Why MAT is a Good MBA Entrance Exam?

If you are planning to pursue MBA but cannot decided which entrance exam to appear for, you should definitely opt of MAT. It not only provides the option of over 800 B Schools but also prepares you for other entrance exams.

Benefits of MAT exam.

Management Aptitude Test or MAT is one of the popular MBA entrance exams in India. A good number of management aspirants appear for the exam in every session. It is estimated that nearly 3 lakh candidates apply for MAT yearly, and every session records about 20,000 applications. MAT is a preferred choice among candidates as it is more student friendly than other MBA entrance exams like CAT, CMAT, XAT and NMAT. Conducted by the All India Management Association or AIMA, the exam score is accepted by over 800 B-Schools in India. Let’s take a look at the benefits of MAT exam.

Multiple phases

Candidates can appear for MAT any point of time in an academic year. The exam is conducted four times in a year – February, May, August and December. Multiple phases allow candidates to prepare for the exam and appear in to according to their convenience. Even if they decide to apply late, and miss one registration deadline, they can register for the next phase exam in the same academic year, unlike other MBA entrances which are conducted annually and if one misses it, they have to wait for one whole year.

Multiple Attempts

In MAT, candidates can take multiple attempts and use the best score of all attempts for admission. It also allows candidates to improve their score in the same academic year, whereas, it is not possible in CAT, XAT or CMAT.

Also Read:

• MAT application process 2026
• MAT exam dates 2026

Multiple exam modes

Another plus point of MAT is that it allows candidates to choose mode of exam. MAT is conducted in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode and Paper Based Test (PBT) mode. They can choose the exam mode as per their convenience. MAT exam pattern, syllabus, difficulty level – all are same for both exam modes. MAT can also be taken as a practice for tougher MBA entrance exams. MAT syllabus includes the same topics as CAT, CMAT, XAT, NMAT, etc.

Low difficulty level

MAT is a low difficulty level exam so scoring high is easier. It is a 2 hour exam in which candidates have to solve 150 questions. There is no sectional time limit and also not restriction of minimum sectional cut off. Each of the five sections – Language Comprehension, Mathematical Skills, Data Analysis & Sufficiency, Intelligence & Critical Reasoning and Economic & Business Environment have 30 questions in MCQ format. Since the score of Economic & Business Environment is not considered for MAT percentile calculation, candidates find it as a relief. Since the MAT questions are easier than that of CAT, XAT, NMAT  or CMAT and the number of applicants per session is also lower, it is easier to get a high percentile in MAT.

Also Read:

• Is MAT easier than CAT?
• Is MAT tougher than CMAT?

Large pool of MBA colleges to choose from

MAT score is accepted by over 800 B Schools in India. These include many Tier 2 private institutions that have good placement record. Some of the popular MBA colleges for MAT are BIMTECH Noida, JAGSoM Bangalore, Christ University, Jaipuria Institute, XIME Bangalore, Amity University, KIIT, UPES, LM Thapar, JBIMS among others. Check below the list of some of the popular MAT colleges

MAT qualifying candidates can use the score to seek admission also through MAH MBA CET CAP process. Admission to MBA/MMS courses in Maharashtra State affiliated institutions is done through a Centralized Admission Process or CAP which is conducted by State CET Cell. Candidates can use MAT score to participate in the CAP to get a seat in one of the Maharashtra colleges.

Read More:

• MAT preparation 2026
• MAT books for preparation
• MAT question paper PDFs
• MAT mock test for practice