MAT 2026 Eligibility Criteria Released: Qualification, Age Limit, Reservation & Key Dates

MAT Eligibility Criteria 2026: Overview

A final-year student in any undergraduate course (i.e. BA, BSc, B.Com, B.Tech, etc.) can also appear provisionally. It must be noted that there is no upper age limit to appear for MAT 2026. The Management Aptitude Test is conducted four times a year in PBT and CBT modes. MAT exam eligibility criteria consist of academic qualification, upper age limit, category reservation, relaxation, etc. The detailed MAT exam eligibility criteria in terms of academic qualification, age limit, and work experience are given below:

Academic Qualification

• Candidates must have completed a bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognised institute or university.
• Candidates appearing in the final year examination or awaiting results for a Bachelor's degree are also eligible to appear for MAT exam qualification.

Minimum Marks in Qualifying Exam

• Candidates need to have at least 50 per cent aggregate or equivalent CGPA in a bachelor's degree.
• Candidates belonging to reserved categories, i.e. SC, ST, and PwD, need to have a minimum of 45 per cent aggregate or equivalent CGPA in the bachelor's degree final result.

Age Limit

• There is no upper MAT age limit to apply for the exam, as per the MAT exam eligibility age. However, the lower age limit is not less than 20 years old, which is equivalent to a graduate.

Work Experience

• Having work experience is not mandatory for MAT; however, it carries extra weightage in the selection process of all top MBA colleges.

Attempt Limit

• There is no limit on the number of attempts for taking the exam; candidates are eligible to take the exam irrespective of their attempts in previous sessions. The score of the latest attempt will be taken into consideration for admission.

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MAT Reservation Criteria 2026

The candidate should note that the All India Management Association (AIMA) has fixed the track for reservation, which is equivalent to last year’s examination. Candidates should get a minimum cut-off score based on which they will be listed and eventually go on to the next round of interviews.

Top MBA Colleges accepting MAT scores - State-wise

Eligibility Criteria of Participating Institutes through MAT 2026

MAT conducting body, AIMA, does not specify any reservation or different criteria as per colleges. However, various participating institutes have set up their own rules of MAT exam eligibility percentage for admission in the respective institutes. Some of these criteria implied by some colleges are:

• Minimum 50% to 60% marks in graduation required
• Some relaxation may be given to professional degree holders
• Weightage to work experience may be awarded in the admission criteria
• Weightage can be given to women candidates in the admission criteria to promote gender diversity
• Good weightage can be given for excellent academic performance in classes 10 and 12

Top MBA Colleges accepting MAT scores: City-Wise

MAT Application Form 2026

The application process for MAT 2026 registration, PBT and CBT for the February session has commenced in online mode. In the application form for MAT 2026, candidates have to fill in all personal and academic details. In addition to this, they have to upload scanned copies of photographs and signatures during the application process. The last step will be to pay the application form fee, which will ensure the chance of appearing in the MAT 2026 exam.

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MAT Eligibility Criteria 2026 vs MBA College Admission Criteria 2026

Take a look at the following table, which enlists the differences in eligibility criteria between the MAT exam and other college exams.