MAT Exam Pattern 2025 (Available): Check MAT Paper Pattern and Marking Scheme

Management Aptitude Test 2024 ( MAT )

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Registration: 24 Dec '24 - 2 Mar '25

Vipra Shrivastava

Vipra ShrivastavaSenior Manager - Content

Updated on Jan 11, 2025 11:18 IST

MAT pattern 2025 is same as MAT pattern 2024. The exam will be of 2 hours and the number of questions will be 150. The MAT question paper will be divided into five sections. Each of the five sections of MAT 2025 will have 30 questions of 1 mark each. Candidates can choose MAT exam session, date and mode. All three exam modes - CBT, PBT and IBT, have common MAT test structure and sectional composition. The difficulty level of MAT exam is easy to moderate. Get here all the details of MAT 2025 exam pattern. 

 

Q:   Which section of MAT exam has maximum weightage?

A:

Each section of MAT exam has equal weightage. All the five sections - Language Comprehension, Intelligence and Critical Reasoning, Data Analysis and Data Sufficiency, Mathematical Skills and Indian & Global Environment have 30 questions. Each question carries one mark thus the section wise weightage of marks is 30 per section. There is negative marking of 0.25 in MAT. Since, every section has equal weightage, you need to prepare well for each one of them for a good overall score. Even in the exam, spend a good amount of time on each section and solve a minimum number of questions to meet the sectional cut off. Since, there is no sectional time-limit in MAT exam. Candidates can decide themselves how much time they should spend on which section as one needs to score well in all sections because of equal weightage. Out of 2 hours or 120 minutes, candidates should allot maximum time to the section they find tough or are calculation intensive. It is advisable to attempt the easier sections first and then move to tougher sections.

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Q:   What is the difference between CBT and PBT modes of MAT exam?

A:
The CBT or computer based mode MAT exam is conducted online in which, candidates have to punch in their answers on the computer screen with the help of the mouse-pad. In PBT mode exam, candidates have to fill an OMR sheet with a blue/black ball point pen with the suitable option as the answer. These days most of the candidates opt for CBT which is way it is conducted twice in a particular exam phase. PBT is conducted only once in MAT exam phase. There is no difference in the exam pattern or syllabus of the MAT CBT and MAT PBT. Candidates can choose the mode of exam at the time of registration as per their convenience. If a candidate is comfortable in pen and paper mode, then they can opt for MAT PBT and if the candidate is comfortable in taking tests on computer, they can opt for MAT CBT. However, the CBT and PBT exams are held in different cities so candidates must check the list of test cities before choosing their exam mode.
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Q:   Is MAT exam easier than other MBA entrance exams?

A:

Yes, the difficulty level of MAT exam is lower than other MBA entrance exams. The question paper is usually of easy to moderate difficulty level. The exam is now held for 120 minutes. There are now 150 questions in the exam paper. There is no sectional time limit in MAT which allows the candidate to plan a strategy according to their strengths and weaknesses. The score of Indian and Global Environment section is not considered for percentile calculation thus candidates don't have the stress of fifth section. Also, solving 150 questions is not mandatory so candidates can choose to solve only those questions which they know they can solve accurately. Sectional difficulty level of MAT is also lower than other MBA exams. Candidates can attempt the exam multiple times in the same academic year to improve their score. They also have the option to choose the mode of test - CBT, IBT, PBT - which makes it the most student friendly exam. Also, the MAT cut offs for admission are much lower as compared to other entrance exams.

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Q:   Are there any changes in the MAT 2024 exam format compared to the previous years?

A:

Yes, there are two changes in MAT exam format. The exam duration is noq 120 minutes and total number of questions are 150. Earlier, the exam duration was 150 minutes and number of questions was 200.

The MAT 2024 test pattern consists of five sections that will measure your Language Comprehension, Mathematical Skills, Data Analysis and Sufficiency, Indian and Global Environment, and Intelligence and Critical Reasoning. The best part is you can choose to take the exam either in paper-based or computer-based modes. Each question carries one mark, so you have a chance to score big. Just keep in mind that there's a penalty of 0.25 marks for each incorrect answer, so choose wisely. You have four chances to take the exam in February, May, September, and December, so mark your calendars and get ready to ace it!

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MAT Pattern 2025: Key Highlights

MAT is one of the most student friendly MBA entrance exams in India. All questions are objective type having 4 options to choose the right answer from. Overall, difficulty level is easy. Check below the key highlights of MAT pattern and test structure. The question papers of MAT 2025 IBT, CBT and PBT have the same structure.

MAT Features

MAT Exam Details

Exam modes

  • Paper Based Test (PBT)
  • Computer Based Test (CBT)
  • Internet Based Test (IBT)

MAT sections

  • Language Comprehension
  • Data Analysis & Sufficiency
  • Mathematical Skills
  • Intelligence & Critical Reasoning
  • Economic and Business Environment

Total number of questions

200

150

Number of questions per session

40

30

Exam duration

150 minutes

120 minutes

Total marks

200

150

Marking scheme

+1 for each correct entry

-0.25 for each incorrect entry

0 for not attempting a question

Explore subject-wise topics asked in MAT

Select your preferred subject

MAT Pattern 2025: Section-wise Weightage

MAT question paper comprises 150 questions. All the sections of MAT exam carry equal weightage so one section cannot be ignored for another. However, candidates can keep Economic and Business Environment section as their last priority because its score is not taken into consideration for MAT percentile calculation. Check the table below for sectional weightage of MAT 2025 exam pattern:

MAT Sections

Number of Questions

Language Comprehension

30

Intelligence and Critical Reasoning

30

Data Analysis and Sufficiency

30

Mathematical Skills

30

Economic and Business Environment

30

Total

150

MAT Exam Pattern 2025: Sectional Details

MAT has five sections. In other MBA entrance exams, Data Interpretation is clubbed with either Quantitative Ability or Logical Reasoning. In MAT, Data Interpretation is a separate section. Take a look at key topics of the five sections of MAT question paper below:

Language Comprehension: This section has two parts – Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension. Topics in this section include Verb, Noun, Pronoun, Adjective, Adverb, Antonyms & Synonyms, One Word Substitution, Idioms/Phrases, Vocabulary, Fill in the blanks, Sentence Correction, Para Jumble and Reading Comprehension.

Also Read: MAT 2025 Preparation for Language Comprehension

Intelligence & Critical Reasoning: This section of MAT carries questions from Analytical and Logical Reasoning topics such as Family Tree, Course of Action, Arrangement, Pie Chart, Calendars, Statement Conclusions, Strong Arguments and Weak Arguments, Puzzles, Series, Blood Relations, Coding & Decoding, Visual Reasoning, Syllogisms and Graphs.

Also Read: MAT 2025 Preparation for Intelligence & Critical Reasoning

Data Analysis & Data Sufficiency: This section is divided into two parts – Data Analysis and Data Sufficiency. Questions are asked from Line Graph, Bar Graph, Caselet, Pie Chart, Data Comparison, Quantitative Comparison and Data Sufficiency.

Also Read: MAT 2025 Preparation for Data Analysis & Data Sufficiency

Mathematical Skills: The Mathematical Skills section of MAT is what is known as Quantitative Aptitude in other MBA entrance exams. In this section, questions are asked from various topics of Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Mensuration and Modern Maths.

Also Read: MAT 2025 Preparation for Mathematical Skills

Economic and Business Environment: The Indian & Global Environment has been renamed as Economi and Business Environment. It is essentially a General Awareness section and includes questions from Current Affairs and Static GK. It carries 30 marks and should not take more than 10 mintues to solve as all questions are memory based.

Also Read: MAT 2025 Preparation for Indian & Global Environment

MAT Marking Scheme 2025

Given below are the key highlights of MAT marking scheme as per the latest MAT paper pattern:

  • The marking scheme is same for all three exam modes
  • Every section carries equal weightage of 30 marks
  • For each correct answer, 1 mark is awarded
  • For each wrong attempt, 0.25 marks are deducted 
  • No marks are deducted for unanswered questions
  • Economic and Business Environment score is not considered for calculating MAT percentile
  • It is not mandatory to solve all 150 questions.

Also Read:

MAT IBT Pattern: Test Requirements

The paper pattern, test structure and marking scheme of MAT IBT is same as CBT/PBT. The only difference is that in this mode of examination, candidate can take the test from any location on a laptop/desktop with high speed internet connection. Candidates need to follow certain guidelines to ensure authenticity. Candidates taking MAT IBT must keep the following key points in mind:

MAT IBT Requirements

Description

Network

  • The candidates must have a high-speed and stable internet connection 
  • A proxy for this is if they can login into their email accounts without difficulty. Upload Speed: Minimum speed => 512 kbps

Supported Browsers

  • Chrome version 63 and above
  • Firefox version 52 and above

Operating System

WindowsOS (Version7 and above)

.Dot NETframework

MSB requires dot net framework. The minimum supported version is 4.5.1..NETframework

Memory

65MB permanent free space on the default hard drive

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FAQs on MAT Pattern 2025

Check here Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on MAT exam pattern:

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