MAT September 2026 exam analysis: PBT rated easy, CBT difficulty moderate

In short

The MAT September 2026 PBT exam, held on September 13, 2026, was rated easy overall.
The MAT September 2026 CBT exam, conducted on September 20, 2026, was reported as moderate in overall difficulty.
A good overall attempt for the MAT CBT May 2026 session was 120-130 questions with over 85% accuracy.
The MAT September 2026 result is expected by the last week of September 2026.
MAT scores are accepted by over 600 B-Schools across India and remain valid for one year.

The All India Management Association (AIMA) has concluded the Management Aptitude Test (MAT) September 2026 session, providing insights into the difficulty levels and expected outcomes for candidates. The Paper-Based Test (PBT) was conducted on September 13, 2026, while the Computer-Based Test (CBT) took place on September 20, 2026.

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The MAT exam is a national-level standardized test held four times annually, in February, May, September, and December. It serves as a gateway for admissions to over 600 B-Schools across India, with scores valid for one year from the result date. The September 2026 session saw the Economic & Business Environment section included in the overall score calculation, a change from previous structures where it was not counted for percentile calculation by AIMA.

MAT September 2026 PBT Difficulty and Good Attempts

The MAT September 2026 PBT exam, held on September 13, 2026, was rated as easy overall. Section-wise analysis indicated that Language Comprehension, Intelligence & Critical Reasoning, and Economic & Business Environment sections were easy. Mathematical Skills and Data Analysis & Sufficiency sections were rated as moderate.

For the PBT, estimated good attempts for Language Comprehension were 13-15 questions, while for Intelligence & Critical Reasoning, it was 12-15 questions. In the Mathematical Skills section, 11-13 attempts were considered good, and for Data Analysis & Sufficiency, 12-14 attempts. The Economic & Business Environment section had an estimated good attempt range of 8-10 questions.

Section	Difficulty Level (PBT)	Estimated Good Attempts (PBT)
Language Comprehension	Easy	13-15
Intelligence & Critical Reasoning	Easy	12-15
Mathematical Skills	Moderate	11-13
Data Analysis & Sufficiency	Moderate	12-14
Economic & Business Environment	Easy	8-10

MAT September 2026 CBT Analysis and Cutoffs

The MAT September 2026 CBT exam, conducted on September 20, 2026, was reported to have an overall moderate difficulty level, according to one source. This contrasts with the May 2026 CBT session, which was rated easy to moderate. The MAT CBT 2026 (as per one source) featured 200 questions, with 40 questions per section, and an extended duration of 150 minutes, differing from the standard 150 questions and 120 minutes for the PBT.

For the MAT CBT May 2026 session, a good overall attempt was considered to be 120–130 questions out of 150, with an accuracy above 85%. This typically translated to 22-26 correct questions in each of the four scored sections. The expected MAT CBT 2026 cutoff for leading MBA colleges may range between 75–90 percentile, while reputed colleges might have a cutoff around 70 percentile. A composite score of 600+ typically yields a 99+ percentile, and a score of 400+ generally corresponds to approximately 70 percentile.

Exam Pattern and Scoring

The MAT 2026 exam, in its standard format, consists of 150 multiple-choice questions across five sections, with a total duration of 120 minutes. Each correct answer carries 1 mark, while 0.25 marks are deducted for every incorrect answer. The five sections include Language Comprehension, Intelligence & Critical Reasoning, Mathematical Skills, Data Analysis & Sufficiency, and Economic & Business Environment.

The MAT Composite Score is reported on a 200-800 scale, while individual sections are scaled from 0-100. The percentile is calculated using the formula: Percentile = [(N − r) / N] × 100, where ‘N’ is the total number of candidates and ‘r’ is the rank of the candidate. The All India Management Association (AIMA) is expected to release the MAT September 2026 result by the last week of September 2026, which candidates can access from the official MAT website through their applicant dashboard.

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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