GMAT
Graduate Management Admission Test
The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is used by universities worldwide
as selection standard for admission in various management programs.
The GMAT exam consists of four main sections—
1. Analytical Writing Assessment
2. Integrated Reasoning
3. Quantitative Section
4. Verbal Section
Test Structure & Overview
Test time: Three and a half hours (with optional breaks).
Analytical Writing Assessment Section
This section consists of one 30-minute essay on the analysis of an Argument. This
will be on a general topic.
You have to analyze the reasoning behind the argument and write a critique on it.
You do not have to write your own views on the subject.
Skills Measured:
Ability to formulate an appropriate and constructive critique of a specific conclusion
based on a specific line of thinking.
Analytical Writing Assessment Score
Scores for the AWA range from 0 to 6 in half-point intervals.
|
1. An essay that is deficient.
|
|
2. An essay that is flawed.
|
|
2. An essay that is flawed.
|
|
2. An essay that is flawed.
|
|
2. An essay that is flawed.
|
|
6. An essay that is outstanding.
|
Essays are scored independently twice and then averaged.
Each essay in the AWA section will be given two independent ratings:
1. An automated essay-scoring engine: This is an electronic system that evaluates
more than 50 structural and linguistic features, including organization of ideas,
syntactic variety, and topical analysis.
2. College and university faculty members trained as readers for the AWA: They will
consider the following:
The overall quality of ideas about the argument presented
The overall ability to organize, develop and express those ideas
The relevant supporting reasons and examples used
Ability to control the elements of standard written English
In considering the elements of standard written English, readers are trained to be
sensitive and fair in evaluating the responses of examinees whose first language
is not English. If the two ratings differ by more than one point, another
evaluation by an expert reader is required to resolve the discrepancy and determine
the final score.
Integrated Reasoning Section
This section measures the ability to evaluate information presented in multiple
formats from multiple sources.
Test time: 30 minutes.
Skills Measured:
The skills identified by managemen faculty worldwide as important for a graduate
management student, including:
Synthesizing information presented in graphics, text, and numbers
Evaluating relevant information from different sources
Organizing information to see relationships and to solve multiple, interrelated
problems
Combining and manipulating information to solve complex problems that depend on
information from one or more sources
Question Formats
The Integrated Reasoning section consists of four question types, which have multiple
parts.
1. Graphics Interpretation:
You have to interpret a graph or graphical image. Each question has fill-in-the-blank
statements with pull-down menus; you must choose the options that make the statements
accurate.
2. Two-Part Analysis:
Questions in this section involve two components for a solution. Possible answers
are given in a table format with a column for each component and rows with possible
options. You have to choose one response per column.
3. Table Analysis:
You have to sort the table and organize the data so you can determine whether certain
conditions are met. Each question will have statements with opposing answers (e.g.,
yes/no, true/false, inferable/not inferable).
4. Multi-Source Reasoning:
Questions are accompanied by two to three sources of information presented on tabbed
pages. Test takers click on the tabs and examine all the relevant information, which
may be a combination of text, charts, and tables to answer either traditional multiple-choice
or opposite-answer (e.g., yes/no, true/false) questions.
Questions are designed to measure how well you integrate data to solve complex problems,
so all parts of a single question have to be answered correctly. You are required
to analyze and synthesize data in different formats and from multiple sources.
All answer choices for a single question are presented on the same screen. You must
submit responses to all parts of the question before moving on to a new question
on another screen. Once you answer a question, you may not go back and change the
answer.
Data presented in text are approximately 300 words or fewer.
Answer options don’t provide information or clues that will help you solve other
questions.
One set of data is used for several Multi-Source Reasoning questions, but
the questions are independent of one another—you won’t have to answer one question
correctly to be able to answer another.
Quantitative Section
This section measures the ability to reason quantitatively, solve quantitative problems,
and interpret graphic data.
Two types of multiple-choice questions are used in the Quantitative section:
1. Problem Solving
2. Data Sufficiency
Problem-Solving and Data-Sufficiency questions are intermingled throughout the section.
Both types of questions require knowledge of:
● Arithmetic
● Elementary algebra
● Commonly known concepts of geometry
Skills measured:
Problem-Solving Questions
This measures the ability to:
● Reason quantitatively, solve quantitative problems, and interpret graphic
data
● Understand problems involving arithmetic, elementary algebra, and common
geometry concepts
● Evaluate the amount of information needed to solve quantitative problems
Data-Sufficiency Questions
This measures the ability to:
● Analyze a quantitative problem
● Recognize which information is relevant
● Determine at what point there is sufficient information to solve a problem
Verbal Section
The verbal section measures:
● ability to read and comprehend written material
● reason and evaluate arguments
● correct written material to conform to standard written English
Question types
Three types of multiple-choice questions are used.
1. Reading Comprehension
2. Critical Reasoning
3. Sentence Correction
Reading Comprehension Questions
Comprehension passages are up to 350 words long. They are on subjects such as the
social sciences, physical or biological sciences, and business-related areas (marketing,
economics, human resource management, etc.). Answers are based on the given material
and no specific subject knowledge is required. Interpretive, applied, and inferential
questions are asked.
Skills Measured
Reading Comprehension questions measure your ability to understand, analyze, and
apply information and concepts presented in written form.
This section evaluates the following abilities:
●
Understanding words and statements in reading passages:
Your understanding of and ability to comprehend terms used in the passage understanding
of the English language is tested.
●
Understanding the logical relationships between significant points and concepts
in the reading passages:
You will have to determine the strong and weak points of an argument or evaluate
the importance of arguments and ideas in a passage.
●
Drawing inferences from facts and statements in the reading passages:
You have to reach a general conclusion on the basis of factual statements or information
given to you.
●
Understanding and following the development of quantitative concepts as they
are presented in verbal material:
You have to interpret numerical data or use simple arithmetic to reach conclusions
about the matter you are given.
Critical Reasoning Questions The questions to test the reasoning skills involved
in making arguments, evaluating arguments, and formulating or evaluating a plan
of action. Questions are based on materials from a variety of sources. No specific
subject knowledge is needed.
Skills Measured
Ability to reason effectively in three areas:
●
Argument construction:
You have to recognize the basic structure of an argument, properly drawn conclusions,
underlying assumptions, well-supported explanatory hypotheses, or parallels between
structurally similar arguments.
●
Argument evaluation:
You have to analyze a given argument, recognize factors that would strengthen or
weaken an argument, reasoning errors committed in making an argument, or aspects
of the methods by which an argument proceeds.
● Formulating and evaluating a plan of action:
You have to to recognize the relative appropriateness, effectiveness, or efficiency
of different plans of action; factors that would strengthen or weaken a proposed
plan of action; or assumptions underlying a proposed plan of action.
Sentence Correction Questions
you will be asked which of the five choices best expresses an idea or relationship.
You have to be familiar with the stylistic conventions and grammatical rules of
standard written English and also demonstrate your ability to improve incorrect
or ineffective expressions.
Skills Measured
Two broad aspects of language proficiency are tested:
Correct expression: A sentence should:
● be grammatically and structurally sound
● conform to all the rules of standard written English, e.g., noun-verb agreement,
pronoun consistency, pronoun case, and verb tense sequence
● not have dangling, misplaced, or improperly formed modifiers, unidiomatic
or inconsistent expressions, or faults in parallel construction.
Effective expression: An effective sentence should:
● expresses an idea or relationship clearly and concisely, as well as grammatically
● should not have superfluous words or needlessly complicated expressions
● use proper diction—the standard dictionary meanings of words
● appropriateness of words in context
Score
Total GMAT scores range from 200 to 800. Scores are given in increments of
10. The higher a test taker's score is, the higher their level of ability on the
GMAT. Two-thirds of test takers score between 400 and 600.
The Verbal and Quantitative scores range from 0 to 60. Both scores are on
a fixed scale and can be compared across all GMAT test administrations. The Verbal
and Quantitative scores measure different constructs and cannot be compared to each
other. If you do cannot complete, you will still receive scores as long as you have
worked on every section. Your scores will be calculated taking into account the
number of questions answered, decreasing with every question not answered.
The Analytical Writing Assessment score is based on the Analysis of an Argument
essay. Scores for the AWA range from 0 to 6 in half-point intervals.
Writing scores are computed separately from the multiple-choice scores and have
no effect on the Verbal, Quantitative, or Total scores.
Integrated Reasoning scores range from 1 to 8 in single-digit intervals.
Like the AWA, the IR scores are computed separately from the Quantitative and Verbal
sections and have no effect on the Total score. Most questions have multiple parts
and all of them have to be answered correctly to receive credit as the questions
test your ability to integrate data to solve complex problems,
Score reports include all GMAT taken in the last five years.
The scores on the GMAT test (Verbal, Quantitative, Total, Analytical Writing Assessment,
and Integrated Reasoning) will be given a percentile rank (the proportion of exams
scoring below your score you based on the scores of the entire GMAT testing population
for the most recent three-year period). Your percentile rank may change from year
to year. However, your scaled score never changes.