MAT-PBT — Dates, Pattern & Syllabus | College4Sure
Exams Management MAT-PBT

MAT-PBT Management Aptitude Test

Management · PG · All India

Expected September 2026
Offline Difficulty: Moderate PG
16 Feb 2026 Applications close
September 2026 Exam date
March 2026 Result
Offline Mode

Overview

The Management Aptitude Test (MAT) is an entrance exam that assesses MBA and PGDM applicants in India using standardized methods. This test assesses applicants' verbal and quantitative abilities, analytical abilities, and business awareness. The MAT allows management schools to screen candidates for their PG Management Programs.
ManagementCategory
PGLevel
OfflineMode
ModerateDifficulty
All IndiaRegion

Eligibility

MAT is conducted by the All India Management Association and is accepted by several hundred management institutes.

  • Degree: a bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognised university.
  • Final-year students: eligible.
  • Attempts: MAT runs four cycles a year, and a candidate may sit as many as they wish. Institutes generally consider the best score.

MAT is offered in more than one mode — a paper-based test, a computer-based test at a centre, and a remote-proctored internet-based test. The syllabus and the marking are the same in each; only the delivery differs.

Exam Pattern

Exam Name Management Aptitude Test PBT
Exam Mode Physical Pen-Paper based test
Exam Duration 120 minutes (No sectional time limits)
Number of Sections 5
Sectional Time Limit No sectional time limits
Number of Questions 150 MCQs
Question Types MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions
Marking Scheme +1 (Correct), -0.25 (Incorrect)
Language of Exam English
Total Marks 150

Syllabus

Language Comprehension

20%

Reading Comprehension (RC), Vocabulary, Grammar, Para-jumbles

Intelligence & Critical Reasoning

20%

Series, Puzzles, Coding-Decoding, Blood Relations, Syllogisms

Mathematical Skills

20%

Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Number System, Probability

Data Analysis & Sufficiency

20%

Charts/Tables, Caselets, Data Sufficiency

Economic & Business Environment

20%

Current Affairs, Business & Economy, Static GK

How to Apply

The application is an online form on the AIMA MAT website. Everything below is done in one sitting or saved and returned to; nothing is done on paper.

1

Register

Create an account on the AIMA MAT website with an email address and mobile number you will still have months from now -- every notice, the admit card and the result reach you there. A registration number is issued; keep it.

2

Fill the form

Personal details, academic record from class 10 onwards, category, and work experience where it applies. The academic figures must match your marksheets exactly, because they are verified later against the originals.

3

Choose test cities

MAT is offered as a paper-based test, a computer-based test at a centre, and a remote-proctored internet-based test. Choose the mode first, then the centre where one applies. The syllabus and marking are identical across modes.

4

Upload photograph and signature

Both have to meet the format, size and background stated in the notification. A rejected upload is the most common reason a form is left incomplete past the deadline.

5

Pay the fee

Online, through the official portal only. The amount is set afresh in each year’s notification and is lower for SC, ST and PwD candidates. Keep the payment receipt.

6

Submit, then check

Print the completed form. A correction window usually opens afterwards -- it is limited, and it rarely covers every field, so it is a repair, not a second chance.

Apply only through the official portal. No agent can register you, and nobody can change a score once it is declared.

Important Dates

Registration Opens 15 July 2026
Registration Last Date 15 September 2026
Application Correction Window 16 September – 17 September 2026
Admit Card Release 18 September 2026
Exam Date Main day 20 September 2026 (Sunday)
Answer Key Release 25 September 2026
Results Declaration 05 October 2026

Selection Process

The paper has five sections, and one of them does not count towards the score used for shortlisting.

  • Language Comprehension, Intelligence and Critical Reasoning, Data Analysis and Sufficiency, and Mathematical Skills make up the composite score.
  • The Indian and Global Environment section is scored separately and is excluded from the composite that institutes shortlist on — worth knowing before spending preparation time on it.
  • There is negative marking across the paper.
  • AIMA reports a percentile. Each institute applies its own cut-off and runs its own group discussion and interview.

Other Management exams

All Management exams →

Preparing for MAT-PBT?

Get a free prep plan and a college shortlist from a College4Sure counsellor.

Talk to a counsellor