MAT Exam Review
For college graduates and those who will soon be college graduates who are thinking of attending grad school, one of the most common hurdles that must be overcome to reach this goal is taking and passing an entrance exam required by the grad school. There are a wide variety of them, and which one you take will depend on which school and which program you’re applying to. One of the tests you might face, especially if you’re seeking a graduate degree in education or one of the social sciences, is the Miller Analogies Test, or MAT. The MAT test is one of the most streamlined tests a person will ever take in their academic career, as it’s just what its name implies it would be. There are no essays on the MAT test, and there are no mathematical or algebraic computations required. Instead, it’s a sixty minute test of a person’s abilities to understand and grasp analogies. An analogy is a way of comparing things. “A Dalmatian is to dogs as a Holstein is to cows” is a basic analogy. Of course, analogies get a lot more complicated and nuanced than that, and that’s what the MAT tests for.
To do well on the MAT, you’ll need a broad base of general knowledge in a wide variety of areas. Studies have shown that the ability to understand analogies is one of the best predictors of success in graduate school. The MAT is only one hour long, and consists of 120 multiple choice analogy questions. You can take the MAT at authorized testing centers all over America, and the fee, which varies by location, is usually around sixty or seventy dollars. The test is scored on a scale of 200 to 800, and the average score on the MAT is right around 400. The MAT may be simple, but it’s not easy. In fact, it’s an extremely difficult test to get a high score on. To do well on the MAT you’ll need to get some very good prep materials and practice, practice, practice.