All you need to know for December MAT

After the September 2015 MAT, aspirants gear up for December 2015 MAT. Management Aptitude Test (MAT) is administered by All India Management Association (AIMA) and is held 4 times a year to screen candidates for various B-schools for MBA and allied programmes. Govt. of India, Ministry of HRD approved MAT as a national level test in 2003. December 2015 MAT is the last in the series of MAT tests this year after the February, May and September tests.

Registration for December 2015 MAT would begin soon. Other Important dates released for December Mat 2015 are as follows:

Date of December 2015 MAT exam:

(paper- based test)

6 December 2015 (Sunday)

Date of December 2015 MAT exam:

(Computer- based test)

12 December 2015 (Saturday)

Release of admit card on or after:

29 November (tentative)

As the pattern and difficulty level of Sep MAT was very much like that of the May MAT, therefore, it is expected to be quite similar. Mat comprises of five sections namely Language Comprehension, Mathematical Skills, Data Analysis and Sufficiency, Intelligence and Critical Reasoning, and Indian and Global Environment. Each section consists of 40 multiple choice questions, with a total of 200 questions and the total time allotted is 150mins. There is no time obligation for any particular section so, the candidates can shuffle between the sections and attempt the paper in whatever order one wants. Further, there is a negative marking of 0.25 marks for every incorrect answer.

The section-wise analysis of the paper- based Sep MAT reveals that the Language Comprehension section and the Intelligence and Critical Reasoning section was moderately difficult while the Mathematical skills section was a little tough than the rest. Data Analysis and Sufficiency section was quite lengthy and required a little more time than the others. The Indian and global Environment section was of a moderate level, but the sectional score would not be considered while calculating the final percentile. Aspirants can expect a similar kind of paper. To achieve a higher percentile, candidates must score well in the Mathematical Skill section particularly while keeping the score up in other sections too.

MAT score is valid for a year and is accepted by more than 600 b-schools. Though the b-schools have their own selection process, the score is only the qualifying factor.

Isha Sharma is a graduate in Economics from Delhi University & also holds a masters degree in Business Economics from Guru Nanak Dev University.