MAT PBT 2026: Register by December 14; exam on December 20

In short

Registration for the Management Aptitude Test (MAT) PBT 2026 will conclude on December 14, 2026.
Admit cards for the PBT 2026 examination will be released on December 17, 2026.
The PBT 2026 test is scheduled to be conducted on December 20, 2026.
The application fee for a single exam mode (PBT or CBT) is ₹2,200, while dual mode (PBT+CBT) costs ₹3,800.
The MAT exam is a national-level test accepted by over 700 MBA and PGDM colleges and institutes in India.

The All India Management Association (AIMA) today, September 29, 2026, released the registration and examination schedule for the Paper Based Test (PBT) 2026. Aspiring candidates for MBA, PGDM, and allied management programmes must complete their registration by December 14, 2026.

mat.aima.in homepage — Official website: mat.aima.in

The admit card for the PBT 2026 will be made available on December 17, 2026, with the test itself scheduled for December 20, 2026. The Management Aptitude Test (MAT) is administered four times annually, in February, May, September, and December, and is a national-level entrance examination for admission to various management programmes across India.

MAT PBT 2026 Key Dates and Application Process

The registration window for the MAT PBT 2026 will close on December 14, 2026. Following registration, candidates can download their admit cards from December 17, 2026. The examination is set for December 20, 2026. The official source for test dates is available on the AIMA website.

AIMA conducts the MAT in both Paper Based Test (PBT) and Computer Based Test (CBT) modes. Candidates have the option to apply for a single exam mode or both. The application fee for a single exam mode (PBT or CBT) is ₹2,200, while applying for both PBT and CBT costs ₹3,800. This fee is paid online and is non-refundable. The MAT exam has been administered by AIMA since 1988 and was declared a national-level test by the Government of India in 2003.

Event	MAT 2026 Expected Dates
Application Form Release	Early Oct 2026 (1st week)
Last Date to Apply (PBT)	Early Dec 2026
Last Date to Apply (CBT)	Mid Dec 2026
Admit Card Release	Mid – Late Dec 2026
Entrance Exam (PBT)	2nd week of Dec 2026
Entrance Exam (CBT)	4th week of Dec 2026
Result Declaration	Last week of Dec 2026
Counselling & Seat Allotment	Jan – Feb 2027 (institute-wise)
College Joining	Feb – Mar 2027

Eligibility Criteria and Exam Structure

To be eligible for the MAT exam, candidates must hold a Bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognised university. Final-year undergraduate students are also permitted to apply provisionally. There is no upper age limit for appearing in MAT, and work experience is not a mandatory requirement. Professional degree holders such as CA, CS, and ICWA are also eligible to apply.

The MAT 2026 exam comprises five sections, each containing 30 questions, totaling 150 questions. The duration of the exam is 120 minutes. Test takers receive composite scores ranging from 200 to 800. A negative marking of -0.25 marks is applied for every incorrect answer. The MAT score remains valid for one year. While AIMA does not prescribe a minimum score, individual colleges may have their own criteria, typically around 50% for general category candidates and 45% for reserved categories.

Section No.	Section Name	No. of Questions
I	Language Comprehension	30
II	Intelligence & Critical Reasoning	30
III	Mathematical Skills	30
IV	Data Analysis & Sufficiency	30
V	Economic & Business Environment	30

Admission and College Acceptance

The MAT exam is a crucial entrance examination for admission to MBA and PGDM programmes, trusted by approximately 1 lakh students annually to gain entry into over 700 well-recognized colleges and institutes across India. Some of the institutions that accept MAT scores include Jaipuria Institute of Management (Noida), Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMTECH), FORE School of Management, SIES Mumbai, PIBM Pune, and Regional College of Management (RCM), Bhubaneswar.

Candidates can select up to five MBA/PGDM institutes through one MAT exam, or up to seven institutes if they appear for two MAT exams. You can’t skip for candidates to track all examination milestones, including registration and scorecard deadlines, and to download their hall tickets from the official AIMA portal at mat.aima.in. On the day of the exam, candidates must carry a valid government photo identity card along with their printed hall ticket.

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms, shaping their product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection and content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

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