About the GMAT--Graduate Management Admission Test

The Graduate Management Admission Test is an exam required by business schools. Anyone who applies to MBA, EMBA, MAcct, or Ph.D. programs in business administration, marketing, and accounting must take the GMAT. The GMAT tests critical thinking skills with written, verbal, and quantitative subtests. Since business professionals need to have sharp analytical skills, MBA programs will look carefully at your GMAT scores because they reflect business aptitude.

The GMAT is similar to the GRE, though there are some structural and content differences. Before you take the GMAT, you should learn more about the content, format, and structure of the exam.

GMAT Structure

The GMAT has 3 timed sections with an optional break between sections. There are no experimental sections on the GMAT, so you don't have to worry about wasting your time on a section that may not even be scored.

Analytical Writing: This section consists of an Issue Essay in which you present your view on an issue, and an Argument Essay, in which you analyze the logical flaws in a given proposal. For each essay you have 30 minutes to plan and write your response.

Verbal Reasoning: This section consists of sentence correction, critical reasoning (short arguments), and reading comprehension; all questions are multiple choice with 5 answer choices. The total number of questions is 41, and the total time is 75 minutes.

Quantitative Reasoning: This section has 37 multiple choice questions with 5 answer choices each. Most of the questions are problem solving questions that require algebra, arithmetic, geometry, and logic to figure out. The remaining GMAT quantitative questions are called "data sufficiency" questions. In these questions, you are presented with a problem that cannot be solved with the information given. Your task is to determine to what extent some extra pieces of data will help you solve the problem. The answers to data sufficiency questions are not always intuitive, but only high school math is needed to solve the problems.You can read more about GMAT data sufficiency here. The total time for the math section is 75 minutes.

GMAT Scoring

Each essay is scored on a scale of 0 to 6, and the scores for both essays are averaged. Thus, the total writing section score ranges from 0 to 6 with half point increments.

The math and verbal sections of the GMAT are each scored on a scale of 0 to 60. For all but a few test takers, the section scaled score will fall between 9 and 51 for the GMAT quantitative section, and between 7 and 46 for the GMAT verbal section. o and 60 are theoretical bounds. These two scaled scores are combined into a single composite score that ranges from 200 to 800, with 10 point increments.

The formula used to convert the section scores into the final score is a secret guarded by the developers of the GMAT, however, the percentile of your final score will be somewhere between the percentiles of your verbal and math scaled scores. For example, if you receive a quantitative score of 40 and a verbal score of 40, your percentiles are about 89% and 59% respectively. With scaled scores of 40 and 40, your total score is about 650, which is around the 80th percentile.

GMAT Computer Adaptive Format

The GMAT is given in the computer adaptive format. The test algorithm works by giving you a harder question whenever you answer a question correctly, and an easier question whenever you answer something wrong. At the beginning of the GMAT, the algorithm swings more widely while the test tries to hone in on your ability level; toward the end of the exam, the difficulty leve should not vary that much. Your score depends on the number and difficultly level of questions you answer correctly.

Some things to keep in mind while taking the GMAT:
  • You cannot skip questions; you must select an answer for each question before you can do the next.
  • You cannot go back and change you answers or view previous questions.
  • Not finishing the GMAT before time runs out hurts your score much more than if you answer the last several questions incorrectly.

If you get stuck in the middle of the test, or have several questions left and only a minute left on the clock, the best strategy is to guess quickly and make sure you can finish ever question.

Resources

As reasonably priced study guides, these books offer the most bang for your buck. If you are considering the Kaplan GMAT Advanced book, keep in mind that this book is intended for students who are scoring at least 650 on GMAT practice tests. This book is filled with extra-difficult problems if you are aiming for at least 750. If you need more basic review, choose a different comprehensive guide, such as the Official Guide series, which is published by the makers of the GMAT.
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