MAT Exam Dates 2026 (Announced): Check Registrations & Other MAT CBT/PBT Dates

No, IIMs do not accept MAT score for MBA Admission. They only accept CAT score for admission to their MBA/PGP programmes. However, MAT score is accepted by over 700 MBA colleges in India including: Amity University GL Bajaj Institute of Management & Research Christ University GITAM Institute of Management JIMS Rohini Jain University Taxila Business School, Jaipur SRM University Birla Institute of Management Technology Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University Tezpur University Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India IIFM Bhopal YMCA.

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.

MAT syllabus is not very difficult but it is not easy either. The topics included in MAT syllabus are same as that of other MBA entrance exams like English, Quants, Reasoning, DI and GK. So, if you find these subjects tough MAT syllabus will be difficult for you and if you find the easy, the exam syllabus will be easy.

MAT has 2 sections which are completely Maths based – Mathematical Skills and Data Interpretation, so it is not possible to crack MAT without having a good control over this subject.

No, MAT CBT and MAT PBT test cities are not same. Check the table below for cities in which MAT PBT and MAT CBT will be conducted.

MAT PBT Cities

Bengaluru	Guwahati	Nashik
Bhilai	Hyderabad	Noida
Bhagalpur	Jodhpur	Patna
Bhubaneshwar	Kanpur	Prayagraj
Chennai	Kolkata	Raipur
Coimbatore	Kottayam	Ranchi
Delhi	Lucknow	Surat
Durgapur	Madurai	Varanasi
Gandhinagar	Mangaluru	Visakhapatnam
Gurgaon	Mumbai

 

MAT CBT Cities

Agra	Gurugram	Mumbai
Ahmedabad	Guwahati	Mysore
Asansol	Hubbali	Nagpur
Bengaluru	Hyderabad	Noida
Bhopal	Indore	Patna
Bhubaneswar	Jaipur	Raipur
Chandigarh	Jammu	Ranchi
Chennai	Jamshedpur	Rourkela
Coimbatore	Kolkata	Thiruvananthapuram
Dehradun	Kozhikode	Thrissur
Delhi	Lucknow	Tiruchirappalli
Ernakulam- Kochi	Madurai	Vijaywada
Ghaziabad	Meerut

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.  

If you don't wish to opt for coaching to prepare for MAT then join online study groups to get recommended study material and guidance from mentors/peers. Refer to MAT specific preparation books. Watch YT videos on MAT prep, practice mock tests and sample questions in a large number. Focus on all important topics from which most of the questions are asked.

Ideal time to start MAT preparation is 6 months before the exam session. But if you have appeared for it before, you will need less time to prepare. So, plan your preparation accordingly.

There is no age limit for appearing in MAT exam. Any candidate who has a graduation degree can appear for MAT. They can be fresh graduates or working professionals with several years of work experience. A good number of MAT applicants are working professionals who are seeking to enhance their management skills by pursuing an MBA course. At the same time, a large number of fresh graduates also apply for MAT. Especially from non-technical background as the difficulty level is not as high as CAT or XAT exams. Since, MAT is accepted by MBA colleges for Executive MBA, Online MBA, Part-Time MBA and Distance MBA courses too, a good number of working professionals appear for the MAT exam. MAT is also popular among Management aspirants and working professionals as it is an easy exam and one can prepare for it while working as well. It is easier to strike work and study balance in MAT.

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 you are not sure of. Try to maintain average scoring by solving 17-20 questions in each section.

Difficulty level of MAT exam is lower than other MBA entrance exams. The question paper is usually of easy to moderate difficulty level. The exam is now held for 120 minutes. There are now 150 questions in the exam paper. There is no sectional time limit in MAT which allows the candidate to plan a strategy according to their strengths and weaknesses. The score of Indian and Global Environment section is not considered for percentile calculation thus candidates don't have the stress of fifth section. Also, solving 150 questions is not mandatory so candidates can choose to solve only those questions which they know they can solve accurately. Sectional difficulty level of MAT is also lower than other MBA exams. Candidates can attempt the exam multiple times in the same academic year to improve their score. They also have the option to choose the mode of test - CBT, IBT, PBT - which makes it the most student friendly exam. Also, the MAT cut offs for admission are much lower as compared to other entrance exams. 

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.

MAT score is accepted by lot of MBA colleges across India. Candidates can find a college of their percentile range among the 800 MBA colleges that accept MAT score. If you have scored in the MAT percentile range of 70-80 percentile, you can seek admission in the following colleges. These are some of the popular MBA college that accept MAT score of 70-80 percentile. Institute of Business Management and Technology Jaypee Business School EMPI Business School Delhi School of Business FIIB Delhi Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's Usha and Lakshmi Mittal Institute of Management SCMS Cochin School of Business IES Management Colleges and Research Centre Mumbai Globsyn Business School, Kolkata Calcutta Business School, Kolkata GITAM School of International Business Visakhapatnam GITMA Hyderabad Business School Hyderabad Durgadevi Saraf Institute of Management Studies Mumbai Rajalakshami School of Business Chennai ABBS Bangalore.

Yes, you can attempt MAT exam as many times as you want. MAT is conducted multiple times in a year, in February, May, September and December. If a candidate is not satisfied with their score of first attempt, they can choose any upcoming session to appear for it again.