Is MAT syllabus more difficult than other MBA entrance exams?

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.

What is the difficulty level of MAT exam?

Difficulty level of the exam much easier than CAT XAT or CMAT. 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.

Which section of MAT exam has maximum weightage?

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.

What is the total number of questions in MAT exam?

MAT exam has 150 multiple-choice questions equally divided into five sections. Given below is the sectional break up of MAT question paper. Language Comprehension: 30 questions Intelligence and Critical Reasoning: 30 questions Data Analysis and Sufficiency: 30 questions Mathematical Skills: 30 questions Economic and Business Environment: 30 questions

MAT 2025 Exam Analysis: Get MAT CBT/PBT Paper Analysis and Review

8K Students Q&A

Registration - 23 Feb '26

Updated on Dec 25, 2025 16:20 IST

By Vipra Shrivastava, Senior Manager - Content

MAT exam analysis - The common entrance exam conducted by AIMA is of easy to mederate difficulty level. The questions are equally divided between 5 sections and 2 hours are enough to solve 150 questions. The below given MAT 2025 analysis is an overall review of the exam as all the attempts are same in terms of pattern, test structure, sectional break-up and difficulty level.

MAT 2025 exam was held multiple times in Paper Based Test (PBT), Computer Based Test (CBT). MAT exam sessions of all the phase were moderate difficulty level so it is easy to crack as compared to other MBA entrance exams. The MAT February 2025, May 2025, September 2025 and MAT December 2025 sessions of CBT and PBT were moderate. You can check overall MAT exam analysis 2025 here.

Table of contents

MAT 2025 Exam Analysis: Highlights
MAT Exam Analysis 2025
FAQs on MAT Exam Analysis 2025

MAT 2025 Exam Analysis: Highlights

The pattern of MAT 2025 exam PBT and CBT is common. Check the table below to understand the structure of MAT 2025 question paper.

Specifications	Details
Total Number of Questions	150
Number of Sections	Five
Number of Answer Options	Four
Maximum Marks Per Question	One
Negative Marking	- 0.25
Sections Considered for Percentile Calculation	Four (Economic and Business not considered)

MAT 2025 Analysis: Question Paper Break Up

The MAT 2025 question papers are overall easy. There has been no change in the question type and topic wise distribution. Check the table below for section-wise split:

Sections of the Subject	Number of Questions	Difficulty Level
Language Comprehension	30	Easy
Mathematical Skills	30	Moderate
Data Analysis and Sufficiency	30	Moderate
Intelligence and Critical Reasoning	30	Easy
Economic and Business Environment	30	Easy
Total	150	Easy

MAT Exam Analysis 2025

MAT 2025 Analysis: Language Comprehension

Language Comprehension section of MAT 2025 exams are easy to moderate difficulty. There are two Reading Comprehension passages having 10 questions. Other questions in this section included Idioms/Phrases, Antonyms, Synonyms, Fill in the Blanks, Parajumbles, Sentence Correction and One Word Substitution and Summary questions, as told by some of the test takers.

MAT 2025 Analysis: Intelligence & Critical Reasoning

The Intelligence & Critical Reasoning section of MAT 2025 too have been reported to be easy to moderate difficulty. The MAT 2025 paper analysis by students reveal that this section was a good mix of different types of reasoning questions, including Blood Relation, Alphanumeric Series, Letter Series, Coding-Decoding (letter based), Venn Diagram, Comparison, Distribution, etc. The section could easily be completed in 30-40 minutes.

MAT 2025 Analysis: Mathematical Skills

This section of MAT 2025 question papers has questions from usual topics such as Arithmetic, Modern Math, Geometry and Algebra. The section was dominated by Arithmetic questions and the level of difficulty of this section can be termed as moderately difficult. Most of the questions were straightforward and doable in 30-40 minutes.

MAT 2025 Analysis: Data Analysis and Sufficiency

This section of MAT question papers too is on the same lines as previous sessions. Tables, Graphs, Charts dominated this section of MAT 2025 CBT paper. The Data Sufficiency questions required application of Arithmetic and Mensuration formulae. Overall, the section can be termed as easy to moderate.

MAT 2025 Analysis: Economic and Business Environment

There was no surprise in this section of MAT 2025. The questions were straightforward and mostly from static GK. Some questions were based on events of past few years. Overall, the Economic and Business Environment section as easy and doable in less than 15 minutes.

MAT Analysis 2025: Sectional Breakup

Given below is the table indicating the topics generally included in MAT sections and their difficulty levels.

MAT Sections	Topics	Difficulty Level
Language Comprehension	RC, Sentence formation errors, vocabulary, synonyms/antonyms, FIB, one word substitution, para jumbles	Easy to Moderate
Mathematical Skills	Interest, Percentages, Time and Work, Profit, Loss, Partnership, Algebra, Geometry	Moderate to Difficult
Data Analysis and Sufficiency	Graphs, Pie Charts, Bar Diagrams, Charts, Line Graph, Data Comparison	Moderate
Intelligence and Critical Reasoning	Family Relation, Statement Cause & Effect, Series, Assumptions, Reasons, Analogies	Moderate to Difficult
Economic and Business Environment	International, Advertising, Awards, Books, Economy, Business	Easy

MAT Exam Analysis 2025: Section-Wise

Language Comprehension

This section of MAT exam has 30 questions like usual. Except a few tricky questions, the level of difficulty is usually moderate. A score of 27-28 marks can fetch 90 percentile in Language Comprehension section. There were five RC passages of moderate difficulty. Rest of the questions were on Errors in Sentence Formation, Antonyms & Synonyms, Fill in the Blanks, One Word Substitution, Phrases & Idioms, Substitution by Words and Jumbled Paragraphs.

Mathematical Skills

Mathematical Skills section also contained 30 questions. There were around 15 questions on Arithmetic topics like Interest, Percentages, Time and Work, Profit, Loss, Partnership. All the questions were of moderate difficulty level and candidates found them a little time consuming.

Besides the Arithmetic questions, rest of the questions were from Geometry, Mensuration, Ratio Proportion, Probability, Permutation and Combination, Equation, etc. A score of 29-30 marks could fetch 90+ percentile in this section.

Data Analysis and Sufficiency

About 50 per cent of this section of MAT exam was dominated by Data Interpretation that included questions from Graphs, Pie Charts, Bar Diagrams, Charts, Line Graph, Data Comparison. Rest 50 per cent of the section comprised questions from Data Sufficiency and Data Comparison. A score of 20-23 marks will help candidates fetch 90 percentile and above.

Intelligence and Critical Reasoning

This section of the MAT IBT question paper had more Analytical and Logical Reasoning questions while Critical Reasoning questions were less. There were questions on Family Relation, Statement Cause & Effect, Statement-Assumptions, Reasons, Analogies and Direction, Series and Incorrect terms. This section could be considered lengthy. A score of 26-27 marks could fetch candidates fetch 90+ percentile.

Economic and Business Environment

There were 30 questions in this section with maximum questions on Current National and International Events from the world of Business, Economy, Politics, Trade, Medicine, Sports, Personalities, Awards, etc.

Check MAT cut offs and predict calls from colleges accepting MAT score for admission. Check Fees, Placement Reviews, Admission, Shortlist Criteria and Eligibility of all MAT participating colleges by clicking the link below:

Predict MAT Admission Calls

Check cut offs of top MBA entrance exams and predict calls from IIMs and other Top MBA Colleges. Check Fees, Placement Reviews, Admission, Shortlist Criteria and eligibility of all MBA Colleges by clicking the link below:

Predict IIM & Non IIM Calls

FAQs on MAT Exam Analysis 2025

Check below Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) related to MAT analysis 2025:

Commonly asked questions

Q: Which is better MAT or CMAT?

MAT and CMAT have similar syllabus but the difficulty level is different. Both exams have Quantitative Aptitude Logical Reasoning, Data Interpretation, English and General Knowledge. CMAT has an additional section - Innovation and Entrepreneurship which was introduced in 2021. While MAT is an easy exam, CMAT is moderately tough but to say which is better totally depends upon the college a candidate is targeting for MBA Admission. The participating colleges for both exams are different. If a candidate's dream college accepts MAT score, then they appear for MAT but if their dream college accepts CMAT then they should appear for CMAT. The CMAT exam is conducted by the NTA only once in a year but MAT is conducted multiple times in a year. AIMA conducts MAT in February, May, September and December. So, unlike CMAT MAT gives a candidate the choice to appear for the exam when they are well prepared and improve test score in the same academic session. The benefit of CMAT or MAT is that former is accepted by all government and state universities/institutes whereas latter is accepted by mostly private institutes.

Q: What is the difference between CBT and PBT modes of MAT exam?

The CBT or computer based mode MAT exam is conducted online in which, candidates have to punch in their answers on the computer screen with the help of the mouse-pad. In PBT mode exam, candidates have to fill an OMR sheet with a blue/black ball point pen with the suitable option as the answer. These days most of the candidates opt for CBT which is way it is conducted twice in a particular exam phase. PBT is conducted only once in MAT exam phase. There is no difference in the exam pattern or syllabus of the MAT CBT and MAT PBT. Candidates can choose the mode of exam at the time of registration as per their convenience. If a candidate is comfortable in pen and paper mode, then they can opt for MAT PBT and if the candidate is comfortable in taking tests on computer, they can opt for MAT CBT. However, the CBT and PBT exams are held in different cities so candidates must check the list of test cities before choosing their exam mode.

Q: Is the question paper of MAT IBT different from MAT CBT or PBT?

No, the question paper of MAT IBT is not different from MAT CBT or PBT. The test pattern, time duration, question type and marking scheme are the same for all three modes. Candidates can choose to appear for any exam mode with the worry of doing exam specific preparation. The only difference between MAT IBT and MAT CBT or PBT is that MAT IBT is a remote proctored exam and can be taken from any location unlike MAT CBT or PBT which are held at designated exam centres. The MAT question paper of every session however is different. All the 200 questions of each question paper is unique. The difficulty level is the same- easy to moderate but since the questions are different from each other candidates can feel slight difference in the difficulty level. The questions for every session are chosen randomly so in one session the paper can be overall easy while in another session the exam can be slightly difficult.

Q: What is the marking scheme of MAT exam?

Total marks of MAT exam is 150. Every question carries one mark for correct attempt and there is negative marking of 0.25 marks for each wrong answer. No marks is deducted for skipping questions. The MAT question paper has 150 questions equally divided into five sections - Language Comprehension, Intelligence & Critical Reasoning, Data Analysis & Data Sufficiency, Mathematical Skills and Economic and Business Environment.

Language Comprehension: 30 questions

2. Intelligence & Critical Reasoning: 30 questions

3. Data Analysis & Data Sufficiency: 30 questions

4. Mathematical Skills: 30 questions

5. Economic and Business Environment: 30 questions

Every section therefore has 30 questions which means every section carries 30 marks. The scores of GK section is not considered for MAT percentile calculation. So candidates can keep GK section as their last priority.