Is MAT tougher than CMAT Exam? Know Major Differences in Pattern & Syllabus
CMAT and MAT are similar syllabus-wise but the difficulty level is different. While many candidates opt for both, if you have to choose one out of the two, which one should you choose? Here's the answer.
CMAT vs MAT
Is MAT tougher than CMAT? When shortlisting an MBA entrance exam other than CAT, management aspirants often choose CMAT and MAT. While some opt for both, some choose one out of the two, due to various factors, one of the main being difficulty level.
CMAT is tougher than MAT, but the latter has more number of questions to solve in lesser time than in the former. CMAT has 100 questions to be solved in 180 minutes, whereas MAT has 120 questions to be solved in 150 minutes. The benefit of MAT over CMAT is that it is conducted multiple times in the same academic year so you can improve your score. CMAT is conducted only once.
CMAT is accepted by all AICTE approved colleges, which includes government as well as private institutes. MAT is accepted largely by private institution. Shiksha brings to you major differences between two of the most popular MBA exams i.e. MAT and CMAT - on level of exam difficulty, exam pattern, and other features.
- MAT vs CMAT: Highlights
- Difference in Exam Pattern of MAT and CMAT
- Similarities between MAT Syllabus and CMAT Syllabus
- Difference between MAT scores and CMAT scores
MAT vs CMAT: Highlights
Most of the MBA aspirants appear for both MAT and CMAT. However, if you have to choose between the two check the table below for the key aspects of MAT and CMAT.
| Exam Features |
MAT |
CMAT |
|---|---|---|
| Exam Name |
Management Aptitude Test |
Common Management Aptitude Test |
| Exam Conducting Body |
||
| Frequency of Exam |
Multiple times in four phases per year |
Once a year |
| Participating Colleges |
||
| Eligibility |
Passed or appearing in Bachelor degree in any stream Professional degree in commerce and accounting are also eligible |
Passed or appearing in Bachelor degree in any stream Professional degree in commerce and accounting are also eligible |
| Application Fee |
INR 2,200 for one session INR 3,800 for two sessions |
INR 2,500 for General Male candidate INR 1,250 for General Female candidate INR 1,250 for SC, ST, PWD candidate |
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Commonly asked questions
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.
Verbal Ability, Quantitative Aptitude, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning topics of CMAT syllabus are same as CAT syllabus. So, an MBA aspirant can prepare for CAT and CMAT simultaneously with the same study material. However, they will need CMAT specific books and resources to study Innovation and Entrepreneurship and GK section. CAT doesn't have these two sections.
MAT RC passages are easier than CAT RC passages. They are shorter in length and easy to understand. Candidates preparing for MAT, must practice MAT RC passages in good number as even though the passages are short, one will still need speed to read them in a limited time and note down the important points for answering the related questions.
Difference in Exam Pattern of MAT and CMAT
Both MAT and CMAT are a national level entrance exam but there are major differences between both the exams including difficulty level, test duration, exam pattern and marking scheme.
| Features |
MAT Exam Pattern |
CMAT Exam Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Exam Mode |
Paper-Based Test mode (PBT) Computer-Based Test mode (CBT) |
Computer-Based Test mode (CBT) |
| Exam Duration |
2 hours |
3 hours |
| Shifts and Timings |
PBT mode – 10:00 am to 12:00 pm CBT mode – 10:00 am to 12:00 pm |
Morning shift - 9:00 am to 12:00 pm Evening shift - 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm |
| Exam Difficulty level |
Easy to Moderate |
Moderate to Difficult |
| Sections |
Five |
Five |
| Sectional Time limit |
No |
No |
| Subjects |
|
|
| Total Questions |
150 questions |
100 questions |
| Type of Questions |
Multiple Choice Questions |
Multiple Choice Questions |
| Total Marks |
150 marks |
400 marks |
| Negative Marking |
0.25 marks deducted for each wrong attempt |
-1 mark for each wrong attempt |
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Similarities between MAT Syllabus and CMAT Syllabus
The MAT syllabus and CMAT syllabus are same but the names and grouping of subjects are different.
- CMAT General Awareness section is named as Economic and Business Environment in MAT
- The Data Analysis and Sufficiency section of MAT is clubbed with Quantitative Techniques in CMAT
- CMAT has a unique section - Innovation and Entrepreneurship which carries 20 marks
Given below are the topics included in the syllabus of MAT and CMAT exam.
| MAT Syllabus |
CMAT Syllabus |
|---|---|
| Mathematical Skills Topics
|
Quantitative Techniques & Data Interpretation Topics
|
| Intelligence and Critical Reasoning Topics
|
Logical Reasoning Topics
|
| Language Comprehension Topics
|
Language Comprehension Topics
|
| Indian & Global Environment Topics
|
General Awareness Topics
|
| Data Analysis and Sufficiency Topics
|
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
|
Commonly asked questions
MAT is much easier than CAT. Despite having more number of questions and more sections, than CAT, MAT is easy to crack. CAT is held annually but one can appear for MAT multiple times in the same academic session. CAT has three sections only – VARC, DILR and Quantitative Aptitude. MAT has five sections – Language Comprehension, Mathematical Skills, Intelligence & Critical Reasoning, Data Analysis & Sufficiency and Business & Economic Environment. CAT has sectional time limit of 40 minutes per section. MAT does not have sectional time limit.
MAT and CMAT both are moderately difficulty exam, but have their own challenges. While, CMAT has one extra section Innovation and Entrepreneurship, MAT has a separate section for Data Interpretation having 30 questions. With focused preparation, you can crack either of the two that you choose.
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Difference between MAT scores and CMAT scores
MAT score card mentions sectional scores, overall scores, percentile as well as composite scores. Whereas, CMAT scorecard mentions sectional scores and percentile, overall scores and percentile, overall rank as well.
| Scorecard details |
MAT |
CMAT |
|---|---|---|
| Sections for final scores |
|
|
| Score Type |
|
|
| Total Marks |
200 |
400 |
| Score calculation |
Scores obtained in each section are evaluated on a scale of 0 to 100 Final scores of all sections are scaled from 200 to 800, where 200 being the lowest, and 800 being the highest score Note: Economic and Business Environment section is not included in percentile calculation |
All India Rank is calculated on basis of sectional scores i.e. out of 400 marks Percentile is calculated on basis of rank, raw marks of candidate and total number of candidates appeared for CMAT Note: General Awareness section is not included in percentile calculation |
MBA colleges accepting MAT exam offer admission on basis of MAT percentile or composite scores. Whereas, for CMAT the colleges offer admissions on basis of CMAT percentile and All India Ranks.
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6 years ago
Vipra Shrivastava is MA in English Literature from Delhi University with extensive experience in content writing of over 14 years. She has been handling content for Management, Accounting and Commerce streams for 8
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