What is the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)?
The standardized Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) assesses arithmetic, verbal, and analytical writing skills. Business schools often use the GMAT to admit students to MBA programs. Computer exams are usually administered, although paper exams may be given in places with poor computer networks.
Graduate Management Admission Test comprehension
The GMAT has four sections: analytical writing, verbal reasoning, integrated reasoning, and quantitative reasoning. The GMAT’s maximum score is 800, and the scores are valid for five years. The test averages three and a half hours.
More than 255,000 people take the GMAT annually. Since August 2023, the exam has cost $275 in a test center and $300 online in the U.S. Due to their popularity, GMATs are offered practically every day of the year and may be taken every 16 days. But you can only take the test eight or five times a year. Most candidates take the exam twice before applying.
GMAT Application
The Graduate Management Admission Council administers its test. The GMAT tests critical thinking and logic for real-world business and management, as well as writing and arithmetic understanding.
In 2012, the exam incorporated Integrated Reasoning, which tests an individual’s ability to evaluate information from numerous sources and in new formats. This portion tests students on data and technology use.
About 3,391 graduate schools and organizations worldwide utilize the GMAT to evaluate applications. The Graduate Management Admission Council recommends using the GMAT to determine program acceptance.
The council warns that some overseas students’ writing analysis sections may reveal their English language understanding rather than critical thinking and reasoning.
Additionally, the examinations’ nature and content make it unacceptable to treat them equally. The Graduate Management Admission Council advises against using a cutoff score and instead examining applications holistically. The council recommends that the institution take extra steps to prove that a threshold score does not discriminate based on age, sex, or ethnicity.
GMAT requirements
The Graduate Management Admissions Council demands identification for the test, such as:
- When taking the exam abroad, you must have a passport. Expiring passports are unacceptable.
- Green Cards for non-citizens of permanent residence
- Driving licence from the government
- National, state, or province I.D. card
- I.D. card for military
Check the GMAC’s website for your country’s identity requirements. You must be qualified to enroll in a graduate program at your desired institution and have the correct identification.
GMAT vs. GRE
Unlike the GMAT’s four components, the GRE contains three: analytical writing assessment, quantitative, and verbal. You have three hours and 45 minutes to complete the test; the maximum score is 170. The average score is 150.8.
Graduate programs often examine applicants using the GMAT or GRE. Comparison of GMAT and GRE results is not possible due to variations in test scaling. Depending on the curriculum, some colleges allow the GMAT or GRE. Numerous graduate schools use the GRE, whereas more business programs use the GMAT.
Is the GMAT hard or easy?
The GMAT involves business-leader-level critical thinking and reasoning. Your experiences, knowledge, and preparation level determine whether you must study and prepare for the test.
Are 700 GMAT scores bad?
The GMAT maximum is 800; the average score in 2022 was 651. While 700 is above average, a score closer to 800 is preferable for your application.
Do colleges prefer the GMAT or the GRE?
It depends on the college and program you want to pursue. Colleges may favor the GMAT over the GRE for business students. Whether a college accepts the GRE or GMAT for your field depends on your application.
Bottom Line
The GMAT tests critical thinking and decision-making utilizing math, analytical, and communication abilities. It’s a crucial first step in pursuing a graduate business degree because most business schools accept it.
Conclusion
- Business schools most often test students with the GMAT.
- The test has four sections: analytical writing, verbal, quantitative, and integrated thinking.
- The GMAT is three and a half hours long and has an 800-point maximum.
