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What is the differences between MAT and CAT
What is the differences between MAT and CAT

What is the differences between MAT and CAT?

Indian Institutes of Management are one of India’s most prestigious national institutes dedicated to teaching and researching management. Postgraduates, doctoral students, and executives are most likely to pursue education at IIMs.

 Saurav Anand
 Saurav Anand 11/04/2022
11/04/2022
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Details & Differences between MAT and CAT

Indian Institutes of Management are one of India's most prestigious national institutes dedicated to teaching and researching management. Postgraduates, doctoral students, and executives are most likely to pursue education at IIMs. There are two-year post-graduate programmes at the IIMs. It is a residential program lasting two years. The Fellow Program in Management (FPM) is equivalent to a PhD program in management, taking place on a full-time basis. Working professionals are the target audience for the Executive Postgraduate programmes. Applicants to the two-year post-graduate programmes in IIMs are screened through a rigorous selection process that involves a Personal Interview, Written Ability Test/Group Discussions, and scores in the Common Admission Test, or CAT. An IIM conducts the CAT to evaluate and select candidates for its postgraduate programs. An applicant must register for this exam, which is computer-based, to appear for it. According to government norms, IIMs reserve 15% seats for SC candidates, 7.5% seats for ST candidates, 27% seats for NC-OBC candidates, and up to 10% seats for EWS candidates. There are also 5% of seats reserved for persons with benchmark disabilities. Deserving students who need financial aid can also apply for scholarships offered by IIMs. The Indian Institutes of Management are among the leading providers of management education in India, with the oldest of the institutes having been established over 50 years ago.  An admissions test for graduate management programs is the Common Admission Test (CAT). Three hours are required for each section when taking the exam online. The CAT Exam will be conducted by IIM Indore in 2020 for a duration of two hours and forty minutes each. Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) accept students for their business administration programs (MBA or PGDM) via this test. According to a rotation policy, each IIM administers a test every year. Computerized Common Admissions will be conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management.

Registration Fees

Candidates in the ST, PWD, and SC categories will receive 1 000. ₹2000 for all other categories. It is important to note that a candidate needs to pay the registration fee only once, regardless of how many institutes he/she applies to. It is not possible to refund fees once they have been paid whatever the circumstances may be.

MAT

As part of the screening process for MBA and related programs at Business Schools (B-Schools), the Management Aptitude Test (MAT) was developed in 1988. MAT was approved as an international exam by the Ministry of Human Resource Development of India in 2003. In the United States or abroad, any B-School can accept a prospective student's MAT Score Card as a condition of admission. The MAT continues to be the nation's largest test of its kind, with over 600 B-Schools across India. July 5, 2021, marks the opening date for the MAT Exam registration process for September 2021. In August and September of 2021, students will take MAT 2021 Sep exams. On different dates in September 2021, you can take the MAT in three different ways, including on-the-go, a computerized test or a paper test. The MAT September 2021 scores will be accepted for MBA admissions to over 600 Management schools. The September MAT 2021 will include two Computer-Based Tests (CBTs). A CBT MAT will be held on August 21 and a second one on September 12, 2021.  MBA entrance exams in India are usually CAT followed by MAT or Management Aptitude Test. The MAT exam 2021 is accepted by more than 600 MBA/PGDM colleges. 600+ B-schools notify students of their admission based on MAT scores, according to the All India Management Association (AIMA). Maharashtra offers more than 330 MBA and MMS colleges. Exam Frequency:       Four times a year
  • February
  • May
  • September
  • December

MAT Application

Paying the requisite registration fee, each candidate is allowed to register for two MATs in 2021.  Two MAT 2021 exams will cost Rs.2750/-, and one MAT 2021 exam will cost Rs.1650/-. Two of the most popular MBA entrance tests in India are Management Aptitude Test (MAT) and Common Admission Test (CAT). While 20 IIMs accept the CAT score, over 1,000 B-schools in India and 600+ management institutions accept the MAT score. There are similarities in the syllabus of the two exams, but they differ in many other aspects. Exam frequency is the main difference between CAT and MAT. The MAT is administered four times per year, but the CAT is administered only once. 

MAT vs CAT: Eligibility Criteria

It is a boon to students who didn't excel in graduation to take the Management Aptitude Test. MAT exams can be taken by any graduate who has passed. MAT examinations have no age restriction or minimum percentage requirement. A candidate must have a bachelor's degree from any recognized university or board, or have an equivalent CGPA in the qualifying exam. A candidate belonging to the SC, ST or PwD/DA category must have earned at least 45 percent aggregate marks or its equivalent.

MAT vs CAT: Exam frequency

MAT is administered four times a year in February, May, September, and December. There are different dates for CBT, PBT, and IBT mode exams, and candidates are free to choose any mode of examination. CAT exams are offered twice a year on the last Sunday of November, in the morning and afternoon. There were three CAT sessions in 2020 due to COVID-19. This year's CAT will take place on November 28.

Exam Patterns for MAT and CAT

The MAT exam paper includes questions on Language Comprehension, Indian and Global Environments, Mathematical Skills, Data Analysis and Sufficient Knowledge, Intelligence, and Critical Reasoning. This section has current affairs and GK questions about India and the global environment. MAT exam papers contain a total of 200 questions (40 in each section). Students taking CAT need to solve questions from sections such as Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA). The CAT has 100 questions to be answered in 3 hours (180 minutes). In CAT 2020, the exam duration was reduced to 120 minutes (2 hours) and the number of questions to 76 due to COVID-19.

Exam Duration Differences between the MAT and CAT

Management Aptitude Test: Students have two and a half hours to answer the given questions (150 minutes). Within the given time limit, students must answer 200 questions. Since there is no sectional time limit, students can take their time to complete the MAT paper. The Common Admission Test lasts 1 hour. 120 minutes is the duration of the CAT. Sectional time limits are 40 minutes each (VARC, DILR, QA). Once 40 minutes of a section have passed, the computer screen automatically moves on to the next section after the students have followed the given sequence. PWD candidates will have a time limit of 53 minutes, 20 seconds for each section.

Marking scheme differences between MAT and CAT

Management Aptitude Test: A total of 200 points is available on the MAT exam. For each correct response, one mark is awarded, and 0.5 points are deducted for each incorrect response. For MAT percentile calculations, the score of the India and Global Environment section is not taken into account. There are 228 marks on the Common Admission Test. There is a positive marking of +3 for every correct answer and a negative marking of -1 for every incorrect answer. The marks will not be deducted from a student who fails to attempt a question.

MAT vs CAT: Level of Difficulty

In comparison with the CAT, the Management Aptitude Test is an easy exam. A moderate to the easy level of difficulty is represented in the MAT questions. MBA examinations such as the Common Admission Test are considered to be tough. Most question papers are moderate to highly difficult.

Comparison of the MAT and CAT examination fees

It costs Rs 1,650 to register for the Management Aptitude Test (CBT, PBT, or IBT). PBT and CBT are both required for students who will appear in both. The registration fee for the Common Admission Test is Rs 2,000 for the General category and NC-OBC category. CAT registration fees are Rs 1,000 for SC/ ST/ PWD (DA) categories. The core differences between MAT and CAT cannot be ignored. One of these programs will lead to a PGDM or MBA if you pass it, and the other will lead to an MBA. 
  • For MAT, there are 200 questions divided into 5 sections of 40 each, while for CAT, there are 3 sections of 34,32,34 questions each. GK is used in MAT's section titled India and Global Environment. However, CAT doesn't have a section for general knowledge, unlike other management exams. MAT and CAT have a negative markings of - 0.25 and 0.33 marks per question, respectively.
  • Test Taking Time - Each section of the CAT takes one hour, and the total exam lasts three hours. The 200 questions in the MAT can be answered in 150 minutes (2 hours 30 minutes).
  • The MAT paper is much easier than the CAT paper. Taking the test is easier and also easier to score high percentiles as the test takers aren't as serious (by serious I mean some of them give 200 or more mock tests which are unbelievable) as those taking the CAT.
  • It takes place four times a year for the MAT, but once a year for the CAT. Therefore, MAT has a higher chance of being cracked than CAT just by going by this.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How is the CAT and MAT different?

Ans. India's two most popular MBA entrance exams are the Management Aptitude Test (MAT) and the Common Admission Test (CAT). It is the frequency of examination that differentiates CAT from MAT. In contrast to MAT, CAT is only conducted once annually.

2. How do CAT MATS differ from GMATs?

Ans. CAT and GMAT are two of the top management entrance tests, with scores accepted by all the top B-schools, including IIMs. They both have the reputation of being a hard nut to crack. CAT exam is taken by more than two lakh students every year in India. The number of MBA students taking the GMAT is approximately equal.

3. How difficult is the MAT compared to the CAT?

Ans. The MAT exam is much easier than the CAT exam.

4. Which exam is better MAT or CMAT?

Ans. As compared to CAT, CMAT is far easier to pass.

5. Is CAT preparation enough for MAT?

Ans. After preparing for the CAT exam, XAT exam, IIFT exam, as well as other MBA entrance exams, MBA candidates need to brush up on their basics once again and practice MAT mock tests and sample papers.

6. Is MAT accepted by any IIM?

Ans. Admission to IIMs and most top-ranked MBA colleges in India isn't possible through the MAT.

7. How difficult is the cat exam?

Ans. With a 1:53 pass ratio, CAT is one of the most challenging tests.

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