Before appearing for any entrance examination, one must understand the pattern of its question paper and the type of questions asked. MAT 2020 is all set to be conducted one last time for the academic year 2020. The exam is scheduled to be conducted on 6th December 2020 through Paper Based mode. Internet Based Test will be conducted from 21st November 2020 and students willing to take MAT Exam have been putting all their efforts to crack it. MAT exam is one of the common tests taken across the country for admission to business institutions.
- MAT Question Paper consists of 200 questions divided amongst 5 sections with 40 questions in each section. The questions are to be attempted in 150 minutes and each question is timed individually.
- Preparing for MAT Exam can be considered easy when compared to other MBA entrance examinations such as CAT, SNAP, XAT, etc.
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MAT Exam Pattern
The question paper consists of five sections:
- Language Comprehension
- Mathematical Skills
- Data Analysis & Sufficiency
- Intelligence & Critical Reasoning
- Indian & Global Environment
Each section comprises of 40 questions and is timed individually.
How to Prepare for MAT 2020?
There are five sections and candidates appearing in MAT 2020 must try to carry out various strategies to qualify each section. Preparing for MAT Exam is not difficult as there are no such changes introduced in the pattern of question paper. Solving sample papers prepared by experts to crack MAT Exam might come handy while preparing.
The following tools might be useful while preparing:
- Previous years' question papers
- MAT practice questions
- MAT sample papers with solutions
It is high time that you started preparing for the exam without any further delay. Candidates must make sure that they use valid and good books written by well-known authors to qualify the examination. Observation says students can fetch a very good rank by attempting 80 questions correctly (except GK section).
Factors that ensure candidates' good marks include a plan, good strategy, consistent practice, fixated mind, and determination.
Preparation Strategy
1. Exam Pattern and Syllabus
Candidates willing to take the examination must understand the exam pattern including the type of questions asked during the examination. The question paper comprises of 200 questions to be completed in 200 questions in 150 minutes.
Sections |
No. of Questions |
Time allotted (in minutes) |
Language Comprehension |
40 |
30 |
Mathematical Skills |
40 |
40 |
Data Analysis & Sufficiency |
40 |
35 |
Intelligence & Critical Reasoning |
40 |
30 |
Indian & Global Environment |
40 |
15 |
Total |
200 |
150 |
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The candidates must score well in all the sections to qualify the examination and to ease the preparation, candidates must know that Indian and Global Environment section is not considered for score calculation and merit preparation.
2. Selection of Right Preparation Books
It is one of the most important factors to prepare for any examination. Following is the list of books mentioned by experts to crack the examination:
Book Name |
Author |
Publisher |
Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT |
Nishit K. Sinha |
Pearson |
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension for the CAT |
Nishit K. Sinha |
Pearson |
Study Package for MAT |
Arun Sharma |
McGraw Hill |
How to Prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT |
Arun Sharma |
McGraw Hill |
How to Prepare for Quantitative for CAT |
Arun Sharma |
McGraw Hill |
How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT |
Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay |
McGraw Hill |
Mission MBA MAT Guide |
BS Sijwali and Tarun Goyal |
Arihant Books |
Word Power Made Easy |
Norman Lewis |
Pocket Books |
A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning |
R.S. Aggarwal |
S. Chand & Co. |
Complete Guide for MAT and Other MBA Entrance Exams |
Deepak Agarwal, Mahima Agarwal |
Disha |
MAT Score Accelerator |
Disha Experts |
Disha Publication |
Manorama Yearbook |
K. M. Mathew, Mammen Mathew |
Malayala Manorama Group |
Preparation Tips for Each Section
Language Comprehension
Language comprehension section primarily focuses on analyzing candidates' knowledge of English language including Vocabulary and Grammar. Candidates must analyze their strength and weakness in order to perform well in every section.
This section intends to define candidates' vocabulary and verbal abilities. Candidates must spend enough time in diverse reading. Previous years' question paper may become useful while preparing. Following are the vital topics one must possess a good command over:
- Analogy
- Synonyms and Antonyms
- Sentence Correction
- Sentence Completion
- Jumbled Paragraphs and Sentence
Mathematical Skills
This is one of the trickiest sections and it analyzes and evaluates candidates' mathematical skills. It examines their ability to solve questions in the minimum given time. Candidates are advised to possess conceptual clarity of vital or important topics.
Consistent practice of questions from each area may help students qualify the exam. It is important to find out the topics and questions that have been frequently asked over previous year question papers.
Following are the topics one must study before appearing for the exam:
- Number Systems
- Percentage
- Geometry
- Trigonometry
- Averages
- Rations
- Interest
- Time & Work
- Time, Speed, & Distance
- Profit & Loss
- Mixtures
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Intelligence and Critical Reasoning
While attempting this section, the candidates are advised to keep calm and use simplest methods to solve these questions as the difficulty level of this section is moderate. Candidates are judged based on their ability to deduce data from the given information.
It is important to practice different types of verbal and non-verbal questions. This in turn enhances their efficiency and ability to obtain correct answers.
The essential topics you must prepare for are:
- Number Series
- Direction Questions
- Verbal Reasoning
- Enciphering and Deciphering
- Relationships
Data Analysis and Sufficiency
This section comprises of questions given in the form of graphs or charts. Students are judged based on their ability to infer correct information from this given data. The data is represented in the form of graphs or points hiding the required information.
Consistent attempts and regular practice help students qualify this section. Candidates are advised to focus on question type and nature of questions.
Topics one must study while preparing:
- Bar Graphs
- Pie Charts
- Line Graphs
- Data Tables
- Data Sufficiency
- Data Comparisons