What is the MAT?
The Miller Analogies Test (MAT) is a standardized exam used mainly for graduate program admissions in the United States.
The MAT is a high-level norm-referenced standardized exam requiring the resolution of questions stated as analogies. Psychologists advocate that the analogy presentation epitomizes an efficient and effective way to test intellectual processes and to quantify verbal comprehension, inductive reasoning, and analytical aptitude.
The MAT has been designed to quantify these same intellectual processes. It is also designed to gage contextual knowledge vital to the start of study in graduate programs and includes exam items with subject matter from the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and mathematics.
Many students find that using test preparations books help to improve their scores.
See our list of the best MAT prep books here.
MAT Format and Scoring Structure
The Miller Analogies Test (MAT) is a 60-minute test containing of 120 verbal-analogy problems. All problems are multiple-choice (4 choices).
100 of the 120 questions are counted; the remaining 20 are not counted. The exam designers integrate unscored problems into the MAT in order to measure their difficulty level and their statistical legitimacy. Some such problems may appear on the MAT at a later time. Unscored problems are not identified; in other words, you will not be able to distinguish between counted and uncounted problems.
All problems on the MAT are in the following format:
A : B :: C : D
This format should be read as follows:
A is to B as C is to D.
The MAT is solely a computer-based exam (CBT).
Exams have a score range from 200 to 600. The median score is 400, with a standard deviation of 25 points. These scores, based on a bell curve, are known as “scaled” scores. Because of their foundation in this model, scaled MAT scores of 500-600 are tremendously infrequent, as they would be more than four standard deviations above the norm of 400.
Percentile grades are also supplied along with the official score report. Students receive an overall percentile grade as well as a percentile grade within their proposed graduate program discipline.
The Miller Analogies Test is acknowledged by Mensa, the Triple Nine Society, and the Prometheus Society for its admission prerequisites. MENSA expects a score in the 95th percentile for admission. The Triple Nine Society expects at least 472 on the modern exam. The Prometheus Society expects at least 500 on the modern exam.
MAT Availability
The MAT is administered nonstop through a system of Controlled Testing Centers (CTCs) that have been established at colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada. In addition to the hundreds of CTCs, Pearson also has an widespread system of sanctioned MAT examiners within the United States and throughout the world. Applicants who live more than 100 miles from a CTC may apply to Pearson to take the MAT with one of these assessors.
Find your nearest testing location here.
There are no static national MAT exam dates. Each CTC regulates when and how often it runs the MAT. Applicants make appointments directly with the CTC most suitable to them to take the exam. All CTC Test Administrators are provided with a guide of instructions to guarantee adherence to the standardized administration methods established for the exam.
Sources:
http://www.pearsonassessments.com/postsecondaryeducation/graduate_admissions/mat.html