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Vipra Shrivastava
Senior Manager - Content
Updated on Dec 26, 2024 13:01 IST

The Indian and Global Environment section of MAT exam has been renamed as Economic and Business Environment. This section is same as General Awareness, so preparing for it is easy. Check out MAT 2025 preparation tips for Economic and Business Environment.

MAT exam preparation

MAT Economic and Business Environment is the fifth section of the question paper. It consists of 30 MCQs and is of 30 marks. Most of the candidates tend to focus more on Reasoning, Maths and Comprehension sections in a belief that because Economic and Business Environment is similar to General Awareness, they can study it in the last few days of MAT preparation. But it is memory based so one needs to have a dedicated preparation strategy. 

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This section covers a vast area. Questions can be asked from any field, so one needs to read a lot around business current affairs and related fields. It is thus, recommended to not wait for the last few days to prepare for MAT Economic and Business Environment. One must take out at least an hour everyday to go through GK books and current affairs during the entire period of MAT 2025 exam preparation.

Q:   Which section of MAT exam has maximum weightage?
A:

Each section of MAT exam has equal weightage. All the five sections - Language Comprehension, Intelligence and Critical Reasoning, Data Analysis and Data Sufficiency, Mathematical Skills and Indian & Global Environment have 30 questions. Each question carries one mark thus the section wise weightage of marks is 30 per section. There is negative marking of 0.25 in MAT. Since, every section has equal weightage, you need to prepare well for each one of them for a good overall score. Even in the exam, spend a good amount of time on each section and solve a minimum number of questions to meet the sectional cut off. Since, there is no sectional time-limit in MAT exam. Candidates can decide themselves how much time they should spend on which section as one needs to score well in all sections because of equal weightage. Out of 2 hours or 120 minutes, candidates should allot maximum time to the section they find tough or are calculation intensive. It is advisable to attempt the easier sections first and then move to tougher sections.

Q:   What is the exam mode of MAT?
A:
MAT exam is conducted in three modes - Paper Based Test or PBT in which candidates have to report to a test centre to take the test. They have to fill an OMR answer sheet with a blue/black ball point pen in the PBT mode exam. The PBT mode is conducted only once in every MAT phase as the number of applicants is least for PBT. In the Computer Based Test or CBT, candidates have to take the test at designated exam centre on a computer system. Candidates have to fill in their answers in an online test page with the help of computer mouse. They can choose only one of the four given options as answer. In the Internet Based Test or IBT, candidates have to take the test on a computer system at home or any preferred location. The test structure is same as CBT but the candidates are monitored in remote proctored mode. Since MAT exam is conducted multiple times in a year during February, May, September and December, one can take the exam in more than one mode. Candidate can also take the test any number of times. The score of the latest MAT attempt will be taken into consideration for admission.
Q:   What is the difficulty level of MAT exam?
A:

MAT is one of the easier MBA entrance exam. The difficulty level of the exam much easier than CAT XAT or CMAT. Candidates usually prepare for CAT XAT and CMAT and use that experience to give the MAT exam. Even though the MAT has more questions than XAT CAT CMAT. It is easier because the questions of all the five sections include:

  • Mathematical Skills
  • Language Comprehension
  • Intelligence and Critical Reasoning
  • Data Analysis and Sufficiency
  • Economic and Business Environment

These are easy and straightforward. There are less Reading Comprehension passages of shorter length and are easy to comprehend. Since, the Economy and Business Environment scores are not taken into consideration for MAT percentile calculation, candidates find it easier to crack MAT in 2 hours with high scores.

MAT 2024: Economic & Business Environment Section Highlights

  1. The questions of Economic and Business Environment section of MAT 2025 will be memory based.
  2. Answer selection will be either correct or incorrect. If one knows, the answer there is no need for guesswork.
  3. This section of MAT exam is often easy and to be taken up at the end. 10-15 minutes will be enough for it. 
  4. The score of Economic and Business Environment will not be calculated for MAT percentile calculation, so candidates need not take pressure for it.
  5. Each question contains one mark. There is negative marking of 0.25 for incorrect answer.

Also read: MAT 2025 Pattern

MAT 2025 Preparation Tips for Economic and Business Environment

Here are some of the important tips for MAT preparation of Economic and Business Environment section.

  1. Develop the habit of reading newspapers, business magazines and online blogs. Reading two to three newspapers daily will boost your knowledge of current affairs. Some of the most recommended newspapers are - The Hindu, Economic Times and Financial Express. Magazines such as The Chronicles, Business Today, Forbes and India Today are also helpful. For Static GK you should refer to Manorama Year Book and Competition Success Review.
  2. Watch news to increase your knowledge of events in India and around the world in the field of business, politics, economy, science and technology. To increase knowledge on the world specific to the purpose of MAT exam preparation, pick a suitable time for yourself, make schedule of the best news channels and shows and watch them regularly.
  3. Jot down important honours, awards, books, announcements, discoveries, inventions, joint ventures, international trade, business events, etc. This habit will not only help you cover MAT 2025 syllabus for Economic and Business Environment section but ideas also help you increase your knowledge in general, which may help you in Group Discussion and Personal Interview rounds of MBA admission. These notes will guide you in covering almost a sizeable portion of the latest topics of importance and correlate events chronologically.
  4. Test takers should make maximum use of the internet to prepare for Economic and Business Environment section of MAT 2025. Solve MAT question papers to know what type of questions are asked in the exam and what kind of information you should look for on the internet.
  5. Subscribe to recommended YouTube channels on science and technology, business and economy, politics and international events. Candidates can also subscribe to online apps and websites which offer free access and registration to monthly PDF for General Knowledge and current affairs preparation.
  6. Test takers can also follow social media groups for GK discussions and preparation material. These social media groups not only help in providing study material but they also guide candidates in their exam preparation.
  7. We recommend test takers to take MAT Mock test and practice online GK quizzes on educational websites. They act as parameters to evaluate the progress and test performance levels. Do not forget quizzes and one-liners on different topics can help boost both knowledge and confidence.

Follow these tips effectively as well as strategies to crack MAT 2025 successfully. All the best.

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Q:   Is MAT syllabus more difficult than other MBA entrance exams?
A:

The MAT syllabus is same as other MBA entrance exams, which is Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude English Comprehension and General Awareness, only their nomenclature is different. So, candidates preparing for MAT has to study the same subject, topics and sub-topics that they have to study in CAT or CMAT.

In fact, candidates can use the same books for studying for MAT as well as other MBA entrance exams. In terms of difficulty level of the exam, MAT is easier in comparison to other MBA entrance exams. The difficulty level of MAT question paper is usually easy and there is no sectional time limit.

Moreover, MAT is conducted multiple times a year so candidates can choose an exam date or session whenever they are fully prepared for the exam, unlike in other MBA entrances, where candidates have to cover the syllabus, etc. Before a particular exam date. In MAT candidates have the choice of multiple attempts to improve score. A lot of candidates opt for the MAT for the reason that it is easy and they can get a good MBA college through it.

Q:   How can I prepare for MAT in six months?
A:

For MAT preparation in six months candidates need to have a focused plan. They must gather the best books for MAT preparation and start with covering the syllabus. MAT syllabus should be completed in three months. You can make a monthly/weekly or daily plan to cover the syllabus which should include studying one topic each from the main four sections - Mathematical Skills, Data Interpretation, Intelligence and Critical Reasoning as well as Language Comprehension. Keep the Indian and Global Environment section for the last. In the next two months, practice MAT sample papers and MAT mock tests to gain control over the topics you studied in the first three months. For a speed based test like MAT mock test and sample paper practice is a must because only with the help of these you can gain speed and accuracy in solving questions. The MAT question paper can have tough, tricky or easy question so you should be prepared for all types. In the last one month, study for the Indian and Global Environment section and do daily revision of all other topics. Solve a few previous year MAT question paper or solve a couple of mock tests to stay in touch with your abilities. Read More: MAT 6 months preparation plan

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Vipra Shrivastava
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