What is the GMAT Exam?

GMAT is a computer-based digital evaluation exam that measures English and mathematics abilities for graduate education. It is managed by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) and conducted by Pearson VUE. GMAT exam results are valid for 5 years.

Although the GMAT exam is mostly administered on a computer, it can also be administered in paper format in some regions where computer technology is not sufficient. The GMAT exam is used as a criterion for admission to graduate education by many universities around the world.

The GMAT Exam aims to measure the verbal, numerical and analytical writing skills that test participants have developed throughout their education lives. The GMAT exam is mostly used by students who want to do a master's degree in business administration (MBA) abroad, and the majority of elite schools in the business department require the GMAT exam for admission.

Students applying to universities for a master's degree are evaluated not on a specific GMAT score, but on the average GMAT scores of the students accepted to the school. Most university departments with high admission criteria accept graduate students with an average score above 600.

The highest score that test takers can get from the GMAT exam is 800. For more than 60 years, the GMAT exam has been the most popular exam for MBA applicants. The GMAT exam is accepted by more than 2,300 educational institutions and 7,000 MBA and Master's programs in more than 114 countries around the world.

GMAT CAT, a computer-based exam application, allows individuals who want to take the exam to determine the dates they want to take the exam. Each student has the opportunity to take the exam only 5 times within 12 months.

The GMAT exam consists of 4 parts: Analytical Writing Assessment, Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative and Verbal. Exam participants have the right to choose among three options for section order at the exam center where the exam will be held. The section rankings that exam participants can choose are as follows:

- Analytical Writing Assessment, Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, Verbal

- Verbal, Quantitative, Integrated Reasoning, Analytical Writing Assessment

- Quantitative, Verbal, Integrated Reasoning, Analytical Writing Assessment

This choice gives test takers more control and flexibility in the GMAT exam. The Quantitative and Verbal sections of the GMAT exam are computer adaptable, meaning that the test determines the skill level of the participants in real-time. This feature enables the GMAT exam to evaluate test takers' potential with greater precision and deliver the scores business schools need.

Test participants can print out an unofficial score report containing their GMAT scores from the test center. The unofficial report includes test takers' quantitative, verbal, integrated reasoning, and total scores.

One thing that should be underlined at this point is that there is a point penalty for not completing every section of the exam. If test participants cannot complete the GMAT exam within the allotted time, participants' scores are calculated based on the number of questions answered. Participant’s score decreases for each unanswered question.

GMAT scores range from 200 to 800, with two-thirds of test takers scoring between 400 and 600. Verbal and quantitative scores range from 0 to 60, and scores below 6 and above 51 are rarely encountered.

Verbal and Quantitative scores are on a fixed scale and can be compared across all GMAT exam administrations, but they cannot be compared with each other because they measure different constructs. The GMAT exam has four individually timed sections. Test participants have the opportunity to take two optional eight-minute breaks during the exam.

Testing Department	Allotted Time / Number of Questions	Question Types	Score Range
Analytical Writing Assessment	30 Minutes / 1 Question	Analysis of an Argument	0-6 (Increase: 0.5 points)
Integrated Reasoning	30 Minutes / 12 Questions	Chart Interpretation, Table Analysis, Multi-Source Reasoning, Two-Part Analysis	1-8 (Increase: 1 point)
Quantitative Reasoning	62 Minutes / 31 Questions	Data Sufficiency, Problem Solving	6-51 (Increase: 1 Point)
Verbal Reasoning	65 Minutes / 36 Questions	Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning, Sentence Correction	6-51 (Increase: 1 Point)