A Simple Breakdown of GMAT Format and Test Structure

Understanding the GMAT format and test structure will help give you the strategy you need to excel on the exam. If your goal is to attend a Masters of Business Administration program, this will be essential.

While working through a GMAT study program, you’ll quickly realize that success relies as much on test-taking skills as it does on subject matter mastery.

This article is designed to help you understand the GMAT sections and exam format. Read on to learn what each GMAT section will entail, and how to craft a GMAT study plan that helps you tackle all of the challenges you’ll face.

GMAT Format

The GMAT is an electronic test taken on a computer. There are two ways to take the GMAT:

1. At a GMAT Test Center, where you will schedule a three-and-a-half hour appointment and get two optional breaks during the test.
2. With the GMAT Online Exam, where you will use your own computer system (as long as it meets system requirements) to take the test from home or at a remote location.

Whether you choose to take the GMAT in a test center or online, it will contain four sections:

1. Quantitative Reasoning, which will measure your math and reasoning skills.
2. Verbal Reasoning, which will test your ability to comprehend and correct reading passages.
3. Analytical Writing Assessment, in which you will have to write an essay to proficiently communicate important ideas.
4. Integrated Reasoning, which will test your ability to analyze data when it is presented in different ways and draw accurate conclusions.

GMAT Format and Structure Table

Here is a table showing how the questions of each GMAT section are structured, what each section is worth, and how long each section takes:

GMAT scores are calculated in a range from 200 to 800. Verbal and Quantitative are objectively scored by points based on your answers of multiple choice questions. Integrated Reasoning and Analytical Writing have some degree of subjectivity, with the latter being scored in part by hand.

While all of the GMAT test scores are considered to be reliable, it is possible to request an Essay Rescore if you think your AWA final score is inaccurate.

GMAT Exam Pattern Order

When you sit down at a computer to take the GMAT, you are able to choose the order in which you take each section. Over the course of three-and-a-half hours of test-taking, it is easy to get fatigued.

You know your own brain (and experience) best.

So, as you take GMAT practice tests, you’ll start formulating a strategy for the GMAT exam pattern order that works best for you.

Here are the three ways to order the GMAT:

1. Analytical Writing, Integrated Reasoning, Quant, Verbal
2. Quant, Verbal, Integrated Reasoning, Analytical Writing
3. Verbal, Quant, Integrated Reasoning, Analytical Writing

Once you choose the order, that’s how the GMAT parts will show up on your computer test.

Computer Adaptive Test

Two sections of the GMAT are computer adaptive. Therefore, the test content you receive is tailored to the skill level you’re exhibiting. The two sections are Quant and Verbal Reasoning. Here’s an example of how the computer adaptive GMAT works:

When you start Verbal, you will get an answer that is about a medium level of difficulty.

• If you answer correctly: you’ll get a harder question next time.
• If you answer incorrectly: you’ll get an easier question next time.

There are two key takeaways about this:

1. Because of the adaptive nature of the test, you cannot “go back” to previous questions or skip questions to answer later. Your answers literally determine what content you get. Once you’ve passed a question, you’re unable to revisit it.
2. Some people think that the computer adaptive GMAT provides more accurate scoring and an assessment of a test-taker’s unique abilities or understanding.

So, from a test-taking perspective, the fact that the GMAT is adaptive shouldn’t spook you. Each question matters, so you should take them as they come.

GMAT Test Structure

Now let’s dive deeper into the actual GMAT test format for each section. Each section not only covers distinct subjects, but presents those subjects in different ways.

So, what does the GMAT consist of? Here’s a GMAT breakdown of what each section will entail.

Quantitative Section

Quant is an adaptive section, which means, as detailed previously, it will progress from medium to easier or more difficult content, depending on your answers. Here are the subjects covered in Quant:

• Decimals, percentages, fractions
• Profit and loss
• Number properties
• Powers and roots
• Probability
• Algebraic expressions and equations
• Geometry
• Functions

That list is not exhaustive. Because of how dense this part is, many people invest in additional curriculum or textbooks to master the Quant section.

Quant has 31 questions and will take 62 minutes to complete. It’s important to note that, although you’re going to be doing a lot of math, you do not get a calculator for Quant.

Verbal Section

Verbal is the second computer adaptive section. There are three question types in Verbal, all of which you will practice for. They are:

1. Sentence correction
2. Critical reasoning
3. Reading comprehension

The goal of Verbal is to test your ability to read, understand, and provide meaningful commentary on sections of written text. It may sound pretty straightforward, but it’s definitely going to take some practice.

Verbal has 36 questions and will take 65 minutes to complete.

Integrated Reasoning

Integrated Reasoning is about problem solving. There are four types of questions you will encounter in this section of the GMAT. Each of them are set up with three subsections of multiple choice questions. They will include content in the four following areas:

1. Table analysis: You will be given a data table (such as a spreadsheet) and have to sort, analyze, and assess what you see.
2. Multi-source reasoning: This will present tables, graphics, and/or text passages. It will require you to answer questions that find errors/contradictions, draw inferences, and determine relevance, for example.
3. Graphics interpretation: You may see plots, x/y graphs, pie charts, bar charts, and more. Then, you will have to find relationships in the data.
4. Two part analysis: These complex problems may resemble what you see in Verbal or Quant. You will have to measure, evaluate, solve, and find connections.

Integrated Reasoning will have four question types and 12 questions in total. The good news is that you do get to use a calculator for this portion of the test, so it takes 30 minutes to complete.

Analytical Writing Assessment

The Analytical Writing Assessment section of the GMAT is, as mentioned before, partially graded by humans. It’s important that you display competence in reflection, presenting proof, working out the logic of an argument, and drawing meaningful conclusions.

You will be given a writing task that is, essentially, an analysis of an argument. It will be important to identify and follow lines of reasoning, present evidence, and provide a cogent response. How articulate you are certainly matters in this section and it is something you should practice many times during your GMAT test prep.

FAQs

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about the GMAT format.

How Many Questions Are on the GMAT?

The GMAT has four sections with varying numbers of questions per part. They go as follows:

• Analytical Writing Assessment: 1 question
• Integrated Reasoning: 12 questions
• Quantitative Reasoning: 31 questions
• Verbal Reasoning: 36 questions

So, in total, you will be answering 80 questions in various formats across the four sections.

What is the New GMAT Format?

The GMAT is a computer adaptive test so it can be taken online or in a test center. All GMATs are taken on computers and are three-and-a-half hours long.

What Kind of Questions Are on the GMAT?

On the GMAT, you will encounter multiple choice questions and one essay question. For example, in the Verbal and Quant sections, these multiple choice questions are straightforward and discrete. But for Integrated Reasoning, there will be four large questions with subsections of three questions each. The Analytical Writing Assessment is a single essay question.

How Many Sections Are on the GMAT?

There are four sections on the GMAT. These are:

1. Integrated Reasoning
2. Analytical Writing Assessment
3. Verbal Reasoning
4. Quantitative Reasoning

In other words, you will need to work through arguments, solve problems, provide thoughtful analysis, and exhibit skills in math and language.

How Many Verbal Questions on GMAT?

The Verbal section of the GMAT has 36 questions.

How Many Quant Questions on GMAT?

The Quant section of the GMAT has 31 questions.