MAT Exam Dates 2026: September Registration Open, Session Wise Schedule and Important Dates

The MAT September 2026 exam schedule has been officially confirmed by AIMA on aima.in. The Management Aptitude Test (MAT) September 2026 will be held with the Paper-Based Test (PBT) on September 13, 2026, and the Computer-Based Test (CBT) on September 20, 2026. Registration for the September session is currently open at the official portal mat.aima.in. The May 2026 session has concluded; its result is expected in the last week of June 2026. The December 2026 session schedule is yet to be announced.

• MAT September 2026 PBT confirmed for September 13; registration closes September 7, 2026 — apply now at mat.aima.in.
• MAT September 2026 CBT confirmed for September 20; registration closes September 14, 2026.
• Admit card for the September PBT will be released on September 10, 2026; for the CBT on September 17, 2026.
• MAT May 2026 sessions have concluded — PBT was on May 31, CBT on June 14; the result is expected in the last week of June 2026.
• MAT February 2026 (PBT March 1, CBT March 8) was conducted and its result was declared; scorecard available on mat.aima.in.
• MAT is available in two modes in 2026: PBT and CBT; registration fee is Rs. 2,300 for one mode and Rs. 4,000 for both.
• MAT December 2026 schedule has not yet been announced; the notification is expected in October 2026.

For all the current updates, students should regularly visit the official website mat.aima.in for official information regarding final dates and schedule.

Key Summary

In this Article, we have discussed about MAT 2026 important dates, session-wise exam schedule, previous year date trends, and exam day timing.

• MAT September 2026 PBT is officially confirmed for September 13, 2026 and CBT for September 20, 2026 by AIMA; registration is currently open.
• Registration for the September PBT closes September 7, 2026; for the CBT it closes September 14, 2026 — apply at mat.aima.in.
• Admit cards for the September PBT will be released on September 10; for the CBT on September 17, 2026.
• MAT September 2026 result is expected in the last week of September 2026; MAT May 2026 result is expected in the last week of June 2026.
• MAT is conducted four times a year — February, May, September, and December — giving students multiple opportunities; the December 2026 schedule is yet to be announced.

What are the MAT 2026 Exam Dates?

MAT 2026 has four sessions spread across the year. As of June 29, 2026, the February and May sessions have concluded. The September session is the next upcoming milestone, with dates officially confirmed by AIMA. The December session schedule is yet to be released. The following sub-sections cover each upcoming event in the September 2026 session, along with a note on what to expect for December 2026.

MAT September 2026 Registration: Open Now

AIMA opened registration for the MAT September 2026 session on mat.aima.in. Students can register for the PBT, the CBT, or both. The PBT registration window closes on September 7, 2026, and the CBT registration window stays open until September 14, 2026 — one day before the CBT exam. Students who have already registered for the PBT can add the CBT to their application and pay the differential fee before the CBT registration deadline.

• Registration Portal: mat.aima.in (applicant login / new registration)
• PBT Registration Last Date: September 7, 2026
• CBT Registration Last Date: September 14, 2026
• Fee — Single Mode (PBT or CBT): Rs. 2,300
• Fee — Both Modes (PBT + CBT): Rs. 4,000
• Action Required: Complete the application form, upload a photograph and signature, select exam mode and city preference, and pay the fee online to confirm registration.

Note: The MAT September 2026 registration window is active. Students are advised not to wait until the last date as exam centres are allotted on a first-come, first-served basis and preferred centres may fill up early.

Ques. Can I register for both PBT and CBT for the MAT September 2026 session?

MAT September 2026 Admit Card

AIMA will release the MAT September 2026 admit card separately for the PBT and CBT. The PBT admit card will be available from September 10, 2026, and the CBT admit card from September 17, 2026. Students must download their admit card from the applicant dashboard on mat.aima.in using their registration credentials. No admit card is dispatched by post.

• PBT Admit Card Release Date: September 10, 2026
• CBT Admit Card Release Date: September 17, 2026
• Download Portal: mat.aima.in (applicant dashboard)
• Documents to Carry: Printed admit card + original government-issued photo ID (Aadhaar, passport, driving licence, or PAN card)
• Action Required: Verify all details on the admit card immediately after download; report any discrepancy to AIMA before the exam date.

Note: Report to the exam centre at least 90 minutes before the exam. The gate of the test centre closes 30 minutes before the commencement of the examination (i.e., by 9:30 AM). Late entry is not permitted under any circumstances — even if you hold a valid admit card.

Ques. How many days before the MAT September 2026 exam is the admit card released?

MAT September 2026 Exam Day: PBT and CBT Schedule

Both the PBT and CBT for MAT September 2026 follow the same exam-day schedule. The exam runs from 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon (120 minutes). Students must report to the test centre by 8:30 AM; the gates close at 9:30 AM and no late entry is permitted. The paper consists of 150 multiple-choice questions spread across five sections, with a penalty of 0.25 marks for each wrong answer.

The five sections of MAT 2026 are Language Comprehension, Mathematical Skills, Data Analysis and Sufficiency, Intelligence and Critical Reasoning, and Economic and Business Environment. Each section has 30 questions, for a total of 150 questions. The marking scheme is +1 for each correct answer and –0.25 for each incorrect answer; unattempted questions carry no penalty.

Note: Report to the exam centre at least 90 minutes before the exam starts. The gate of the test centre closes at 9:30 AM — 30 minutes before the 10:00 AM commencement. Late entry is not allowed under any circumstances, even with a valid admit card.

Ques. What time does the MAT September 2026 exam start?

MAT September 2026 Answer Key

AIMA releases the official MAT answer key after the CBT exam, typically within a few days of the last session date. For MAT September 2026, the answer key is expected in the last week of September 2026. Students can download it from mat.aima.in and cross-check their responses. AIMA also provides a window to raise objections to specific questions; the final answer key — issued after reviewing challenges — is used to calculate scores.

• Expected Release: Last week of September 2026 (after CBT on September 20)
• Download From: mat.aima.in
• Objection Window: Typically 2–3 days after initial key release; fee may be charged per challenge
• Action Required: Download and verify immediately; submit any challenge within the window along with supporting reference material.

Ques. When will the MAT September 2026 answer key be released?

MAT September 2026 Result

The MAT September 2026 result is expected in the last week of September 2026, approximately 10–14 days after the CBT on September 20. AIMA will release the composite scorecard on mat.aima.in. The scorecard shows section-wise scaled scores and the overall composite score (maximum 800). The MAT score is valid for one year from the date of declaration and can be used to apply to 600+ B-schools that accept MAT scores.

• Expected Result Date: Last week of September 2026
• Access: mat.aima.in applicant dashboard (login with registration credentials)
• Score Validity: 1 year from declaration date
• Score Range: Composite score up to 800 (section-wise scaled scores reported separately)
• Action Required: After the result, download the scorecard and send it to shortlisted B-schools along with your application; there is no centralised MAT counselling — each B-school runs its own GD/WAT/PI process.

Ques. When will the MAT September 2026 result be declared?

MAT December 2026 Schedule (Expected)

The MAT December 2026 session schedule has not yet been announced by AIMA. Based on the pattern from 2025 and earlier years, the December session typically has the PBT in the second week of December and the CBT one week later. Students who are not satisfied with their September 2026 score can attempt the December session; the notification and registration for December 2026 is expected to open in October 2026. Students should check mat.aima.in and the AIMA official website for the official announcement.

• PBT (Expected): Second week of December 2026 — exact date to be announced
• CBT (Expected): Third week of December 2026 — exact date to be announced
• Notification Expected: October 2026
• Action Required: Monitor mat.aima.in for the December 2026 schedule release.

Year-wise MAT Exam Dates and Trends

MAT’s four-session annual structure has been in place for several years. The table below shows confirmed exam dates across recent years, covering all four sessions where data is available. In 2024, the Q3 session was conducted in August rather than September, which was an exception to the usual calendar; the exam returned to September in 2025 and 2026.

Three consistent patterns emerge from this data. First, the PBT is almost always scheduled on a Sunday, with the CBT following one to two weeks later. Second, the February session exam typically falls in late February or the first two weeks of March; the label "February session" refers to when registration opens, not when the exam is held. Third, in years before 2026, AIMA sometimes held multiple CBT slots per session (as seen in the 2023 and 2024 December sessions); the 2026 schedule shows a single CBT per session, suggesting AIMA has standardised the format.

Source: mat.aima.in; mbauniverse.com/mat; pw.live/mba/exams/mat-exam-dates-2023

Ques. Has MAT 2026 been conducted before September?

Ques. Are MAT 2026 scores from one session valid for B-school applications in the next session?

How Many Times Is MAT 2026 Conducted?

MAT 2026 is conducted four times in the year by AIMA: the February session (exam in March), the May session (exam in May–June), the September session (exam in September), and the December session (exam in December). Each session is independent — a separate registration, separate admit card, separate exam, and separate result. Students can appear in one, two, or all four sessions in a calendar year. There is no restriction on the number of attempts, and there is no cumulative scoring across sessions. Each B-school accepting MAT scores sets its own policy on how many sessions it will consider.

• Session 1 — February 2026: PBT March 1 / CBT March 8, 2026 — Concluded
• Session 2 — May 2026: PBT May 31 / CBT June 14, 2026 — Concluded
• Session 3 — September 2026: PBT September 13 / CBT September 20, 2026 — Upcoming (registration open)
• Session 4 — December 2026: Schedule to be announced in October 2026

There is no centralised MAT counselling process. After each session’s result, students directly apply to their chosen B-schools and submit MAT scorecards. Each B-school then shortlists students and conducts its own GD/WAT/PI rounds independently. This means students need to monitor individual B-school admission calendars alongside the AIMA MAT schedule.

Ques. How many times can a student appear for MAT 2026?

Ques. Is there centralised MAT 2026 counselling?

Countdown to MAT September 2026 Exam Date

As of June 29, 2026, the MAT September 2026 PBT is 76 days away and the CBT is 83 days away. The table below shows the number of days remaining for each key milestone in the September 2026 session, counting from June 29, 2026.

Source: AIMA official schedule — aima.in/content/testing-and-assessment/mat/mat; mat.aima.in