MAT Preparation: MAT is a 150-minute duration test, in which a candidate has to solve 200 questions. Higher the accuracy, greater are the chances of getting admission in excellent institutes. It is the most prominent exam of the nation and the scores obtained are accepted by many reputed Management Institutes.
Latest Update: MAT 2019 for September session will be scheduled on September 01 (offline) and September 14(online). Download MAT Sample Papers
Read on to know about the reference books, strategy and 30-days plan for MAT preparation.
A candidate has to attempt all the 5 sections to clear the entrance. These sections are listed below-
- Language Comprehension
- Mathematical Skills
- Data Analysis and Sufficiency
- Intelligence and Critical Reasoning
- Indian and Global Environment
CheckMAT Syllabus
A candidate must do good preparation to have a good score. A concrete plan, good strategy, a lot of practice, focused mind, high determination, can help in scoring good marks in MAT Exam. Here are some tips that a candidate must be aware of before attempting for MAT-
- It totally depends upon the candidate, which mode of exam to be chosen- either online or offline
- Candidate can choose the day, time and center of MAT
- It is conducted 4 times a year
Check 5 Things to Keep in Mind During MAT Registration
Given below are some tips to the aspirants to score a good rank.
- Solve Previous Years’ Question Papers: From the previous observations, it can be concluded that, opting questions of around 80 marks (except GK) with at least 80% accuracy can fetch you a very good rank. Download MAT Practice Papers
- Time Management is the Key: Candidates opting the exam should have better management of time. Candidates kindly make sure that all the sections of MAT are attended properly to have a balanced score.
The following table will give you a fresh idea of time balancing and the best percentile:
Section | Time (in minutes) | Marks | Level of Difficulty |
---|---|---|---|
Language Comprehension | 30 | 20-27 | Moderate |
Mathematical Skills | 40 | 27-20 | Difficult |
Data Analysis and Sufficiency | 35 | 21-28 | Moderate |
Intelligence and Critical Reasoning | 30 | 19-26 | Moderate |
Indian and Global Environment | 05 | 10-15 | Moderately Difficult |
Candidates should not waste much time on any section. He must divide the total time into 6 different time span, 5 for each section and 1 for revising. He must also maintain the accuracy level.
- Prioritize the Sections: It is considered best to always begin with the time-consuming section as it takes more time than the allotted time. And the time can be adjusted with the sections which consume less time.
- Be Focused: To get admission in the best B school, 98 percentile is required. During preparation, candidates must be sure that they should cover at least 1st level problems of all the topics as they can bring marks.
Instructions For MAT Preparation
- Being updated with the MAT 2019 current syllabus
- A proper time-table should be followed
- Practicing mock tests and previous years’ papers
- Solve the quant section using short-tricks
- Prepare self-made notes
- Have a good strategy to solve the maximum number of questions in less time
- Attempt the questions where you’re 110% sure
- Refer good books
- Don’t stick to any question, read< solve, skip< move
- Self-motivation, Confidence is the key to success
Tips For Preparation MAT
Language Comprehension
Reading questions before reading comprehension makes it easy to find the answers well. Grammar plays an important role, so be sure to have a good command over it. Read English newspapers, watch English news channels, improve vocabulary and reading skills.
Mathematics Skills
Understand the theories and mug up the formulae. Focus on the questions that are mostly asked. In MAT, there is a kind of questions that are generally not asked in other MBA exams, focus on them. Make your own notes of the formulae and memorize them. Master the basics and short tricks. Jump over the questions that are time-consuming.
Data Analysis & Sufficiency
This section is considered the most scoring section. Only practice makes it easy to solve the questions in less time. Solving last years’ questions helps a lot. Try solving all kind of questions in time-bound.
Intelligence & Critical Reasoning
Good preparation and high accuracy in this section can fetch you more marks and September help you in reserving a seat. Only verbal and non-verbal types of questions are asked. Analyzing the problem before just guessing the answer September help in reaching the correct answer. To prepare this, candidates should solve a lot of questions and go through the model papers. Any good reference book can help you out.
Indian & Global Environment
Questions in this section cover the topics related to GK and current affairs. This section can be much scoring, to prepare well this section, you must read magazines & newspapers, watch news channels.
MAT Reference Books
There are many good books available at the stationaries and online. Given below are some of the reference books for MAT 2019, that are considered by the exam aspirants-
List of Best Books for MAT preparation | Author’s name | Publisher |
---|---|---|
How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT | Arun Sharma & Meenakshi Upadhyay | McGraw Hill |
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT | Nishit K Sinha | Pearson |
Mission MBA MAT Guide | BS Sijwali and Tarun Goyal | Arihant Books |
Word Power Made Easy | Norman Lewis | Pocket Books |
Study package for MAT | Arun Sharma | McGraw Hill |
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 |
How to Prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT | Arun Sharma | McGraw Hill |
How to prepare for Quantitative for the CAT | Arun Sharma | McGraw Hill |
Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT | Nishit K.Sinha | Pearson |
Manorama Year Book | K. M. Mathew, Mammen Mathew | Malayala Manorama Group |
Regular reading of The Hindu, ToI, India Today, Sports week etc. | – | – |
30 Days Plan for MAT September Preparation
The following table represents a 30-days plan for preparing for MAT exam. The columns define each of the topics covered in MAT Syllabus. An aspirant should practice the defined set of topics for at least 1 hour each to obtain a valid MAT scorecard.
Days | Language Comprehension | Mathematical Skills | Data Interpretation and Analysis | Critical Reasoning | Indian and Global Environment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Day 1 | Verbal Reasoning | HCF & LCM | Pie Chart | Critical Reasoning | Company punch lines |
Day 2 | Syllogisms | Percentages | Pie Chart | Visual reasoning | Geography |
Day 3 | Vocabulary 50 words | Ratios and proportions | Graphs | Sequencing | Current Affairs |
Day 4 | Mock Test | ||||
Day 5 | Using the same word with a different meaning | Quadratic and linear equations | Graphs | Critical Reasoning | Geography |
Day 6 | Contextual Usage | Work and Time | Bar Graphs | Visual reasoning | History |
Day 7 | Vocabulary 50 words | Work and Time | Bar Graphs | Sequencing | Current Affairs |
Day 8 | Mock Test | ||||
Day 9 | Analogies | Geometry | Line Charts | Coding and Decoding | History |
Day 10 | One word substitution | Geometry | Line Charts | Assumption-Premise-Conclusion | Business |
Day 11 | Vocabulary 50 words | Geometric Progression | Pie Chart | Assumption-Premise-Conclusion | Current Affairs |
Day 12 | Mock Test | ||||
Day 13 | Antonyms | Time-Speed-Distance | Column Graphs | Statements and Assumptions | Business |
Day 14 | Idioms | Profit and Loss | Column Graphs | Statements and Assumptions | Science |
Day 15 | Vocabulary 50 words | Geometric Progression | Line Charts | Identifying valid inferences | Current Affairs |
Day 16 | Mock Test | ||||
Day 17 | Fill in the blanks | Algebra | Venn Diagram | Assertion and Reasons | Books and authors/ Awards |
Day 18 | Odd man out | Algebra | Venn Diagram | Identifying Reasons | Sports/ Politics |
Day 19 | Vocabulary 50 words | Algebra | Bar Graphs | Linear Arrangements | Current Affairs |
Day 20 | Mock Test | ||||
Day 21 | Jumbled Paragraphs | Averages | Graphs | Linear Arrangements | Company punch lines |
Day 22 | Sentence Completion | Number System | Pie Chart | Matrix Arrangements | Sports/ Politics |
Day 23 | Vocabulary 50 words | Partnership (Accounts) | Bar Graphs | Matrix Arrangements | Current Affairs |
Day 24 | Mock Test | ||||
Day 25 | Sentence Correction | Percentages | Column Graphs | Family tree | Books and authors/ Awards |
Day 26 | Foreign language words used in English | Vectors | Venn Diagram | Family tree | Geography |
Day 27 | Vocabulary 50 words | Work and Time | Line Charts | Cause and effect | Current Affairs |
Day 28 | Mock Test | ||||
Day 29 | Reading Comprehension | Time-Speed-Distance | Venn Diagram | Cause and effect | History |
Day 30 | Reading Comprehension | Geometry | Bar Graphs | Critical Reasoning | Company Punch Lines |
The mock tests can be taken every day to enhance the speed of solving questions. And on the exam day, the question paper will seem another practice test. All the best!