The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a test used by leading business schools around the world to assess the suitability of a candidate for management programmes. It has been administered for over 60 years  and is a reliable indicator of potential academic competence. The body which administers it is called GMAC (Graduate Management Admission Council) which is an international non-profit organization of business schools.

The GMAT is the preferred test across Global B Schools  for entry into MBA programmes. In India, apart from the flagship 1 year course of ISB Hyderabad the 1 Year Executive MBA programs of IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow and other IIMs require the GMAT for admission. The GMAT is also accepted as an alternative to the CAT by SP Jain Mumbai, IMT Ghaziabad, IMI Delhi, FORE Delhi and TAPMI Manipal for their 2 year flagship programs.

The GMAT was made more student friendly in late 2023 when several changes were made to it. The New GMAT format was named the GMAT Focus edition. The Analytical Writing Assessment Section was removed, Geometry was omitted from the Quantitative Reasoning Section, and Grammar was removed from the Verbal Reasoning Section. Also, questions were reduced across sections making the GMAT Focus a much shorter, student friendly test. Since 2024, only the GMAT Focus edition is offered by GMAC and is the preferred test for all the above B Schools.

 GMAT Pattern 

GMAT Focus Edition is 2 hours and 15 minutes long, with one optional 10-minute break, and consists of three sections: Quantitative, Verbal, and Data Insights, each with 45 minutes with 64 questions in total. It is a generalist test that tests a candidate’s Quantitative, Verbal and Reasoning skills. The test is not a test of business skills, but rather tests cognitive skills of a high school level. All 3 sections are equally important.

 Select Section Order 

One more student friendly feature of the GMAT Focus is that you can choose the order of the sections. You can answer the three sections in any order. You can also take your optional 10-minute break whenever you choose: after the first section, or after the second. This means you can adapt the exam to exactly how you’ve prepared for it, giving you more opportunities to perform at your best.

 Test Design Features 

In the GMAT all 64 questions are MCQs with 5 options. The GMAT is an adaptive test within sections which means questions keep getting harder if you get questions right, or get easier if you get questions wrong. However, the questions getting easier during the test is not a good thing. In the GMAT, the more the number of harder questions you get right ,the higher you score. Thus, there is a higher weightage for getting harder questions right than getting easy questions right.

You cannot skip questions in the GMAT with a small exception. In every section, you can bookmark and review not more than 3 questions.

 Scoring of Sections 

All sections have equal weightage and are scored between 60 and 90 based on how many questions you get right. Based on total score in each section, the GMAT Score is calculated . The GMAT score ranges between 205 and 805 in 10 point increments. 205 is 0 Percentile. While 805 is 100th percentile. The below table gives an approximate idea of scores vs percentiles.

 Verbal Reasoning Section 

There are 23 questions to be done over 45 minutes in this section. There are only two types of questions in the Verbal Section: Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning.  There are usually 4 passages of  Reading Comprehension featuring about 3-4 questions each. Remaining 9-10 questions are Critical Reasoning questions. Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning questions have sub-types that are designed to test specific verbal skills.

The essential skills tested in Reading Comprehension are the ability to comprehend ideas and reasoning in written English language. Reading comprehension passages are from disparate fields of study such as social science, economics, humanities, management, physical sciences and history. The Reading Comprehension passages vary in length and can be from 100 words to 500 words. Usually, passages are about 400 words long.

In the Critical Reasoning area, questions test the candidate’s ability to evaluate a point of view, understand an argument, compare two arguments, draw inferences, understand the meaning of words and statements based on context and the ability to think logically.

Grammar (Sentence Correction) is no longer tested in the GMAT.

 Quantitative Reasoning Section 

The 45-minute GMAT Quantitative Reasoning section consists of 21 questions. All 21 of these questions are Problem Solving, and are similar to multiple choice questions seen on the “math” section of other standardized exams — they require students to solve a problem and choose from five possible answer choices.

Questions require some knowledge of Arithmetic, elementary algebra, Permutations & Combinations, basic statistics and Numbers. Usually there are at least 7-8 questions of arithmetic, 4-5 of elementary algebra and 6-7 questions from remaining areas. Rest assured that the difficulty of the questions stems from the logic and analytical skills required, not the underlying math skills. Note that you cannot use a calculator while working on the Quantitative section.

Key to crack Quant section: Familiarize yourself with the concepts of Arithmetic and Algebra.

Geometry is no longer tested in the GMAT. Also the Data Sufficiency questions are now tested in the Data Insights Section and not the Quantitative Reasoning section.

 Data Insights Section 

The GMAT Data Insights (DI) section challenges test-takers to blend both quantitative and verbal reasoning to tackle complex problems. It features 20 questions to be done in 45 minutes. This section often includes more data than necessary, testing your ability to filter out the noise and focus on what’s relevant. This section includes the following five types:

1) Data Sufficiency (DS) Each DS question presents a problem followed by two statements. You must determine whether one, both, or neither of the statements is sufficient to answer the question. These questions cover the same content areas as the Quant section. They emphasize logical reasoning over heavy calculations. Expect around 5–7 DS questions in this section.

2) Graphical Interpretation (GI) GI questions involve interpreting visual data—such as bar graphs, line graphs, scatter plots, flow charts, or other unusual formats. Accompanying text may also be provided. Each question typically involves filling in one or more blanks based on the graph. Some questions include quantitative concepts like percentages, correlation, or rates of change. You'll usually see 5–6 GI questions.

3) Table Analysis (TA) TA questions feature a sortable table, similar to an Excel spreadsheet. Each question includes a three-part prompt based on the table. You can expect 2–4 TA questions in the DI section.

4) Multi-Source Reasoning (MSR) MSR problems provide two or three tabs of information. These tabs may contain text, data visuals, or both. Each passage is followed by three questions, sometimes with sub-questions. The questions can resemble either quant or verbal formats. The section typically includes 1–2 MSR passages, for a total of 3 or 6 questions.

5) Two-Part Analysis (TPA) TPA questions resemble Critical Reasoning problems or word problems from the Quant section. Each question presents two columns, and you must select one answer per column. The skills tested mirror those in both quant and verbal sections. Expect 3–4 TPA questions.

 Test Fees 

The Test Fees in India is $275

 Number of attempts 

• 12-Month Limit: You can take the GMAT up to 5 times within any 12-month period.
• 16-Day Gap: There's a minimum 16-day waiting period between each GMAT attempt
• There is no limit to the number of attempts you can take in your lifetime.

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