Management Aptitude Test 2026 ( MAT )
Registration - 23 Feb '26
MAT Intelligence and Critical Reasoning often poses chanllenges at the time of preparation because it does not have formulas to memorise or concepts to understand. But if you like to solve puzzles then you can score well in this section. If you are preparing for MAT 2025, find here key tips for MAT Intelligence & Critical Reasoning section.
MAT Intelligence and Critical Reasoning section is a test of candidate's reasoning ability in various types of situations. It has questions on coding-decoding, series, blood relation and verbal reasoning, etc. Solving puzzles and choosing a correct option in a few seconds is not easy, thus, the preparation strategy for MAT Intelligence and Critical Reasoning has to holistic.
Your MAT 2025 preparation plan for Intelligence and Critical Reasoning should be focused on observation and practice. MAT 2025 exam’s Intelligence and Critical Reasoning section covers 1/5th part of the question paper with 30 questions. Each question carries 1 mark and there is negative marking of -0.25. IFor an ideal MAT score, candidates must attempt at least 2/3 of the total questions in this section. So, it is critical to attain accuracy in this section. An ideal MAT preparation plan for Intelligence and Critical Reasoning should include practice questions of all variety and difficulty levels.
Given below are some useful MAT preparation tips for Intelligence and Critical Reasoning. These tips will help MAT exam 2025 aspirants sharpen their critical reasoning skills.
As per the official MAT syllabus, Intelligence & Crtiical Reasoning topics include the following:
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Check MAT previous year's questions papers to understand the pattern of questions related to these topics. You will understand the types and patterns of questions asked in the MAT exam. Practice sample questions of similar nature to master critical reasoning.
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If you are new to critical reasoning concepts, then you will have to practice MAT sample questions to understand the concepts and their application. If you have appeared for the MAT exam before, you may not need to practice too many sample papers. Whatever be the case, you will need to practice Reasoning questions daily. Your aim should be to be able to solve questions swiftly and improve your score day by day.
Scores in the Intelligence and Critical Reasoning section of MAT improves only with practice. The best way to prepare for Intelligence and Critical Reasoning section of MAT exam is by considering it more as a riddle than as a subject. If you develop interest in this section, you will be able to crack any type of reasoning question.
While sovling MAT sample questions, time yourself to see how many minutes you take for solving what type of questions. With practice, the time duration should come down.
MAT mock tests are a great source of preparation for Intelligence and Critical Reasoning. MAT mock tests are available with varied difficulty levels. Start with easy mock tests. After you've started scoring well, move to moderate and then to high difficulty level MAT mock tests. At first, you might find it challenging to solve tough questions however, once you get clarity on structure, flow, logic and the connection, you would be able to solve the problems quickly.
In the Intelligence and Critical Reasoning section of MAT exam, following a systematic approach plays a decisive role in building skills and improving analytical and reasoning aptitude. It also helps to inspect the series strategically and understand concepts faster.
Check out free Shiksha Mock Test-
| MAT_Mock_Test_1 | MAT_Mock_Test_1_Solutions |
| MAT_Mock_Test_2 | MAT_Mock_Test_2_Solutions |
Check below recommended books for preparation of Intelligence and Critical Reasoning section of MAT 2025 exam:
| MAT Books |
Publication/ Authors |
|---|---|
| The Hand on Guide to Analytical Reasoning & Logical Reasoning |
Arihant publication |
| Logical Reasoning Ability and General Mental Ability |
Sanjeev Joon, RA Sharma |
Also read: Best Books for MAT Exam Preparation
MAT, like any other MBA entrance exam, is a speed based test so focus on speed and accuracy. There is negative marking too. Relax and give your best with focused preparation. All the best!
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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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Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered Yesterday
Candidates seeking admission to GIBS Bangalore's PGDM and MBA programs can use the results of a variety of national and international management entrance tests including CAT, XAT, MAT, CMAT, ATMA, and GMAT. All applicants will be reviewed based on their academic record, performance in group discussi
M
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 6 days ago
Yes, MAT is one of the accepting exams for admission to MBA programme of MIT-WPU. However, it is not compulsory. Aspirants with a score in CAT, XAT or MIT-WPU CET can also get admission in MBA. Candidates must also meet the eligibility to get a seat in the university.
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered a week ago
The Calcutta University MAT Cutoff 2025 was released for admission to the MBA in Human Resource Management and MBA in Public Systems programme. The Calcutta University MBA Cutoff 2025 for the MBA in Human Resource Management was 70 for the Gender-Neutral category candidates under the All India quota
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
The GITAM School of Business, Visakhapatnam MAT Cutoff 2026 will be released for admission to the MBA course for the all categories under the All India quota. The MAT Cutoff are not available to the public, but only to the registered candidates. As per the previous trends, the cutoff required to ava
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Amity Punjab offers MBA scholarship based on CAT and MAT score. Candidates with a MAT score equal to or more than 600 are eligible to apply. Hence, you are eligible to apply. The relevant documents need to be submittted and on or before the deadline. Candidates who get selected may get 25% of fee wa
H
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
The CCSU MBA Cutoff 2025 has been released for admission to the MBA programme via the XAT, MAT and CAT entrance examinations. The CCSU XAT Cutoff 2025 was 50 for the Gender-Neutral Candidates under the All India quota. In the case of CCSU MAT Cutoff 2025, the qualfying cutoff percentile was 75 for t
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
GIBS accepts scores from all major management entrance exams, including:
CAT
XAT
MAT
CMAT
GMAT
ATMA
State CET
This gives students multiple options to apply. Along with entrance exam scores, GIBS also looks at the overall profile, communication skills, and interest in management, which makes the admission pr
A
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 2 weeks ago
Karunya MAT exam is conducted in english medium. All questions in Karunya MAT exam will be in English language.
S
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 weeks ago
Karunya MAT exam duration is 2 hours. Candidates need to answer all questions within the exam duration.
R
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 weeks ago
Karunya MAT exam is conducted online as remote proctored exam. Candidates can appear for Karunya MAT exam from home.
J
Contributor-Level 6
