The GMAT - The Graduate Management Admission Test

About the GMAT

Planning on getting an MBA .Then you definitely need to prepare for the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). The GMAT is a requirement of most graduate business schools in the United States and Canada.

GMAT Structure

The GMAT is divided into three sections: the Analytical Writing Assessment, a Verbal section, and a Quantitative section. The Analytical Writing Assessment always comes first. However, the Verbal and Quantitative sections can appear in either order.

Your performance on the Verbal and Quantitative sections results in a combined scaled score ranging from 200-800 points. Your performance on the Analytical Writing Assessment results in a separate scaled score ranging from 0.0-6.0 points.

The exam measures your verbal and mathematical reasoning skills. The test is composed of 3 sections:

Analytical Writing

Analytical Writing Assessment(AWA)
Length	60 minutes
Format	Typed Essay
# Questions	2 (30 minutes each)
Question Types	Issue Task Argument Task
Topics Tested	Analysis of an Issue Analysis of an Argument

The GMAT always begins with the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA). In the AWA, you must write two separate essays: an Issue essay and an Argument Essay.

You get thirty minutes to complete each essay, and the two essays can appear in either order on your test. For both essays, you must analyze a topic and compose your essay using a basic word processing program. However, because the two essays require you to complete different tasks, it is important to read the directions for each essay.

For the Analysis of an Issue task, you must address a statement that expresses a given opinion or idea about something. In your essay, you must express your own view, indicating whether you agree or disagree with the statement. It doesn’t matter which side you take. What matters is how well you support your view with relevant examples and clear arguments.

For the Analysis of an Argument task, you must critique the persuasiveness and logic of an argument. Whether you agree or disagree with the argument doesn’t matter. Again, what matters is that you support your position well.

Verbal

Verbal Section
Length	75 minutes
Format	Multiple Choice
# Questions	41
Question Types	Reading Comprehension Sentence Correction Critical Reasoning
Topics Tested	Analytical reasoning Grammar Reading

The GMAT Verbal section contains 41 questions and lasts 75 minutes. All questions are multiple choice. The Verbal section contains three question types.

Critical Reasoning questions require you to evaluate, analyze, and critique arguments.
Sentence Correction questions test your ability to detect and correct grammatical errors in formal written English.
Reading Comprehension questions require you to understand the topic, scope, purpose, and structure of academic passages drawn from the arts and sciences.

Quantitative

Quantitative Section
Length	75 minutes
Format	Multiple Choice
# Questions	37
Question Types	Problem Solving Data Sufficiency
Topics Tested	Arithmetic and number properties Algebra Geometry Word problems Probability and statistics

The GMAT Quantitative section contains two question types.

Problem Solving questions are regular math problems with five answer choices.
For Data Sufficiency questions, you must determine how much information is necessary to solve a particular problem.

Both Problem Solving and for Data Sufficiency questions test a rather limited range of fairly basic mathematical concepts:

Arithmetic, such as number properties, fractions, averages, ratios and rates, and probability.
Basic algebra.
Basic geometry, including lines, triangles, polygons, and circles.
Data analysis, such as standard deviations.

Mastering the GMAT Quantitative section requires practice. Many test takers who are great at math score poorly on the GMAT, not because they’re not good at math, but because they don’t know how to apply their math knowledge to the types of questions that appear on the test.

Your GMAT Score
As soon as you complete the GMAT, you will have the option of either canceling your score (in which case neither you nor anyone else will ever know how you did on the test) or accepting your results. If you accept your test results, you will see your scaled score immediately. However, you must wait a few weeks before receiving your results on the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) by mail, as a real person actually grades the essays.

Scores you will see on your GMAT score report:
- Overall scaled GMAT score (200-800 points)
  Your combined performance on the Verbal and Quantitative sections results in onesingle scaled score ranging from aminimum of 200 to a maximum of 800 points, reported in 10 point increments.
- Scaled Verbal and Quantitative subscores (0-60 points)
  Although scaled subscores ranging from 0-60 points will also be reported for the Verbal and Quantitative sections, most graduate business schools are primarily concerned with your overall GMAT score.
- A GMAT percentile score (1-99)
  Because the GMAT is graded on a preset curve, you will also receive a corresponding percentile score ranging from 1-99 that represents the percentage of all test takers who scored lower than you on the test. For example, a scaled score of 670 corresponds to the 90th percentile, indicating that the test taker scored better than 90 percent of all other test takers. The median GMAT score is 530 and corresponds to the 50th percentile. Your percentile score is important because graduate business school admissions officers can use it to get a quick idea of where you rank in the overall applicant pool.
- Scaled AWA score (1.0-6.0)
  Your performance on the AWA results in a scaled score ranging from 1.0-6.0 points, which is reported in 0.5 point increments (possible AWA scores are 4.0, 4.5, or 5.0 points, for example). This score is separate from your overall GMAT score, and in most cases plays a relatively small role in business school admission decisions.
How to Register for the GMAT

Registering for the GMAT is fairly straightforward. Although you can register by mail or over the telephone, the easiest way to register for the test is online at the GMAT website. The current registration fee is $250, which is most easily paid by credit card, although the test maker will also accept money orders, certified checks, and personal checks.

An important note about registering for the GMAT: you may only register for the test once every 30 days, up to 5 times per 12 month period. But be aware that taking the GMAT several times and hoping to get lucky is a very bad idea, as most graduate business schools take the average of all your scores, and not the top score. Therefore, you are much better off being very well prepared before taking the test, taking the test only once, and achieving a high score.

To be directed to the official GMAT registration website, click here.