The GMAT exam, what is it exactly and what do you need it for? Following are five facts, which will give you an overview of what it consists of and what makes it such a hard test to pass.
1. The GMAT is a four-part admissions test
The GMAT exam is not your average math- or English exam, it is an admissions test to get into certain (pre) master-, or MBA studies. It is divided into four parts and will test your general ability to analyse problems and solve these by using logical reasoning skills. The first part of the test is an Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA), in which you not only display your ability to think critically, but also how you communicate these thoughts. The second part is Integrated Reasoning (IR), the part that shows your ability to interpret a variety of data in various formats. Then there are the Quantitative section and Verbal section. Quant is mostly focussed on reasoning, drawing conclusions and putting your math skills to the test, where Verbal is all about interpreting written material, correcting the language in these and your ability to assess certain arguments. These last two sections are the ones that will determine your GMAT score.
2. The GMAT is an adaptive test
To be precise, only the Quantitative and Verbal sections of the GMAT are adaptive. But since these are the parts of the exam that determine your GMAT score, this is something that you’d probably like to know upfront. In this case “adaptive” means that the exam adapts to your performance. Every time you answer a question correctly, the next question will be more difficult, and vice versa.
3. Each (pre) master or MBA-programme determines it’s own minimum entry score
The score you receive from taking the GMAT exam can range anywhere between 200 and 800. As mentioned earlier, this score is only based on the Quantitative- and Verbal section of the exam. The other two parts of the GMAT (Analytic Writing Assessment and Integrated Reasoning) aren’t taken in consideration by every school or university; it depends on which one you are applying to. For instance, you don’t need these two sections for most programmes in the Netherlands, so be sure to look into this.
4. Taking the GMAT exam will cost you money
Even though GMAC (Graduate Management Admission Council, the organisation behind the GMAT) is a non-profit organisation, their GMAT exam is not for free. They have set a global price of $250 per exam. So taking this exam multiple times, will cost you $250 for each try; something to take into consideration before blindly singing up for a GMAT exam.
5. There is a maximum to how many times you can take the GMAT exam
Please don’t think you can get your target GMAT score by taking the exam over and over again, because there is indeed a maximum for how many tries you get. For starters, there have to be at least 16 calendar days between taking two GMAT exams. Secondly, you can only take the GMAT test five times per year. And finally, there is a maximum of eight tries in total. So unfortunately, there are no unlimited resits in the case of GMAT.
Since the GMAT also costs quite some money (250€), we recommend getting the desired GMAT score in as few attempts as possible. This means you need a solid study plan right from the start. Do you notice you could use some help with your preparation? We will be here to give you free professional advice on how to reach your desired score.
