Admissions

The 2026 APS process timeline: when to book your dMAT

Updated 23 August 2026 · 6 min read · DMAT Club


The APS process with dMAT confuses people because the dMAT was inserted into a process that already existed, mid-cycle. It is not a separate application track. It is one more document inside APS — but a document with its own registration window, its own fee, its own test centres and its own deadlines, none of which move to accommodate you.

Dates below are for the 2026 cycle and were correct at the time of writing. This is a first-year exam and the schedule can change. Confirm every date against the official APS India and g.a.s.t. portals before acting.

The 2026 dMAT calendar

  • 29 June 2026 — dMAT introduced by APS India; registration opens.
  • 15 September 2026 — registration closes.
  • 26 September 2026 — exam day.
  • 12 October 2026 — results.

Note the gap that catches people out: registration closes eleven days before the exam. Miss 15 September and there is nothing to be done on 16 September, whatever your circumstances. And no second sitting has been confirmed for this cycle, so the assumption that you can try again in a couple of months has no published basis.

Do you need it at all?

The dMAT applies only if all four are true:

  1. You are applying for a Master's programme.
  2. Your intake is Summer Semester 2027 or later.
  3. Your bachelor's is in engineering (including CS and IT), commerce, accounting, finance, economics, business or management.
  4. Your APS process began on or after 29 June 2026.

On the fourth point, the submission date is what counts, not the date your degree certificate was issued. If you registered with APS or posted documents before 29 June 2026, you are exempt.

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Booking a centre: first come, first served

Test centres operate in ten cities: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Kolkata, Mananthavady, Mumbai, New Delhi, Pune. There is no at-home option.

Seats are allocated first come, first served, with no waitlist. If your city fills, your options are travelling or missing the cycle. Book as early as you can rather than as late as you are allowed — the deadline governs registration, not seat availability, and those are different constraints.

Budget for both fees

  • dMAT: €150, roughly ₹16,400 to ₹16,600 depending on the rate, paid directly to g.a.s.t.
  • APS: ₹18,000, separate.

Around ₹34,500 in total. Pay the exam fee only through the official portal. No preparation provider should ever handle your registration or your exam fee, and one offering to is a warning sign.

A sensible order of operations

  1. Confirm applicability against the four criteria. If your degree is a borderline case such as BCA or B.Sc Data Science, email APS India and get it in writing.
  2. Register and book your centre early, while your preferred city still has seats.
  3. Sit a full timed mock straight away, before studying anything. The Core Module formats are unfamiliar to almost every Indian graduate, and you want to find out where you stand while there is still time to act on it.
  4. Work on your weakest subtest, under real conditions: on screen, timed, with nothing to write on.
  5. Keep one full mock unopened for the final week and sit it as a dress rehearsal.

The window nobody plans for

Most candidates stop preparing once registration closes, as though the deadline were the finish line. It is not — there are still eleven days between 15 and 26 September, and they are the most valuable preparation days you get, because by then you know for certain that you are sitting the exam and exactly when. Plan to use them.

Practise it, do not just read about it

Everything above is a method, and a method you have only read is worth very little at 75 seconds a question. The only way it becomes usable is repetition under a clock, on a screen, with nothing to write on.

That is exactly what DMAT Club is. Mock 1 is free with an account — a full 56-question Core Module paper with enforced per-subtest timers. The full bundle carries 280 unique questions across five mocks with zero repeats, and every single item comes with a worked solution that derives the answer: the movement rule behind each figure, the substitution order for each equation, the forced deductions for each grid. No PDFs, no scanned answer keys.

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Frequently asked questions

When does dMAT registration close for 2026?

Registration for the 2026 cycle closes on 15 September 2026, with the exam on 26 September 2026 and results on 12 October 2026. Confirm these dates on the official portals, as this is a first-year exam and the schedule can change.

Where can I take the dMAT in India?

Authorised centres operate in ten cities: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Kolkata, Mananthavady, Mumbai, New Delhi and Pune. Seats are first come, first served with no waitlist, and there is no at-home option.

How much does the dMAT cost with APS?

The dMAT fee is EUR 150, roughly Rs 16,400 to Rs 16,600, paid directly to g.a.s.t. The APS documentation fee of Rs 18,000 is separate, so budget around Rs 34,500 in total.

Can I retake the dMAT if I do badly?

No second sitting has been confirmed for the 2026 cycle. Results also carry lifetime validity, so plan on the assumption that this is a single attempt and prepare accordingly.

Does the dMAT delay my APS certificate?

The dMAT is an additional document within the APS process rather than a separate track. APS India has confirmed that a low score does not block your certificate, but you do need to produce the document if the criteria apply to you.

Stop reading. Start practising.

A full 56-question dMAT mock with real timers and a worked solution for every item. Free with an account.

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