How often is MAT conducted?
Several times a year, which is its most useful feature for a candidate and the one most often under-used. Multiple cycles mean an early attempt is genuine calibration rather than a decisive event, and the gap between cycles is long enough for targeted work on whichever section proved weakest. Different cycles have also offered computer-based, internet-based and paper-based delivery, letting candidates choose the mode that suits them.
How does MAT compare with CAT?
MAT questions are generally more approachable and its timing considerably more generous, so a candidate prepared for CAT should find the aptitude sections comfortable. MAT also has a full data analysis and sufficiency section, where data sufficiency is a distinct question type CAT does not use, and it adds the business environment section. It is accepted by a wide set of institutions, though typically not the ones that shortlist primarily on CAT.
Do I need a separate preparation for MAT?
No. Any conventional management-entrance preparation covers the four aptitude sections, and the distinguishing business environment section rewards a daily business newspaper rather than a dedicated study plan. The two additions worth making are data sufficiency practice, since it constitutes a full section here with a technique of its own, and a deliberate decision to use more than one of the annual cycles rather than treating a single attempt as final.
What are the MAT September 2026 dates?
The paper-based test is on 13 September 2026 (registration closed 7 September, admit cards from 10 September) and the computer-based test on 20 September (registration to 14 September, admit cards from 17 September), after a paper-based special drive on 6 September; results are due by the last week of September. The December 2026 session follows.
What is the MAT exam pattern?
150 questions in 120 minutes across five sections of 30 — Language Comprehension, Intelligence and Critical Reasoning, Mathematical Skills, Data Analysis and Sufficiency, and Economic and Business Environment — with one mark for a correct answer and 0.25 deducted for a wrong one, in paper-based or computer-based mode. Older guides describing 200 questions in 150 minutes are out of date.
What is the MAT fee?
₹2,300 for one mode (PBT or CBT) and ₹4,000 for both modes in the same session, paid online; the second mode can be added later for ₹1,700. Both-mode candidates may send scores to seven institutes instead of five.
Who is eligible for MAT?
Graduates in any discipline from a recognised university, or final-year students, with no age limit and no restriction on the number of sessions attempted.
Is there negative marking in MAT?
Yes — a quarter of a mark is deducted for each wrong answer against one mark for a correct one, in every section.
Can I take MAT in both modes?
Yes — a candidate may register for both the paper-based and the computer-based test in the same session for ₹4,000, and the better score is used; the two tests are on different dates.
Are there free MAT mock tests?
Yes. The free MAT mock tests here follow the September 2026 structure — 150 questions in five sections of 30, 120 minutes, +1 and −0.25 — and report the overall score with a section-wise break-up.
