MAT Preparation | How to Prepare for MAT

In the jargon of management aspirants MAT stands for Management Aptitude Test. It is a standardized test being administered by AIMA to facilitate B-Schools to screen candidates for admission to MBA and allied programs. You need to have a strategic MBA Preparation to crack MAT Exam. It is one of the most widely taken tests by the management community and serves as a passport to over 600 B-schools in India. Test takers can choose any one of the two options to take the test: Paper Based Test or Computer Based Test. The Paper Based Test is conducted on the first Sunday of February, May, September and December from 10.00-12.30 hours; whereas the Computer Based Test is conducted from Saturday onwards (6 days after the Paper Based Test date) and in different time slots.

MAT Exam Pattern

MAT is a two and a half hours objective type choice test with the following format:-

There are 200 questions in all with four choices per question
0.25 marks per question are deducted for a wrong response; while 1 mark is awarded for a correct response

The test is structured into five sections as under:-

Language Comprehension (40 Questions)
Mathematical Skills (40 Questions)
Data Analysis & Sufficiency (40 Questions)
Intelligence & Critical Reasoning (40 Questions)
Indian & Global Environment (40 Questions)

Preparation Strategy

The paper can be split into three parts: concept driven, practice intensive and environment sensitive. Mathematical Skills & select areas of Language Comprehension are concept driven where the questions are critically dependent on the test taker's conceptual clarity with respect to core fundamentals; Intelligence & Critical Reasoning, Data Analysis & Sufficiency and select areas of English Language Proficiency are practice intensive where rigorous practice across similar questions plays a key role; Indian & Global Environment is environment sensitive where an awareness with respect to current affairs is the winning stroke.

Indian & Global Environment

Majority of the questions in this section are from the following areas:-

Current Events & Happenings
Banking & Business
Sports
General Political Information

Mathematical Skills

The important areas in this section are:-

Number Systems
Percentage, Profit & Loss, Mixtures
Averages, Ratios, Interest
Time & Work, Time, Speed & Distance
Geometry, Trigonometry

Intelligence & Critical Reasoning

This area has questions related to:-

Identifying patterns in number sets
Relationships
Direction Sense
Coding, Decoding
Verbal Reasoning

Language Comprehension

The vital areas, from which maximum questions have been asked, are:-

Word Analogies
Vocabulary, with questions on antonyms and synonyms
Rearranging sentences
Reading Comprehension
Sentence Completion

Data Analysis & Sufficiency

The thrust areas here are:-

Data Sufficiency
Standard DI tools like bar graphs, pie charts, line graphs, data tables
Data Comparisons

While preparing ensures a sequential and systematic approach; the following is a suggested route:-

Start with concept consolidation in areas where concepts are critical (as mentioned above)
Graduate to the next level where you practice across questions requiring an application of the key concepts
Cement your preparation with practice across similar tests, thus improving your test taking strategies.

Overall, the test taker has to understand that MAT is designed to assess you on certain core management skills like time management, prioritization, stress management, knowledge and balancing accuracy & speed.