MAT 2026 Exam Analysis: Get MAT CBT/PBT Paper Analysis and Review
Management Aptitude Test 2026 ( MAT )
Registration - 1 Apr '26 - 25 May '26
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 2026 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 2026 exam has been conducted for February session and both PBT and CBT mode exams were easy. You can check overall MAT exam analysis 2026 here.
- MAT 2026 Exam Analysis: Highlights
- MAT Exam Analysis 2026: Section Wise
- FAQs on MAT Exam Analysis 2026
MAT 2026 Exam Analysis: Highlights
There were no changes in the MAT February 2026 exam from previous year. Check the table below to understand the structure of MAT 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 2026 Analysis: Question Paper Break Up
The MAT 2026 question papers for February sessions were overall easy. Most of the questions were easy and straightforward. 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 2026: Section Wise
MAT 2026 Analysis: Language Comprehension
Language Comprehension section of MAT 2026 exam had 2 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 2026 Analysis: Intelligence & Critical Reasoning
The Intelligence & Critical Reasoning section of MAT 2026 February session 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 2026 Analysis: Mathematical Skills
This section of MAT 2026 question papers had maximum questions from Arithmetic, Other topics that were present include Modern Math, Geometry and Algebra. The questions were moderately difficulty. Most of the questions were straightforward and doable in 30-40 minutes.
MAT 2026 Analysis: Data Analysis and Sufficiency
This section of MAT question paper 2026 had easy table and charts. The Data Sufficiency questions required application of Arithmetic and Mensuration formulae. Overall, the section can be termed as easy to moderate.
MAT 2026 Analysis: Economic and Business Environment
The questions in this section of MAT 2026 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.
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FAQs on MAT Exam Analysis 2026
Check below Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) related to MAT analysis 2026:
Commonly asked questions
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.
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.
MAT Exam
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 5 days ago
Yes, Global Institute of Business Studies does accept scores from exams like CAT, MAT, XAT, and CMAT. They take these exams into consideration for admissions, so you don't have to worry about only one exam. It gives you flexibility to apply with the scores you already have and increases your chances
P
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
GIBS Business School's PGDM cutoff is moderate and generally does not reach the high levels of an IIM. The main factors impacting cutoff are your entrance test scores and other criteria.
Cutoff Recent Data:
- CAT: 60-70 Percentile approximately
- XAT: 60-70 Percentile approximately
- MAT: 60-65 Percentile ap
M
Beginner-Level 4
Answered a week ago
Yes, MAT score valid for MAH CET counselling for MBA/MMS. Candidates can apply for admission to Maharashtra MBA colleges by registering for the CAP round under non-MAH CET category. MAH CET CAP is conducted in July-August, every year.
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
MAT cut off is not the only criteria for MBA admission. Candidates have to appear for Personal Interview and Group Discussion conducted by the institutes for final selection. Those who do not clear this round are not selected for admission.
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Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 weeks ago
Yes, you can apply to GIBS Business School Bangalore after taking the MAT exam. From my experience, the college accepts scores from exams like MAT, CAT, or XAT, so having a valid MAT score makes you eligible for admission.
MAT score is considered during the selection process
College looks at your over
P
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 weeks ago
Yes, you could take admission to the MBA course with a MAT percentile of 70 if u belong to the General AI category. For this category, the IISWBM MAT cutoff 2025 required was 70 for the MBA in Human Resource Management course.
In 2024, the cutoff for the MBA in Public Systems was also 70 for the sa
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 weeks ago
MAT exam duration is 120 minutes or 2 hours. Candidates have to solve 150 questions in the given time limit. There is no sectional time limit in MAT.
E
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 weeks ago
MAT exam is held multiple times in a year. There are four MAT phases- February, May, August and December. In each of these months, the exam is conducted at least twice – 1 PBT and 1 CBT.
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 weeks ago
The overall difficulty level of MAT is easy to moderate. Despite having 150 questions, the test paper is usually doable and candidates can easily attempt 100-120 questions.
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 weeks ago
Yes, MAT exam is MCQ types. There are no subjective type or TITA questions. Every question carries 4 answer options. Candidates have to select one option as correct answer.
M
Contributor-Level 7
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