Test Overview
The GMAT* (Graduate Management Admissions Test) is
created and administered by the Educational Testing Service
(ETS). It is used by many business schools to help assess whether
you possess the foundation to build a successful business career,
or at least be successful in business school.
The test is meant to evaluate analytical skills and features
both verbal and math multiple-choice sections, along with two
30-minute essay topics. The GMAT is now given as a Computer
Adaptive Test (CAT) in most parts of the world.
A high score on the GMAT will increase the likelihood of
getting into the business school program of your choice. More
than 250,000 people (roughly 90,000 international test takers and
150,000 U.S. test takers) take the GMAT each year — so it is
important for you to do well and stand out from the rest.
Test Sections
The GMAT is, among other things, an endurance test. It
consists of a maximum of 150 minutes of multiple-choice testing,
plus two 30-minute essays for the Analytical Writing Assessment
(AWA). Add in the administrative details at both ends of the
testing experience and two breaks, and you can count on being at
the test site for almost five hours.
The test is made up of two scored multiple-choice sections:
One verbal section &– consisting of Sentence Correction,
Critical Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension &– and one
quantitative (math) section with Data Sufficiency and Problem
Solving questions. Experimental questions are mixed within each
section. These trial questions are tested for use on future
tests; they don't factor into your GMAT score. There's also the
AWA, consisting of two half-hour essay questions.
Many test takers are afraid of the GMAT math sections, often
because they lack confidence in their math skills. You'll be
pleased to learn that the math content tested on the GMAT is
essentially high school math and geometry, algebra, and
arithmetic.
Although the essays are administered first, the two
multiple-choice sections can appear in either order. Expect a
10-minute break after the second essay, and a second, usually
shorter break between the two multiple-choice sections. The
experimental questions will look just like any others, so don't
waste your time trying to figure out which they are; you won't be
able to tell.
Quantitative
- 75 minutes long
- Maximum of 37 questions
- Question types include Problem Solving and Data
Sufficiency
- Topics tested include Arithmetic, Algebra, and
Geometry
Verbal
- 75 minutes long
- Maximum of 41 questions
- Question types include Reading Comprehension, Sentence
Correction, and Critical Reasoning
- Topics tested include Speed Reading, Grammar, and
Analytical Reasoning
Analytical Writing
Assessment
- Two 30-minute typewritten essays
- Topics tested include Analysis of an Argument and Analysis
of an Issue
- The Analysis of an Issue topic will present you with a few
sentences discussing a broad, general issue. You'll be asked to
convincingly present and explain your viewpoint on the issue.
To succeed, you'll have to analyze different sides of the
issue, present a convincing case for your point of view, and
support your argument with good examples or reasons.
- The Analysis of an Argument topic will be a brief argument
that expresses one point of view. Your essay will have to
explain how logically persuasive you find the argument. A good
essay will critique the argument's line of reasoning and use of
evidence.
Registering for the
Test
The GMAT is created and administered by the Educational
Testing Service (ETS). The exam is offered the first three weeks
of every month. You can schedule your GMAT just a few days ahead.
Although you can theoretically take the GMAT CAT within a few
days of registering, test appointments have been filling up fast,
so be sure to plan ahead. For a fee, you can change your test
appointment until a week before it's scheduled. You can retake
the GMAT CAT once per calendar month.
To register and schedule your GMAT, follow the steps
below:
Get a copy of the GMAT Information Bulletin — published by ETS
every summer for the forthcoming academic year — which contains
information on GMAT scheduling, pricing, repeat testing,
cancellation policies, and more. It's free and ordinarily
available at Kaplan centers and most universities.
You can also order a GMAT Bulletin from ETS directly by
calling (609) 771-7330. The line is open 24 hours a day. Or,
download the GMAT Information Bulletin online from www.gmat.org. And if
you prefer regular mail:
Graduate Management Admissions Test
Educational Testing Service
P.O. Box 6103
Princeton, NJ 08541-6103
USA
If you don't have access to a GMAT Information Bulletin, and
you live in the United States or Canada, register for and
schedule your exam by calling 1-800-GMAT-NOW (462-8669). You'll
need a credit card to do so.
Have any questions? If you need to communicate with ETS after
you've registered for the GMAT CAT, you can call their
registration center. If you need to communicate with ETS after
you've taken the test, you can do so via mail or fax:
Graduate Management Admissions Test
Educational Testing Service, 15J
1440 Lower Ferry Road
Trenton, NJ 08618
USA
609-883-4349 (fax)
International
Registration
Outside the United States, registration for the GMAT is handled
in 14 Regional Registration Centers (RRC). To find your country
and RRC number, visit ETS' RRC Web
site. You will need to have a credit card.
To register by fax, complete the International Test Scheduling
Form, found in the GMAT Information Bulletin, and include you
credit card number. Send your fax to the appropriate RRC. Your
confirmation number will be faxed to you. If you don't receive a
confirmation, call the appropriate RRC two business days before
your first-choice test date.
To register by mail, complete the International Test
Scheduling Form, found in the GMAT Information Bulletin, and mail
with your check or money order, payable to ETS-GMAT, in the
envelope provided in the bulletin. Mail to the appropriate RRC.
Your information must be received at least three weeks prior to
your first-choice test date. If you do not receive a
confirmation, call the RRC two business days prior to your
first-choice test date.
Note: The International Test Scheduling Form is not
available in the downloadable version of the GMAT Information
Bulletin.
You can also get additional online info about GMAT
registration procedures, test dates, and more directly from
ETS.
Your Score
What's a "good" GMAT score? What you consider a "good" score
really depends on your own expectations and goals. The median
GMAT score is somewhere around 500, but you need a score of at
least 600 to be considered competitive by the top business
schools.
According to the latest U.S. News and World Report
guide to graduate schools, the average GMAT scores of the top
business schools in the United States – such as Stanford, Sloan
(MIT), Kellogg (Northwestern), and Wharton (University of
Pennsylvania) – are around 670. And the average GMAT score for
top international M.B.A. programs – such as London Business
School, IESE, and INSEAD is about a 600.
A lot of information about average test scores at different
schools is available, so do some research and see if your scores
are at least in the appropriate range for schools you'd like to
attend.
Four Scores
You'll receive four scores for the GMAT:
Overall Quantitative and Verbal Combined Score Range:
200-800
Math Scaled Subscores: 0-60
Verbal Scales Subscores: 0-60
Analytical Writing Assessment Combined Score Range: 0-6
Percentile Scores
Each of the scores mentioned above will be accompanied by a
percentile rank. The percentile rank tells you what proportion of
test takers scored lower than you on the test. The higher the
percentile rank, the better you did. For example, if you got a
percentile rank of 56, it means that you did better than 56
percent of test takers. This number tells business schools
exactly where you fell with respect to other candidates who took
the GMAT.
Essay Scoring
Unlike scores on the multiple choice part of the GMAT CAT – which
are available right after the test – essay scores aren't
available until a couple of weeks after you take the test. After
you type your two essays, they are transmitted to ETS (business
schools may also receive copies of your typewritten essays). Your
GMAT scores will not be reported to business schools until the
essay grading is complete.
Each essay is given a separate grade on a 0-6 scale by two
different graders, one a person and the other a computer named
the "e-rater." These grades are assigned "holistically," i.e.,
taking into account all aspects of content, writing style, and
grammar. If the two grades for an essay agree, that's the score
it receives. If the two scores are markedly different, then a
third scorer, another person, will read the essay to determine
its grade.
