analysis and Sufficiency, Mathematical Skills, Intelligence and Critical Reasoning, Indian and Global Environment with 40 questions in each section. The level of difficulty was moderate to difficult.
The basic purpose of the exam analysis is to make test takers aware about the types of questions, number of questions, marking scheme, level of difficulty, sectional weightage, and duration of the exam.
Exam Pattern May 2018 MAT Exam
Further, following table will give you insights about the marks distribution and the level of difficulty of different sections in the test.
| Section | Total Question | Total Marks | Difficulty Level |
| Language Comprehension | 40 | 40 | Moderate |
| Mathematical skills | 40 | 40 | Moderate- Difficult |
| Data Analysis and Sufficiency | 40 | 40 | Moderate-Difficult |
| Intelligence and Critical Reasoning | 40 | 40 | Moderate to difficult |
| Indian and Global Environment | 40 | 40 | Moderate- Difficult |
Overall Summary – Different Sections
Mathematical Skills
| Question topics | No. of questions |
| Time & work | 4 |
| Pipe & Cistern | 2 |
| Time & distance | 5 |
| Number system | 1 |
| Geometry, Mensuration | 5 |
| Partnership | 5 |
| Ratio/Fraction/Proportion | 5 |
| Profit & Loss/Percentage | 7 |
| Simple interest/Compound interest | 1 |
| Probability | 3 |
| Others | 2 |
| Total | 40 |
The questions were a little time consuming and of moderate level. Geometry & Arithmetic dominated this section of the exam. One should have a conceptual clarity of conventional topics such as time & work, profit loss, percentage, SI/CI to score well in this section.
Data Analysis and Sufficiency
Question topics |
No. of questions |
Line + Bar |
5 |
Bar diagram |
5 |
Line diagram |
5 |
Pie charts |
5 |
Case lets |
5 |
Data sufficiency |
5 |
Data Analysis &Comparison |
5 |
Bar + Pie |
5 |
Total |
40 |
There were tricky questions on data interpretation which were maximum in number. Overall, this section was moderate and needed speed and accuracy to score well.
Intelligence and Critical Reasoning
Question topics |
No. of questions |
Cause - effect |
5 |
Statement – Assumption |
5 |
Blood Relation |
6 |
Symboperation |
5 |
Series |
2 |
Coding/decoding |
1 |
AR Blocks |
10 |
Others |
6 |
Total |
40 |
This section had a few tricky questions based on verbal reasoning along with questions based on analytical and logical reasoning.
Language Comprehension
Question topics |
No. of questions |
Vocabulary |
6 |
Grammar |
3 |
RC passages |
20 |
Idioms |
3 |
Sentence Rearrangement |
3 |
Sentence Completion |
2 |
One word Substitution |
3 |
Total |
40 |
As usual this time also the Language Comprehension section had four RCs with five questions each. Most of the questions were direct and were therefore easy to answer. There were one or two inference and vocabulary based questions, which were a little tricky. So it is important to learn the tricks to solve different types of questions, based on Reading comprehension. After RCs, the other dominated section was of vocabulary. There were twelve questions based on vocabulary and they included synonyms, idioms and one word substitutions. There were a few questions based on grammar part –error, sentence Completion and sentence rearrangement. The overall feel of the section was moderate.
Indian and Global Environment
- In this test area the questions were predominantly from sports, awards, economy and politics.
- A major point is that the marks scored in this section are not counted in the consolidated score.
- Overall, level of difficulty of this section was moderate.
- Those who read the newspaper on regular basis found this area comfortable.
- A good time allocation strategy was to spend around 5-10 minutes.
Management Aptitude Test (MAT 2018) is a national level test conducted by All India Management Association (AIMA) to screen candidates for admission to MBA and allied programs offered by the various B-schools of the country who will participate in the MAT 2018. It is conducted four times in a year, i.e. in the month of May, September, December, and February. Candidates can choose to take either Paper Based Test or Computer Based Test as per their convenience. The pattern and difficulty level was exactly similar to December MAT 2017
Comprehensive Analysis of MAT Feb 2018
MAT Feb 2018: Broad analysis
Paper Based MAT Feb 2018 was held on February 4, 2018. There were 200 questions comprising of five sections viz. Language Comprehension, Data Analysis and Sufficiency, Mathematical Skills, Intelligence and Critical Reasoning, Indian and Global Environment with 40 questions in each section. The level of difficulty was moderate to difficult.
The basic purpose of the exam analysis is to make test takers aware about the types of questions, number of questions, marking scheme, level of difficulty, sectional weightage, and duration of the exam.
Exam Pattern Feb 2018 MAT Exam
Further, following table will give you insights about the marks distribution and the level of difficulty of different sections in the test.
| Section |
Total Question |
Total Marks |
Difficulty Level |
| Language Comprehension |
40 |
40 |
Moderate |
| Mathematical skills |
40 |
40 |
Moderate- Difficult |
| Data Analysis and Sufficiency |
40 |
40 |
Moderate-Difficult |
| Intelligence and Critical Reasoning |
40 |
40 |
Moderate |
| Indian and Global Environment |
40 |
40 |
Moderate- Difficult |
Overall Summary – Different Sections
Mathematical Skills
| Question topics |
No. of questions |
| Average, mixture |
4 |
| Time & work |
2 |
| Time & distance |
3 |
| Number system |
3 |
| Geometry, Mensuration |
5 |
| Algebra |
2 |
| Ratio/Fraction/Proportion |
3 |
| Profit & Loss/Percentage |
3 |
| Simple interest/Compound interest |
4 |
| Others |
11 |
| Total |
40 |
The questions were a little time consuming and of a moderate level. Geometry & Arithmetic dominated this section of the exam. The success in this section mainly depends on the conceptual clarity with calculation skills.
Data Analysis and Sufficiency
| Question topics |
No. of questions |
| Tables |
4 |
| Bar diagram |
4 |
| Line diagram |
4 |
| Pie charts |
5 |
| Case lets |
4 |
| Data sufficiency |
7 |
| Data Analysis & Comparison |
6 |
| Others |
6 |
| Total |
40 |
There were tricky questions on data interpretation which were maximum in number. Overall, this section was moderate and needed speed and accuracy to score well.
Intelligence and Critical Reasoning
| Question topics |
No. of questions |
| Assertion Reason |
3 |
| Statement – conclusion |
3 |
| Blood Relation |
2 |
| Direction |
2 |
| Clocks & Calendars |
2 |
| Coding/decoding |
2 |
| Input/output |
2 |
| AR Blocks |
6 |
| Others |
18 |
| Total |
40 |
This section had a lot of lengthy and time consuming questions based on critical reasoning along with questions based on analytical and logical reasoning.
Language Comprehension
| Question topics |
No. of questions |
| Vocabulary |
4 |
| Grammar |
4 |
| \RC passages |
20 |
| Others including Verbal logic |
6 |
| Summary |
4 |
| Sentence Completion |
2 |
| Total |
40 |
Including variety in reading and learning the tricks to solve different questions, based on Reading comprehension, will help in getting the decent score. Questions in usage section required a good knowledge of English usage and Vocabulary. The section was of moderate difficulty level and speed and accuracy could help the candidate score well.
Indian and Global Environment
- In this test area the questions were predominantly from sports and international market.
- A major point is that the marks scored in this section are not counted in the consolidated score.
- Overall, level of difficulty of this section was moderate.
- Those who read the newspaper on a regular basis found this area comfortable.
- A good time allocation strategy was to spend around 5-10 minutes.