smartstudy.schoolSession 2026–27

SmartStudy.School — Exam Directory

MBA / Management Entrance · Higher study

MAT

Management Aptitude Test

Accepted by around 600 B-schools across India for MBA/PGDM admission, mostly private and tier-2/3 institutes; a useful backup to CAT and state CETs.

Eligibility

Graduation in any discipline from a recognised university; final-year students may apply. There is no minimum percentage set by AIMA, no age limit and no limit on attempts.

Age limit: No age limit

Exam pattern

MCQ test of 120 minutes with 150 questions in five sections of 30 each: Language Comprehension, Intelligence and Critical Reasoning, Mathematical Skills, Data Analysis and Sufficiency, and Economic and Business Environment. +1 for a correct answer, -0.25 for a wrong one. Results are reported as a scaled composite score and percentile; the Economic and Business Environment (GK) section is not included in the composite score.

Syllabus at a glance

Language Comprehension covers RC, grammar and vocabulary. Intelligence and Critical Reasoning covers puzzles, arrangements, coding-decoding and syllogisms. Mathematical Skills and Data Analysis cover arithmetic, algebra, geometry, charts, tables and data sufficiency at a moderate level; Economic and Business Environment covers business, economy and current affairs.

Upcoming dates

EventDateStatus
MAT December 2026 PBT registration closes14 Dec 2026confirmed
MAT December 2026 PBT exam20 Dec 2026confirmed
MAT December 2026 CBT registration closes21 Dec 2026confirmed
MAT December 2026 CBT exam27 Dec 2026confirmed
MAT December 2026 resultEarly Jan 2027expected
MAT February 2027 sessionFeb 2027expected

Expected dates follow the usual calendar; confirm on the official notification before planning.

Free prep material

Official
AIMA – MAT information page
AIMA's official MAT page with session details, bulletin and the link to the mat.aima.in registration portal (which provides a free practice test to registered candidates).
 Study material
IndiaBix
Free bank of aptitude, reasoning and data-sufficiency questions aligned to MAT's moderate difficulty.
 Mock tests
Cracku – free MBA mocks and questions
Free MAT-style practice tests and topic-wise questions with solutions.
 Study material
GKToday
Free daily current-affairs and business news quizzes for the Economic and Business Environment section.
 Video course
Rodha (YouTube)
Free concept videos for quant and data interpretation.

Standard books

  • Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations – R.S. Aggarwal (S. Chand)
  • A Modern Approach to Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning – R.S. Aggarwal (S. Chand)
  • MAT Management Aptitude Test Guide – Arihant Experts (Arihant)
  • Lucent's General Knowledge – Lucent Publications
  • High School English Grammar and Composition – Wren and Martin

How toppers play it

  • 150 questions in 120 minutes leaves under a minute per question – solve the easy ones in each section first and skip lengthy calculations.
  • The Economic and Business Environment section does not count towards the composite score, so spend no more than 10-15 minutes on it, but some institutes still look at it.
  • With -0.25 for a wrong answer, guess when you can eliminate even one option.
  • Choose CBT if you want a faster result and on-screen practice; register for both modes for two chances at a better percentile in the same session.
  • Check the participating-institutes list and their MAT cut-offs before choosing a session, since many colleges close admissions after the May session.