ATMA Exam Pattern, Syllabus, Preparation Tips and Top Colleges

About ATMA

ATMA is a national-level exam conducted several times a year and accepted by a wide network of AIMS-member B-schools. It follows a straightforward three-section format split into two equal halves, with a short break in between, and rewards balanced, all-round preparation over depth in any one area.

• Full name: AIMS Test for Management Admissions
• Conducted by: Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS)

ATMA Exam Pattern

• Mode: Computer-based test (CBT)
• Duration: 180 minutes (two parts of 90 minutes each, with a break)
• Total questions: 180 questions
• Marking scheme: +1 for correct, -0.25 for wrong answer

Sections

• Analytical Reasoning Skills: 60 questions
• Verbal Skills: 60 questions
• Quantitative Skills: 60 questions

ATMA Syllabus

Analytical Reasoning Skills

• Puzzles and seating arrangements
• Coding-decoding
• Blood relations and direction sense
• Syllogisms and critical reasoning
• Series and pattern recognition

Verbal Skills

• Reading comprehension
• Grammar and sentence correction
• Vocabulary (synonyms, antonyms, analogies)
• Para jumbles and fill in the blanks

Quantitative Skills

• Arithmetic (percentages, ratio, profit & loss, time-speed-distance)
• Algebra and number systems
• Geometry and mensuration
• Data interpretation and data sufficiency

How to Prepare for ATMA

• Guess with care. Wrong answers cost marks in ATMA (+1 for correct, -0.25 for wrong answer), so answer when you are confident or can eliminate options.
• Practise in exam conditions. The exam runs for 180 minutes (two parts of 90 minutes each, with a break) with 180 questions, so train with timed, full-length mocks.
• Review every mock. Check your section-wise accuracy and time per question to find where marks are leaking, then fix that first.

Ready to test yourself? Take a ATMA mock test on Percentile Lab and get your score, percentile and section-wise breakdown.

Top Colleges Accepting ATMA

• Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai
• Loyola Institute of Business Administration (LIBA), Chennai
• Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship (XIME)
• T A Pai Management Institute (TAPMI), Manipal
• Alliance University, Bangalore
• Christ University, Bangalore
• IFIM Business School, Bangalore
• Jaipuria Institute of Management
• Fore School of Management, Delhi
• K J Somaiya Institute of Management, Mumbai

ATMA Tentative Dates

• Test windows: Runs ~6 times a year - roughly Feb, Apr, May, Jul, Sep, Dec
• Registration: Closes ~1–2 weeks before each test window
• Result: ~1–2 weeks after each test window

These dates are tentative and can change - always confirm on the official notification.