GMAT

The GMAT is designed specifically for students who want to pursue graduate business studies, such as an MBA or similar programs. It’s administered by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) and accepted by thousands of business schools globally.

Format and sections:
The GMAT is a computer-adaptive test, which means the difficulty of the questions adjusts based on how you answer previous ones. The full test takes about 3 hours and 7 minutes, not counting optional breaks.

Here’s what it includes:

• Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA):
  You’ll write one essay in 30 minutes, analyzing an argument. This measures your ability to think critically and communicate your ideas clearly.

• Integrated Reasoning (IR):
  This section has 12 questions to complete in 30 minutes. It tests how well you can evaluate information presented in multiple formats (graphs, tables, text) and combine data to solve complex problems.

• Quantitative Reasoning:
  You’ll have 31 questions in 62 minutes. This part focuses on arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis. It’s designed to see how well you reason with numbers and solve quantitative problems.

• Verbal Reasoning:
  Here, you’ll answer 36 questions in 65 minutes. It measures your ability to read and understand written material, evaluate arguments, and correct written sentences to conform to standard English.

Scoring:

• Overall GMAT score ranges from 200 to 800, combining Quantitative and Verbal sections.

• Integrated Reasoning is scored separately on a scale of 1–8.

• The AWA essay is scored on 0–6.

Most competitive business schools look for scores in the upper ranges (above 600), but exact expectations vary by program.