MAT Intelligence and Critical Reasoning 2025: Important Topics, Weightage, Preparation Tips

MAT Intelligence and Critical Reasoning 2025 section contains topics such as analogy and multidimensional, arrangements statements and assumptions, columns, bars, pie charts, and more. This section comprises of 30 marks and thus must be covered strategically by the candidates to score better.

The MAT intelligence and critical reasoning 2025 section in the MAT exam 2025 is meant to test the candidate's analytical ability. Most of the focus will be put on topics such as decoding, series, blood relation analysis, etc. This is one of the trickiest sections in the MAT exam syllabus 2025.

MAT Intelligence and Critical Reasoning Syllabus

MAT Intelligence and Critical Reasoning 2025 section has 30 questions, and each of those questions carries 1 mark. When it comes to the MAT intelligence and critical reasoning section, the following topics are going to be prevalent:

Reasoning Section

Assertions and ReasonsCritical and Visual ReasoningMatrix Arrangements (Puzzles and syllogisms)Pattern Identification (Symbols, Family Trees, Odd One Out)Analogy and MultidimensionalArrangement StatementsAssumptions SeriesSequences Coding and Decoding

Graphs and Charts

LineColumnBarPieVenn DiagramRepresenting Area

The reasoning category deals largely with analytical explanations and theory work, while the Graphs and Charts category will involve working with a variety of graphical representations of data.

Read More: Best MAT Online Coaching 2025

Top 10 Best Books for MAT Intelligence and Critical Reasoning 2025

The following Critical reasoning books are some of the most relevant books available that dive deep into the topics of MAT intelligence and critical reasoning 2025:

1. A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning - R.S. Aggrawal

Published by S. Chand Publishing, this book covers not only the latest questions asked in previous exams but also questions that are trending among candidates.

It also covers some other topics, such as Theme Detection and is useful for a wide variety of exam types.

2. How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for the CAT - Arun Sharma

Another entry to Arun Sharma’s “How To Prepare” series for the MAT exams, the book was published by McGraw-Hill Education.

It teaches the candidate the best practices for preparing for the Critical Reasoning section by practising problems for Logical Reasoning for CAT.

Although both exams are different structurally, they are similar. CAT is also more difficult than MAT, so training oneself to solve CAT exam problems can be of great benefit if one plans to write MAT exams.

3. The Hand on Guide to Analytical Reasoning and Logical Reasoning - Peeyush Bhardwaj

Published by Arihant Publications, this book gives candidates the “tricks of the trade” to solve problems related to Reasoning.

It covers a wide range of chapters and patterns that have been covered in previous exams, ranging from CAT, XAT, CMAT, and MAT to state exams.

4.  Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning for CAT/XAT/IIFT/CMAT/MAT - Gajendra Kumar and Abhishek Banerjee

This book was published by Disha Publications. Gajendra Kumar, the main author, created a concise book filled with questions along with the solutions, most of which are presented in detail.

This is not normally found in other books, so it’s worth investing in this one if you want to know certain ways around the questions you’re having difficulties with.

5. Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT - Nishit Sinha

As mentioned above for Arun Sharma’s book, covering any topics related to the CAT exam will substantially help anyone who’s doing their MAT exams since the structure of the topics is similar.

This book, published by Pearson India Education, is pretty similar to the former’s book; it analyses many questions asked in previous exams along with detailed solutions.

The reason why we recommend you get this book is that it’s necessary to maintain your knowledge base with different approaches to solving a problem. The approaches between the two authors can vary, depending on the question presented.

6. Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning For Cat - Pearson Education Limited

Published by Pearson Education Limited, this book covers over 5500+ fully solved questions, quick learning tips and tricks, important formulas, and highlighted diagrams, images, and charts that cater to all levels, from beginners to masters.

Therefore, it is considered quite a help for the preparation.  

7. Complete Guide for Mat and Other MBA Entrance Exams - Deepal Agarwal and Mahima Agarwal
This book is from the House of Disha Publication. It contains more than 5200 MCQs. It explains to the candidate the best methods for preparing for the Critical Reasoning section through practising problems for Logical Reasoning for MAT. 

8. An Easy Approach to High-Level Reasoning - Yatindra Sidharth
This book deals with the critical reasoning that is part of the competitive exam, such as MAT. All the concepts are based on the questions that have been asked in the last twenty years. The primary focus of this book is on concept building.

9. Analytical Reasoning - M.K. Pandey
This book is a critical source for building students' core concepts. It also tests the candidate’s logical and reasoning skills. The book is divided into two parts: reasoning based on logic and reasoning based on rules.

Topics like data sufficiency, strengthening and weakening arguments, coded relationships, analytical decision-making, and evaluating inferences are elaborately discussed. 

10. Logical And Analytical Reasoning - R. Gupta
This book is considered very useful for all competitive exams, including MAT. It covers all the topics that are vital for the preparation for the exam. It caters to the needs of students who are searching for good books for MAT preparation.

Read More: How to Prepare for MAT in One Month?

MAT Exam Pattern 2025

The examinee will be given 150 minutes to answer a total of 200 questions. All the important details regarding MAT Exam Pattern 2025 are given in the below table:

Also Check: Last Minute Tips to Crack MAT 2025

What is a Good Score in MAT Intelligence and Critical Reasoning 2025?

The exact number of marks that can be considered a good score varies every year. Still, after analysing the previous year's score, we have calculated a tentative average score that you should aim for.

In general, a score of 17-19 in the MAT intelligence and critical reasoning section of the MAT test can result in a 90+ percentile. One can always aim for a better score, but it's critical to strike a balance between the desired score and the amount of time you have to devote to each area. 

Preparation Tips for MAT Intelligence and Critical Reasoning 2025

Now it comes down to how to prepare for the MAT Exam 2025. Since it depends on your level of understanding of this section, it’s pertinent to follow some practical guidelines if you want to squeeze your best performance out.

So, we’ve provided some MAT preparation tips 2025 to keep in mind when you’re working on this section.

• Read the questions very carefully, and take some time to reflect on what it means before answering them.
• Don’t make guesses based on your intuition. Critical Reasoning is all about understanding your analytical thinking, and that comes from using calculated facts to support your arguments rather than theoretical estimates.
• Time is crucial to finish this section. It is arguably the most time-consuming section in the paper, so make sure you have your time management skills straightened out beforehand. This can be achieved by solving mock papers every day.
• Practising writing mock papers is a great way to retain your knowledge as well.
• Always begin with questions that seem easier for you before you move on to complex questions. This will not only help with time management but also maintain your morale, optimism, and possibly even anxiety during the exam.

MAT Intelligence and Critical Reasoning Previous Years' Question Papers

Some of the MAT previous year questions and sample papers are mentioned in the below table for your reference.