MAT CBT 2026 Exam Analysis: Difficulty Level and Expected Cutoff
Management Aptitude Test 2026 ( MAT )
MAT September 2026 Registration PBT
22 Jun '26 - 7 Sep '26
MAT CBT May 2026 exam analysis is available. Candidates can check sectional difficulty level and expected cut offs to evaluate their admission chances to MAT accepting colleges.
Section-wise review of MAT 2026 May CBT
MAT CBT 2026 exam was conducted today session. The question paper was overall easy. There was no change in the exam pattern. AIMA conducts the MAT exam four times in a year in PBT and CBT mode. Since there is option to appear for the exam multiple times, the difficulty usually remains the same in every session. Read further below for MAT 2026 exam analysis for CBT mode exam held on June 14.
The session was of 120 minutes, in which candidates had to attempt 150 questions from five subjects – Language Comprehension, Mathematical Skills, Data Interpretation & Skills, Intelligence and Critical Reasoning and Economic & Business Environment. Each of these sections of MAT 2026 has 30 questions in MCQ format.
MAT CBT 2026 Exam Analysis: Section Wise
Overall, the MAT CBT 2026 of May 2026 was easy. Questions were asked from usual topics and were predictable. However, time management was a challenge. Check the below table for sectional difficulty level of MAT May 2026 CBT exam.
| Section |
Difficulty level |
Key topics |
|---|---|---|
| Language Comprehension |
Easy to moderate |
Reading Comprehension, Sentence Correction, Antonyms, Synonyms, Fill in the Blanks, One Word Substitution, Phrases & Idioms, Jumbled Paragraphs |
| Mathematical Skills |
Moderate |
Interest, Percentages, Time & Work, Profit & Loss, Partnership, Algebra, Geometry, Mensuration, Ratio & Proportion, Probability, Permutation & Combination |
| Data Analysis and Sufficiency |
Moderate to Difficult |
Graphs, Pie Charts, Bar Diagrams, Line Graphs, Data Comparison, Data Sufficiency |
| Intelligence and Critical Reasoning |
Moderate |
Blood Relations, Alphanumeric Series, Letter Series, Coding-Decoding, Venn Diagrams, Comparison, Distribution |
| Economic & Business Environment |
Easy |
Current Affairs related to Business, Economy, Politics, Trade, Medicine, Sports, Personalities, Awards |
Due to negative marking, MAT exam often poses challenge to candidates who have not practiced enough mocks. Since there is no sectional time limit in the exam, it becomes even more challenging to score extra points. However, since most of the questions are direct and easy to comprehend, the smart strategy of not treading into unfamiliar zone can help you score well.
Also Read: MAT question papers of previous years
Commonly asked questions
The overall difficulty level of MAT is easy to moderate. Despite having 150 questions, the test paper is usually doable and candidates can easily attempt 100-120 questions.
MAT has 2 sections which are completely Maths based – Mathematical Skills and Data Interpretation, so it is not possible to crack MAT without having a good control over this subject.
To crack MAT exam in first attempt, start preparation early; at least a month six months in advance. Cover each topic of the MAT syllabus thoroughly and attempt 40+ mock tests to have complete control on all possible types of questions asked. In the exam, avoid negative marking by skipping questions you are not sure of. Try to maintain average scoring by solving 17-20 questions in each section.
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MAT 2026 Expected Cutoff
There is usually not much change in MAT cut offs, It mostly remains static with rarely a change of decimal points. Check below table for MAT 2026 Expected Cutoff
| MBA College |
MAT cut off 2026 (percentile) |
|---|---|
| 90+ |
|
| 80-90 |
|
| 80-90 |
|
| 80-90 |
|
| 80-90 |
|
| Indus Business Academy |
80-90 |
| 80-90 |
|
| 80-90 |
|
| 80-90 |
|
| 80-85 |
|
| 80-85 |
|
| 80-85 |
|
| 80-85 |
Also Read:
- MAT 2026 result
- MAT score vs percentile: How to calculate?
- What after MAT result?
- Top MBA Colleges Accepting MAT score
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered Yesterday
GIBS Business School is especially remarkable when compared to other institutions because it seeks to develop job-ready graduates and not just provide them with certifications. The practical learning methods used here, combined with focused career preparation and systematic development of personalit
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Beginner-Level 4
Answered Yesterday
To be eligible for the MBA scholarship provided by the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology via MAT, candidates must have secured 95 Percentile and above (applicable for December 2025 MAT & February 2026 MAT) (centre based/offline examination).
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
You can still apply for an MBA at Chanakya University by taking the university's internal entrance exam, the Chanakya University Pravesha Pareeksha (CUPP). The university's Chanakya University Admissions portal allows applicants who missed CAT or MAT to use CUPP and a personal interview to fulfill t
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Contributor-Level 9
Answered 4 weeks ago
Candidates who want to apply for Sharda University, Greater Noida MBA course must secure a CAT/ XAT percentile of 65% to skip SUAT. For MAT applicants, this score stands at 75% for MBA admissions at Sharda, Greater Noida.
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
VGIM Cutoff 2025 is not available yet. However, according to the VGIM MBA/PGDM cutoff 2024, the overall MAT percentile required for admission to PGDM course is 70 for the students belonging to the General AI category
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
Symbiosis Skills and Professional University MBA applicants must track SNAP and MAT dates because these exams happen earlier. If you miss the registration for these national tests, you might lose a chance to apply here. Each exam has its own schedule for registration, hall tickets, and results. You
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Contributor-Level 9
Answered 2 months ago
MAT is an easy exam compared to other MBA entrances, so you don't need much time for preparation. You can practice sample questions and mocks for mastering the topics. On the exam day, don't aim to solve all the questions. Attempt only those which are from your comfort area. There is negative markin
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Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 months ago
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham accepts the CAT, MAT or the XAT exam for admission to the MBA course. Students can attempt any one of the aforementioned exams. After taking part in the exam, students have to attain a valid percentile.
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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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