MAT 2020 eligibility criteria: The minimum eligibility requirements that a candidate needs to fulfil for appearing in the national level MBA exam has been set by All India Management Association (AIMA), which conducts the entrance exam. The AIMA conducts Management Aptitude Test (MAT) for admission into different management programmes across more than 400 B-schools in India. The candidates must fulfil the MAT eligibility criteria to fill the application form for MAT which is held 4 times a year. The MAT eligibility criteria for all the 4 tests, however, remain the same.
The MAT test is generally conducted in February, May, September and December. The candidates are given option to appear either in PBT (Paper-based Test) or CBT (Computer-based Test). This year, the exam conducting authority has provided an additional test mode – Remote Proctored Internet Based Test (IBT). This mode offers candidates with an option to take test from their home or any place of their choice provided they have high speed internet connection and computer with specified configuration.
Latest: Due to COVID outbreak the MAT test generally conducted in the month of May have been scheduled in June. The PBT (Paper-based Test) and the CBT (Computer-based Test) are scheduled to be conducted on June 14 and June 21 respectively. The applications for PBT and CBT are open till June 7 and June 15 respectively.
MAT Eligibility – Key Highlights
| Eligibility Criteria | Requirement |
| Academic Qualification | Graduation degree or equivalent from a recognised institution |
| Age Limit | No upper age limit |
| Number of attempts | Unlimited |
MAT Eligibility – Academic Qualification
The candidates who wish to appear for MAT must be a graduate in any discipline from a recognised university or institution. For appearing in the test, there is no lower limit for marks obtained at graduation level. The appearing candidates are also eligible to apply. However, such candidates will be asked to submit their graduation certificate at the time of admission. Those students holding any professional degree like CA, CS or ICWA can also appear for the test. The MBA admission in the MAT accepting colleges largely depends on the individual eligibility criteria, criteria set by each institute.
MAT Eligibility – Age Limit
There is no upper age bar to appear in the MAT exam. That effectively means that any person who holds a graduation degree from any recognised institutes can apply for MAT. Thus, apart from fresh graduates, the exam can also be taken by working executives who wish to pursue MBA to learn management skills and take the next leap in their career.
MAT Eligibility – Work Experience
Likewise, other MBA entrance exam like Common Admission Test (CAT) and Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT), work experience is not a pre-requisite to appear for MAT as well. However, the work experience is given weightage for admission at many MBA institutions.
MAT Eligibility – Number of Attempts
AIMA does not bar a candidate based on the number of attempts. It means that you can appear for MAT for as many times as you wish as long as you meet the eligibility criteria and pay the requisite fees. Thus, there is always a possibility of improving your MAT score if you are not satisfied with your last score. However, it is always better to prepare well and take mock tests with the previous year’s MAT question papers to score well in your first or second attempt.
Read More: MAT Exam Pattern – Key Highlights, Suggested time limit, How to Prepare?
MAT Entrance Exam – Participant B-Schools’ Eligibility
It is important for MBA aspirants that eligibility criteria to appear in MAT do not make them eligible for admission to a B-school. The admission to a particular MBA programme depends on the eligibility criteria defined by B-schools separately. MAT scores are generally used by B-schools to shortlist candidates for next stage of admission process that includes Writing Ability Test (WAT), Personal Interview (PI), etc. MAT accepting B-schools also announce their admission eligibility criteria on their respective official websites.
Below is the list of some of the top B-schools that accept MAT score for admission to their MBA/Post-graduate management programmes.
Top B-schools accepting MAT scores
| Name of B-School/ Institute | Region | |
| Jaipuria Institute of Management | Northern | |
| Fortune Institute of International Business | Northern | |
| CHRIST University | Northern | |
| Asia Pacific Institute of Management | Northern | |
| IMS Business School – Kolkata | Eastern | |
| Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan – Kolkata | Eastern | |
| Birla School of Management, Bhubaneswar | Eastern | |
| DMI, Patna | Eastern | |
| CHRIST University, Mumbai | Western | |
| ITM University, Chhattisgarh | Western | |
| Raipur Institute of Technology, Chhattisgarh | Western | |
| Faculty of Management Studies, Rajasthan | Western | |
| MP Birla Institute of Management | Southern | |
| AIMS School of Business | Southern | |
| GIBS Business School, Bangalore | Southern | |
| Alliance School of Business | Southern | |
Below is the table of key events related to the exam for the first season of the MAT exams in the year 2020.
MAT Entrance Exam – Dates
| MAT 2020 SCHEDULE | PAPER BASED TEST (PBT) | COMPUTER BASED TEST (CBT) |
| Test Date | 14 June 2020 (Sunday) | 21 June 2020 (Sunday) |
| Test Timings | 10.00 to 12.30 Hrs | Different time slots at test venues – subject to candidates’ registration. |
| Last date for Online Registration | 07 June 2020 (Sunday) | 15 June 2020 (Monday) |
| Availability of Admit Cards on the Website | 09 June 2020 (1600 Hrs) | 17 June 2020 (1600 Hrs) |
MAT Eligibility – FAQs (Frequently Asked Question)
Q. How many times MAT test can be taken?
A student can take the MAT test as many times as she/he wishes. There is no restriction on the number of attempts. Thus, the MBA aspirants are allowed to take MAT if they are not satisfied with their scores. Also, if a student is unable to score required MAT cut-off score for admission to a particular B-school, she/he can continue taking it in different seasons until she/he gets that score.
Q. I do not have work-experience. Can I take the MAT exam?
You do not need work-experience to appear in the MAT exam. This means even if you are a fresher or a final year graduate student, you can appear for MAT. It also means that you do not necessarily need to take a break from your studies and take up a job just to get professional experience to appear in MAT.
Q. Does a student need to be a graduate to appear in the MAT exam?
The minimum academic qualification required to appear in MAT is a graduation degree or equivalent from any recognised institutions. The students appearing for their graduation final year exam can also take this exam and submit their mark sheet at the time of MBA admission.
Q. Are the PBT and CBT question paper same in the MAT exam?
No, question papers for the two modes are different. The test pattern and the syllabus for the test remains the same for both modes of the test. One can refer to the papers of the past few years to understand the pattern and difficulty level of the questions.
