1 | Why knowing your MAT percentile really matters
If you’re aiming for an MBA seat, the number that B-schools notice first isn’t your raw mark or even the composite score—it’s the percentile. A 90-plus MAT Percentile Calculation puts you in the top 10 % of all test-takers and almost guarantees GD-PI calls from Tier-1 institutes, while a 70 %ile shifts you to an entirely different college list. Understanding how that figure is produced lets you:
- set realistic target scores,
- read your score card correctly, and
- plan retakes with precision.
2 | Glossary at a glance
| Term | What it means | Range shown on score card | Used for admissions? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw score | Actual marks (1 for correct, –0.25 for wrong) | 0–200 | No |
| Scaled score | Raw marks converted to a common 0-100 scale for each section | 0–100 per section | Yes |
| Composite score | Sum of the first four scaled scores, rescaled to 200–800 | 199–801 typical | Yes |
| Percentile | % of candidates who scored below you | 0–99.99 % | Yes (primary metric) |
Scaled and composite ranges are capped—anything below 200 shows as 199 and above 800 shows as 801. bschool.careers360.com
3 | Anatomy of the MAT paper & weightages
The MAT question paper has five equal-weight sections (40 Qs each):
- Language Comprehension
- Intelligence & Critical Reasoning
- Mathematical Skills
- Data Analysis & Sufficiency
- Indian & Global Environment
For MAT Percentile Calculation, Section 5 is ignored. Only the first four sections (160 raw marks) feed into the percentile engine. mbauniverse.comadmissions.apnamba.com
4 | Step-by-step score pipeline
- Raw ➜ Scaled (0-100): AIMA uses statistical equating to neutralise easy or tough question sets, pushing every section score to a uniform 0-100 scale.
- Scaled ➜ Composite (200-800): Add the four scaled scores and transform the total to a 200–800 band. Anything outside is rounded to 199 or 801.
- Composite ➜ Percentile: Percentile is rank-based:
MAT Percentile Calculator
• Always rely on your official AIMA MAT scorecard for admission decisions.
Detailed MAT Percentile Guide
5 | Worked Example #1 – From answers to percentile
| Stage | Calculation |
|---|---|
| Raw marks | Candidate answers 99/160 correctly and 21 wrong across the four counted sections → raw = 99 – (0.25 × 21) = 93.75 |
| Scaled scores | Assume equated scales give: LC = 78, IR = 71, MS = 80, DA = 77 (0–100 scale) |
| Composite score | 78 + 71 + 80 + 77 = 306 → rescaled to 420 on 200-800 band (illustrative) |
| Rank | Out of 22,000 May-session test-takers, rank = 1,950 |
| Percentile | (1–1,949/ 22,000)×100=91.14% |
The result sheet would therefore show: Composite 420 | Percentile 91.14 | Section-wise percentiles too.
6 | Expected composite vs percentile bands (May 2025 session)
| Composite score | Expected percentile* |
|---|---|
| 400–450 | 90–99 |
| 350–399 | 80–89 |
| 300–349 | 70–79 |
| < 300 | < 70 |
*AIMA adjusts cut-offs slightly each cycle; figures are averages from recent sessions. kollegeapply.com
7 | Why Section 5 (Indian & Global Environment) is left out
B-schools rarely value GK for aptitude filtering, and the section’s volatility could skew fairness. AIMA therefore prints your Section 5 scaled score but keeps it separate from composite and MAT Percentile Calculation. This design ensures percentile integrity across years. mbauniverse.com
8 | Real Candidate Snapshot (Dec 2024 score card)
- LC = 82 (94 %ile)
- IR = 75 (88 %ile)
- MS = 68 (79 %ile)
- DA = 71 (83 %ile)
- Section 5 = 56 (—)
Composite = 414 → Overall percentile = 93.7 %ile
Notice that two strong sections (LC & IR) lifted the composite despite a modest Maths score—a useful insight while strategising sectional time allocation.
9 | Important MAT 2025 dates to remember
| Event | May 2025 PBT | May 2025 CBT |
|---|---|---|
| Last date to register | 25 May 2025 | 2 Jun 2025 |
| Admit card release | 28 May 2025 | 5 Jun 2025 |
| Exam date | 31 May 2025 | 8 Jun 2025 |
Exam windows repeat in September and December. aima.incollegedunia.com
Ready to apply? Head over to the AIMA MAT Registration portal (mat.aima.in) and book your slot in a few clicks.
10 | How to boost your MAT percentile
- Master DI & Maths fundamentals: These sections carry the heaviest scaling weight.
- Practise timed mocks: Percentile is relative; improving accuracy and speed shifts your rank ladder.
- Ignore GK until last: It doesn’t affect MAT Percentile Calculation, so prioritise the core four sections first.
- Analyse every mock percentile: Check which section drags your scaled score and patch that gap.
For an end-to-end prep roadmap—including live classes, adaptive mock analytics and 1-to-1 percentile clinics—explore our MAT Coaching programme at Learncrew.
11 | FAQs lightning round
- Is 400 composite always 90 %ile?
It hovers around upper-80s to low-90s, depending on exam difficulty and cohort size. - Can I convert a 70 %ile to an MBA seat?
Yes—plenty of Tier-2 B-schools cut off at 65–75 %ile. shiksha.com - Do scaled scores vary across sessions?
Absolutely. Equating ensures percentile fairness even if one session had easier quant questions than another. - Does negative marking influence percentile?
Indirectly, yes, because it reduces raw marks and therefore scaled/composite scores. It’s still your rank that finally sets percentile.
12 | Key takeaways
- Your MAT Percentile Calculation journeys from raw marks → scaled (0-100) → composite (200-800) → percentile (0-99.99).
- Only the first four sections impact percentile; the GK section is excluded.
- A composite 400+ generally lands you in the coveted 90+ percentile band.
- Percentile is rank-relative, so outperforming peers—more than chasing a magic number—is what really counts.
Ready to push your percentile north? Join the Learncrew MAT bootcamp and let’s hit those 90s together!
Sources
- Shiksha: “How MAT Score & Percentile are Calculated” shiksha.com
- MBAUniverse: “MAT Score vs Percentile 2025” mbauniverse.com
- Pearson MAT Score PDF FAQs static.npfs.co
- Careers360: “MAT Score vs Percentile” bschool.careers360.com
- Collegedunia: MAT May-session exam dates collegedunia.com
- KollegeApply: MAT 2025 score vs percentile table kollegeapply.com
