All about GMAT for MBA | GMAT sample test!

The GMAT exam is the first step towards a prosperous career in business management. All the top universities in the USA, UK, Canada, and other countries, require GMAT test scores to determine the eligibility of students. If you’re not familiar with GMAT or confused about GMAT preparation, don’t worry. This article covers all you need to know about the GMAT for MBA in universities abroad and the GMAT sample test will help you get the perfect understanding of the test.

What is GMAT Exam?

The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is an exam designed to assess a person’s analytical writing, verbal, quantitative and reading skills in written English. The exam is a pre-requisite for admission in graduate management programs such as MBA and Masters in Finance. The GMAT exam is used as a standard measure of applicants’ abilities and preparedness for graduate-level academic work. All top-ranked business universities include it in their admission criteria.

GMAT registration

The GMAT exam is conducted throughout the year. All you have to do is book a slot on the date of your convenience at the test center closest to you. It is usually recommended that you book your slot at least 2-3 months prior to your GMAT exam.

If you’re confused about where and how to register for the GMAT exam, here are 3 easy steps:

Step 1: Register on mba.com and enter your personal details

Step 2: Schedule your GMAT exam based on your date and time preferences

Step 3: Pay the $250 GMAT registration fee

GMAT exam pattern

The new format of the GMAT exam comprises of four sections: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Section, Integrated Reasoning and Analytical Writing. Students have the option of choosing the order to attempt these sections. While the exam initially lasted longer, right now, the total time for the GMAT exam is clocked at approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes. This includes test instructions and breaks.

 

The Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative sections have 36 questions. Both of these are clocked at 75 minutes each. While the Analytical Writing and Integrated Reasoning sections are timed at 30 minutes each. You will have to write about a single topic in Analytical Reasoning, and attempt 12 questions in the Integrated Reasoning section.

GMAT Syllabus

The GMAT exam is computer-adaptive. This means that the difficulty of the next question will depend on the correctness of your latest answer. The information and instructions for each category can certainly be confusing. So here’s a breakdown of these 4 sections:

1) Analytical Writing

The syllabus of this section is open-ended. For the test, you may be given any relevant topic of interest. These topics are mainly, of general interest or related to the field of business. You may also be asked questions from some of the passages and you have to frame your answers accordingly.

2) Integrated Reasoning

This section tests the student’s ability to understand the data presented in a graphical or tabular format. This section consists of 12 questions which are based on the following topics:

• Multi-source Reasoning
• Table Analysis
• Two-part Analysis
• Graphics Interpretation

3) Quantitative Section

The Quantitative section has two sub-sections. Both of them have 18 questions each. These questions are objective and multiple-choices, therefore your GMAT prep requires a thorough study of both. Make sure you attempt this section prior in the GMAT sample test. This section comprises of fundamentals in Mathematics like:

• Permutation and combinations
• Geometry
• Ratio Proportions
• Linear equations
• Exponents and roots
• Arithmetic
• Elementary Algebra
• Properties of Integers

4) Verbal Reasoning

Verbal Reasoning has 36 multiple-choice questions and is divided into three sub-sections. These sub-sections are Critical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, and Sentence Correction. They will cover the following topics:

• Subject-verb agreement
• Critical reasoning
• Sentence correction related to finding error or omission
• Rhetorical construction of the sentences
• Parallelism
• Countable vs uncountable
• Reading unseen passages
• Misplace modifiers

Preparation tips

• Most students state that a 10-week study time is enough to prepare for the basics of your GMAT exam while others suggest a good 6-month plan. So, depending on your profession or college schedule, plan out your study time-table.
• It is recommended that you spend at least 1.5 to 2 hours every day prepping at least one section of your GMAT curriculum.
• Make sure you read carefully through the specific type of question you are answering before you proceed with your test.
• Practice, practice, and more practice! It is the ultimate key to good GMAT scores. There are free study materials and guides provided by GMAC, Kaplan, etc. that can very helpful.

Average GMAT scores for top universities

Before you apply to any business schools, it is important to know the average score most students have for GMAT for MBA. To help you along, here are the average GMAT scores for top business schools around the world:

No.	University name	Avg. GMAT score
1	Wharton (Penn)	730
2	Stanford GSB	737
3	INSEAD	709
4	MIT Sloan	722
5	Harvard Business School	729
6	London Business School	708
7	HEC Paris	690
8	Chicago Booth	730
9	UC Berkeley (Haas)	717
10	Northwestern University (Kellog)	732

GMAT FAQs

What is the cost of GMAT exam?

The GMAT exam fees are US $250. You can pay for your test on the official website mba.com, and simply pay using your debit or credit card. 

How much is the GMAT exam scored out of?

All your sections and questions in the GMAT exam are scored out of 800.  After your GMAT exam, you will get a Total GMAT score( based on your Verbal and Quantitative scores) as well as a percentile score.

Do all the GMAT exam questions have the same difficulty level?

The GMAT exam is computer-adaptive. This means that the difficulty of the next question will depend on the correctness of your latest answer.

To give your best shot at the GMAT exam, your mind must be free from all dull details of paperwork. And to ease your admission process, you need a reliable consulting firm to help you get through.

iSchoolConnect are overseas education consultants that help students throughout the admissions process by finding the right program and universities across the globe. Contact us to know more about the admission process in the top universities in the US.

We have several helpful blogs for students who wish to know about the GRE exam, IELTS exam, writing the Letter of recommendation, and so much more!