MAT at a glance

Conducting body

All India Management Association (AIMA)

Full form

Management Aptitude Test

What is the MAT exam format?

Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes total (single sitting)

Scoring: +1 per correct; -0.25 negative marking. Composite score scaled to 800.

• Language Comprehension

  30 min

  40 questions - reading comprehension + verbal ability.

• Intelligence and Critical Reasoning

  30 min

  40 questions - logical reasoning + critical reasoning.

• Data Analysis and Sufficiency

  35 min

  40 questions - data interpretation + sufficiency.

• Mathematical Skills

  40 min

  40 questions - arithmetic, algebra, geometry.

• Indian and Global Environment

  15 min

  40 questions - general awareness; scored separately and may or may not be counted by individual B-schools.

What does my MAT score mean?

650+ composite (top 5 percentile)

Strong score; opens calls from premium MAT-accepting B-schools and AIMA's institutional members.

550-650 (90-95 percentile)

Competitive for established tier-2 MBA programs and good private B-schools.

450-550 (75-90 percentile)

Acceptable for many tier-3 MBA programs; useful as a safety net alongside CAT / XAT scores.

Below 450

Limited B-school options at top tiers; reassess prep approach for next cycle.

How does T.I.M.E. Coimbatore teach MAT?

Batch types

Classroom • Online live • Test-series only

Course duration

3-6 months for focused MAT-only prep; concurrent with CAT prep for many students

Mock series

MAT mock series (full-length + sectional) timed to each AIMA cycle

MAT shares ~70% syllabus overlap with CAT. Most T.I.M.E. CAT-track students take MAT in parallel as a safety net + practice run. Standalone MAT prep is suitable for students explicitly targeting MAT-accepting B-schools rather than aiming for CAT. Fee structure: please enquire below.

MAT or CAT - which should I target?

If aiming for IIMs, FMS, SPJIMR, MDI, NMIMS, or other top-25 MBA programs: target CAT (with MAT as a parallel safety net). If your target list is tier-2 / tier-3 B-schools where MAT is accepted: MAT alone is sufficient. The four-cycles-per-year format gives MAT a flexibility advantage for working professionals who can't time leave around a single November exam.

How do MAT scores compare to CAT scores?

MAT is meaningfully easier than CAT in question difficulty - direct conversion isn't standard. A MAT 99 percentile is roughly comparable to a CAT 80-85 percentile in raw difficulty. B-schools applying both CAT and MAT scores typically weight CAT 80+ percentile equivalent to MAT 90+ percentile for entry purposes.

Does MAT have GD/PI rounds?

MAT itself is just the written exam. Individual B-schools that use MAT scores then conduct their own GD/PI/WAT rounds for shortlisted candidates. T.I.M.E.'s post-MAT GD/PI prep is included for students who clear shortlist cutoffs.