Is MAT exam easier than other MBA entrance exams?

Yes, the difficulty level of MAT exam is lower than other MBA entrance exams. The question paper is usually of easy to moderate difficulty level. The exam is now held for 120 minutes. There are now 150 questions in the exam paper. There is no sectional time limit in MAT which allows the candidate to plan a strategy according to their strengths and weaknesses. The score of Indian and Global Environment section is not considered for percentile calculation thus candidates don't have the stress of fifth section. Also, solving 150 questions is not mandatory so candidates can choose to solve only those questions which they know they can solve accurately. Sectional difficulty level of MAT is also lower than other MBA exams. Candidates can attempt the exam multiple times in the same academic year to improve their score. They also have the option to choose the mode of test - CBT, IBT, PBT - which makes it the most student friendly exam. Also, the MAT cut offs for admission are much lower as compared to other entrance exams.

Is the question paper of MAT IBT different from MAT CBT or PBT?

No, the question paper of MAT IBT is not different from MAT CBT or PBT. The test pattern, time duration, question type and marking scheme are the same for all three modes. Candidates can choose to appear for any exam mode with the worry of doing exam specific preparation. The only difference between MAT IBT and MAT CBT or PBT is that MAT IBT is a remote proctored exam and can be taken from any location unlike MAT CBT or PBT which are held at designated exam centres. The MAT question paper of every session however is different. All the 200 questions of each question paper is unique. The difficulty level is the same- easy to moderate but since the questions are different from each other candidates can feel slight difference in the difficulty level. The questions for every session are chosen randomly so in one session the paper can be overall easy while in another session the exam can be slightly difficult.

Is the MAT IBT mode exam pattern different from CBT and PBT exams?

No. The exam pattern of MAT IBT is not different from CBT or PBT. In fact, the MAT exam pattern of all test modes is the same. The duration of MAT exam (PBT, CBT and IBT modes) is 2 hours or 120 minutes. The marking scheme is - plus one for correct attempt and minus 0.25 for incorrect attempt. There is no sectional time limit in MAT so candidates can utilise the 2 hours as per their own strategy. They should ideally, spend 25 minutes each on the top four sections and 15 minutes on the GK section. However, there may be slight difference in difficulty level because the questions in each MAT session are unique. No question is repeated in any session across CBT, PBT or IBT. This is to prevent any candidate from getting advantage or facing disadvantage due to leaking of the questions or in case of a candidates re-attempting the exam.

What is the exam mode of MAT?

MAT exam is conducted in three modes - Paper Based Test or PBT in which candidates have to report to a test centre to take the test. They have to fill an OMR answer sheet with a blue/black ball point pen in the PBT mode exam. The PBT mode is conducted only once in every MAT phase as the number of applicants is least for PBT. In the Computer Based Test or CBT, candidates have to take the test at designated exam centre on a computer system. Candidates have to fill in their answers in an online test page with the help of computer mouse. They can choose only one of the four given options as answer. In the Internet Based Test or IBT, candidates have to take the test on a computer system at home or any preferred location. The test structure is same as CBT but the candidates are monitored in remote proctored mode. Since MAT exam is conducted multiple times in a year during February, May, September and December, one can take the exam in more than one mode. Candidate can also take the test any number of times. The score of the latest MAT attempt will be taken into consideration for admission.

MAT 2025 Question Papers, Previous Year Papers (2024, 2023): Download PDFs

8.2K Students Q&A

Registration - 23 Oct '25 - 7 Dec '25

Updated on Nov 20, 2025 17:34 IST

By Vipra Shrivastava, Senior Manager - Content

MAT question papers 2025 are easy to moderate in terms of difficulty level. Candidates who are preparing for MAT 2025 December exams, must take a look a the MAT 2025 question papers of previous sessions to know what to expect. In February, May and September 2025 sessions, the MAT question paper was easy, having straightforward questions. The question paper of MAT December 2025 will be of the same difficulty level. Shiksha has shared below MAT 2025 sample papers and a few question papers of previous years along with other study material for aspirants to use for MAT 2025 exam preparation.

Table of contents

MAT Questions Papers
Question Banks for MAT Preparation
MAT Preparation Guides
MAT Question Paper 2025: Sectional Breakup
Why Practice Previous Years' MAT Question Papers?
MAT Mock Test

Download previous year MAT question papers and sample papers. Use them for practice and improve your speed and accuracy. You can download MAT previous year question papers and the preparation guides for free.