In India, the most popular MBA entrance exams are CAT (Common Admission Test) and MAT (Management Aptitude Test). Admissions to MBA courses through CAT and MAT 2022 are based on candidates’ scorecards. These are national-level Exams. The MAT Exam is conducted 4 times a year in the months of February, May, September, and December, whereas CAT is only conducted once every year.
Who organizes CAT and MAT Examinations?
- AIMA (All India Management Association) is the conducting body of the MAT. To take admission in PGDM/MBA. This Exam is approved by MHRD.
- IIM (Indian Institute of Management) is the conducting body for the CAT Exam to take admission in PGDM / MBA courses in any top business school.
Eligibility Criteria
- A Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 50% aggregate is the eligibility criteria for the CAT Exam.
- No minimum marks and percentages are required in the MAT Exam.
- To take admission through the CAT Exam, students must score at least 99 percentile, while in the MAT Exam, students must score at least 95 percentile.
Exam Frequency
- The CAT Exam is conducted once a year, typically on the last Sunday of November.
- The MAT Exam is conducted four times a year in February, May, September, and December.
Mode of Examination
- The CAT Exam is a computer-based test, i.e., online.
- The MAT Exam is conducted in three different modes, which are CBT (computer-based paper), PBT (paper-based test), and IBT (internet-based test). In the MAT Exam, students can decide to give an Exam on either IBT, PBT, or CBT. According to their preference, they can give the Exam either at home or at a center of their choice.
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Exam Pattern
- There are three sections in the CAT Exam based on Mathematics and Aptitude, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning, Verbal Ability, and English Language and Comprehension.
- There are five sections in the MAT Exam based on Mathematical Ability, English Language and Comprehension, Data analysis and interpretation, General and Logical Reasoning, Indian and Global Environment.
Exam Duration
- In the CAT Exam, candidates have to solve 66 questions within two hours (120 minutes). There is a sectional time limit of 40 minutes for each section, so students can’t solve the paper in the sequence they prefer.
- In the MAT Exam, candidates have to solve 200 questions within 2.5 hours (150 minutes). Students do not have to follow the given sequence of sections because there is no sectional time limit.
Marking Scheme
- In the CAT Exam, a total of 66 questions are asked, each carrying equal marks. For every correct response, candidates get 3 marks, and for every incorrect response, they lose 1 mark. No mark is deducted when students don’t attempt the questions.
- In the MAT Exam, a total of 200 questions are asked, each carrying equal marks. For every correct response, candidates get 1 mark, and for every incorrect response, they lose 0.25 marks. For calculating the final MAT percentile, the score of the India and Global Environment section is not taken. No mark is deducted if students don’t attempt the questions.
Difficulty Level
- The questions in the CAT Exams are of a difficult level.
- The questions asked in the MAT Exam are of easy to moderate level.
Admissions and Application Fees
- Thousands of institutes and organizations accept the scorecard of the CAT Exam.
- Over six hundred institutes and organizations accept the scorecard of the MAT Exam.
- For the CAT Exam, the application fee is ₹2,200 for general candidates and ₹1,100 for reserved-category candidates.
- For the MAT Exam, the application fee is ₹1,650 for any one of IBT, PBT, and CBT modes. For students willing to appear in both CBT and PBT, the application fee is ₹2,750.
CAT Exam is a tougher entrance Exam for MBA than the MAT Exam. The questions in the CAT Exam are of a higher difficulty level as compared to the MAT Exam. Considering the list of colleges considering CAT and MAT entrance Exams, CAT is clearly more prestigious than MAT for pursuing management studies.
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