The Graduate Management Admission Test (commonly known as the GMAT) is a high stakes admissions exam for people looking to get into Masters in Business Administration (MBA) programs. Think of it like the SAT or ACT, but for business graduate schools. In the competitive landscape of MBA education, the GMAT is the standard measure of …
The Graduate Management Admission Test (commonly known as the GMAT) is a high stakes admissions exam for people looking to get into Masters in Business Administration (MBA) programs. Think of it like the SAT or ACT, but for business graduate schools. In the competitive landscape of MBA education, the GMAT is the standard measure of academic readiness and intellectual aptitude. For those with aspirations in the realms of business or management, this assessment is the primary benchmark that unlocks the doors to top-tier educational institutions. Success in the GMAT is a stamp of readiness for the academic rigors and real-world challenges waiting for you in a top-tier MBA program.
The GMAT is the only standardized test dedicated to business school admissions. While you can also take the GRE for MBA admissions, the GRE is a more general test used in graduate admissions of all kinds. GMAC, the company behind the GMAT, has also produced a new test called the GMAT Focus. This article will primarily focus on the standard GMAT and will only touch on the new, shorter GMAT Focus edition.
This article is meant to serve as your guide to navigate the GMAT. Our goal is to equip you with the knowledge and confidence needed to understand and conquer the exam.
The GMAT was designed specifically for MBA admissions. The GMAT was crafted to assess a candidate’s readiness for the rigorous academic demands of MBA programs by evaluating critical thinking, analytical skills, and aptitude for business studies.
The GMAT exam has four distinct sections: Analytical Writing Assessment, Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Verbal Reasoning. These sections assess the skills crucial for success in graduate management programs.
Quantitative Reasoning
Quantitative Reasoning tests your math proficiency, problem solving, and data interpretation. From algebra to data analysis, this section assesses your ability to navigate numerical complexities, crucial for managerial decision-making and strategic planning in business.
Verbal Reasoning
Verbal Reasoning evaluates language proficiency, critical reasoning, and comprehension skills—essentials for effective communication and strategic thinking. It encompasses reading comprehension, critical reasoning, and sentence correction, honing skills vital for thriving in a business environment where articulation and logical reasoning are paramount.
Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA)
The AWA segment tests candidates’ abilities to analyze and critique arguments effectively. It’s not merely about essay writing; it’s about articulating coherent and persuasive arguments within a structured timeframe. This section hones critical thinking and communication skills—vital attributes for aspiring business leaders who need to convey complex ideas succinctly.
Integrated Reasoning (IR)
IR evaluates candidates’ capacity to decipher and synthesize information from diverse sources—charts, graphs, tables—making informed decisions. It’s a real-world simulation of the challenges faced in today’s data-driven business landscape. Mastering this section is crucial as it mirrors the multifaceted decision-making required in modern business scenarios.
Note that the Integrated Reasoning section is scored on a separate scale from the Quantitative Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning sections, and is often considered ancillary to the “core” GMAT. Therefore, people do not spend as much time studying for this section.
The new GMAT Focus elevates the Integrated Reasoning section, named Data Insights in the new exam, to be equivalent to the Quantitative Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning sections. This is the primary content difference between the GMAT and GMAT Focus.
Each content area on the GMAT exam tests the skills needed for success in graduate management programs. These sections don’t merely test academic knowledge but mirror the multifaceted challenges that you will face in real-world business scenarios.
The GMAT, including optional breaks, takes approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes to complete. However, the actual test time, excluding breaks, is around 3 hours and 7 minutes.
Section | Format | Timing | Subjects |
|---|---|---|---|
Quantitative | 31 multiple–choice questions - No calculators allowed | 62 minutes | Arithmetic, algebra and basic geometry |
Verbal | 36 multiple-choice questions | 65 minutes | Grammar, logic skills, and short and long passage comprehension |
Integrated Reasoning | 12 multiple-choice questions (most include multiple parts within each question) - calculator provided | 30 minutes | Data presented in various charts, graphs, and tables |
Analytical Writing Assessment | 1 essay topic | 30 minutes | Analysis of an argument on Business or a topic of general interest |
By contrast, the GMAT Focus is 2 hours and 15 minutes with one optional 10-minute break.
Section | Format | Timing | Subjects |
|---|---|---|---|
Quantitative | 21 multiple–choice questions - No calculators allowed | 45 minutes | Arithmetic, algebra and basic geometry |
Verbal | 23 multiple-choice questions | 45 minutes | Logic skills, and short and long passage comprehension |
Data Insights | 20 multiple-choice questions (most include multiple parts within each question) - calculator provided | 45 minutes | Data presented in various charts, graphs, and tables, testing quant, verbal, and analytical skills |
The price of the GMAT will vary a little based on your location, but is generally around $300.
In the United States, the online version of the GMAT costs $300 USD, while the testing-center version costs $275 USD. These prices include the option to send score reports to up to five programs of your choice.
For other countries, you can look up the pricing in your country on the official GMAT website.
The difficulty of the GMAT can vary for different people based on their strengths, preparation, and familiarity with the test format. For some, it might be challenging due to its time constraints, adaptive nature, and the range of skills it evaluates.
Annually, over 200,000 individuals take the GMAT. The exam itself is challenging, and with so many other candidates taking the exam each year, it’s very important to prepare in order to score well enough to be competitive in top business programs.
The GMAT is not structured like a typical exam, and its complexity extends even beyond the other major graduate school entrance exam – the GRE. The GMAT exam adapts its difficulty with every question that you encounter, based on whether you get it right or wrong. This means that if you get questions correct, you will start to see harder and harder questions. The most difficult GMAT questions are very challenging for even the smartest test takers. This also adds an additional challenge in preparing for the GMAT – if you’re going for a top score, you need to not only study and practice the standard GMAT questions, you also need to prepare for the challenging and specialized questions on the high end of the difficulty curve.
The GMAT’s questions measure your ability to think critically and apply reason to solve complex problems, utilizing logic problems and complex concepts as the context for each question. This means that you cannot just prepare your basic math and verbal skills, but also train in deciphering complicated statements and pulling out necessary information needed to understand the questions at hand. The GMAT website has prep materials for practicing before you take your exam.
It is also crucial to take practice exams and complete as many practice problems as possible. One major barrier for many people taking the exam is that it is a very long exam, but you will only have about 2 minutes on average to complete each question. This creates a stressful environment that will create burnout quickly if you have not trained the necessary endurance. Luckily, you can train yourself in this regard, just as you would train physical endurance. Preparation is key!
Finally, one factor that can often contribute to exam-day stress is the testing environment. You have the option to take the test at either an approved testing center or online from your home. There are slight differences to which option you choose, but the test itself will be identical. Either option comes with its own pros and cons.
Ultimately, the GMAT exam is considered difficult, long, and even uncomfortable. Setting yourself up for success with strong preparation is the best thing you can do to ace the test.
The GMAT Focus is a new version of the classic GMAT exam. It is used alongside the standard GMAT as the key exam used for admission to MBA and other graduate management programs. Below is a brief comparison between the standard GMAT and the GMAT Focus:
GMAT | GMAT Focus |
|---|---|
4 Sections: Quantitative Verbal Integrated Reasoning AWA Essay | 3 Sections: Quantitative Verbal Data Insights |
Timing: 3 hours and 30 minutes | Timing: 2 hours and 15 minutes |
Adaptive Sections: Quant and Verbal | Adaptive Sections: All sections |
Scoring: 200-800 | Scoring: 205-805 |
Note that GMAT Focus scores will always end in 5, while classic GMAT scores will always end in 0.
The GMAT Focus’ Data Insights section is most similar to the Integrated Reasoning section on the original GMAT test. However, unlike in the original GMAT (where Integrated Reasoning is an afterthought), the Data Insights section gets equal weight to the Quantitative and Verbal sections.
As far as subjects to study, the GMAT Focus no longer tests on grammar and geometry. The Integrated Reasoning section has now also been reinvented- with a longer section coined “Data Insights.”
Whereas in the original GMAT exam, test takers have three options on how they can take the exam, in the Focus Edition, test takers are free to choose any section order from all 6 possible combinations.
Verbal – Quantitative – Data Insights
Verbal – Data Insights – Quantitative
Quantitative – Verbal – Data Insights
Quantitative – Data Insights – Verbal
Data Insights – Quantitative – Verbal
Data Insights – Verbal – Quantitative
Both exams are similar in content and from the same reputable company, GMAC, so you should choose the exam that works best for your strengths. Before you decide to take the GMAT Focus, make sure to check if the programs you are applying to accept those scores.
The GMAT is scored from 200 to 800, with 200 being the lowest score and 800 being the highest score. Your total GMAT score is based on your raw scores from just the Quantitative Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning sections. The Integrated Reasoning and Analytical Writing Assessment scores are separate and do not contribute to the 200-800 score.
The way that the GMAT calculates this score is similar to other standardized tests. First, you will have a ‘raw score’ for each section, which is the number of questions you got right or wrong out of the total. This is weighted by the difficulty of each question – especially important for the GMAT because the test adapts its difficulty as you go – and then measured against the full body of test takers to give you your ‘scaled score’. This is the 200-800 score that you see.
Section | Scoring Range | Scoring Intervals | Average Scores |
|---|---|---|---|
Quantitative | 6 - 51 | Scores are reported in intervals of 1 | 42.07 |
Verbal | 6 - 51 | Scores are reported in intervals of 1 | 27.8 |
Integrated Reasoning | 1 - 8 | Scores are reported in intervals of 1 | 4.67 |
Analytical Writing Assessment | 0.0 - 6.0 | Scores are reported in intervals of 0.5 | 4.42 |
TOTAL | 200 - 800 | Scores are reported in intervals of 10 | 582.34 |
However, more important than your score is what it means in the context of other test takers. You want to have your score be at least average for the program you’re applying to, if possible. This will make sure your score doesn’t hurt your application. GMAT scores well above the average of the school you’re applying to will help your application.
On a national level, the best way to think about your score is to compare it to test takers nationwide through what is called ‘percentiles’. A percentile means “what % of test takers does this score beat?”, so as you can see below, a 740 GMAT score is better than the score that 97% of test takers got. See below for the full percentile list:
GMAT Score | GMAT Percentile |
|---|---|
800 | 99% |
790 | 99% |
780 | 99% |
770 | 99% |
760 | 99% |
750 | 98% |
740 | 97% |
730 | 96% |
720 | 94% |
710 | 90% |
700 | 87% |
690 | 84% |
680 | 80% |
670 | 78% |
660 | 74% |
650 | 70% |
640 | 64% |
630 | 62% |
620 | 58% |
610 | 54% |
600 | 50% |
To effectively prepare for the GMAT, you will need to review all of the content covered in the test, take ample practice questions and practice exams, and make sure to re-review what you’re getting wrong. Beyond that, the other crucial element is time management. Creating a study timeline tailored to your needs is key. While the ideal duration varies for each individual, experts recommend dedicating a minimum of 3-6 months for thorough preparation. In terms of actual time, we recommend you plan to spend at least 100 hours studying, which is 8 hours per week over 3 months or 4 hours per week over 6 months.
Be sure to craft a study plan that balances consistent learning with practice tests closer to the exam date. While there is no one way to study for the exam, below is an example 12 week timeline of a standard study approach:
In addition to the schedule above, we have a few tips to help you:
We hope this helps you effectively prepare for the GMAT!
Once you’ve decided to take the GMAT, start by making an account on MBA.com – the official GMAT website.
The GMAT test dates are available throughout the year, giving you the flexibility to choose a slot that aligns with your study schedule and application deadlines. It’s crucial to plan ahead, as the most popular test centers can book out during peak periods.
When registering for the GMAT, make sure your name exactly matches your GMAT registration. Otherwise you will not be permitted to take the test on test day.
You can take the GMAT at a test center or online from home. Wherever you choose to take the exam, the format and questions are identical. The only difference is that the in-center version allows you to print out an Enhanced Score Report, and the at-home version will have additional requirements around your webcam and room to ensure that you’re not cheating. See the GMAT website for more information about the at-home online test requirements.
Plan to arrive at the test center at least 30 minutes prior to your exam start time. There will be a check-in process, and some centers will have other exams starting at the same time, so lines may take some time. You also do not want to be rushing as that can increase your anxiety and put you in a bad mental spot right as you’re about to take the test.
Bring a valid photo ID that complies with your local ID requirements. This will be your pass in and out of the testing room.
You will have the opportunity to select up to five schools to send your scores to for free before taking the exam, so be ready with schools you plan to apply to. After this period, or if you want to send your score to more programs, you can send additional score reports for a fee.
Once you complete your exam, you will be able to view your estimated scores. These are your GMAT unofficial scores and you will have two minutes to accept or cancel your exam. If you choose to keep your scores, your official GMAT score will be available to you within 20 days from the date of the exam.
If you accept your unofficial scores on the test date, GMAC will send your official scores to the universities you chose on that test date. Canceled GMAT scores do not appear on the score report and the GMAC will not send it to your chosen universities.
You will have up to five years to send your scores to any additional schools for a fee (currently $35). This can be done via the GMAT website.
The GMAT can be taken no more than five times in a year. That means five attempts in 12 rolling months. In addition to this restriction, students can only take the GMAT a total of eight times in a lifetime.
GMAT scores are valid for up to five years after you take the exam and choose to keep your scores. This means that you can send your GMAT scores to business schools for up to five years from the date you took the test.
Conquering the GMAT isn’t just about acing a test; it’s about unlocking doors to business schools and paving the way for a successful career in business and management. From explaining the test content to understanding scoring and percentile rankings, hopefully this guide has demystified the GMAT and helped you prepare for this important exam.
