MAT

MAT December 2021 Analysis

05 December, 2021
PG Team

 

Overview 

MAT PBT (Paper-based Test) was held on December 05, 2021.

The overall structure of the MAT remained the same as that of the previous years, with 5 sections of 40 questions each, 4 options and a negative marking of 1/4th of the marks allotted for wrong answers. The overall difficulty level of the exam did not vary much from the previous years’ MATs.

Most of the questions were Easy to Moderate. The best way to maximize one’s score would be to select questions judiciously.

The test structure was as follows:

Section No.Section NameNo. of Questions
ILanguage Comprehension40
IIIntelligence & Critical Reasoning40
IIIMathematical Skills40
IVData Analysis & Sufficiency40
VIndian & Global Environment40
Total200

 

The analysis of each section is given below.

Section I – Language Comprehension:

This section consisted of 30 Verbal Ability and Verbal Reasoning questions and 10 Reading Comprehension questions. There were 2 passages with 5 questions each. Each  passage was about 300-400 words long.

Most of the questions were on the easier side with a few moderate to difficult questions.

TopicsNo. of QuestionsLevel of Difficulty
Reading Comprehension

(2 passages with 5 questions each)

105 Easy, 5 Moderate
Para-jumbles (5 sentences)32 Easy, 1 Moderate
Summary questions32 Easy, 1 Moderate
Synonym of underlined word42 Easy, 1 Moderate, 1 Difficult
Antonym of underlined word42 Easy, 1 Moderate, 1 Difficult
Four parts of sentence with error42 Easy, 1 Moderate, 1 Difficult
Double FIB44 Easy
Meaning of underlined idiom43  Easy, 1 Moderate
One word replacement of phrase43  Easy, 1 Moderate
Total40Easy-Moderate

A good strategy would be to allot 35 minutes to this section, and solve as many VA/VR questions as possible, and then use the remaining time to attempt the RC questions.

A good attempt would be 27-29 questions, with 85% accuracy.

 

Section II-Intelligence & Critical Reasoning

As usual, this section included a mixture of Verbal Reasoning (15 questions) and Logical Reasoning (25 questions).  The Non-verbal questions included 10 standalone questions. All the questions were of easy-moderate level.

 

The following table shows the break-up of different question types in this section:

TopicsNo. of QuestionsLevel of Difficulty
Verbal Reasoning (Total 15 questions)
Statement-assumption53 Easy, 2 Moderate
Assertion and Reason53 Easy, 2 Moderate
Cause-Effect53 Easy, 2 Moderate
Non-verbal Reasoning (Total 25 questions)
LR Sets
Family tree and weight5Moderate
Three families with 19 members related through marriage5Moderate
7 members from 7 states play 7 games5Moderate
Standalone LR questions
Letter Series1Easy
Mother’s Birthday1Moderate
Coding-Decoding – Letter1Easy
Family Tree1Moderate
Rank in Row1Easy
Symbol-based Family Tree1Moderate
Alpha-numeric Series1Moderate
Weight Comparison1Easy
Direction Sense1Easy
2-D Venn Diagram1Moderate
Total40Easy – Moderate

A good strategy would be to attempt about 20-22 questions in 35-40 minutes with 85% accuracy.

 

Section III- Mathematical Skills:

Mathematical Skills section continued its tradition of being dominated by Arithmetic. All the different topics in Arithmetic were represented. Majority of questions were straightforward. However some questions involved lengthy calculations. As a whole, this section can be considered Easy to Moderate level of difficulty.

The following table shows the break-up of different types of questions in this section.

TopicsNo. of questionsLevel of difficulty
Numbers54 Easy,  1 Moderate
Mixture21 Easy, 1 Moderate
Simple Interest Compound Interest42 Easy, 1 Moderate, 1 Difficult
Time Speed Distance41 Easy, 3 Moderate
Mensuration22 Moderate
Ratio Proportion22 Easy
Average22 Easy
Partnership21 Easy, 1 Moderate
Time and Work21 Easy, 1 Moderate
Pipe and Cisterns21 Easy, 1 Moderate
Probability22 Easy
Permutation-Combination22 Easy
Equation22 Easy
Percentage22 Easy
Profit Loss42 Easy, 1 Moderate, 1 Difficult
Series11 Moderate
Total40Easy – Moderate

A good strategy would be to attempt about 18-20 questions in 35-40 minutes with 85% accuracy.

 

Section IV- Data Analysis and Sufficiency:

This section consisted of 30 questions on Data Interpretation..Some sets were straightforward while some involved somewhat tedious calculations. As a result, attempting right sets was the key.

TopicsNo. of questionsLevel of difficulty
A set on Bar graph and Pie Chart5Easy-Moderate
A set on Table5Easy-Moderate
A set on Bar graph5Easy – Moderate
A set on two Pie charts5Easy – Moderate
Comparison of two quantities5Easy-Moderate
Case Study5Easy-Moderate
Line Graph5Easy-Moderate
Data Sufficiency5Easy-Moderate
Total40Easy-Moderate

Around 27 – 29 attempts with 85% accuracy, in about 35 minutes, would be considered a good attempt for this section.

 

Section V-Indian and Global Environment:

Almost all the questions in this section were based on current events of the past few months, so anyone who keeps abreast of current economic and political scenarios in India and abroad and regularly reads newspapers will find this section easy. About 17 questions were based on national events and 8 on international events.15 questions were based on miscellaneous topics. For a person who had prepared GK well, about 10 questions could be called easy, 15 moderately difficult and 15 difficult.

This section could be attempted in about 10-15 minutes. A good attempt would be about 15-18 questions, with 75% accuracy.