WHAT IS GMAT?

GMAT stands for Graduate Management Admission Test. It is the most common test used to determine how prepared an applicant is for an MBA program.

The test consists of four basic sections:

AWA Essay

The AWA Essay portion of the GMAT tests your ability to write an argument in English. You have 30 minute to complete this section, and receive a score from 1 to 6.

Integrated reasoning section

The Integrated Reasoning section evaluates how well you can analyze data presented in different ways and from different sources. There are four different types of questions: table analysis, graphics interpretation, multi-source reasoning, and two-part analysis. Each section requires you to answer a different type of question. For this section, you receive a score between 1 and 8.

quantitative section

The Quantitative section tests your quantitative reasoning ability, and includes mostly math questions. There are two types of questions: data sufficiency and problem solving. You have 75 minutes to answer 37 questions. You are not allowed to use a calculator on this part of the test. You will receive a score between 11 and 51.

verbal section

The Verbal section tests your reasoning and English abilities. There are three types of questions: reading comprehension, critical reasoning, and sentence correction. You have 75 minutes to answer 41 questions. You will receive a score between 11 and 51.

HOW IS THE GMAT SCORED?

When we talk about a “score” on the GMAT, we usually think of a score out of 800 points, which combines your scores on the Quantitative and Verbal sections. This can be confusing because you receive scores out of 51 in both of these sections, and these scores are then transformed into scores out of 800.

The best way to estimate your score is to use this table (LINK) from Magoosh. Though it’s not exact, you can expect, for instance, that a student who scored 45 points in the quantitative section and 40 points in the verbal section would have a score of 690 out of 800.

WHAT IS A GOOD GMAT SCORE?

Keep in mind that the GMAT is just one part of your application, and a perfect score will not guarantee that you will get into any program. That being said, students should try to do as well as possible on the exam, because it is important. As a general benchmark, students who score 700 and above are in the top 10% of test-takers worldwide.

So, what is a “good” score? This really depends on which schools you want to attend. The top schools have an average GMAT score of between 710 and 735, so a score within this range can be considered an excellent score. Scores above 750 are astonishingly high, with the exception of students applying from India, where the average GMAT score tends to be higher.

Overall, you should aim to score near the average GMAT score of the schools you hope to attend. Don’t forget, however, that the schools are looking at your profile as a whole, and a high or low score is not definitive.

DO I NEED TO STUDY FOR GMAT?

In a word, yes. The GMAT test is a very long, very technical test that requires you not only know how to answer the types of questions the test gives you, but that you manage your time well. Getting a score that makes you competitive for top business schools can be challenging, and most students devote at least 60 hours to studying before test day, though many students spend 100+ hours studying. How long you will need to study depends on how quickly you progress.

Because of the time needed to study and prepare for the exam, we recommend students spend at least one month studying, as this requires 15-20 hours of study per week. Though you could theoretically cram this into one week, our most successful clients spend between 3 and 6 months studying.

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