MAT Preparation 2026: Tips for Intelligence and Critical Reasoning
Management Aptitude Test 2026 ( MAT )
Admit Card - 26 Feb '26
MAT Intelligence and Critical Reasoning can be challenging if you don't know what to prepare and how to prepare. If you are preparing for MAT 2026, find here key tips for MAT Intelligence & Critical Reasoning section.
MAT Intelligence and Critical Reasoning is the 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, especially as some of the answer options can be confusing. Thus, preparation strategy for MAT Intelligence and Critical Reasoning has to be holistic.
Your MAT 2026 preparation plan for Intelligence and Critical Reasoning should be focused on observation and practice. MAT 2026 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. 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.
- How to Prepare for MAT Exam 2026: Intelligence & Critical Reasoning
- MAT Mock Test Practice
- Best Books for Intelligence and Critical Reasoning
How to Prepare for MAT Exam 2026: Intelligence & Critical Reasoning
As per the official MAT syllabus, Intelligence & Critical Reasoning topics include the following:
- Family Tree
- Course of Action
- Arrangement
- Pie Chart
- Calendars
- Statement-Conclusion
- Strong Arguments and Weak Arguments
- Puzzles
- Series
- Blood Relations
- Coding and Decoding
- Column Graphs
- Multi-Dimensional Arrangements
- Visual Reasoning
- Numeric Grid
- Critical Reasoning
- Syllogisms and Graphs
Check MAT previous year's questions papers to understand the pattern of questions related to these topics. Practice questions multiple times to gain accuracy and speed.
Also Read:
MAT Intelligence & Critical Reasoning: How to Practice Sample Questions
If you are attempting MAT exam for the first time, you will need to practice a good number of sample questions to gain familiarity will all types. If you have appeared for the MAT exam before, you may not need to practice too many sample papers. Whatever be the case, have a plan of practicing Reasoning questions daily. Your aim should be to be able to solve questions swiftly and improve your score day by day.
If you find Intelligence and Critical Reasoning section of MAT exam challenging, don't worry. Change the way you look at it. Consider questions as riddles and fun activity rather than a subject. If you develop interest in this section, you will be able to crack any type of reasoning question.
While solving 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.
Yes, you can prepare for MAT exam in three months, but you will have to work on it in a very focused manner and dedicate quality time. You should follow a three-month MAT preparation plan that should include syllabus coverage and practice sessions. Since you have less time, you can’t wait to finish the MAT syllabus first and then start practicing sample questions and mock tests. You will need to do both side by side. So, make a list of topics from which maximum questions are asked in the MAT exam. Focus on them first. Study the topics and solve some sample questions the same day to ensure that you have understood theory and application both. This way, you will have enough practice as well. In the last one month focus on MAT mock tests, to gain speed and accuracy in solving the paper. Read more: MAT 3-month preparation plan
MAT Mock Test Practice
MAT mock tests for Intelligence and Critical Reasoning 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-
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Best Books for Intelligence and Critical Reasoning
Check below recommended books for preparation of Intelligence and Critical Reasoning section of MAT 2026 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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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 3 days ago
The last day to register for MAT 2026 is March 2. Candidates will be able to download the admit card for MAT 2026 exam on 5 March from the official website.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
Standard books useful across these exams include Quantitative Aptitude by Arun Sharma or R.S. Aggarwal, Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation by Nishit Sinha, and Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis for building a strong vocabulary.
L
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 6 days ago
Candidates who have not appeared in any entrance test should have a Bachelor's Degree with at least 55% marks. They will have to give a written test: same as I-CET. Students have to qualify in Written Test, Group Discussion and Personal Interview for taking admission in MBA at Vignan's Foundation
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Students of GIBS Business School participate in internships and live projects which are cross-functional opportunities to gain practical experience in key functional areas (marketing, sales, finance, HR, business development, and operations). Students engage in internships to gain practical exposure
M
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
MAT mock test practice is essential but not enough. You will need to go through the MAT syllabus and understand the fundamentals of all topics, only then you'll be able to crack questions in mock test.
P
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
It is not compulsory to attempt MAT GK section as the score in not considered for percentile calculation but it is not recommended to skip it all together as it may dent your chances in colleges that look at candidates' sectional scores too.
N
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
MAT is conducted in February, May, September and December. You can appear for it whenever ready and confident of scoring high. However, it is seen that maximum applications are done for December and February sessions as that's the main season of all other national level MBA entrance exams and admiss
J
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
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.
S
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
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
N
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
MAT scoring is done between 200 to 800, so a nearly 650 or 700 will get you 90 to 95 percentile. A score of 600 is also good as it converts into percentile between 80 to 85.
A
Contributor-Level 7