The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a computer adaptive test required by many colleges and universities as part of their admission requirements. Higher educational institutions use the GMAT to test the mathematical and analytical capabilities of candidates applying for admission to the institutions business school. Once the test is completed by candidates, the scores are automatically generated and sent to the educational institutions chosen by the candidate. While no standard score is considered good or bad, educational institutions usually set a minimum score for admission acceptance. The exam requires 4 hours for completion and consists of three parts: analytical writing assessment, quantitative and verbal.
Analytical Writing Assessment
The analytical writing assessment (AWA) includes two 30-minute writing assignments: analysis of an issue and analysis of an argument. Each assessment tests the ability of individuals to accurately discuss a general topic of business or society. While no specific knowledge is needed to complete this section, individuals should be prepared to use their knowledge to provide an accurate and scholarly answer to the situation. This section of the GMAT represents one-third of the total GMAT exam time. Candidates may not receive the score for the AWA portion of the exam immediately, as it is graded by faculty members with relevant experience in the topic's subject matter.
Quantitative Section
The quantitative section of the GMAT requires candidates to answer questions using arithmetic, elementary algebra and common geometry concepts. This section tests the specific knowledge each candidate has regarding these mathematical concepts. Two types or problems are used in the GMAT test: problem-solving and data-sufficiency. Problem-solving questions require candidates to review a math problem and compute the correct answer. Data-sufficiency problems give the candidates information relating to a situation and requires them to determine if given statements about the problem are sufficient for answering the question. The quantitative section takes about seventy-five minutes to complete.
This part of the exam is where the computer adaptive testing comes into play. If candidates answer questions correctly, they are given harder questions for each subsequent problem. If a wrong answer is given, easier questions are given to the candidates, building back up to harder questions.
Verbal Section
The verbal section of the GMAT is the second computer adaptive section of the GMAT, also about 75 minutes in length. Students are given reading comprehension questions that evaluate their ability to understand words and passages of information, create logical relationships from given concepts, infer facts and statements from the question's text and develop quantitative concepts from written material. Critical reasoning questions evaluate the candidate's ability to construct arguments, evaluate arguments and formulate a plan of action. Sentence correction questions are used to test the candidate's ability to accurately correct grammar or sentence structure mistakes.
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