GMAT Description
The Graduate Management Admission Test is a standardized test that graduate business
schools use to evaluate candidates. Over one thousand graduate management programs
around the world require their applicants to submit GMAT scores in order to be considered
for admission. Admissions officers rely on the test as a predictor of students'
first year performance in a graduate management program. Statistics show that GMAT
scores are generally better predictors of first year business school grades than
are undergraduate grade point averages.
The GMAT consists of three sections:
There are optional 5-minute breaks between each section.
Included within the multiple choice sections are unscored, "experimental"
questions that are indistinguishable from the scored questions. These questions
do not count toward the test-taker's score, but must be answered just like any other
question. Since students can never be certain whether or not a question is experimental,
they should treat each one as if it counted toward the score.
The Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA)
The Analytical Writing Assessment measures a person's ability to effectively communicate
ideas through writing and the ability to critically assess an argument. The AWA
requires test-takers to write two different essays, both of which must be typed
into the computer. The essays are an Analysis of an Issue and an Analysis of an
Argument. A student has 30 minutes to complete the first essay and another 30 minutes
to complete the second essay. The essay topics are presented one at a time, and
a test-taker cannot apply any extra time at the end of one essay to the time allotted
for the remaining essay. In other words, if you finish writing the Analysis of an
Issue essay in 25 minutes, you will still have only 30 minutes to write the Analysis
of an Argument essay. Thus, students should use the entire 30 minutes for each essay,
proofreading and making editorial adjustments if they finish writing before time
expires.
The Quantitative Section
The Quantitative section measures a person's ability to reason quantitatively, solve
mathematical problems, and interpret data presented in graphical form. The section
contains two distinct question categories:
- Problem Solving
- Data Sufficiency
There are 37 multiple-choice questions, and students have 75 minutes to complete
the section. Although roughly two-thirds of the questions in the section will be
from the Problem Solving category, questions from both categories are intermixed
throughout the section. For example, one student's section might begin with a sequence
of one Data Sufficiency question, two Problem Solving questions, and two more Data
Sufficiency questions, whereas another student's section might begin with a sequence
of three Problem Solving questions, one Data Sufficiency question, and one more
Problem Solving question.
A Problem Solving question presents a mathematical problem and five answer choices
from which to select the solution to the problem. Arithmetic, algebra, and geometry
are the branches of mathematics that are tested. There is no trigonometry or calculus,
nor are there any questions requiring mathematical knowledge beyond what most American
students learn in the first two years of high school.
Data Sufficiency is a question category that is unique to the GMAT. A Data Sufficiency
problem poses a question that is followed by two numbered statements. A student
must examine the statements and determine whether the information contained therein
is sufficient to answer the question. This question category tests not only understanding
of general mathematical concepts, but also the ability to analyze data for its content
and relevance. Many students are baffled by the unusual format of Data Sufficiency
questions and consider this question category the most difficult to master. The
TestMasters GMAT Course teaches students how to approach these questions, initially
with The Two-Three Elimination Technique™ and later with The Yes/No Stratagem™—methods
that demystify even the most difficult Data Sufficiency questions.
The Verbal Section
The Verbal section of the GMAT measures the ability to understand and analyze written
material, and the ability to recognize and conform to the conventions of standard
written English. The section contains three distinct question categories:
- Sentence Correction
- Critical Reasoning
- Reading Comprehension
There are 41 multiple-choice questions, and students have 75 minutes to complete
the section. Although roughly one-third of the questions in the section will be
from each category, questions from all three categories are intermixed throughout
the section. For example, one student's section might begin with a sequence of two
Sentence Correction questions, two Critical Reasoning questions, and one more Sentence
Correction question, whereas another student's section might begin with a sequence
of one Critical Reasoning question and four Reading Comprehension questions.
A Sentence Correction question presents a sentence that contains an underlined portion.
Students must first determine whether the underlined portion contains any grammatical
or stylistic errors; if it does, the next task is to select which answer choice
provides the best corrected version of the sentence. This question category measures
knowledge of and facility with the rules of standard written English.
A Critical Reasoning question presents a short reading passage followed by a question
stem. Depending on the individual question type, students may be asked to choose
which answer choice most strengthens, most weakens, best explains, or best expresses
a viewpoint established in the paragraph. This question category tests a person's
ability to evaluate the logical force of an argument and to recognize factors relevant
to the validity of its conclusion.
Reading Comprehension questions are always presented in clusters of at least three
questions, all of which are based on the content of a reading passage that is up
to 350 words long. Students should expect to see approximately four different passages—and
thus approximately four different clusters of questions—within the section.
A Reading Comprehension question may ask you to summarize the author's main point,
strengthen or weaken an argument made in the passage, or identify what must be true
based on the facts presented. This question category tests a person's ability to
read, absorb, and analyze written information.
