The four blocks
MAT is 20 questions, split evenly into 5 each:
- Verbal reasoning — analogies, coding-decoding, blood relations, directions, odd-one-out.
- Numerical reasoning — percentages, ratios, averages, profit/loss.
- Logical sequencing — number and letter series, syllogisms.
- Spatial / abstract reasoning — mirror images, paper folding, figure counting, cube problems.
Fast techniques
Percentage area increase — if length changes by a% and breadth by b%:
% change in area = a + b + (a × b)/100
Example: +15% and +25% → 15 + 25 + 3.75 = 43.75% ≈ 44%.
Number series — check for: constant difference, constant ratio, squares/cubes, or alternating patterns.
Directions — sketch it. Opposite legs of equal length cancel; only the remaining leg counts.
Cube cut into 27 — corners have 3 painted faces (8), edges have 2 (12), faces have 1 (6), centre has 0 (1).
Strategy
MAT is application-level but not hard — it's the best marks-per-minute in the paper if you drill the patterns. Aim to finish MAT in under 15 minutes.