ABOUT MBA ENTRANCE

A Brief Study About MAT Exam

MAT stands for Management aptitude test and is conducted in India for over 21 years. It was started in 1998 by AIMA (All India management association). The MAT test is a general entrance exam for management aspirants that open them to more than 600 colleges across India. MAT is a far more flexible exam to take because of the convenience of the modes in which you can attend the paper (during the pandemic). You can choose to attend the MAT Remote Proctored Internet-Based Test - (MAT IBT) –which can be taken from Home, Paper Based Test - (PBT), or Computer Based Test - (CBT).

MAT is considered to be moderately easy especially for candidates who are also preparing for other management exams since the syllabus is a bit more relaxed and inclusive of more general questions with sections like critical reasoning and India and global environment.

The Exam Pattern of MAT Exam

The MAT exam consists of 5 sections with equal weightage given to each section (40 marks), totaling 400 marks for the entire test. All questions are objective-based questions. For every correct answer, the candidate secures 1 mark and 1/4 marks are deducted for every incorrect answer. Here is the section-wise syllabus for MAT-

(The time duration mentioned across each section is only for reference since the time spent on each section is open to individual candidate's judgment and can be divided as per flexibility)

MAT Exam Dates

MAT exam is conducted 4 times a year. it is recommended to attend the first two sessions for the exam as anything later than that would limit the number of seats available for the candidate and most colleges would have already commenced and completed their admission procedures. But the test scores remain valid.

The exact dates for AIMA MAT 2021 have not been released yet, but the exams are usually conducted during February, May, September, and December. Keep checking the AIMA official website for updates regarding the dates and any other changes made to the exam schedule.

Two MAT exams for 2020 are scheduled for 27-Aug-2020 to 02-Sep-2020, for which the registration is already ongoing.

Exam Scores

MAT exams have a little more complicated marking scheme than compared to other management examinations conducted in India. Although the Exam consists of 5 sections, the fifth section that is National and global environment is not considered while evaluating the percentile. So for percentile, the test is based on the 160 marks that consist of the other four sections.

Due to the negative marking scheme that is implemented for MAT, the total marks is calculated again a total of 800, before it is finally converted to percentile.

AIMA does not reveal their standardized system for assessing papers and hence it is difficult to estimate the scores required to get a certain percentile. But according to experts and websites, anyone who manages to get above 600 from 800, manages to secure a percentile above 95.

THE SCORE VALIDITY-

The validity for MAT scores is one year. A candidate can apply to colleges based on the MAT scores after one year of securing them. A candidate can appear for one or all MAT exams scheduled in a year, but all these scores irrespective of how many the candidate appeared for is valid through-out that academic year only.

If the candidate fails to apply to colleges or is not satisfied with the colleges they are eligible for in that academic year, they will have to re-appear for the examinations. They will then apply to colleges within that same academic year in which the new scores stand valid.

MAT Exam Eligibility

To appear for the MAT exams, the candidate must be an Indian citizen. The candidate must have a minimum of fifteen years of valid and recorded education and should have graduated from a recognized institution in any discipline. Candidates who have completed other professional courses like CA/CS/ICWA and the ones who are in the final year of their graduation are also eligible to appear for the MAT exams.

A candidate must have only passed the graduation and need not have secured a minimum mark of 50%, unlike most other entrance exams, to be able to appear. However, this doesn’t ensure being shortlisted or getting selected for a college. These criteria only qualify a candidate to apply and appear for the entrance exam.

Exam Fee

A candidate applying for more than one MAT exam in a year need to pay separately and without any concessions, for ALL the exams he/she wishes to appear in.

MAT, unlike other entrance exams, does not have a separate fee structure based on gender or economic or social classes. The fee for MAT exams remains uniform for all applicants.

However, the fee for this exam varies based on the format/ mode of examination that the candidate chooses.

• For paper-based test-(PBT) – Rs.1650/-

• For Computer-based test (CBT) - Rs.1650/-

• For both PBT and CBT – Rs.2750/-

• For Remote Proctored Internet-Based Test (IBT) - Rs1650/-

(Due to pandemic and lockdown situations, it is most likely that only the IBT mode of examination will be available this academic year to confirm the safety of candidate).

How to Apply for the MAT Exam?

STEP 1- Visit the official website for AIMA- MAT official website – https://www.aima.in/

STEP 2- Click on "Apply for MAT 2020/21". The website will automatically take you to the registration page for MAT.

STEP 3- Enter your basic details including Name, address, e-mail Id, phone number.

STEP 4 -Enter recorded educational details like marks attained, year of passing, and institution from which you graduated.

(Fill your personal and academic details Application Form as asked. Make sure the information is correct)

STEP 5- Upload scanned ../../images, i.e., colored passport size recent photograph and signature according to the format prescribed by the website.

STEP 6- Pay MAT application fee using either a Debit Card/Credit Card/Net Banking or Demand Draft.

STEP 7- Before submitting, ensure that all the details filled in are accurate and without errors of any kind.

Benefits of taking the EXAM

Especially for candidates who are also appearing for other examinations like CAT and CET, applying for MAT increases their chances of making it to the top colleges. MAT has certain benefits compared to a lot of other exams. It is comparatively much easier than other exams and is more inclusive of topics outside of just logic and arithmetical skills. The exam gives an equal weightage for Language comprehension, environmental knowledge, and general awareness. For candidates who fall back on scores because of mathematics and logic, MAT gives a fair chance to be accepted into top colleges.

MAT is one of the most convenient exams to attend for management aspirants because the exam happens four times in a year and a candidate can appear as many times as possible. The candidates can also choose to appear online and offline modes of appearing for the exam and even both.

Since the syllabus is more or less similar to other exams, it usually does not take separate preparation for candidates who are appearing and preparing for other management entrance examinations.

Career Scope after CMAT Exam

Since MAT scores are accepted to almost all top colleges, the students who are placed into a good college are assured to have a very bright future. Management professionals have a higher scope of employment than most other courses. Management professionals are required in every single industry and company, so the students who pass out from top management schools have a big pool of prospective careers to choose from after considering their caliber and interests.

Ranging from the banking sector and the finance sector to even the entertainment and hospitality sector, management graduates can secure a good job in almost any industry of their preference. It is one of the most preferred career choices of this decade.

Some prominent Job titles in the domain are:

● Brand manager

● Account manager

● Management consultant

● Marketing manager

● Project manager

● Investment banking

TOP COLLEGES ACCEPTING MAT SCORES IN INDIA-

This is all the information you need before you are ready to apply for CMAT. Remember to keep checking the website for updates and further declarations regarding the examinations.