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The Graduate Management Admission Test is used for assessing ability to succeed academically in graduate business studies by testing skills in mathematics and the English language. The GMAT is a standardized test used globally as a yardstick for admission into graduate business programs (e.g. MBA, Master of Accountancy etc) and is administered as a computer-based test.

The test comprises of three parts and measures verbal, mathematical and analytical writing skills:

Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA)

This section consists of two essays where the candidate must analyze an argument and an issue respectively. The assessment is conducted on a scale of 0-6 and the total time to write each essay is 30 minutes. The Analysis of an Issue measures the candidate’s ability to explore the complexities of an issue, to take a stand and explain one’s point of view using various perspectives. The Analysis of an Argument section tests the ability to formulate a constructive critique of a specific conclusion based on a specific line of thinking. The student will need to analyse the reasoning behind the argument before writing a critique of that argument.

Quantitative Section

This section comprises of multiple choice questions that are based on problem solving and data sufficiency. There are a total of 37 questions that must be answered in 75 minutes and fetches a total score of 60 points.

Problem Solving: The problem-solving questions assess the following skills:

Basic mathematical skills,

Understanding of elementary mathematical concepts

Ability to reason quantitatively and solve quantitative problems.

Data Sufficiency: These questions assess the following skills:

Recognize which information is relevant

Determine at what point there is sufficient information to solve a problem

Verbal Section

This section measures a candidate’s verbal ability in the areas of sentence correction, critical reasoning and reading comprehension. The assessment is based on the candidate’s ability to:

read and comprehend written material,

reason and evaluate arguments, and

correct written material to conform to standard written English.

The student is required to answer 41 multiple choice questions which must be answered within 75 minutes. The total score ranges from 0-60 points.

The GMAT costs $250 and a candidate can register either online or by calling one of the test centres.

Total GMAT scores range from 200 to 800. Two-thirds of test takers score between 400 and 600. The scores are valid for 5 years.