Management Aptitude Test or MAT is a national level entrance exam for MBA /PGDM admission organized by the All India Management Association (AIMA). The exam occurs four times in a year, in February, May, September, and December. The candidates can apply through offline (Paper Based Test or PBT) and online (Computer Based Test or CBT) modes. More than 800+ B-schools take admission based on MAT scores. The MAT IBT Dates are now released. The exam will occur as a Remote Proctored Internet-Based Test starting from August 27 to September 2, 2020, in various sessions. With time remaining so short for the September exam, aspirants must hustle up with last-minute preparation.

MAT IBT – Important Dates

Some guidelines for the preparation of MAT IBT September exam

Study, Apply and Revise – Selfstudy is the best for the preparation of MAT IBT exam. For revising study one week before the exam, first, go through the syllabus and mark the chapter you had completed. Then revise the chapters and cover all the topics. Practice questions must be solved to build the strategies. Stop going for coaching and tuition, save time, revise the chapters, and invest maximum time for self-studying.

Practise Mock Test – Practising three to five mock tests in a week before the exam ensures the ability of students’ performance. It also helps with time management. Download mock test question papers from a different website for exams.

Making Short Notes – Candidates should make short notes for relevant topics, theories and formulas which helps them before exams. Making systematic short notes helps to create strategies for practice tests and main exams.

Any new topic should not be covered – Covering new topics before the exam creates unnecessary confusion for the students. There should be a balance between revised lessons and newly learned chapters. Check the critical topics to prepare on below, focus on these topics rather than trying on something new.

Managing time – In MAT exam students need to solve 200 questions in 2 hours 30 minutes. So, the candidates must get 0.75 seconds for answering each question. Solving practise question papers and mock test papers will help to manage time. This helps to improve mental calculation. MAT has a negative marking policy, so time-consuming calculation should be avoided.

Be confident and calm – Being nervous before the exam is usual, and it affects the memory. Keep your mind calm and help improve in exams.

During the exam, time and accuracy should be maintained – Candidates must not waste time on thinking. Managing speed and time should be adequately maintained during the MAT exam. Students should practice mock test papers for managing time.

Go through Previous Years’ Question Papers – By observing the previous year, questions may help you to understand question patterns and types of questions. How many and what type of questions are figuring in a particular section, helps you strategize.

It isn’t easy to complete the whole syllabus before exams. But completing revision before 2-3 days of the exam would be very beneficial for the candidates.

Here the MAT Weightage for every section is given-

1.     Language Comprehension – 20%

2.     Mathematical Skills – 20%

3.     Data Analysis and Sufficiency – 20%

4.     Intelligence and Critical Reasoning – 20%

5.     Indian and Global Environment – 20%

Please Note – To know about some basic guidelines, how to run the MAT IBT test, system requirements, etc. please find the details on the official website here.

To obtain a good score in MAT IBT, candidates need at least six months to prepare for the MAT exam. There are some basic strategies that help for fruitful preparation but starting preparing early. The final days before the exam must only be reserved for the revision of important topics. Hopefully, the tips mentioned above will help you in your final preparation for the MAT IBT exam.

About the author- Shivani Tiwari