MAT Articles

Article / Updated 08-11-2022

The Miller Analogies Test (MAT) is a standardized test normally used for graduate school admissions. The test is composed entirely of analogies. The Miller Analogies Test uses multiple analogy types, such as 1:2,3:4. Recognizing the type of analogy being used plays a crucial role in your ability to select the right answer for that question. When it comes down to it, analogies are pretty simple: They’re just relationships between words (and sometimes between numbers). Your job for any MAT analogy question is just to recognize the relationship presented to you and find its match among the answer choices. Easy, right? The only problem is that sometimes you may not recognize the presented relationship, its match, or even some or all of the terms in the question! The first step in dealing with any MAT analogy, however, is identifying its structure. If you don’t correctly determine its structure, you may create a relationship between the wrong terms. MAT analogies fit into just two structural types: 1:2,3:4 and 1:3,2:4. In a 1:2,3:4 analogy, the first and second terms in the question have a relationship, and the third and fourth terms in the question have the same relationship. To help you recognize the structure of a 1:2,3:4 analogy, here is an example. Take a minute to wrap your head around this notation if it’s confusing — it’s important to understand before you move on. Fitzgerald : literature :: Monet : _________________ (A)fishing (B)philosophy (C)art (D)music The first term in this question, Fitzgerald, has a relationship to the second term, literature: F. Scott Fitzgerald, a famous American literary figure, created literature — for instance, he authored The Great Gatsby. Since the first and second terms are related, the third term, Monet, should have a similar relationship to the fourth term, which is one of the answer choices. You may realize this is a 1:2,3:4 analogy structure instead of a 1:3,2:4 structure, either by recognizing the strong relationship between Fitzgerald and literature or by reasoning that Fitzgerald and Monet don’t have a clear or compelling relationship. Although you could write a sentence linking F. Scott Fitzgerald, a famous American writer, to Claude Monet, a famous French painter, the relationship between the two men is not obvious, other than that they’re both famous. The correct answer is Choice (C), art. Claude Monet, a famous artist, created art, just as Fitzgerald, a famous writer, created literature. By the way, a MAT question’s structure will never be 1:4,2:3, though you sometimes may think you see that type of relationship. For instance, the following question is an attempt to trick you into creating a 1:4,2:3 relationship: _________________ : 6 :: billion : million (A)6 (B)9 (C)10 (D)100 You may think about picking Choice (A), reasoning that the first and fourth terms (6 and million) have a similar relationship to the second and third terms (6 and billion). However, MAT analogies can’t, don’t, and won’t have that structure. Also, there’s not much of an argument that the relationship between 6 and million can be the same relationship as in 6 and billion, and hopefully if you tried to create a sentence for that relationship, you realized it was weak. The right answer is Choice (B), 9, making the analogy a 1:3,2:4 (a billion has nine zeroes and a million has six zeroes). Even if, in your mind, the first and fourth or second and third terms of an analogy have the most beautiful relationship in the world, remember that it’s not meant to be. 1:4,2:3 relationships don’t exist on the MAT.

Article / Updated 07-29-2022

The Miller Analogies Test (MAT) is a standardized test normally used to assess the analytical abilities of graduate school applicants. The test is composed entirely of analogies. To do well on the MAT, it helps to understand that its analogies fall into several different categories. MAT analogies are all about relationships, and familiarizing yourself with some of the general categories of relationships on the MAT can make it easier to identify them in questions. The MAT officially lists four types of relationships: Semantic, Classification, Association, and Logical/Mathematical. The names for these types are not as simple and descriptive as they could be, so it helps to group the MAT analogies into these five major categories: Description Type Parts Similar/different Playful It’s a good idea to get familiar with these five major categories and how they work by studying the following examples. Then you’ll know what’s coming on the practice tests and the real MAT. To identify description analogies, it’s helpful to understand what a verb is. A verb is a part of speech that expresses existence or action. Description analogies are quite common on the MAT. In a description analogy, one of the terms in the analogy describes the other term in some way. The description is usually accomplished by a verb, which can be any action. For example: DOCTOR : HOSPITAL :: FARMER : _________________ (A)crop (B)acre (C)labor (D)field In this 1:2,3:4 analogy, a doctor works in a hospital, as a farmer works in a field, so the right answer is Choice (D). A hospital is a description of where a doctor works, as a field is a description of where a farmer works. The description is accomplished by the word works. Here’s another description analogy example: CHICKEN : DOLPHIN :: _________________ : CALVE (A)green (B)hop (C)hatch (D)swim This analogy is a 1:3,2:4. A baby dolphin leaves its mother’s womb through calving, as a baby chicken leaves its protective egg by hatching. The answer is Choice (C). Calve is a description of how a dolphin is born, as hatch is a description of how a baby chicken is born. In this example, you can think of the description as being accomplished by the word born.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-26-2022

The Miller Analogies Test (MAT) is an aptitude test used for admission to graduate programs. Although it's lesser known than the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE), many universities base their assessment of potential students on the MAT score, and the test has been around for more than 50 years. Knowing how the test is structured, how to best plan your study regiment, and how to decipher and share your test results will help you earn a place in the program of your choice.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Excelling on the MAT requires mastery of just one type of test question: the analogy. However, the analogy will be used to test your knowledge on a wide variety of subjects. Here are a few preparation tips for tackling this test: Have a baseline. Take an official MAT practice test, which you can purchase online. Do this at the start of your test preparation to get an understanding of where you are and how far you need to improve your performance to get your ideal score. Set a clear goal. Have a defined target to keep you posted and help you measure your progress. Find out what score the program you wish to attend looks for and aim to top that. Establish a practice schedule and keep to it. Your MAT score will be a significant part of your graduate school application, so preparing for must be a priority. Carve out the time you need to brush up on or learn hundreds of terms and master analogy solving. Make it a part of your routine. Take several practice tests. There is no substitute for practicing what you'll have to do on test day. Make sure you complete a minimum of four practice tests before taking the actual test. Keep practicing until you are satisfied with your result. Work on your timing. Learn to invest your time will it will pay off the most. Avoid wasting time on harder questions and the expense of more achievable ones.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Approximately two weeks after taking the MAT test, you will receive an Official Score Report. You will see two important scores, each of which is determined based on the number of questions you answered correctly: Scaled score. This is a standardized score based on how many answers you got right and the difficulty level of the test form. Scaled scores range from 200 to 600. Percentile. This represents the percentage of test takers earning lower than a given score. Percentiles range from 1 to 99. There is no pass or fail score set by the publisher of the MAT. Individual colleges and universities set their own required score ranges. Your MAT fee covers the cost of the Official Score Report and three official transcripts that are sent directly to the institutions of your choice. You must specify where you want your scores sent on testing day.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

The MAT tests your ability to solve analogies that are constructed from a wide variety of knowledge categories. Here's what you can expect when taking the MAT. The MAT has exactly 120 questions, covering the following categories: general knowledge, humanities, mathematics, language, natural science, and social science. Of the 120 questions, only 100 go toward your actual score. The other questions are purely experimental. They are included to indicate to the test publishers if they are valid questions to include in later versions of the test. You will not know which are experimental. The order of difficulty generally increases as the test progresses: the first 40 questions are easier, questions 41 to 80 are harder, and questions 81 to 120 are difficult. Your score is based on how many correct answers you give. You are not penalized for skipping a question and there is no penalty for getting a question wrong.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Here are some tips for what to do – and what not to do – in the final weeks and days before you take on the MAT (Miller Analogies Test). You'll need to do more than hit the books to get into grad school; getting physically and mentally prepared and feeling organized on test day can go a long way toward your success with the MAT. Exercise your body, not just your brain Our bodies often function best when in motion, and exercising the day of the test, or the night before, can relieve pent-up stress, increase blood flow to the brain, and in general, make your body and mind function better. Do something you’re used to – now is not the time to try a totally new exercise routine. Even a 20-minute jog will get your heart rate up enough to give you benefits that will last during the duration of the test. Stretching or yoga can be a great way to relieve stress as well. Be sure you get enough sleep Sleep is crucial for your body and mind to perform at their best. But a common misconception is that it’s important to get a good night’s sleep the night before the test. First, this can be difficult to do. If you’re nervous and excited, you might not sleep well, and there’s no magic trick to falling asleep in that condition. A better idea is to make sure you allow yourself enough time to sleep during the week leading up to the test. That way, the overall quantity of sleep you get will help compensate if you can’t sleep well the night of the test. Get organized the night before the MAT Having to rush, even a little bit, to get to your MAT testing center can really affect your mood. One of the easiest ways you can prepare to have a smooth test day is to prepare everything the evening beforehand. Make sure you have your directions, identification, and anything else you might need for the day of the test. Doing this will decrease your stress, and anything you can do to reduce your stress on the day of the test is worthwhile! Be well fed Even though the MAT is not a long test, it’s a good idea to eat something before you leave the house. If you get hungry during the test, it can be a minor or even a major distraction. Also, if your blood sugar is low from not eating, you may find it more difficult to think clearly. Don’t forget, the MAT will demand a lot of mental energy. If you have a morning test appointment and you don’t normally eat breakfast, you may want to get used to eating something small over the week leading up to the test, so eating is not a shock to your system on the day of the test. Watch out for foods that your body can process extremely quickly, like processed carbohydrates – these can lead to an energy crash if you don’t combine them with foods containing fiber, protein, and/or fat. On test day, don’t study You’ll have enough to worry about on test day without adding studying to the mix. Even if you’re worried about your performance, studying on test-day usually doesn’t accomplish much. Make sure you plan ahead enough to get your game plan down so that you don’t have to worry about remembering it on test day. Studying the day of the test is also a great way to needlessly stress yourself out, so try not to do it. Warm up The purpose of warming up, just like when you warm up before you exercise, is to get things moving before you face your first real MAT question. A good way to warm up is to review some practice questions you’ve already done and answered correctly. Go through the motions, identifying the analogy types, making sentences, and choosing choices. This should help you hit the ground running. If you’re a slow starter in the morning or you tend to struggle with initial questions on practice tests, warming up can be a great idea. Arrive early On the day of the test, make sure you rise early enough to allow yourself plenty of time for your morning routine, as well as time to get to the MAT testing center. Checking in can take time, especially on a weekend test date — and you don’t want to have to worry about being turned away because you’re late for your appointment. Getting to the center early will also give you some time to chill out and relax instead of having to hustle into the test room without any time to collect yourself. Review how many questions you can skip Unless you’re a super-genius and you’re legitimately trying for a perfect score on the MAT, you probably will not be spending time on every question. Yes, you have to answer each question, but in order to pick up the maximum number of points that you possibly can, you need to know about how many questions you can skip. To figure this out, you’ll need to review your practice tests and determine the average number of wrong answers on the last two or three. That number is, more or less, the number of questions you’ll be either skipping or spending a minimal amount of time on during the real MAT. This strategy is designed to employ your time where it will earn you the most points. The questions you’ll be skipping should be ones you’ve identified as weak content areas of yours, and will be more likely to appear later in the test (because the order of difficulty increases as the test progresses). Write it down During the real MAT, you may be tempted to forgo writing down your analogy structures and sentences because you’re worried about timing. However, what’s more important to you – finishing the test on time or getting the questions you work on right? To ensure that you accurately answer MAT questions that you’re capable of answering correctly, it’s well worth it to write down the analogy’s structural type and your sentence describing the presented relationship (assuming you can identify these things). It only takes a few extra seconds, and actually buys you more time in the long run because the analogy will now be easier and quicker to think about. Don’t rush or second guess On the day of the test, many test-takers either rush or second guess themselves to one degree or another. If you do a question quickly, then get scared you made a mistake and go back and redo it, you’re probably wasting valuable time. Or, if you’re taking technique shortcuts and continually checking the time, you may be rushing and getting questions wrong that you could be getting right. Work carefully, but trust yourself.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Luckily, you don’t need to be a scientist to do well with MAT science analogies. To do well on the chemistry part of MAT, you just need to know the basics of chemistry and the periodic table, a chart that organizes all the known elements according to their properties. Instead of memorizing the whole table, memorize just the following terms. Actinide: Fifteen metallic elements with the atomic numbers 89–103 Alkali metal: Highly reactive elements; shiny, soft, and silvery Alkaline earth metal: Moderately reactive natural elements; shiny and silvery white Atomic mass: Total mass of protons, neutrons, and electrons in an atom Atomic number: Number of protons in the nucleus of an atom Chemical symbol: One- or two-letter code for a chemical element Halogen: Series of very reactive nonmetals Isotope: Variant of a chemical element; protons are the same, but neutrons vary Lanthanide: Fifteen metallic elements with the atomic numbers 57–71 Mass number: Total number of protons and neutrons in a nucleus Metal: Element that is a good conductor of electricity and heat Metalloid: Elements that are a mix between metals and nonmetals Noble gas: Six odorless, colorless gases with low reactivity Nonmetal: Group of elements that are poor conductors of heat and electricity; dull and brittle Periodic table: Display of the chemical elements Post-transition metal: Metals to the right of transition elements on the periodic table Rare earth element: Seventeen elements; lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium Transition metal: Familiar metals such as iron, nickel, copper, and gold

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Whether you love the intricacies of politics or loathe them, you need to brush up on political science knowledge for the MAT. When studying for the MAT, you may find that’s interesting to learn more about what makes the wheels of government turn. Political science deals with governments and politics, as well as with the systems involved with these entities. To prepare for this content area on the MAT, you need to know the basics of the U.S. government and U.S. politics, as well as be familiar with some important political figures from history. Political science terms that appear on the MAT test Brush up on your political science knowledge by studying these terms and their definitions. Amendment: Alteration of a law Aristocracy: Government ruled by a small group of (usually elite) citizens Authoritarianism: A government in which authority rests with a small group of politicians and society is generally submissive to that authority Autocracy: Government in which all political power rests with one person Cabinet: High-ranking executive branch officials Conservative: Someone who believes in retaining traditional institutions Constitutionalism: Government limited by fundamental laws Democracy: Type of government in which citizens have a say in decisions Détente: Relaxed political and military tensions during the Cold War Dictator: Ruler with complete power Domino theory: Idea that, if one country becomes communist, its neighbors will follow Election: Process in which voters choose their leaders Electoral college: People appointed by each state who elect the President of the United States Fascism: Radical authoritarian political ideology in which people are united by national identity and the state seeks to eradicate foreign influences Federalism: Government that divides power between a central authority and smaller divisions Habeas corpus: A person under arrest must be brought before a judge thereby preventing unlawful detention, translation of Latin: “you have the body” Impeachment: Formal process by which an official is accused of illegal activity Jury: Group of people who come to a decision in a courtroom trial Liberal: Someone who believes in increasing freedom and equality Nationalism: Ideology in which people strongly identify with their country Pluralism: Nongovernment entities exert influence on the government and have the belief that there should be diverse and competing centers of power in society Propaganda: Communication that tries to influence people to side with an issue Red Scare: Two periods of anti-communism in the United States Separation of powers: Government divided into branches Totalitarianism: Government that controls every possible aspect of life War Powers Resolution: Prevents the President of the United States from entering a war without approval from Congress Important figures in the field of politics The following lists important people in the field of political science you should become familiar with before taking the MAT. Aldrich, John: American political scientist who wrote the book Why Parties? The Origin and Transformation of Political Parties in America, it asserts that parties exist for politicians to achieve their personal desires Allison, Graham: American political scientist who analyzed government decision making in times of crisis Hartz, Louis: American political scientist and proponent of American exceptionalism — the belief that America is different from other countries and has an obligation to spread democracy around the world Huntington, Samuel P.: American political scientist who wrote Clash of Civilizations, asserts that in the post-Cold War world conflicts will be caused by the cultural and religious beliefs that people identify with Machiavelli, Niccolò: Italian founder of modern political science; wrote The Prince Sartori, Giovanni: Italian political scientist and expert on comparative politics Scott, Dred: Slave in the United States who sued for his freedom

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Mass, velocity, acceleration — yep, it’s time to review all the physics you learned in high school and prepare for the MAT (Miller Analogies Test). For the MAT, getting familiar with physics doesn’t entail learning any complicated equations. You just have to remember some physics terms and learn about some famous physicists. These lists help you remember the basics. Physics terms that appear on the MAT test Brush up on your physics by studying these terms and their definitions. Acceleration: Rate at which velocity changes with time Acoustics: Science that deals with the study of mechanical waves Adhesion: Tendency for different types of particles to cling together Aerodynamics: Study of the motion of air when it interacts with solid objects Alloy: Metallic mixture of two different elements Alternating current: Movement of electric charge that reverses direction Ampere: Unit of electric current Angstrom: One ten-billionth of a meter Astronomical unit: Distance from Earth to the sun Background radiation: Ionizing radiation that is always present in Earth’s atmosphere Big bang: Model that explains the early development of the universe Binary star: Star system with two stars orbiting around each other Black hole: Region of space where gravity prevents everything from escaping Boson: Fundamental particle Buoyancy: Upward force that opposes the weight of a submerged object Celsius: Scale and measurement unit for temperature Centripetal force: Force that makes something follow a curved path Cohesion: Tendency for like particles to cling together Density: Mass per volume Dew point: Temperature at which water vapor condenses to liquid water Displacement: Fluid moving out of the way when an object is placed in it Doppler effect: Change in the frequency of a wave when the observer moves Drag: Air resistance or fluid resistance Elasticity: Property of an object returning to its original shape after a force is applied Endothermic: Reaction in which the system absorbs energy from its surroundings Equilibrium: A system in balance Exothermic: Reaction in which the system releases energy Farad: Unit of capacitance Fission: Process in which the nucleus of an atom splits into smaller parts Force: Mass times acceleration Friction: Force resisting the motion of materials sliding against each other Fusion: Process in which multiple atomic nuclei join to create a larger nucleus Gamma ray: Electromagnetic radiation of high frequency General relativity: Einstein’s theory of gravitation Hertz: Unit of frequency, defined as cycles per second Inertia: Resistance of an object to change in its motion Joule: Unit of heat Lever: Simple machine consisting of a beam pivoting on a hinge Light: Electromagnetic radiation visible to the human eye Mass: Amount of matter in a body Matter: Anything that has mass and volume Momentum: Mass times velocity Neutrino: Neutral elementary particle Ohm: Unit of electrical resistance Pendulum: Suspended weight that can swing on a pivot Photon: Elementary particle of light Pneumatics: Application of pressurized gas to affect motion Pressure: Ratio of force to area Pulley: Simple machine; a wheel on an axle that moves a cable along its circumference Quantum mechanics: Physics dealing with atomic and subatomic particles Supernova: Explosion of a star Temperature: Physical property that expresses notions of hot and cold Torque: Tendency of a force to rotate an object on an axis Transducer: Device that converts energy from one form to another Uncertainty principle: Principle that the position and momentum of a particle cannot be simultaneously known Vacuum: Space that is empty of matter Watt: Unit of power Important figures in the field of physics The following lists important people in the field of physics you should become familiar with before taking the MAT. Ampere, Andre-Marie: French founder of classical electromagnetism Archimedes: Ancient Greek scientist known for hydrostatics Becquerel, Antoine Henri: French physicist who helped discover radioactivity Bernoulli, Daniel: Swiss physicist who worked on fluid dynamics Bohr, Niels: Danish physicist who contributed to quantum mechanics Einstein, Albert: German physicist known for general and special relativity Faraday, Michael: English scientist known for work in electromagnetism Fermi, Enrico: Italian-American physicist who developed the nuclear reactor Galileo: Italian astronomer and father of modern physics Heisenberg, Werner: German physicist credited for creating quantum mechanics Newton, Isaac: English physicist who described three laws of motion Planck, Max: German physicist who came up with quantum theory Tesla, Nikola: Serbian-American known for contributions to alternating current electricity