What is GMAT?

The GMAT stands for Graduate Management Admission Test. It is a 3-1/2 hour standardized exam designed to predict how test-takers will perform academically in MBA (Masters in Business Administration) programs. GMAT scores are used by graduate business schools to make admission decisions.

You might also see the GMAT referred to as the "GMAT CAT"; the acronym CAT stands for "Computer Adaptive Test." The GMAT is administered only by computer now except in certain locations outside North America, where the test is referred to as the "Paper-based" GMAT. Since you’re reading this on the Web, no doubt the GMAT CAT is available wherever you are. According to GMAT Survey, 66% of the test-takers had U.S. addresses at the time of registration in TY 2000, which increased to 68% of test takers in TY 2004. The next largest concentrations in both testing years came from Asia and Western Europe, with approximately 12% and 7% of the test-taker population respectively.

Who Administers the GMAT Test?

The GMAT is a brainchild of the GMAC (Graduate Management Admission Council), which determines what kinds of skills the GMAT should measure and how it should measure them.

When is the GMAT Test held?

All-round-the-year. Unlike other exams, you can choose your own date and time for taking the GMAT! The test is administered five-days-a-week (Monday through Friday), twice-a-day. September to December is the high season for GMAT, so in case you intend to take the test during this period, you need to register very early (say 90 days in advance) to get a date of your choice. Otherwise, registering at least 15 days in advance is mandatory. The test lasts roughly four hours, and most centers offer two slots: 9 A.M. and 2 P.M.

What is a Computer-Adaptive Test?

In a computer-adaptive test, the computer screen displays one question at a time, which is chosen from a very large pool of questions categorized by content and difficulty. The first question is always of a medium difficulty, and each subsequent question is determined by your responses to all the previous questions. In other words, the CAT adjusts itself to your ability level - you’ll get few questions that are either too easy or too difficult for you.

Each question in the GMAT CAT has five answer options, and you are required to select one of these five as the correct answer by clicking on it. A subsequent question is displayed on the screen only after you have answered the previous question, so you cannot skip a question. You cannot also go back to a previously answered question to change your answer. Thus, if you guess a correct answer or answer a question incorrectly by mistake, your answers to subsequent questions will lead you back to questions that are at the appropriate level of difficulty for you.

Content and Format of the GMAT

The test has three distinct sections:

Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA)
Quantitative
Verbal

The Quantitative section has two types of questions, Problem Solving and Data Sufficiency, mingled throughout the section. The Verbal Section has three types: Sentence Correction, Critical Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension; here too, the questions of each type appear in no specific sequence. There are a total of 78 questions, 37 in Quantitative (Including 9 Experimental Questions) and 41 in Verbal. These have to be done in 75 minutes each.

• The analytical writing sections of the test measure the ability to think critically and communicate complex ideas through writing. There are two 30 minute essays—1 task is to analyze an issue; the other is to analyze an argument.
• Analysis of Issue: Students are required to present their perspective/opinion on an issue.
  Analysis of Argument: Students are required to analyze a given argument.
• The quantitative sections of the test measure basic mathematical skills and understanding of elementary concepts, and the ability to reason quantitatively, solve quantitative problems, and interpret graphic data. This 75 minute section contains 37 multiple-choice questions (with 5 answer choices per question) of either two question types, Data Sufficiency or Problem Solving.  The verbal sections of the test measure the ability to understand and evaluate what is read and to recognize the basic conventions of standard written English. This 75 minute section contains 41 multiple choice questions (with 5 answer choices per question) of any of three question types, Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning and Sentence Correction.

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