What is the GMAT?

The GMAT- Things you should know

GMAT (The Graduate Management Admission Test) is created and administered through the organization known as the Graduate Management Admission Council in 1953. The exam is computer-adaptive and it aims to measure the student’s command of basic arithmetic, algebra, geometry, multi-source data analysis, and grammar for business management courses, majorly for prospective MBA candidates. It also measures a student’s reasoning and critical thinking abilities which are considered as the two most relevant skills by the business schools globally and hence predict their level of performance to succeed in those business schools. Thereby, the most significant purpose of taking the GMAT exam is to provide business schools with common measures to gauge the preparedness of applicants for post-graduate and doctoral level academic work.

Today GMAT has become an integral part of business school applications, often needed for admission to graduate business programs worldwide. To elaborate, GMAT consists of computer-based standardized multiple-choice questions. It is a must for candidates to take the GMAT exams if they aspire to seek admission in graduate management programs like MBA, MS Finance, MS Business Analytics, or DBA (Ph.D. in Management Studies) at the business schools globally.

Developed by business schools for business schools, the GMAT exam is the proven, most trusted and well-understood predictor of academic success of individuals. The test comprises four sections and takes 3 hours and 30 minutes (including breaks and instructions) to complete.

Components of GMAT Exams

The format of the GMAT exams consists of four distinct components or sections, which are as follows.

• Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) -This section tests the ability of a student to write an essay stating the reasoning behind a given argument. Overall, it assesses the student’s ability to think critically and communicate their thoughts in the form of an essay.
• Integrated Reasoning (IR) - IR is a relatively new section launched in the year 2012 which assesses the student’s ability to analyze data and gauge information presented in multiple formats and hence solve related problems.
• Quantitative Reasoning -This section evaluates the student’s ability to apply basic mathematical skills to analyze data and draw conclusions concerning the real-world quantitative context.
• Verbal Reasoning - This section assesses the student’s ability to read and understand the logic behind a written material, to evaluate arguments, and to correct written material(eg.sentence correction) to conform to standard written English.

Choosing Exam's Section Order

There are three orders of the test sections from which candidates can choose to take GMAT exams. The order they can choose from is as mentioned below-

1. Analytical Writing Assessment, Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, and Verbal
2. Verbal, Quantitative, Integrated Reasoning, and Analytical Writing Assessment
3. Quantitative, Verbal, Integrated Reasoning, and Analytical Writing Assessment

Candidates can choose the order of the sections at their test centers after the completion of a computer tutorial and right before they begin with the test.

GMAT Exam Policies

To enhance the test environment and maintain the validity and security of the GMAT exam for the candidates, Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) has established certain terms and conditions with the help of their service providers Pearson VUE and ACT. The students are expected to go through these policies namely Rights and Responsibilities of GMAT Test Takers and GMAT Non-Disclosure Agreement and General Terms of User on the GMAT official website. Also, one is expected to download and go through the GMAT handbook which is readily available on the official website of GMAT before taking the exam.