Tips to become Pro at MAT

NTSE Stage-1 consists of two papers, MAT(Mental Ability Test) and SAT(Scholastic
Aptitude test). MAT will judge your power of reasoning, ability to think etc. Initially
conquering MAT might seem difficult but once you have done the adequate practice
you can easily master it. Here are some tips that will help you to crack MAT with
flying colors.

Don’t Confuse MAT with Mathematics

Many NTSE aspirants tend to complicate MAT with Mathematics.SAT has its own
set of mathematics questions while MAT mainly evaluates your reasoning and logical
ability. Defeating MAT requires a different skill set and has spanned much beyond the
mathematical problems.

Avoid getting stuck in any question

You can conquer the MAT section if you can conquer time. Leave any question that
cannot be solved within your pre-decided time frame. This will not only reduce any
feelings of panic but will give a wonderful boost to your confidence. With an ample
amount of practice, you will able to judge, what to avoid and what not.

Prioritize topics

Question selection is an important part when it comes to MAT. During NTSE, your
utmost priority should be to solve topics like series, analogy, classification, missing
character etc. These topics are asked almost every year and have proved to be the
most scoring ones. Once you are done with them, move on to the next sections.

Set your time limits

Even when you are practicing MAT, try solving any question within a limited time
frame. Don’t get disappointed by initial low scores. Once you are aware of tips and
tricks, you can easily brush up your accuracy and speed. questions. Sections like
MAT, demands a lot of practice as there is a huge variety of questions. NTSE State
Topper, Zeel Shah, also stresses on the same. He admits, “Appearing in NTSE Mock
tests, helped me a lot in reinforcing my MAT section. Initially, my scores were low
but once I got familiar with the types of questions and tricks, there was a remarkable
rise in my marks. I can’t thank enough the Mock tests drafted by Prof. Vipin Joshi. It
was indeed a decisive action during my NTSE preparation.
Don’t rely on irrelevant study material

Due to lack of proper guidance, many students buy junk study material which
ultimately results in the wastage of their time and money. NTSE expert, Prof. Vipin
Joshi is a firm believer that none of the books satisfies the need of an NTSE aspirant.
Some are too easy and some are having too tough content to be asked in NTSE. This
unnecessarily wastes the precious time of an NTSE aspirant. Instead of that, you
should prefer the standard study material of some reputed organization.

Practice, Practice and Practice

Practice is the sure shot method to conquer MAT. During the initial phase of your
preparation, try solving at least 40 questions on a daily basis. These should gradually
increase with time. Make sure that you are thorough with all the types of verbal as
well as non-verbal questions. Once you are done with this, start focusing on the
previous year question papers.

Conquering MAT is not rocket science but if you will leave for the last months then,
you will surely get upsetting results. It is a high scoring section and therefore forms an
integral part of NTSE. It is like that battle, which can be won by single-minded focus
and rigorous practice.