How Does the GMAT Work?
Updated for the new GMAT in 2024
The GMAT Focus Edition is a 2.25-hour adaptive exam with three sections: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Data Insights. Test takers can choose their section order and are entitled to one 10-minute break, which can be used either between the first and second sections or between the second and third sections.
What is an adaptive exam?
On an adaptive exam like the GMAT, the computer determines the difficulty of each question you receive based on your performance on all of the preceding questions in that test section. Broadly speaking, this means that if you miss questions, the exam will give you easier questions; if you start answering questions correctly, you’ll be given more difficult questions. It also means that you can’t skip or return to previous questions on the GMAT because your answer to each question helps determine the difficulty of the next one.
If you’d like to gain a better understanding of how to succeed on this type of exam, check out this video on how to manage your time on an adaptive test like the GMAT.
GMAT Verbal Reasoning Section
The Verbal Reasoning section of the GMAT consists of 23 questions, and you have 45 minutes to complete the section. GMAT Verbal Reasoning includes two question types: Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning.
GMAT Reading Comprehension questions follow a passage that is anywhere from one to four paragraphs in length. The questions test readers’ ability to understand and analyze these passages.
The GMAT Critical Reasoning section requires test-takers to read a short argument – typically fewer than 100 words. Questions then examine the test-takers’ ability to evaluate and think critically about these arguments.
Although the Verbal Reasoning section requires a high-level command of English it is not intended to test a student’s English proficiency. Instead, it attempts to evaluate test-takers’ underlying reasoning skills, using the English language as a medium. As a result, non-native English speakers often perform well on the GMAT verbal section, even if their spoken or written English is imperfect.
For more, check out these GMAT verbal articles or this series of GMAT verbal videos.
GMAT Quantitative Reasoning Section
Many people will quickly recognize the Quantitative Reasoning section of the GMAT as “math.” But at the risk of sounding like a pretentious GMAT tutor, the section isn’t really “math” in the way we usually think about it.
Instead, the GMAT emphasizes Quantitative Reasoning skills, not rote math knowledge. Just as the Verbal Reasoning section of the GMAT tests your logic skills using the English language, the Quantitative Reasoning section tests your ability to reason using math as a “language.”
The GMAT Quantitative Reasoning section consists of 21 Problem Solving questions, and test-takers are given 45 minutes to complete the section. These Problem Solving questions are multiple-choice, and similar to what most students are accustomed to seeing on other standardized tests. After being given certain information, test-takers are asked to solve for an unknown and choose the best of five options.
For more, check out this article on how to master GMAT Problem Solving, this broader series of GMAT quant articles, or this GMAT quant video course.
GMAT DATA INSIGHTS SECTION
The GMAT Data Insights section consists of 20 questions in 45 minutes.
It consists of five question types:
Multi-Source Reasoning: As the name implies, these questions require test-takers to analyze data from multiple sources and answer questions based on them.
Table Analysis: These questions feature sortable data tables, much like the tables you’ll find in Excel or Google Sheets.
Graphics Interpretation: The graphics here can include pretty much anything, including scatter plots, pie charts, bar charts, and more.
Two-Part Analysis: These questions require you to select two answers. The content covered is pretty wide-ranging, and might resemble quant or Critical Reasoning questions, among many other potential topics.
Data Sufficiency: This is a challenge unique to the GMAT. Rather than solve for an answer, test-takers are asked to determine whether a particular piece of information is – alone or in combination with another piece of information – sufficient to answer a question.
To learn more about how to approach the GMAT Data Insights section, check out this video:
Reviewing & Changing Answers on the GMAT Focus Edition
After you complete a GMAT section, you will have the opportunity to review your answers and change up to three of them. While this feature shouldn’t dramatically alter any test-taker’s strategy, it should be worth bearing in mind that if you’re struggling with a question, it doesn’t make sense to get bogged down when you could always return to the question later, as time permits.
Want to learn more about the GMAT & MBA admissions?
New to the GMAT? Here’s a pile of articles about the logistics and fundamentals of the exam.
A series of videos to help you understand the quirky world of MBA admissions
Our free, complete GMAT video course, featuring videos for all three sections of the GMAT Focus Edition