MAT 2020 (September): Important Dates, Registration, Eligibility, Exam Pattern & Syllabus

MAT is a standard aptitude test conducted by All India Management Association(AIMA) four times each year for admission into various esteemed Business Schools, it is an all India exam. MAT full form stands for Management Aptitude Test. AIMA has been regularly conducting these exams since 1998. MAT exam 2019 was conducted in more than 300 colleges.

Each year exams are held across India in February, May, September and December. More than 600 B-schools across India recognize MAT exams and accept MAT scores for admission into MBA programs. The fact that it is one of the most widely recognized aptitude tests for admission into MBA and it being a relatively easier exam when compared to exams like CAT, XAT etc., contributes to its immense popularity.

What is MAT IBT 2020?

Aspirants can take AIMA Mat exam in both online CBT(computer Based Test) and offline PBT(Paper Based Test)  mode. CBT is an online aptitude test conducted in specialized centres. However, owing to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak AIMA has introduced a remotely proctored test system called Internet-Based Test(IBT) which enables the aspirants to take the MAT exam from their homes.  This decision has been taken by AIMA keeping in mind the safety and well being of thousands of aspirants who appear for MAT throughout India. MAT IBT 2020 provides a valuable opportunity for aspirants who need to make a headstart in their career, during these challenging times when academic work has taken a hit and most colleges remain closed or entrance exams stand cancelled.

Note: Phase 1 IBT MAT had already been conducted from MAY 25 to July 5, 2020. MAT results for the same have already been declared. 

Why Appear for MAT 2020?

More often than not students get confused as to which exam shall they opt for when it comes to securing a seat in a reputable Business School. Many other popular exams like CAT, XAT etc. are also conducted throughout India. So most aspirants wish to know why MAT could prove to be a good option for them over other MBA entrance exams in 2020. Here we shall enumerate a few reasons as to why should you seriously consider appearing for Management Aptitude Test(MAT) 2020-

• More than 600+ different Business Schools accept MAT score, which makes it applicability universal. It is an exam with a relatively higher number of business schools that accept its score. So it’s universal applicability makes it a much more important B-School entrance exam.
• The frequency with which this exam is conducted i.e. four times each year makes it quite attractive and advantageous for aspirants to appear in it. It provides them with sufficient time to devote to quality preparation, even more, so it gives an opportunity more frequently without wasting any precious time of the aspirants.

• MAT gives a choice to the candidates, either way, they wish to take the examination i.e. either offline or online. So the candidate can accordingly opt for his// her choice for the mode of examination.
• The validity of MAT score is one year. This means that a student can seek admission into a Business School based on his or her MAT score for up to a year from the time his/her result was declared.

MAT registration, Application Date and MAT  Application form 2020 the last date has been provided below in a tabular form.

IMPORTANT DATES: MAT 2020

IBT  MODE TEST DATE	TIME SLOT	LAST DATE FOR REGISTRATION	ADMIT CARD RELEASE DATE
27,August,2020	10 AM TO 12:30 PM4 PM TO 6:30 PM	23rd, August,2020	24th ,August,2020
28,August,2020	10 AM TO 12:30 PM4 PM TO 6:30 PM	24th,August,2020	25th,August,2020
29,August,2020	10 AM TO 12:30 PM4 PM TO 6:30 PM	25th,August,2020	26th,August,2020
30.August,2020	10 AM TO 12:30 PM4 PM TO 6:30 PM	26th,August,2020	27th,August,2020
31,August,2020	10 AM TO 12:30 PM4 PM TO 6:30 PM	27th,August,2020	28th,August,2020
1,September,2020	10 AM TO 12:30 PM4 PM TO 6:30 PM	28th,August,2020	29th,August,2020
2,September,2020	10 AM TO 12:30 PM4 PM TO 6:30 PM	29th,August,2020	30th,August,2020

Guidelines and Benefits of MAT 2020

Facility is provided for appearance in one or two IBT exams. You can appear in IBT exam as-

1. One remote Proctored Internet Based Test or
2. Double remotes Proctored Internet Based Test

• You can choose to opt for 2 IBT MAT 2020 August-September tests by paying an extra fee of Rs.1100/- in addition to Rs.1650/- for one test.
• If you are opting for one IBT MAT 2020, you can select 5 management institutes where your scores will be sent free of cost for admission
• If you wish to opt for 2 IBT MAT 2020 exams, you shall have the benefit of selecting additional 2 Management Institutes for sending your scores in addition to the existing option of selecting 5 Management Institutes. It means you can select 7 Management Institutes in totality.

CBT and PBT Dates to be announced Later

AIMA has announced that the MAT exam date for CBT and PBT will be announced later in the month of August owing to the ongoing viral outbreak. . Aspirants who do not wish to take the IBT can opt for the same. Registration process has not yet begun for aspirants who wish to appear in August –September MAT CBT AND IBT.

MAT 2020: Requirement and Eligibility

Newly introduced IBT MAT has certain requirements, which consists of a working internet connection and a computer with a webcam attached to it, as the students are required to take the examination from their homes.

Network Requirement For IBT

Certain conditions must be met for one to appear for IBT MAT 2020.

REQUIREMENT	DESCRIPTION
Network	A stable network with a speed of not less than 512kb/ps

Browser Requirement for IBT MAT 2020

BROWSER	REQUIREMENT
Google Chrome	Version 63 or above
Firefox	Version  52 or above

System Requirement for MAT 2020

A secure browser is necessary for taking IBP MAT 2020 examination. AIBA has directed students to  download MSB- Mettle Secure Browser to appear for the examination.

• System requirement for MSB browser is Windows 7 or above.
• MSB requires do.net framework, minimum supported version is 4.5.1 NET framework
• You would additionally require free space for 65 MB on your system at the time of the examination.

Note: When the exam would start on your MSB browser, it would automatically close all other applications running in the background of your computer system.

MAT 2020 Eligibility 

1.  Anyone with a valid graduation degree from a recognized university can apply for MAT 2020

2. Candidates holding a professional degree equivalent to a graduation degree like CA/CS/ICWA are also eligible to apply.

3. Final year students are also eligible to apply on a provisional basis provided they produce their marksheets for graduation at the time of admission.

4. Prior work experience is not mandatory.

5. No age limit has been specified for appearing for the MAT 2020 exam.

6. Eligibility for IBT remains the same as that of PBT AND CBT.

MAT 2020 APPLICATION FORM AND REGISTRATION

MAT registration for 2020 involves three basic steps-

• Filling Out Application Form
• Uploading Photograph and Signature
• Payment of examination fee

Steps for registration-

• Visit MAT official website, i.e. aima.in for mat online registration AND MAT form fill up.
• Click on “APPLY FOR MAT2020” to navigate to the registration page of MAT and for MAT online form.
• Fill out your name, mobile number, date of birth and email id to register. 
• Specify your personal and academic details in MAT 2020 Application Form.
• Upload scanned images, i.e., colored passport size, that should be a recent photograph and signature, stick to the prescribed format.
• Pay MAT application fee using either Debit Card/Credit Card/Net Banking or Demand Draft.
• Recheck all the information and submit the form.

MAT APPLICATION FEE 2020 FOR IBT MODE OF EXAMINATION

EXAM MODE	FEES
Remote Proctored Internet Based Test	INR 1650
Double Remote Proctored Internet Based Test	INR 2150

• No concession in fees has been provided for students of the reserved category.
• In case the aspirant opts to pay through a demand draft, the DD shall be addressed in favor of “ALL INDIA MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION” payable at Delhi.
• DD should be addressed to this location: 

Manager - MAT
All India Management Association
Management House, 14, Institutional Area,
Lodhi Road, New Delhi – 110003

CORRECTION ON YOUR EXAMINATION FORM

Generally, the candidate is provided with an option to edit his/her application form during the time he/she is filling it, so that they could rectify any error. However, once the candidate is through with his or her application process no other opportunity is provided to edit the application. If the student has serious issues relating to rectification of the application form they must feel free to contact AIMA on 011-47673020 or send a mail to mat@aima.in.

MAT ADMIT CARD

AIMA would release the mat admit card for IBT MAT 2020 separately for each exam. AIMA Admit cards for exams held on different dates would be released on different dates. It would be released three days prior to the day the exam is scheduled to be held. It would enclose all the necessary information relating to the exam like roll number, timing and date of examination, name of candidate etc. In case, any discrepancy is spotted by the student he or she should immediately contact the concerned authority.

STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO DOWNLOAD ADMIT CARD

Steps one must take to download the admit card are as follows-

1. Visit mat.aima.in, which is the official website of AIMA.
2. After a new page appears on the screen, enter the application number, Date of birth or Name.
3. Click on SUBMIT, after entering the relevant information.
4. Admit cards will then be displayed on the screen.
5. Students are advised to download the admit card.
6. The candidates are also advised to take out a physical print out of the same. 

HOW TO APPEAR FOR MAT 2020? 

STEP 1 – How to launch a test?

1. Visit the  MAT official website for MAT 2020 - mat.aima.in/sep20/register-online
   
2. A button will appear to “LAUNCH TEST”.
   
3. Click on the button to launch the test.
4. Test will automatically launch itself in a separate window.

STEP 2 – Installing MSB

1. In case, MSB is not installed in our system; you would be automatically redirected by the website to install the same.
2. You won’t be required to download it from any other external source.
3.  An agreement screen would appear stating “END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT”
4. Proceed to download, after agreeing with the user license agreement.
5. Once MSB is downloaded the option will appear to launch it, if not launch it manually.

STEP 3 – Launch your test on MSB

1. Click on “LAUNCH TEST” on your MSB browser.
2. A pop –up dialogue will appear on your screen asking to close all other applications.
3. Apps like Chrome, Firefox are not required; so you would be asked to close them down.
4. Microphone and camera permission would be asked by MSB, click on OK to grant the access permission.
5. You would be asked to fill  in all necessary information like your e-mail address, your name, roll no, date of birth, contact no. and country.

STEP 4 – Submitting snapshots

1. Candidates would be required to provide a snapshot of their face.
2. Candidates would also be required to take a snapshot of their identity proof.
3. Candidates are required to make sure that the surroundings must have sufficient light to have a clear snapshot.
4. Candidates would also get a chance to review the snapshots.
5. Authorization process would start, this can take 2-3 minutes.

STEP 5 -   Reading Guidelines

1. Candidates would be informed that their test will be monitored online.
2. System would then require the candidate's permission to proceed with the test.
3. Peruse carefully and patiently, the various other guidelines that would appear on your screen.
4. After that the test would commence.
5. Click on the “FINISH TEST” button after completing your test.

MAT Exam Centre

Students need not bother about the MAT exam centres for IBT mode of examination as it is  remotely proctored examination and students will not be required to travel to any centre but will have to take the examination from their homes.

MAT Result 2020 

AIMA MAT result can be easily checked on the following link- https://mat.aima.in/result-check/. MAT result date would be announced later.

Exam Pattern for MAT 2020

It can be, unequivocally, stated that the most crucial and indispensable part while preparing for any examination would be to get thoroughly acquainted with the pattern of the examination. Here, it is pertinent to mention that though MAT has been conducted, previously, on both online and offline platforms; nonetheless, the pattern of examination and MAT syllabus remains the same. Similarly, this time the pattern is expected to be the same, even on the newly launched IBT mode of examination. No changes are expected regarding the pattern of examination. Candidates must thoroughly go through previous question papers of at least 4-5 years to get the general idea regarding the pattern of the exam.

MODE OF EXAMINATION	ONLINE
NATURE OF QUESTIONS	OBJECTIVE TYPE QUESTIONS
NUMBER OF QUESTIONS	200
NUMBER OF SECTIONS	5
DURATION OF EXAM	2 HOURS AND 30 MINUTES
MARKING SCHEME	+1 MARKS WILL BE AWARDED FOR EACH RIGHT  ANSWER        -1/4 MARKS FOR EACH WRONG ANSWER.

MAT 2020 will consist of total five sections; those being-

1. Language Comprehension 
2. Mathematical Skills 
3. Data analysis and sufficiency 
4. Intelligence and critical reasoning
5. Indian and global environment

NOTE- Each section would carry 40 questions each. This means that 200 marks will be equally distributed between the five sections.

TIME MANAGEMENT FOR MAT 2020

Candidates must thoroughly work on division of time i.e. how much time shall they allot to each section. Though marks are equally distributed between five sections, nevertheless, the distribution of time doesn’t have to be the same; as each section is different in nature and would require a different amount of time. Students must practice solving MAT previous year papers, MAT mock tests and must analyze themselves, based on their capabilities and their skill set, as to how much time must they devote to each of the section. We have made a roughly fair estimation as to how much time shall be devoted to each section in a tabular form.

NAME OF THE SECTION	ESTIMATED TIME
LANGUAGE COMPREHENSION	25 MINUTES
MATHEMATICAL SKILLS	40 MINUTES
DATA ANALYSIS AND SUFFICIENCY	40 MINUTES
INTELLIGENCE AND CRITICAL REASONING	30 MINUTES
INDIAN AND GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT	15 MINUTES

IMPORTANT TOPICS IN EACH SECTION

Questions in each of the sections are of graduation level. They are designed and structured in a fashion to assess the general aptitude of each of the candidates. 

LANGUAGE COMPREHENSION

• Verbal Reasoning
• Syllogisms
• Contextual Usage
• Analogies
• Sentence Completion
• Idioms
• Sentence

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

• Geometry
• Arithmetic Progression
• Ratios  and Proportions
• Installment and Payments
• Work and Time
• Arithmetic Means

DATA ANALYSIS AND SUFFICIENCY

• Graphs
• Column graphs
• Bar graphs
• Line charts
• Pie charts
• Venn diagram
• Graphs representing area

INTELLIGENCE AND CRITICAL REASONING

• Critical Reasoning
• Visual Reasoning
• Assumption premise conclusion
• Assertion and Reasons
• Statement and Assumptions
• Coding and Decoding
• Matrix Arrangements

INDIAN AND GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT

• Geography
• Current affairs
• Science
• Social Issues 
• International Organizations
• Important International Developments
• Development on Indian environment preservation

Students must thoroughly go through the various topics mentioned above. Coupled with this, they must ensure a regular pattern for practising constantly on their weaker parts and also focus on their strengths. MAT is generally considered to be an easier nut to crack when compared to other MBA entrance exams, however, students must not lose sight of their goal and must persevere. Focusing on their strengths and working on their weaknesses, students can easily crack MAT exam 2020.

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