Yes, candidates can apply to GIBS Bangalore using MAT scores alone. GIBS accepts MAT scores as a valid entry for PGDM admissions. Along with your MAT score, you need to submit your application form, academic documents, and follow the selection process, which may include a short interview or discussi
If you have decided to register for MAT September 2025 exam now, but are confused whether you'll be able to score well or not, let me tell you that MAT exam preparation is possible in one month. How? Check tips on how to prepare for MAT 2025 in one month, here.
MAT preparation in 1-month: MAT exam is conducted four times a year, so candidates have the option to appear for the exam when they are fully prepared. However, if a candidate decides to take the test just a month before the MAT exam date, they need to have a quick plan, which should be exhaustive and executable at the same time.
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If you are starting to prepare for the September session of MAT 2025 exam, make a plan which covers key topics from the syllabus. The topics of focus in MAT are Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry and Modern Math, Pie Charts, Tables, Reading Comprehension, Verbal Ability, Statement and Conclusion, Arrangements, Family Tree, etc. Cover these topics thoroughly by practicing a good number of sample questions and mock tests to crack MAT exam in one month. Check below some expert tips for MAT one-month preparation:
Explore colleges based on MAT
- How to Prepare for MAT 2025 in One Month?
- Study from recommended books and study material for MAT preparation
- Practice MAT Mock Test
- Section wise 30-Day MAT Preparation Plan
- MAT 2025 Preparation in One Month: Bottomline
How to Prepare for MAT 2025 in One Month?
Preparing for MAT in one month requires selective study. Most of the topics included in the MAT syllabus are same as other MBA entrance exams which you would have appeared for at some point in time. So, all you need for the preparation of MAT exam 2025 is revision. Go through the topics and see which ones you are familiar with. Since one month is quite a less time, focus on only those topics that you already know. Also, check out MAT question papers of previous years for topic wise weightage. Focus on those topics more from which maximum questions are asked.
Our advise: If you are appearing for the first time, then one month will not be enough for preparation. You can nonetheless appear for MAT for experience and to understand the pattern to use the knowledge in preparation of next session.
1. Apply Focused Strategy
With one month to go for the MAT, make a plan that is focussed on scoring high and not completing the syllabus. Look for past years' MAT question papers or check out online lectures to know which are the topics having high weightage. Study those topics through sample questions practice. MAT 2025 will have 150 questions but there is no need to solve all of them. In the time limit of 2 hours, one can solve maximum 100-110 questions, which is sufficient to score a high percentile if there is 80-100 per cent accuracy. So, check out which MAT topics to focus on and which ones too leave.
We recommend joining Facebook, Telegram study groups to seek help and guidance from other aspirants and mentors. A mentor’s guidance always helps in exam preparation. The result of all the hard work put in for MAT 2025 preparation will depend on how you handle the exam day. Read below to know more on MAT preparation in one month.
2. Understand the MAT Exam Pattern
As per MAT exam pattern 2025, duration of the exam is of two hours. The question paper consists of 150 multiple-choice questions equally divided into five sections. Find more details of the pattern in the table below.
MAT Sections |
No. of Questions |
Suggested time (in minutes) |
---|---|---|
Reading Comprehension |
30 |
30 |
Mathematics Skills |
30 |
35 |
Data Interpretation and Analysis |
30 |
25 |
Critical Reasoning |
30 |
20 |
Economic and Business Environment |
30 |
10 |
Total |
150 |
120 |
Also read: MAT syllabus 2025
Study from recommended books and study material for MAT preparation
Studying from books recommended for MAT exam preparation is the best option when you have less time. Check the table below for best books for MAT preparation. These books are most popular among MBA aspirants as they offer topic wise discussion as well as a range of sample questions of easy, medium and high difficulty levels.
MAT Books |
Publications |
---|---|
MAT Entrance Exam Guide |
RPH editorial |
MAT 20-Year Topic-Wise Solved Papers |
Disha Experts |
Mission MBA: MAT Mock Test & Solved Papers |
BS Sijwalii and Tarun Goyal |
Mission MBA MAT Guide |
Arihant Publications |
Also read: Best Books for MAT Exam Preparation
Practice MAT Mock Test
Like most of the entrance test, MAT exam too is a speed based test. Candidates will face the challenge of time limit. For this, practicing full-length MAT mock test daily is essential. With enough practice of MAT mock tests, students can get into the habit of taking time bound entrance exams and this will make the actual exam a cakewalk. Check below free MAT mock test by Shiksha.
MAT_Mock_Test_1 | MAT_Mock_Test_Solutions |
MAT_Mock_Test_2 | MAT_Mock_Test_2_Solutions |
Section wise 30-Day MAT Preparation Plan
Here's a break down of section-wise plan to prepare for MAT exams in 30 days. This plan will also help you in ensuring that you are able to cover of the complete MAT syllabus.
MAT Sections |
Area of Focus 1 |
Area of Focus 2 |
Area of Focus 3 |
---|---|---|---|
Language Comprehension |
Practice sample MAT RC passages |
Work on your English grammar, vocabulary, and verbal reasoning skills. |
Test your knowledge by solving MAT question papers. |
Mathematical Skills |
Study Arithmetic, Geometry, Algebra, Mensuration and Trigonometry and gain clarity on basic concepts. |
Keep solving previous year MAT question papers and sample papers to know what's in store for you in the exam. Develop the skill of mental calculation to save time during the exam. |
Check your performance after every mock test and and analyse your progress. |
Intelligence and Critical Reasoning |
Understand the concept and pattern of different types of reasoning questions - verbal, visual, critical, etc. |
Learn methods and tricks of solving reasoning question swiftly. |
Practice multiple MAT mock tests to know the types of reasoning questions asked in MAT. |
Data Analysis and Sufficiency |
Learn tricks of understanding graphs and tables in least amount of time. Learn shortcuts of interpreting data accurately. |
Learn to solve questions without a calculator or an app. |
Practice mock test and online data sufficiency series to get an idea of different kind of questions. |
Economic and Business Environment |
Follow business and current affairs news. Study static GK from recommended books. |
Make notes on current affairs, national and global issues. |
Take up general knowledge-based quizzes and online tests to improve your knowledge in this area. |
MAT 2025 Preparation in One Month: Bottomline
To be able to crack MAT exam with only one month preparation, one needs to have the clarity of target score and college. Check the MAT cut offs for admission of the MBA colleges that you are targeting. Then prepare from the MAT syllabus accordingly. By the day before exam, you should be able to score the same as admission cut offs in the MAT mock tests.
On the exam day, focus only on those questions that are from topics which are your strength areas. Focus on maximizing your score and not getting penalized for wrong answers. The scores Economic and Business Environment section is not considered for MAT percentile calculation, so you can skip or deprioritize it during preparation. Focus on important topics that have potential to get you high score in these 30 days that you've got.
Read More:
- Last Minute tips to crack MAT
- Is MAT exam tougher than CMAT?
- MAT 2025 Preparation for Language Comprehension
- MAT 2025 Preparation for Intelligence & Critical Reasoning
- MAT 2025 Preparation for Data Analysis & Data Sufficiency
- MAT 2025 Preparation for Mathematical Skills
- MAT 2025 Preparation for Economic and Business Environment
MAT is one of the easier MBA entrance exam. The difficulty level of the exam much easier than CAT XAT or CMAT. Candidates usually prepare for CAT XAT and CMAT and use that experience to give the MAT exam. Even though the MAT has more questions than XAT CAT CMAT. It is easier because the questions of all the five sections include:
- Mathematical Skills
- Language Comprehension
- Intelligence and Critical Reasoning
- Data Analysis and Sufficiency
- Economic and Business Environment
These are easy and straightforward. There are less Reading Comprehension passages of shorter length and are easy to comprehend. Since, the Economy and Business Environment scores are not taken into consideration for MAT percentile calculation, candidates find it easier to crack MAT in 2 hours with high scores.
For MAT preparation in six months candidates need to have a focused plan. They must gather the best books for MAT preparation and start with covering the syllabus. MAT syllabus should be completed in three months. You can make a monthly/weekly or daily plan to cover the syllabus which should include studying one topic each from the main four sections - Mathematical Skills, Data Interpretation, Intelligence and Critical Reasoning as well as Language Comprehension. Keep the Indian and Global Environment section for the last. In the next two months, practice MAT sample papers and MAT mock tests to gain control over the topics you studied in the first three months. For a speed based test like MAT mock test and sample paper practice is a must because only with the help of these you can gain speed and accuracy in solving questions. The MAT question paper can have tough, tricky or easy question so you should be prepared for all types. In the last one month, study for the Indian and Global Environment section and do daily revision of all other topics. Solve a few previous year MAT question paper or solve a couple of mock tests to stay in touch with your abilities. Read More: MAT 6 months preparation plan
It is unlikely that any one can prepare successfully for MAT in one month from scratch. However, if a you have appeared for the MAT or any other MBA entrance exam recently, then you can crack it with one-month preparation. We say this, because if you’ve recently appeared for MAT or any other MBA entrance exam, you will only need to practice more questions and mock tests or revise important topics in the give one month to be able to crack it. The syllabus of MAT is same as that of other MBA entrance exams, and the difficulty level is easy. So, you will not really have to practice too many mock tests. Read More: MAT 1-month preparation plan
Yes, you can attempt MAT exam as many times as you want. MAT is conducted multiple times in a year and three different modes. The MAT exam is held in February, May, September and December. In each phase there are 4-5 IBT sessions, 2 CBT sessions and 1 PBT session. If a candidate is not satisfied with their score of first attempt, they can choose any upcoming session to appear for it again. They can choose an exam phase and a session as per their preparation level, decision to pursue MBA or admission cycle of the target college. However, for each session, the candidate will have to fill a fresh application form and pay the fees. The score of the last attempted MAT exam will be considered for admission. Read More: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/mat-exam-preparation-tips-blogId-11997
There is no passing marks in MAT as the selection of candidates is based on MAT cut offs. The MAT accepting colleges fix a minimum cut off percentile for shortlisting of candidates for MBA admission. This cut off varies from college to college. In some colleges the MAT cut off can be above 90 percentile and in some colleges it can be 50 percentile too.

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Student Forum
D
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
If you make an error in the educational qualifications section of the MAT form, you can typically make amends during the official correction period offered by AIMA. The correction period is open for a short time after the submission of the application. You can log in with your MAT account and edit t
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
No, MAT scores are not compulsory for admissions to the PGDM course at ICBM-SBE, because the college also considers several other entrance exam scores for admissions to the PGDM course. The names of the accepted entrance exams are- CAT/ XAT/ CMAT/ ATMA/ MAT/ GMAT/ State level entrance test. Thus, a
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
Yes, it is possible to get an MBA seat at AURO University with a valid MAT score. The university accepts various national and state-level entrance tests for admission to the MBA programme. These exams are GCET, GMAT, CAT, CMAT and XAT. Apart from entrance test scores, students are required to submi
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
The admission deadline for candidates interested in GITAM MBA admissions through the MAT exam is 15 - 22 September 2025. These dates are the last registration dates for the MAT PBT/CBT entrance exams. These dates are very close at this point of time. Hence, candidates who wish to apply for MBA admis
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
The admission process for both the MBA (General) and MBA (Dual-Specialisation) courses is the same. Admission to the MIT-WPU MBA course is entrance-based. Candidates need to appear in either CAT/XAT/NMAT/MAT/GMAT/MAH CET/PERA CET entrance exam and qualify for any one exam with a valid score. The fin
J
Contributor-Level 8
Answered a month ago
Yes, the MAT-PBT exam is still open for registrations for candidates looking to take admissions into the PGDM courses at DSGS. The MAT-PBT exam registrations started at the end of July and will end at the end of September. The MAT-PBT exam will be conducted near the end of September only. Candidates
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
Yes, the MAT entrance exam is still open in 2025 for the SOIM PGDM admissions. The MAT PBT and CBT registrations for the year 2025 are still open till 15 September and 22 September respectively. There are also other exams that canidates can clear to gain admissions into SOIM PGDM courses. Candidates
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
Yes, candidates who are unable to gain admissions through one of the accepted entrance exams at PBS can apply for admissions through the result of a different entrance exam. However, candidates are advised to track the timeline of each accepted entrance exam for PBS PGDM admissions as the timeline f
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
The MAT 2025 exam has been concluded with registrations being closed on the 14th July 2025. However, the MAT CBT exam is still open for registrations and is acceptable for admissions in the PBS PGDM course. The MAT CBT exam was opened for registrations recently on 22nd August 2025 and will remain op
S
Contributor-Level 10
Each section of MAT exam has equal weightage. All the five sections - Language Comprehension, Intelligence and Critical Reasoning, Data Analysis and Data Sufficiency, Mathematical Skills and Indian & Global Environment have 30 questions. Each question carries one mark thus the section wise weightage of marks is 30 per section. There is negative marking of 0.25 in MAT. Since, every section has equal weightage, you need to prepare well for each one of them for a good overall score. Even in the exam, spend a good amount of time on each section and solve a minimum number of questions to meet the sectional cut off. Since, there is no sectional time-limit in MAT exam. Candidates can decide themselves how much time they should spend on which section as one needs to score well in all sections because of equal weightage. Out of 2 hours or 120 minutes, candidates should allot maximum time to the section they find tough or are calculation intensive. It is advisable to attempt the easier sections first and then move to tougher sections.