MAT Syllabus 2026: Section-wise Topics Guide
The MAT syllabus covers five sections: Language Comprehension, Intelligence and Critical Reasoning, Mathematical Skills, Data Analysis and Sufficiency, and Economic and Business Environment. The All India Management Association (AIMA) conducts MAT four times a year, and the same syllabus applies to every session and to both the paper-based and computer-based tests.
AIMA names the five sections and publishes sample questions, but it does not release a topic-wise syllabus. The topic lists below are built from the official test structure and from questions asked in previous sessions. Use them as a working checklist, not as an official list. Along with the section-wise topics, this page shows which topics to start with, what overlaps with CAT and CMAT, and a 10-week plan to finish the MAT syllabus 2026 before the December session.
Table of Contents
MAT Syllabus 2026 at a Glance
Each section has 30 questions, and the full paper of 150 questions must be finished in 120 minutes. Every correct answer earns one mark and every wrong answer costs 0.25 marks.
Section | Questions | What it tests | Start with |
|---|---|---|---|
Language Comprehension | 30 | Reading speed, grammar and vocabulary | Reading comprehension and sentence correction |
Intelligence and Critical Reasoning | 30 | Logical thinking and argument analysis | Series, coding-decoding and blood relations |
Mathematical Skills | 30 | Arithmetic and school-level maths | Percentages, ratio and profit and loss |
Data Analysis and Sufficiency | 30 | Reading charts and judging data | Tables and bar graphs |
Economic and Business Environment | 30 | Business, economy and current affairs awareness | Indian economy basics and monthly business news |
Total | 150 | 120 minutes | All five sections count equally |
For marks, timing and the scoring scale, see the MAT exam pattern page.
Key Changes to Know
All five sections now count: AIMA's score interpretation page gives equal weight to all five sections in the composite score (200 to 800). Older pages still say the Economic and Business Environment section is excluded, so do not skip it.
Section name: The general awareness section is now called Economic and Business Environment. Some older guides still call it Indian and Global Environment, but the focus has moved firmly towards economy and business.
Two modes in December 2026: The December session is offered as a paper-based test and a computer-based test. The syllabus is identical for both.
No official topic list: Some websites present long topic lists as official. They are not. Build your plan around the five sections and previous question trends.
Language Comprehension Syllabus
This section checks how quickly you read and how well you use English. Most questions are short, so a candidate with good reading habits can finish it faster than any other section.
Area | Topics to cover | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
Reading comprehension | Passages on business, economy, social issues and science; main idea, inference, tone, vocabulary in context | Usually two or more passages with several questions each |
Grammar | Sentence correction, error spotting, subject-verb agreement, tenses, prepositions, modifiers | Short, rule-based questions |
Vocabulary | Synonyms, antonyms, one-word substitution, idioms and phrases, word usage | Direct questions that reward regular reading |
Verbal ability | Para jumbles, sentence completion, fill in the blanks, odd sentence out | Logic-based arrangement and completion |
Reading comprehension carries the largest block of questions, so practise it from day one. Grammar questions are quick wins once you revise the common rules. Vocabulary builds slowly, so a daily habit of reading editorials and business news helps here and in the Economic and Business Environment section at the same time.
Intelligence and Critical Reasoning Syllabus
This is often the most time-consuming section because puzzles and arrangements come in sets. The topics fall into two groups.
Logical and analytical reasoning
Number and letter series: Find the pattern and the missing or wrong term.
Coding-decoding: Letter, number and symbol codes.
Blood relations and direction sense: Family trees and distance-direction problems.
Arrangements and puzzles: Linear, circular and multi-variable seating or scheduling sets.
Analogies and classification: Word, number and figure-based relationships.
Calendars, clocks and ranking: Short calculation-based reasoning questions.
Visual reasoning: Figure series, mirror images and pattern completion.
Critical and verbal reasoning
Syllogisms: Conclusions from given statements.
Statement and assumption, conclusion, course of action: Judge what follows logically from a short passage.
Strong and weak arguments: Decide which arguments directly support or oppose a statement.
Critical reasoning: Strengthen, weaken, assumption and inference questions based on short arguments.
Start with series, coding-decoding and blood relations, since they are quick and reliable. Move to arrangements once your basics are solid, and learn to skip a long set if it is not opening up within a minute or two.
Mathematical Skills Syllabus
The maths in MAT stays within school-level concepts, mostly up to Class 10, with some Class 11 and 12 basics. Arithmetic forms the core of the section, so it deserves most of your time.
Area | Topics to cover | Priority |
|---|---|---|
Arithmetic | Percentages, profit and loss, simple and compound interest, ratio and proportion, partnership, averages, mixtures and alligation, time and work, pipes and cisterns, time-speed-distance, boats and streams | High |
Number system | Divisibility, HCF and LCM, remainders, surds and indices, simplification | High |
Algebra | Linear and quadratic equations, inequalities, progressions (AP and GP), functions | Medium |
Geometry and mensuration | Lines and angles, triangles, circles, quadrilaterals, area, volume and surface area | Medium |
Modern maths | Permutations and combinations, probability, set theory and Venn diagrams | Medium |
Others | Basic trigonometry, heights and distances, clocks and calendars | Lower |
Speed comes from mental calculation. Learn squares up to 30, cubes up to 15 and common percentage-fraction equivalents (for example, 12.5% is one-eighth). These shortcuts help in Data Analysis and Sufficiency as well.
Data Analysis and Sufficiency Syllabus
This section is built around data sets. You read a chart or table and answer a group of questions on it, so one well-understood set can earn you several marks.
Tables: Single and multiple tables with growth, share and ratio questions.
Bar graphs: Simple, stacked and grouped bar charts.
Line and X-Y graphs: Trends over time and comparisons between series.
Pie charts: Percentage and degree-based distributions.
Mixed graphs: Two chart types combined in one set.
Caselets: Data given in a paragraph that you organise yourself.
Venn diagrams: Overlapping groups and their counts.
Data comparison: Comparing values across categories without full calculation.
Data sufficiency: Decide whether the given statements are enough to answer a question.
The skill here is approximation, not exact calculation. In data sufficiency, judge each statement on its own first, then together, and stop as soon as you know whether the data is enough. Learn the standard answer options well so you do not lose time reading them in the exam.
Economic and Business Environment Syllabus
This section tests business and economic awareness, with a strong current affairs element. It now counts equally in the composite score, so treat it as a full section rather than an afterthought.
Type | Topics to cover |
|---|---|
Economy basics | GDP, inflation, fiscal and monetary policy, RBI and its tools, Union Budget, balance of payments, taxation and GST |
Banking and finance | Banking terms, stock markets, regulators (RBI, SEBI, IRDAI), digital payments, financial schemes |
Business and corporate | Mergers and acquisitions, company heads, brands and taglines, start-ups, corporate news |
International | International organisations and their heads, trade agreements, summits, global economic events |
Current affairs | National and international events, government schemes, awards, appointments, sports and books in the news |
Static general knowledge | Basic polity, geography and history facts that appear occasionally |
Focus on the six to eight months before your exam date for current affairs. Keep short monthly notes on business news, appointments and economic data, and revise them weekly. The economy basics stay the same across sessions, so learn them once and they will help in every attempt.
MAT Topic Priority Map
The table below ranks topics by how often they have appeared in previous sessions and how quickly they can be learned. It is a planning aid based on past question trends, not an official weightage.
Section | High priority | Medium priority | Lower priority |
|---|---|---|---|
Language Comprehension | Reading comprehension, sentence correction | Para jumbles, fill in the blanks | Idioms, one-word substitution |
Intelligence and Critical Reasoning | Series, coding-decoding, blood relations | Arrangements, syllogisms, critical reasoning | Visual reasoning, calendars |
Mathematical Skills | Percentages, ratio, profit and loss, time-speed-distance | Algebra, geometry, permutations and probability | Trigonometry, heights and distances |
Data Analysis and Sufficiency | Tables, bar graphs, pie charts | Data sufficiency, caselets | Venn diagrams |
Economic and Business Environment | Economy basics, business news | Banking and finance, international organisations | Static general knowledge |
MAT Syllabus Overlap with CAT and CMAT
Many MAT candidates also take CAT or CMAT. Most of the preparation carries over, so you can plan once and adjust the focus for each exam.
Area | MAT | CAT | CMAT | How to plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Verbal ability | Language Comprehension | Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension | Language Comprehension | Prepare once; CAT passages are tougher, so MAT reading feels easier after CAT practice |
Reasoning | Intelligence and Critical Reasoning | Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning | Logical Reasoning | MAT and CMAT include more standard topics like coding and blood relations; add them to CAT puzzle practice |
Quantitative | Mathematical Skills | Quantitative Ability | Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation | Same arithmetic core; MAT rewards speed more than depth |
Data interpretation | Data Analysis and Sufficiency | Part of DILR | Part of Quantitative Techniques | Practise data sufficiency separately for MAT |
Awareness | Economic and Business Environment | Not tested | General Awareness | Shared current affairs notes work for both MAT and CMAT |
How to Cover the MAT Syllabus in 10 Weeks
Weeks 1 to 3, build the base: Cover high-priority arithmetic, basic reasoning (series, coding, blood relations) and grammar rules. Start reading one editorial a day and keep a vocabulary list.
Weeks 2 to 10, daily awareness: Spend 20 to 30 minutes a day on economy and business news, with a short monthly summary.
Weeks 4 to 6, complete the syllabus: Add algebra, geometry and modern maths, arrangements and critical reasoning, and two data sets a day. Take topic-wise tests at the end of each topic.
Weeks 7 to 8, sectional practice: Take timed sectional tests of 25 minutes each. Track accuracy by section and revisit weak topics.
Weeks 9 to 10, full-length mocks: Take two to three full mocks a week. Analyse each one the same day and revise from your error log.
Common Syllabus Mistakes to Avoid
Skipping Economic and Business Environment: It now counts equally in the composite score. Leaving it costs a fifth of your score.
Over-preparing advanced maths: Topics like complex numbers or calculus are not part of MAT. Spend that time on arithmetic speed.
Ignoring data sufficiency: It has a fixed answer format that rewards practice. A few days of focused work can lift your score.
Studying without timing: At about 48 seconds per question, knowing a topic is not enough. Practise every topic under time limits.
Treating unofficial lists as official: Use topic lists as a guide and check the official MAT website for any change in sections or pattern.
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