Last Minute Tips to Crack MAT 2025 Exam

MAT May 2025 CBT exam will be held on December 21. So, what is your last minute preparation for MAT exam? Here are some key tips that aspirants must follow for last minute preparation for MAT 2025. Also know the MAT exam day strategy.

Last minute MAT preparation is all about making an exam strategy, i.e. how to utilize 2 hours in the best manner. To be able to optimise your performance, you need to utilise the last day before MAT 2025 exam in revision of important chapters and planning our a time management strategy. Don't attempt a MAT mock test or try to study a topic left untouched so far. Stay confident of your preparation. Take a look at a previous year's MAT question paper to know which type of questions to expect. 

As part of your last minute preparation for MAT exam 2025, you should mainly focus on devising an exam day strategy. Wake up early and with fresh mind. MAT exam is conducted from 10 am to 12 pm. You will have to be at the test centre by 8:30 am so do not waste time in revision in the morning. Do it the night before. Read below to know what to do. 

MAT 2025 Marking Scheme and Time Limit

The MAT 2025 question paper comprises five sections – Language Comprehension, Intelligence & Critical Reasoning, Data Analysis & Sufficiency, Mathematical Skills and Economic and Business Environment. Have a look at the MAT marking scheme and time-limit below:

• The paper carries 150 multiple-choices based questions and each question carries 1 mark
• Each section of the MAT question paper has 30 questions in MCQ format 
• There is negative marking of 0.25 marks for wrong attempt
• The exam duration is two hours. There is no sectional time-limit

Also Read:

• MAT Exam Pattern 2025
• MAT Question Papers PDFs

8 Last Minute Tips for MAT Exam 2025

The key to perform well in MAT is to use the exam duration effectively and select the right questions to answer. Here are a few last minute MAT 2025 exam tips to follow:

1. Do not study too hard: Take a break from full-fledged study routine of 8 hours on the day before exam to keep your mind relaxed. You can revise important theorems and formulae before going to bed at night.

2. Revise GK: In the last few minutes before the exam what should you do? Check important Quantitative Aptitude formulae and check short notes that you made on General Awareness (Economic and Business Environment) and revise them.

3. Check MAT admit card and other documents: Check whether you have kept all the required documents before leaving for the MAT exam centre. Make sure you have kept two copies of MAT 2025 admit card and a photo ID. Do not forget to keep a blue or black ball-point pen for signing the attendance sheet.

4. Time management: MAT doesn’t have sectional time-limit like CAT, so candidates need to be mindful of using 120 minutes judiciously. They should have a definite idea of how much time to spend on which section so that they are able to solve a good number of questions in all 5 sections. Keep Economic and Business Environment section as last priority as it is memory based and would require not more than 10 minutes.

5. Speed and accuracy: MAT is a speed-based test having 150 questions to be solved in 120 minutes. So, focus on the speed while solving the questions. If you get stuck on a question for more than a minute, leave it and move to next. You can always come back to it later if time permits. Solve GK questions at last as it is not considered for percentile creations so you need not worry about it. Try to solve 12-15 questions in each section accurately to achieve sectional cut off. You can attempt more if time permits.

6. Avoid negative marking: You don't have to solve all the questions in MAT exam. If you are not confident of solving a question accurately, then skip it. Remember, there is negative marking for wrong answers in MAT but not for unanswered questions. If you skip a question, you will be marked 0 for it. 

7. Don’t gamble: If out of the four options, you manage to zero-in on two possibly correct options out of which one could be definitely right, take a few seconds to analyse and choose the preferred option. Better still, leave the question if you are not totally convinced about your preferred option.

8. Stay away from stress: Be calm and confident during your MAT 2025 exam. Don’t take undue stress of tough questions. If you will take stress, you will be vulnerable to making silly mistakes even in easy questions. So be positive and tell yourself- “I can crack it”. 

Shiksha MAT Mock Test (Free)

Check below free MAT mock test by Shiksha to know your preparation level and for better exam day experience.

All the best!

Read More:

• MAT 2025 Exam Day Checklist and Important Things to Remember
• MAT 2025 Exam day Guidelines and Dos and Don'ts