Manage the MAT

MAT or Management Aptitude Test conducted by All India Management Association is quite similar to CAT but is comparatively easy and opens doors to some of the best management colleges and institutes

MAT is one of the biggest MBA entrance exams and opens doors for the aspirants to choose some of the top management colleges in India. The exam is held four times a year (first Sunday of February, May, September and December) and its score is accepted by more than 250 institutes across India. The first MAT of 2011 will be conducted on 6 February. Students have the option to either take the paper based test or opt for the computer enabled test.

Eligibility criteria
For appearing in MAT exam, an aspirant should have a bachelor’s degree in any discipline. Final year students can also apply.

About the test
The duration for MAT exam is 2.5 hours and it is traditionally divided into five sections. The questions are objective type with multiple choice answers. The test judges a candidate on his general aptitude and consists of 200 questions.
The test has a provision of negative marking for incorrect answers and deducts 25% of the marks allotted to the question in case a wrong answer is given.

The evaluation process
There are 40 questions in each of the 5 sections mentioned below:.

• Reading Comprehension
• Data Interpretation/Data sufficiency
• Quantitative Aptitude
• Logical and Critical reasoning
• General Awareness

The score of MAT exam depends on the initial four categories. However,  the decision of including the score of general awareness is left at the discretion of the institute.

Validity
The validity of MAT score for many management institutes is one year. One should aim at maximum percentile to be selected by top colleges.The result of MAT allows the colleges to make a call to potential candidates for group discussion and interview. A good MAT score usually lands up the aspirant in reputed colleges of Management.

Top colleges that accept MAT scores

• Christ College, Bangalore
• Alliance Business Academy, Bangalore
• Indian Business Academy, Bangalore
• Indian Institute of Materials Management, Pune
• Amity University, Noida
• IILM (Delhi campus)