How to Read an MAT Score Card

It is one of the most prevalent entrance exams for those seeking an MBA. It is also one of the hardest tests conducted by the AIMA for which to study. The MAT test score results can be confusing. A MAT composite score calculator online can help you to understand the meaning of each score and percentile ranking.

What Is the MAT?

MAT stands for Miller Analogies Test. It is a graduate-level entrance exam. The score shows your skills for analytical thinking and academic knowledge. It is measured using analogies.

A good score on this high-level mental ability test can help a student gain access to graduate programs that rely on the MAT score card information to accept students. You are given one hour to complete the test.

The MAT test is important for a few reasons, including:

• Measures the student’s capacity to solve problems stated as analogies.
• Gives admissions officials insight about the student’s ability for analytical thinking.
• Shows the candidate’s capacity to go beyond the simple memorizing and parroting of information that they have learned in their lower-grade studies.

When and Why You Should Take the MAT

Tests for the MAT are given throughout the year at testing centers around the world at specific times. There are more than 600 business schools that currently take the MAT scores for acceptance. The MAT score card is valid up to one year after the student’s results are released.

The MAT is used in many countries around the world to screen applicants for school admission and, in some cases, employment. The All India Management Association, or AIMA, relies on the MAT test to vet candidates for admission to MBA and other programs for acceptance around the world. The AIMA MAT score interpretation can be difficult at first glance.

MAT Test Specifics

The questions on the test need to be completed in an hour under supervision at a testing center. Each question is worth one mark or point. For every incorrect answer, a .25 mark is deducted from the score. Questions that went unanswered by the student receive no mark.

The score you receive will fall between 200 and 600 points and will include two MAT percentile ranks based on your overall answers. The percentiles are important to admissions officers and usually tally quite high for the average graduate taking the MAT test.

What the MAT Score Means

The first score that is located on your official card is the scaled score. The score is based on the number of questions that you answered correctly. The mean score is 400.

Those who have an average of 400 on the MAT are in the 50th percentile. This is actually a good score of which you should be proud, considering that this test is one of the more difficult for which to prepare. Graduate students, people who hold doctorates and high-level business people have received an average score on the MAT, so you’re in good company if your score hovers in the 50th percentile.

Compared to other tests, the MAT scoring can be seen as more lenient. If you answer three-quarters of the test correctly, you will score in the 99th percentile. Many of the top business schools are looking for scores above 600 on the MAT.

MAT Percentile Ranks Breakdown

The percentile rank is the two numbers between 1 and 99. This can be the most confusing part of reading a student’s MAT scores. The two percentiles are broken down into the intended major and then one for the total group that took the test. The intended major percentile compares your score with the others who also took the test with the similar projected major.

The second percentile number is to show how you did on the exam compared to the entire group over a specified time frame. If your percentile rank is 90, then you know that 90 percent of the students who took the test scored lower than you did. This percentile rank can change if you retake the test. When retesting, you are in a different group and are taking a risk that the group score will reflect better than the previous group.

Retaking the MAT Test

If you aren’t happy with your score and ranking, you can retake the MAT test. There aren’t any restrictions on how many times you can take the MAT test. However, there are a few things of which you should be aware before retesting.

There are different versions of the MAT test. This is done so that students can’t share the questions in the order that they were given, among other fail-safes. When calling the test center to schedule an appointment, ask if they can give you a different version than the one you took before. This is important because if you take the same version twice in 12 months, then your test scores will cancel each other out, and you'll have to retake the test.

The MAT score report will show how many times you took the test and what scores you’ve received on the test. If your score is higher than 50 points from the last time you took the MAT test, it will raise a red flag. This is called a questionable score gain.

Statistics About the MAT Test

There is a standard deviation of 25 points on the MAT. A good portion of the population, around 90 percent, will score between 200 and 425 on the MAT test.

Only around 1 percent of test takers will score well above 450. Most test takers cluster around the 400 level. However, the score is not a direct reflection of your test taking, as it is scored differently than many of the exams students take, such as the GRE, SAT or ACT.

Test Practicalities and Info

The rest of the report will include important details about you. It will have your personal identification information, the dates that you took the test and the number of times that you took the exam.

The report may also include the colleges, business schools and universities to which your official transcript was sent. If any of the information is incorrect, contact the company immediately via email or phone. The contact information is listed on the score card.

MAT Composite Score Calculator

There are many MAT score card calculators online to assist in understanding your score. It’s important to know exactly what your score means. This will aid in your application writing. When you know how to interpret your scores correctly, you can better construct your application and refine your search for the best program and school.

Preparing for the MAT

There is no such thing as a perfect score on the MAT test, so test takers can relax about cramming for this analogies test. If you simply go over the basics of what you have learned in order to feel confident, then you should be fine in taking the test. Again, it’s not what you know but how you use the knowledge you have gathered throughout your school career.

Ultimately, the MAT score is used by college admissions officers to evaluate your ability to contribute to the education institution on a graduate level. It shows your capacity for understanding all that you've learned throughout your schooling.