Time Management Tips for MAT Exam 2024

November 18, 2024November 18, 2024 Career Mantra

Management Aptitude Test, also called MAT, is probably one of the most taken management entrance exams in India. It provides an aspirant of admissions in top B-schools in the country. A total of five sections are there in MAT that tests the skills for Language Comprehension, Mathematical Skills, Data Analysis & Sufficiency, Intelligence & Critical Reasoning, and Indian & Global Environment. The MAT 2024 will have to answer up to 200 questions in just 150 minutes, so proper time management will be the decisive factor. Here, I will share with you effective time management tips for MAT 2024 which will help you fetch higher scores.

MAT Exam Pattern

To enter into specific time management tips, first of all, you need to have a clear idea of the MAT exam pattern. Here’s a brief overview:

Total questions 200

Total time 150 minutes (2.5 hours)

No. of Sections: 5

Language Comprehension (40 questions)

Mathematical Skills (40 questions)

Data Analysis & Sufficiency (40 questions)

Intelligence & Critical Reasoning (40 questions)

Indian & Global Environment (40 questions)

Every section has equal question weightage however Indian & Global Environment is not counted for percentage calculation, which adds one more intricacy in the time management of other sections.

1. Section Prioritization Analysis

First off with time management, you need to know which sections to prioritise on and which can be done quicker. Let’s break it down on how to prioritise each section:

Language Comprehension– This is a section that tests your reading and grammar skills. If you are one of those who read fast, then you can finish this section in 25-30 minutes. Improve your reading speed so you don’t waste too much time at this section.

Mathematical Skills: Overall, this is the section that has consumed the most time. Mathematical Skills requires the exercise of problem-solving abilities with the aid of applicative formulas and sometimes even plain old calculations. Expect to spend around 40-45 minutes; concentrate on accuracy, and try to finish the easier-to-moderate difficulty questions as quickly as possible.

Data Analysis & Sufficiency: These are questions that require data interpretation and sufficiency, tricky but manageable with practice. You should ideally aim to complete this section in 30-35 minutes or so, focusing on those you can solve relatively easily.

Intelligence & Critical Reasoning: There are fewer calculations involved in this section, but you require logical thinking and may well use up to 30-35 minutes in this section being mindful of the accuracy.

Indian & Global Environment: Since this part does not contribute to percentiles, spend no more than 10-15 minutes to answer as many questions as you can rattle off. General knowledge-based questions are quick answers, so save much time here.

2. Spend Your Time Proportionate to Your Strengths and Weaknesses

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses when solving some parts of an examination. Your time management plan will vary according to your strengths.

Choose Your Strength: Take the practice tests first and figure out what is your area of strength. For instance, if you excel at solving problems related to Quantitative Aptitude, you can target to complete the Mathematical Skills section early with accuracy.

Concentrate on Weak Areas: If a section proves to be weaker, then you spend more time practising that area before the test. For example, if Data Analysis is difficult, you will spend extra time practising it in the weeks leading to the test; however during the test, don’t spend too much time on the weaker sections. Just solve the easier questions and go back to the difficult ones when time permits.

3. Design a Question Solving Strategy- Time Saving

Managing time effectively in MAT depends on how fast one tries to solve questions. Here are a few ways of solving questions speedily:

Skip and Return: Skip the question if it is too difficult or time-consuming. Come back to the same only when you have ample time left at the end of the section. This will ensure you do not get stuck with one question and waste precious minutes.

For instance, attempt easy questions first: Start with an attempt on those questions which you see easiest at the top of each chapter. This would build up your confidence and collect quick marks before attempting those tougher ones.

Elimination technique: If you are in doubt as to the correct answer of a multiple-choice question, especially in the reasoning and comprehension chapters, eliminate the wrong choice since this will increase your chances of selecting the right one. This reduces the time taken on each question.

Use Approximation in Quantitative Questions: When answering Mathematical Skills questions, use the approximation method to get quicker results. For instance, round off numbers where appropriate or simplify complicated expressions to get an answer quickly without losing much ground in terms of accuracy.

4. Take Mock Tests Under Time Constraints

Mock tests are friends to time management. The more realistic the experience of taking an exam, the more realistic would be your time management. Here is how you can utilize mock tests:

Practice under simulated conditions: Similar to actual exams, you must practice in a noise-free environment. Stick to 150 minutes of the exam duration and stick to the time management strategy wherein every section is committed to a particular amount of time.

Evaluate Performance: After every simulation exam, analyze your performance and how many minutes you took on each section. Determine which sections took more than the expected time and areas you could improve. Such an analysis will make it easier for you to fine-tune your time management skill for the main exam.

Sectional Mock Tests: Take sectional tests in addition to the full-length mocks. Concentrate on your weaker sections and attempt to finish them within the set time duration. This will build speed as well as accuracy in those areas too.

5. Make use of Time-Saving Tools and Techniques

There are quite a few tools and techniques with the help of which you can save time during the MAT exam:

RC Passages: Scan these reading comprehension passages for main ideas and answer the questions. This would be a time saving measure than reading the whole passage with depth.

Tables and Math Formulas: Memorize your tables, squares, cubes, and the standard formulas to reduce the time wastage on Math computations.

Pacing Strategy: Set a good steady pace to start with, attempt all the questions you are sure of, and then increase in speed as you go through your section. You do not want to take too much time on the initial questions, however, you should clearly read the early questions if you’re unsure of the answer for them.

6. Monitoring Time During the Test

Remember not to be engrossed in seeing the clock so much during the MAT examination. Here are a few details about tracking your time:

Time Quota for Each Section: Allow yourself specific time for every section before the examination and keep up with it strictly. Example:

Language Comprehension : 25-30 minutes
Mathematical Skills: 40-45 minutes
Data Analysis & Sufficiency: 30-35 minutes
Intelligence & Critical Reasoning: 30-35 minutes
Indian & Global Environment: 10-15 minutes

Time Checkpoints: Keep some checkpoints in each section in which you should check whether you’re on schedule or not. For example, if you take 30 minutes for your Language Comprehension, then by the 15th minute you should have covered at least 50% of those questions.

Do not Panic: When you are running short on your schedule. Don’t panic, instead compose yourself and move to the next one, picking up easy ones which fetch marks.

7.Reduce Stress through Preparation

Time pressure is accompanied by stress that creates anxiety. Anxiety will adversely impact performance. The ways of reducing the stress build-up and maintaining concentration in an examination are as follows:

Mindfulness and Relaxation: Relaxation techniques should be tried earlier to reduce the stress build-up for the exam. In fact, any amount of work done by the relaxed mind in time-pressure circumstances cannot be equaled.

Maintain a Positive Frame of Mind: Maintain a positive state of mind during the exam. If you get stuck with a tough question, remind yourself that you can come back to it later and there are plenty of other questions to score from.

Trust Your Preparation: In case you have been practicing mock tests and sectional tests regularly, trust your preparation. This will keep you feeling confident and avoid overthinking during the exam.

8. Time Management for Indian & Global Environment Section

The Indian & Global Environment section will not be taken into account while calculating your MAT percentile, but it is essential to assess your performance and some B-schools may consider it while making a decision. You should spend no more than 10-15 minutes on this section and attempt whatever you are confident of getting right.

Don’t Overthink: The Indian & Global Environment section is usually an information-based one, so when you are aware of the correct answer, mark it with ease, but don’t waste too much time over uncertain answers.

Mark for Review: Mark those questions for review which you are not sure of and come back to them in case you have some time to do it later.

9. Be Flexible and Adapt While Taking the Test

Sometimes there will be unexpected surprises in the exam, be it a tougher part than you anticipated or an obscure set of questions. Adapt quickly in these situations:

Review Your Strategy: If you think you spent too much time on one particular section, make sure to adjust your strategy for the remaining sections.

Keep cool: The pressures are high; the pressure may result in panic, but being calm will help you to collect your head and change the way you handle time management.

Keep focused: Be objective over one section at a time. Trying to multitask between sections wastes time as well as probable errors creep in.

Time management has proved to be the single most important success factor in MATHS. Scoring well can be a guarantee by prioritizing sections according to one’s strengths, practicing mock tests, maintaining quick problem-solving techniques for problems, and not getting nervous on the D-day.

It is basically time management that will see one through to acing the MAT 2024 exam. Prioritizing sections according to a candidate’s strengths will help him maximize his or her score in areas where he or she is most confident. Regular practice through timed mock tests improves not only speed but also enables the identification of areas to improve on. Mastering some techniques of quick problem-solving and skimming strategies will enable you to enhance your effectiveness in solving all the different types of questions within such time-consuming sections as Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation.

The exam day is the most important, where you make sure not to lose your calmness of mind and not to get overstressed on the day of the exam. Thus, creating some buffer time to view some complex questions, the avoidance of perfectionism, and maintenance of a balanced approach at both the sections are essentials. These time management tips will help you to face the MAT 2024 exam effectively and be able to score high grades through perfect speed, accuracy, and strategic planning.