MAT Eligibility Criteria 2025 – Age Limit, Qualification, Attempts, Reservation Rules

The 2025 Management Aptitude Test is open to candidates who meet specific academic requirements. The main eligibility is graduation in any discipline from a recognised university. There is no minimum score required to appear for MAT but most MBA colleges accepting MAT scores may require a minimum percentage in graduation. It is advisable to have at least 50% marks in graduation to increase chances of admission to reputed full time MBA programs.

Every year in December, February, May and September MAT is held. Scores are accepted by more than 600 business schools across India for admission to MBA or PGDM programs. Candidates can choose to appear in any of the three exam modes CBT or PBT and the eligibility criteria remain the same for all modes. There is no restriction on the number of attempts and the latest score is considered for admission purposes.

Academic Background

• A bachelor degree in any field from an accredited university or institution is required of candidates.

• The students who are waiting for last year results can also sit for the 2025 MAT exam.

Age Criteria

• The age bracket is set for the candidates to appear for  2025 MAT exam.

• Typically candidates muts be above 20 years of age as graduation is required.

Work Experience

• Not mandatory but having work experience may add weight during the selection process in MAT accepting colleges.

Eligibility for Participating Institutes

• Participating institutes require a valid MAT score and a bachelor degree.

• Some management institutes may specify minimum marks in graduation such as 50% for the general category and 45% for the reserved category candidates.

Reservation Policy

• MAT or AIMA does not define reservation criteria as participating colleges follow government policies.

Reservation Categories for MAT Admission

There are seats reserved for students belonging to socially and economically backward classes. These candidates must present genuine government-issued certificates at the time of admission to avail themselves of their reserved seats.

• Students of SC category - 15%

• Students of ST category - 7.5%

• Students of the NC-OBC category - 27%

• Students of EWS - 10%

Reservation for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities

• Most institutes reserve 5% of seats for PwD candidates under the 2016 Act of Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

• The following specially abled categories are eligible - 

• Low vision and blindness

• Muscular dystrophy, leprosy-cured dwarfism, acid attack victims, cerebral palsy and other locomotor impairments

• Other particular infirmities that were mentioned in the 2016 RPwD.

• Deaf and hard of hearing

• Autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability and mental illness