The Management Aptitude Test or MAT is a national-level management exam. It is a unique exam as the AIMA (organising body) conducts MAT four times a year.
More than 20,000 candidates appear for this exam every year to secure a seat in one of the 600 institutes accepting MAT score. Like other management exams, scoring a 95 and above percentile in MAT is not a cakewalk.
However, you don’t need to study 13 to 14 hours a day to score a decent percentile. Then how should I prepare for MAT, you must be asking. Here are five effective tips for effective MAT preparation. These tips will also help you to maximize your score in the upcoming MAT exam.
5 Effective Tips to Crack MAT 2020
- Equal Attention– To score a 95+ percentile in an exam like MAT, an aspirant should have significant knowledge and practice for all five sections. Aspirants should give equal attention to all sections to secure a very good score. Even if you are good at maths but hate general knowledge, you have to assign an equal amount of time to study both the sections. Prepare a time table and divide the time equally into five parts.
- Strength and Weakness– There is always a section that the candidate dislikes or fears. Nonetheless, if you are targeting a 95 and above percentile, you cannot afford to ignore an entire section. Work towards transforming your weak areas into your strength. How to identify weak and strong areas? Attempt a mock test or solve a previous year paper to find out your strengths and weaknesses.
- Learn Short Tricks– As you must know, the MAT paper consists of five sections and candidates get 150 minutes to attempt the 200 marks paper. Some of the questions of MAT can be as time-consuming as CAT or similar exam questions. And though there isn’t any sectional time limit in the MAT exam, a candidate cannot afford to spend 1 hour in one section.
The most time-consuming section could be the Mathematics section. However, there are multiple shortcut methods available to solve various maths and reasoning problems. It will help the applicants solve a conventionally two minutes question within just a few seconds. This will also provide the candidates extra time to focus on the trickier questions.
- Mock Test– Ever heard a recent MBA topper claiming that he/ she never attempted a single mock test? Probably not. The mock tests form an important part in any MBA exam preparation. The mock tests not only help the candidates to identify the mistakes but also prepares a candidate to manage time. The mock papers also provide feedback and comparative percentile to give the feeling of real-time examination. Thus, an aspirant must solve as many mock tests as he/she feels necessary. It can be 5 or 10 or 20, but mock tests will help in maximizing your score.
- Time Management– There are 200 questions and 150 minutes to solve in the MAT paper. While some applicants might find the time sufficient, that is not the case with all candidates. Many candidates feel the lack of sectional time limit in MAT is a boon. While it is certainly an advantage, many applicants feel extra lenient and give more than enough time in solving the tougher section. A candidate must save enough time to read and try to solve all 200 questions. This is where time management plays a crucial part.
The best way to learn how to manage time is by solving more mock tests. As the mock test series are based on the real exam, the pressure to maximize score will help to improve the speed.
Stay connected with fellow students on PaGaLGuY for MAT Exam Discussion
You also read, Free MAT 2020 Sample Paper and Previous Year Questions
Good luck with MAT 2020!