So You Wanna Take The GMAT Exam-Here’s Everything You Need to Know

In this article, we will be going through the GMAT Exam Official Guide-once you’ll read this, you’ll never need to pick up another article regarding the GMAT exam ever again.

We’ll be going over these specific points:

• What is the GMAT exam?
• What is its syllabus?
• Why is it important?
• What if I don’t want to take it?
• What are the dates the exam are given?
• What are the fees?
• Notes on the online version

What is the GMAT exam?

The GMAT exam-or Graduate Management Admission Test-is a computer adaptive test used to assess certain skills such as analysis, writing, reading and communication skills. As the name suggests, it’s usually used in admissions for those who wish to study their masters in the field of business or finance. Also, unlike some of the exams mentioned above this one can be taken and re-taken much more; up to 5 times a year but no more than 8, with each attempt being at least 16 days apart. This is usually the go to exam for those wishing to study masters in business and finance.

Read more: So you Wanna Take the TOEFL Test

Structure of the GMAT exam

Similarly, to the TOEFL exams, the GMAT exam is split into four segments:

Analytical Writing Assessment:

A thirty minute writing task which consists of being given an argument and being told to analyzing-find out the reasoning behind it, write up a critique of it and so on. This will test not only their writing skills, but also their critical thinking and ability to thoroughly look through criticism, something which is quite important in fields such as marketing. The assessment is rated on a scale, with zero being the lowest score and six being the highest. This segment usually takes half an hour to complete.

Integrated Reasoning Section:

This segment was designed to test the students ability to evaluate information from multiple sources in multiple formats. The way this test works is that it is divided into twelve questions, with each three questions being split into four parts-table analysis (student is given table of information similar to a spreadsheet and asked to analyze it), graphics interpretation (interpret the data on a graphical image such as histograms or pie charts), multi-source reasoning (questions which are accompanied by two or three sources of information on them, test taker should read through said information and answer the questions) and two-part analysis (questions with two components to them meant to test your ability to solve complex problems). This segment also usually takes half an hour to complete.

Quantitative section:

This segment is all about quantitative problems and how to solve them. There are two types of questions in this segment:

1. problem solving (quantitative problems, usually some kind of arithmetic question which the student must solve without the use of a calculator)
2. data sufficiency (a type of question entirely unique to the GMAT exam, these questions will test you on your ability to actually understand the quantitative problem-to look at the question, realize which parts of the information given is relevant to it and use said information to solve the question).

This segment is one of the longer parts of the exam, taking up to 62 minutes.

Verbal section:

This segment is meant to measure your ability to read and comprehend written material, as well as use them to express effective and comprehensive ideas. They are split into three types of questions:

1. reading comprehension (they give you a paragraph and a multiple choice at the end of it)
2. critical reasoning (you are given a small passage to read and are then required to answer questions on said passage)
3. sentence correction (measure two broad aspects of your language proficiency).

Why is the GMAT important?

Its importance is for rather obvious reasons. All of the skills it measures-analysis, problem solving, quantitative skills-will immensely help when applying for masters abroad. It’s been shown that GMAT is the best in its department, surpassing exams such as the GRE in comprehensiveness, prestige and overall recognition. Between these two, there’s a very compelling reason for one to take the exam.

Read more: Boost your Motivation to Study in 2023?

But what if I don’t want to take it?

Surprisingly, you’re not the only one. Despite all of the benefits that I listed above, the amount of GMAT tests being given out has slowly yet surely decreased in the years 2012 to 2021. Whether it be people looking for other alternatives or the exams just not being as prestigious as they say they are, the trend is pretty clear-people are not nearly as fond of them as they were back then.

Some would say that this is due to the pandemic and whatnot, but there have been genuine criticisms made at the exam-some say it’s inconsistent, others say that it’s not as relevant as it used to be, some even go as far as to say that there are subtle racial and gender biases behind the gradings of the exam. But what if you still want to study business and not do the GMAT exam? If you are planning to study in America, then here are 7 American universities with business masters that do not care for GMAT exams:

1. Suffolk University
2. Hult International Business Schools
3. Pace University
4. University of Delware
5. Florida International University
6. Northwestern University
7. University of Southern Carolina

These universities listed above will have at least one masters business program (some even have two) which do not require you to take the GMAT test.

What are the dates the exams are given?

Much like the SAT exams,the GMAT exam doesn’t have a set date-instead, you are given several options from many available dates to pick and prepare for at your own leisure. Generally speaking, the dates range from the months of August to November.

How do I book for the GMAT exams?

It is recommended that you register for the GMAT exam two to three months beforehand so that you have time beforehand to prepare for it. As for how to register in one:

1. Visit the official GMAT website.
2. Enter your country of residence.
3. Select from the list of test centers available.
4. Select the preferred date you want to take your GMAT exam.

Can I retake the GMAT exam?

There is a 5 times in a 12 month rolling period-you can only take the GMAT exam five times in a single year. Also, you can only take 8 GMAT exams in a lifetime-once you exceed that number, you’re not going to get another chance.

What are the fees?

In North America, the average cost for one GMAT exam is 275$. This cost may vary depending on your country.

If you’ve already booked an exam time but want to cancel it, then that will cost another 50$.

Rescheduling the exam can be done before 7 days of the exam by paying a $100 fee. Also, if you wish to reschedule your exam within 7 days of the exam date, then you would be charged $150.

Conclusion

And there you have it, everything you need to know. Admittedly, some people might still be on the fence in terms of taking this exam for obvious reasons. Some might be on the fence in terms of university stuff in general. For more information on general university questions, be sure to check out UniApp.