IGNOU OPENMAT: Important dates, eligibility criteria, exam pattern, admit card & more

GNOU OPENMAT is a national-level entrance examination conducted for admissions to MBA and PGDM courses at IGNOU. The National Testing Agency(NTA) conducts the exam twice every year, once in January and again in July. The OPENMAT exam scores are valid for one year and can be used by the candidate in multiple attempts. 

This computer-based exam has a duration of 180 minutes and is conducted twice every year. The IGNOU OPENMAT this year will consist of a total of 200 MCQ-type questions. This exam has no age bar for any person who wishes to appear for the exam. The first phase of the exam was conducted in April 2021.

IGNOU Openmat Important Dates

IGNOU OPENMAT is an important exam for management aspirants around the country and hence, taking note of the important dates is key so that you don’t miss any deadline. The important dates(tentative) for IGNOU OPENMAT 2021 are: 

IGNOU OPENMAT Eligibility Criteria

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has set up the eligibility criteria for aspiring candidates appearing for the OPENMAT exam. Candidates need to go through the guidelines carefully before filling up the application. The various eligibility criteria to appear for the IGNOU OPENMAT Entrance Exam are:

• Candidates must be a graduate in any discipline from a recognized university OR
• A professional degree holder in Engineering/Medicine/Law/Chartered or Cost Accountancy (ICAI/ICWAI)/Company Secretary-ship (ICSI).
• He/she should have scored at least 50% (45% for reserved category candidates) marks in the qualifying exam.
• Candidates have to qualify for the entrance exam for admission in MBA programmes.
• There is no age bar for candidates who wish to appear in the OPENMAT exam.

IGNOU OPENMAT Registration

The IGNOU OPENMAT registration form 2021 can only be filled online. The candidates who are graduates in any discipline with 50% marks for the general category (45% for the reserved category) are eligible to apply for IGNOU OPENMAT Entrance Exam. The application fee for the general category and OBC is Rs 800/- and for other reserved categories is Rs 600/-. The payment for the application form can only be done online either through debit/credit card or through Net banking.

The application process includes registration, filling in the form, uploading photographs and signatures, paying fees and printing of confirmation page. The candidates are recommended to go through the following instructions for submitting the application form. Above all, read all the information carefully before proceeding to apply online.

Check the following information with regard to the IGNOU OPENMAT 2021 Application Form:

• You can fill the IGNOU OPENMAT 2021 application form by clicking on the link given in this article or by clicking here. 
• Online Application Form may be submitted by accessing the NTA website https://ignouexams.nta.nic.in. Most importantly, the Application Form other than the online mode will not be accepted.
• Candidates can also download the application form from the official website of IGNOU.
• Moreover, before filling the online entrance form, please read carefully regarding the eligibility and programme details given in the e-prospectus available at https://sedservices.ignou.ac.in/entranceopenmat/ 
• Fill the application form correctly and do not leave any mandatory field.

Documents Required for IGNOU OPENMAT Registration

To complete IGNOU OPENMAT registration, the candidate must upload a recent passport size photograph and signature as per the specification mentioned below: 

IGNOU OPENMAT Exam Pattern

Candidates are advised to check the exam pattern thoroughly before appearing in the entrance exam. Check the IGNOU OPENMAT 2021 Exam Pattern and Syllabus below. 

The total of 200 questions are divided in the following manner across all the sections:

Note: The marking scheme is +1 FOR EVERY CORRECT ANSWER with NO negative marking. 

It is important that you attempt all the questions you are sure about and then go for the questions you are not so sure about, this will help save time. Candidates also need to prepare while keeping the IGNOU OPENMAT 2021 exam pattern in mind as that will help them thoroughly prepare and will also keep them focused.

IGNOU OPENMAT Admit Card

The IGNOU OPENMAT exam admit card is required by candidates to enter the examination centre. The National Testing Agency (NTA) will release the IGNOU OPENMAT exam admit card on 8th November 2021(Tentatively). The IGNOU 2021 hall ticket will be available for download on the official website in online mode only. Note that there is no last date for downloading the IGNOU OPENMAT Admit card - it can be downloaded till the day of the exam.

How to download IGNOU OPENMAT admit card?

To download the IGNOU OPENMAT Admit card, candidates need to log in on the official website. The steps to download the IGNOU OPENMAT admit card have been listed below. 

Step 1: Visit the official website of IGNOU 

Step 2: The link for admit card download will be available on the home page

Step 3: Enter login ID and Password and click on ‘Submit’

Step 4: The admit card will appear with the option to download

Step 5: Save it as a PDF and take several printouts

 IGNOU OPENMAT TEST Centers

The IGNOU OPENMAT is a national level entrance exam that is conducted in 131+ cities. Exam centres of IGNOU OPENMAT are:

Note: Candidates should make a note that once an exam centre is filled in the application form, it won’t be changed afterwards. Hence, candidates must make a thoughtful choice while making the selection of the IGNOU OPENMAT test centre.

IGNOU OPENMAT Result

The OPENMAT 2021 result will be declared around 5th February 2022 (Tentatively). To download the IGNOU MBA entrance exam results, you must visit the official NTA IGNOU web link. Lastly, the candidates who make the cut-off will be eligible to apply to the postgraduate and masters programs in Business Administration.

IGNOU OPENMAT PreparationThe IGNOU OPENMAT 2020 admit card was out on 9th April 2020.

Make a timetable, practice mocks and for the general awareness section, keep yourself updated with the latest happenings. The following are some more preparation tips to help you ace the IGNOU OPENMAT XLVII.

1. Understand the exam pattern and syllabus: You must know about the IGNOU OPENMAT 2020 Exam Pattern, syllabus, and other details for ease of preparation. 
2. Create a timetable and follow it: It is crucial you adhere to the timetable you have made until the IGNOU OPENMAT 2020 Exam. In other words, make sure to give equal preparation time to all sections. 
3. Take a look at previous papers: Prepare previous year sample papers.
4. Get your basics right. Have a clear understanding of concepts: In addition, it is advised that you clear your basics first before preparing for any new topics when it comes to the IGNOU MBA entrance exam. 
5. Mock tests: Solve as many mock tests as possible in a timed fashion. Moreover, this will help you check how accurate and fast you are answering in the mock tests. 
6. Avoid new topics at the last moment: avoid preparing new topics at the very last minute as this may result in last moment confusion between concepts.
7. Revision: Once you have finished studying and started mocks, keep revising the topics so that they remain fresh in your memory. For this, you need to formulate a revision plan, in other words, it is a crucial preparation technique. 
8. Have a question-solving strategy in place: Learn to pick out those questions first that you are comfortable answering. Keep the tougher ones for later.

FAQs related to IGNOU OPENMAT exam