Quick answer
The Mental Agility Test (MAT) is 20 of the CEE's 200 questions: 5 verbal reasoning, 5 numerical reasoning, 5 logical sequencing and 5 spatial or abstract reasoning, the last printed as pictures. It needs no textbook, only practice, and with 54 seconds a question on the paper, the quick ones buy time for physics.
MEC's syllabus puts 20 Mental Agility questions in every bachelor-level paper, whatever the program. Below are the four kinds with two worked examples each — written for this guide, not taken from the mock papers — and how to win the marks.
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What the CEE MAT tests
The marking is the same as the rest of the paper: +1 right, −0.25 wrong, nothing for a blank. MEC's syllabus prints one sample of each kind; the examples below are in the same style.
| Kind | Questions | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal reasoning | 5 | Directions, relations, word problems |
| Numerical reasoning | 5 | Percentages, ratios, arithmetic |
| Logical sequencing | 5 | Number and letter series |
| Spatial relation and abstract reasoning | 5 | Nets and solids, figure series — questions printed as pictures |
Verbal reasoning questions
Codes, relations, directions and rankings, and syllogisms. Read the question twice; the trap is usually one word.
Example 1 · Coding–decoding
In a code, MANGO is written as NBOHP. How is APPLE written in the same code?
- A. BQQLF
- B. BQQMF
- C. ZOOKD
- D. BPPMF
Answer
B. BQQMF. Every letter moves one place forward: M→N, A→B, N→O, G→H, O→P. So A→B, P→Q, P→Q, L→M, E→F gives BQQMF.
Example 2 · Ranking
In a class, Rita is 9th from the top and 26th from the bottom. How many students are in the class?
- A. 33
- B. 34
- C. 35
- D. 36
Answer
B. 34. Rita is counted in both positions, so the class has 9 + 26 − 1 = 34 students. Adding without taking one away gives 35, the usual slip.
Numerical reasoning questions
Percentages, ratios, averages, time and work — arithmetic you know, against the clock.
Example 3 · Percentage
A student scores 135 out of 180 in a test. What percentage is that?
- A. 70%
- B. 72.5%
- C. 75%
- D. 80%
Answer
C. 75%. 135 ÷ 180 = 0.75, which is 75%.
Example 4 · Marking
In CEE a right answer gains 1 mark and a wrong one loses 0.25. A candidate answers 150 questions and gets 120 of them right. What is the score?
- A. 105
- B. 112.5
- C. 120
- D. 127.5
Answer
B. 112.5. 120 right and 30 wrong: 120 − 30 × 0.25 = 112.5. 120 forgets the deduction, and 127.5 adds it.
Logical sequencing questions
Number and letter series. Look at the gaps first, then at squares, then at alternate terms.
Example 5 · Number series
What comes next: 2, 5, 10, 17, 26, …?
- A. 35
- B. 36
- C. 37
- D. 38
Answer
C. 37. The gaps are 3, 5, 7, 9, so the next gap is 11 and the next term 37. Each term is also a square plus one: 6² + 1 = 37.
Example 6 · Letter series
Which letter comes next: B, E, H, K, …?
- A. M
- B. N
- C. O
- D. P
Answer
B. N. Each letter is three places after the one before: B (2nd), E (5th), H (8th), K (11th), so the next is the 14th, N.
Spatial and abstract reasoning (picture questions)
Nets and cubes, mirror and water images, folding, counting and figure series. These are printed as drawings, so practise them with drawings.
Example 7 · Counting figures
How many squares are there in the figure?
- A. 4
- B. 5
- C. 6
- D. 8
Answer
B. 5. Four small squares and the large square they make together: 5. Nothing else in the figure has four equal sides at right angles.
Example 8 · Figure series
In each box the dot moves to the next corner, going round the same way. Which box comes next?
- A.
- B.
- C.
- D.
Answer
D. The dot goes top left, top right, bottom right — clockwise round the corners — so it goes next to the bottom left.
How to score the 20 MAT marks
- Do them in under a minute each. The paper allows about 54 seconds a question; MAT done fast leaves time for numericals in physics and chemistry.
- Guess what you cannot solve. With −0.25 a wrong answer, a guess pays on average whenever it has better than a 1-in-5 chance — so rule out one option and answer.
- Practise a little every day. MAT is a skill, not a chapter, and it grows with steady practice more than with a last-week cram.
- Practise the pictures with pictures. A drawn cube net is a different skill from a described one.
Common questions
What is MAT in CEE?
The Mental Agility Test: 20 reasoning questions in every bachelor-level CEE paper — verbal, numerical, logical sequencing and spatial or abstract reasoning, five of each.
How many MAT questions are in CEE?
20 of the 200, worth 20 marks, in every program's paper.
What is the MAT syllabus for CEE?
MEC's syllabus names four kinds, five questions each: verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning, logical sequencing, and spatial relation or abstract reasoning. It prints one sample of each.
Is there negative marking in the MAT?
Yes, the same as the rest of the paper: −0.25 for a wrong answer.
Where can I practise CEE MAT questions?
On this site's free CEE mock test: MAT practice gives every question with its answer explained, and each full paper has 20 MAT questions.
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