MAT September 2026 PBT Exam Live: Pattern, Good Attempts, Cut-Offs and What Happens Next
The Management Aptitude Test (MAT) September 2026 session's paper-based test (PBT) is underway today, September 13, 2026, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, at designated centres in more than 20 cities across India.
The Management Aptitude Test (MAT) September 2026 session's paper-based test (PBT) is underway today, September 13, 2026, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, at designated centres in more than 20 cities across India. The computer-based test (CBT) for the same September session will be held on September 20, 2026. AIMA (All India Management Association) conducts MAT, and scores from this session can be used to apply for MBA admission to the 2027 batch.
The exam is expected to be of the same low-to-moderate difficulty seen in the February and May 2026 sessions, with only a few questions in Mathematical Skills and Economic and Business Environment expected to be moderately tough.
MAT September 2026 PBT — Key Details
- Mode: Paper-Based Test (PBT)
- Date: September 13, 2026
- Timing: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
- Venue: Designated test centres in 20+ Indian cities
- Next mode/date: CBT on September 20, 2026
- Prior sessions this year: February and May 2026 (both PBT and CBT)
Exam Pattern and Sectional Weightage
The MAT PBT question paper has 150 questions across five sections, with 30 MCQs in each section:
| MAT Section | Number of Questions |
|---|---|
| Language Comprehension | 30 |
| Intelligence and Critical Reasoning | 30 |
| Data Analysis and Sufficiency | 30 |
| Mathematical Skills | 30 |
| Economic and Business Environment | 30 |
Each question has four answer options. The total exam duration is 2 hours (120 minutes), with no sectional time limit — candidates must divide their own time across the five sections.
Important scoring update: Since the May 2026 session, scores from the Economic and Business Environment section are being included in the MAT percentile calculation, so candidates should not treat it as a low-priority section.
Expected Difficulty and Section-Wise Notes
All five sections are expected to carry mostly easy questions, consistent with prior 2026 sessions, though Mathematical Skills and Economic and Business Environment may include a few moderately tough questions. Broad topic areas reported for this session include:
- Language Comprehension: vocabulary, syllogism
- Intelligence and Critical Reasoning: blood relations, alphanumeric/letter series, coding-decoding, Venn diagrams
- Data Analysis and Sufficiency: tables, charts, graphs
- Mathematical Skills: arithmetic, algebra, geometry
- Economic and Business Environment: business fundamentals
The pattern is reported to be unchanged from the 2025 and May 2026 sessions — same section-wise question count and marking scheme.
Number of Good Attempts
The structured pattern breakdown for this session lists the following good-attempt ranges:
| MAT Section | Good Attempts |
|---|---|
| Language Comprehension | 13–15 |
| Intelligence and Critical Reasoning | 12–15 |
| Data Analysis and Sufficiency | 12–14 |
| Mathematical Skills | 11–13 |
| Economic and Business Environment | 8–10 |
Note on conflicting figures: Separate live updates in the source blog suggest different targets for two sections — 18–22 attempts for Mathematical Skills and 21–23 attempts for Intelligence and Critical Reasoning. These figures don't match the structured table above. Candidates should treat both sets as indicative rather than official, and refer to AIMA's own post-exam analysis for confirmation.
What Is a Good MAT Score?
| Composite Score | Percentile | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 750+ | 95+ | Excellent |
| 650–700 | 90+ | Very Good |
| 600–650 | 80–90 | Good |
| 500 | Under 70 | Average |
MAT 2026 Cut-Offs for Top MBA Colleges
Candidates can use their September 2026 MAT score for MBA admission to the 2027 batch, and can also reattempt MAT in the December 2026 session if needed.
| MBA College | MAT Cut-Off 2026 (Percentile) |
|---|---|
| Amity Business School, Noida | 90+ |
| Christ University, Bengaluru | 80–90 |
| BIMTECH, Greater Noida | 80–90 |
| SIESCOMS, Navi Mumbai | 80–90 |
| Jagan Institute of Management Studies (JIMS), Rohini, Delhi | 80–90 |
| Indus Business Academy | 80–90 |
| Institute of Management Studies (IMS) | 80–90 |
| IPE Hyderabad, Institute of Public Enterprise | 80–90 |
| Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow | 80–90 |
| New Delhi Institute of Management (NDIM) | 80–85 |
| Vignana Jyothi Institute of Management | 80–85 |
| IES Management College and Research Centre | 80–85 |
| ITM Business School, Navi Mumbai | 80–85 |
Items and Documents for Exam Day
Not allowed inside the exam centre: electronic items, phones, wallets, bags, or any other valuables. Only the admit card, a valid photo ID, and a pen are permitted.
Documents to carry:
- Two hard copies of the MAT admit card (digital copies are not accepted)
- An original, government-issued photo ID — Aadhaar Card, PAN Card, Voter ID Card, Passport, Driving Licence, or University ID
- A blue/black ball-point pen (for the attendance sheet and OMR sheet in PBT mode) — pens are not provided at test centres
- A passport-size colour photograph
- PwD and scribe certificates, where applicable
- A medical certificate from a competent authority, if a candidate needs to eat or take medicine during the exam due to a medical condition
Candidates should also double-check that their printed admit card's exam centre details match their application, since a mismatch can cause entry issues.
How to Download the MAT Admit Card
Candidates can download their admit card by logging into the official MAT website using their email/registration number, password, and date of birth, then selecting the "Admit Card" option.
AIMA's official MAT portal is mat.aima.in, and the contact email for reporting admit card errors is mat@aima.in — this detail is not in the original live blog and has been independently verified for accuracy.
What Happens After MAT — GD/PI Process
MBA institutes that candidates selected in their MAT application form will send Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI) letters based on MAT cut-offs, typically by email. Candidates should keep checking the email ID mentioned in their MAT application. If applying to an institute not selected during the MAT form stage, candidates need to check that institute's own website and application schedule separately.
For the GD/PI stage, candidates are advised to keep the following ready: MAT admit card, MAT scorecard, academic certificates, passport-size colour photographs, original documents, and the requisite admission fee.