GMAT is conducted throughout the year for admission in top MBA colleges in India and abroad. There are more than 600 GMAT Test Centres which make sure that maximum students get an opportunity to take one of the popular entrance exams globally. The exam is conducted in “computer adaptive test' format which makes sure to evaluate various parameters of aspirant's expertise areas. The questions are divided into four sections and have the stage of difficulty level. Candidates are allotted 3 hours (180 minutes) to attend all the four sections. Candidates will be scored out of 800 for quantitative and verbal sections, for remaining 2 sections candidates will be scored independently based on the types of questions answered.
GMAT Exam Sections:
- Analytical Writing Assessment
- Integrated Reasoning Section
- Quantitative Section
- Verbal Section
Section 1: Analytical Writing Assessment
The aim of this section is to test the ability of a candidate to ‘analyze an argument' and candidate will have to answer the questions based on the long paragraph.
Candidates will be scored on a 6 point scale by allotting 2 independent ratings to the paragraph and taking out the average. Out of the two rating system one is done by an automated essay scoring engine and if the difference between both rating systems is more than one point, an expert reader rating will be given and then the final score will be allotted.
Aim:
- Examine and analyze the given argument based on paragraph
- Figure out the reasoning behind the given argument and write a critique based on the same
- Answer based on a methodical approach
- Consider various possible viewpoints
- Supporting your answer with relevant examples and explanation
- Giving a correct answer is as important as giving a grammatically correct answer
Section 2: Integrated Reasoning (IR)
Integrated Reasoning Section of GMAT was introduced in June 2012 and carry 12 questions to be solved in 30 minutes. Earlier there used to be 2 analytical writing essays and this section was introduced to replace one of that and candidates are scored on a scale of 1 to 8.
The section evaluates the critical thinking ability of a candidate and how well he or she can answer a complicated problem by understanding the data given in various forms. The candidates are expected to give multiple answers by studying the data, correlate the information and selecting the relevant answer.
The sections comprised of four different types of questions:
- Graphics Interpretation: Candidates in this type of questions are provided with a graph or graphical image and one complete the statement question based on that graph.
- Table Analysis: To answer these questions candidates will be provided with a table carrying various relative data and candidates have to answer in yes/no, true/false options.
- Multi-Source Reasoning: There will be a series of information given in form text or chart and candidates are expected to correlate them and answer as yes/no, true/false or multiple choice options.
- Two-Part Analysis: Candidates will have one question with multiple choices options. The answers will be given in form of a table with two components occupying the first two columns while the third answer column needs to be filled by the candidate from the options provided.
Section 3: Quantitative Section
The third section of GMAT is quantitative section carrying a total of 31 questions and 62 minutes will be allotted to answer the same. The sections aim to test the mathematics question-solving skills of the candidates comprising questions from basic arithmetic, algebra, and geometry. The section can further be divided into the below-mentioned sections:
Data Sufficiency questions:
- Questions which test the ability of aspirants to systematically assess the data are put under the mentioned category. There will be one question, with 2 statement and 5 options (which always remain the same).
- Candidates are advised to memorize the options and their order and solve the same by using logical and analytical skills in relation to quantitative knowledge to answer the questions.
Problem Solving Questions:
- Questions of this section aim to test the quantitative skills and using various mathematical equations to solve a particular question.
- The number of questions under the problem-solving category will be more than data sufficiency questions and may appear in random order.
Section 4: GMAT Verbal Section
The last section of GMAT carry 36 questions and 65 allotted minutes divided in below mentioned 4 categories:
- Reading Comprehension: The section carries small passages on a particular topic and questions asked on the same with MCQ options. Candidates are advised to read the passage carefully and not to miss any information.
- Critical Reasoning: Candidates will have to answer 14 questions based on critical reasoning. There will be short passages in the form of an argument and 5 options to choose from. Candidate should be able to understand the argument and logically reason the same to answer.
- Sentence Correction: The section contains questions in forms of sentences with underlined portions and questions will be asked on basis of that. There will be 5 options to choose from.