What is the GMAT®?
| FAQs
on GMAT®
Students who want to pursue higher studies in countries
outside India usually need to take some exams. The kind of
exam that you would need to take varies according to the
program that you want to pursue. Some of the standardized
international tests that students are required to take are:
What is the GMAT®?
A standardized test, the Graduate Management Admissions Test
measures the Verbal, Mathematical and Analytical skills. The
test primarily intends to aid graduate schools of business
assess the potential of the applicants for advanced study in
business and management. Nearly 1000 management institutes
all over the world require GMAT® scores from the
applicants.
The GMAT® is different from most other customary
examinations. The examination is entirely computer-based,
and no two students get identical sets of questions. Also,
students cannot skip questions. The test is scored on a
maximum of 800. The GMAT® Score alone cannot guarantee
admission into a school. The test is only one of the major
factors taken into consideration in the long process of an
applicant getting admitted into a Business School he/she
desires.
The GMAT has three sections – Verbal, Quantitative and
Analytical Writing Assessment. The following is the GMAT
test structure.
The US-based "Pearson VUE”, which is under the directions of
the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) develops
and administers the GMAT®. Pearson VUE is responsible for
setting questions, conducting the test and sending score
reports to each examinee. For detailed information about
GMAT, please refer the official website of GMAT – www.mba.com
FAQs
on GMAT®
Q1. Does admission to B schools depend only on GMAT scores?
Q2. Does one have to be a graduate for taking the
GMAT®?
Q3. What is the cost/registration fee for GMAT?
Q4. How do I register for the GMAT®?
Q5. How many times in a year is GMAT exam held?
Q6. How many times can I take GMAT?
Q7. What is the validity of the GMAT exam?
Q8. What is the scoring pattern?
Q9. How soon do I get my score?
Q10. What happens if I postpone/prepone my exam date?
Q11. What happens if I cancel my exam date?
Q12. What happens if I want to cancel the GMAT test score?
Q13. How do I pass on my score to the college?
Q14. Is GMAT® valid only for going abroad or it has
some relevance in India also?
Q15. What is percentile?
Q16. Can I apply to universities if I do not have the AWA score?
Q17. Do universities consider photocopies of the GMAT scorecard?
Do I have to send scores through Pearson?
Q18. If I take GMAT® more than once, which score will be
considered by the universities?
Q19. If the application deadline of University X is July 15, by when should I take the GMAT®?
Q20. Do I need to have the GMAT® score at the time of applying to
universities?
Q21.
I took the GMAT® in May 2007. Can I apply for Fall 2012
with this score?
Q22. Is GMAT® mandatory for applying to MBA programs outside
India?
Q23.
When is the GMAT going to change?
Q24. What changes are going to be introduced in the GMAT?
Q1. Does admission to
B schools depend only on GMAT scores?
Ans. It is one of the various criteria that the
admission council looks at. However, a good GMAT score does
improve chances of admission.
Q2. Does one have to be a graduate for taking
the GMAT?
Ans. Not necessarily. However, to do a master's course, one has
to be a graduate in any stream.
Q3. What is the cost/registration fee for
GMAT?
Ans. The registration fee for taking GMAT is USD 250. After
administering the test and before getting the final scores,
the test takers are asked to submit the names of 5 B Schools
that they would like to send their scores to. This facility
is part of the USD 250 fee that is charged for the test.
Q4. How do I register for the GMAT?
Ans. You can register online or by phone or by mail. The detailed
information about registering for the GMAT® can be found at www.mba.com
Q5. How many times in a year is GMAT exam
held?
Ans. GMAT® is offered usually on all working days in India (ie, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday). The schedule can be obtained from Pearson VUE in person, through phone, e-mail or online. For more information, please visit
www.mba.com
Q6. How many times can I take GMAT?
Ans. GMAT® can be taken unlimited number of times with a gap of a
minimum of 31 calendar days between 2 tests. (It is highly
advisable not to appear for GMAT too many times as it may
affect the applicant’s candidature). However, one can give
the test only 5 times in a calendar year.
Q.7 What is the validity of the GMAT exam?
Ans. Your GMAT score will be valid for 5 years after from the
date the test was taken
Q8. What is the scoring pattern?
Ans. Scoring is between 200 (Minimum) and 800 (Maximum) with
10-point increment for Quantitative and Verbal section
combined. About 2/3rd of the test takers score between 400
and 600. The Quantitative and the Verbal scores are scaled
out of 60 and range between 0 and 60. Score below 9 and
above 44 in Verbal and below 7 and above 50 in Quantitative
are rare.
The AWA section is scored between 0 and 6 with 0.5 point
increments. An AWA score of 4.0 + is a decent score.
Q9. How soon do I get my score?
Ans. You will see your score for the maths and verbal section the moment you finish the exam but official scores (with scores for AWA) take one to three weeks to reach you.
Q10. What happens if I postpone/prepone my
exam date?
Ans. Rescheduling more than 7 days prior to the original test
date will cost you an additional USD 50. Rescheduling within
7 days of the original test date will cost you an
additional USD 250.
Q11. What happens if I cancel my exam date?
Ans. If you cancel more than 7 days prior to test date, you will
get a refund of USD 80. If you cancel within 7 days of the
test date, you will not get any refund. So, it is better to
reschedule than to cancel.
Q12. What happens if I want to cancel the
GMAT test score?
Ans. After taking the exam you are given the choice of cancelling
your score without seeing it. If you choose to do so the
score is lost forever but it gets reported on all subsequent
score charts that you had cancelled an exam.
Q13. How do I pass on my score to the
colleges where I want to apply to?
Ans. The universities only accept official scores sent directly
by Pearson VUE. Scores to five colleges can be sent free of
cost while taking the exam. Subsequently, for each score
report sent to a college, you would have to pay $28.
Q14. Is GMAT valid only for going abroad or
it has some relevance in India also?
Ans. GMAT® is accepted in a lot of Indian Business schools like
ISB, IIMA (PGPX), IIMC (PGPEX), SP Jain, Great Lakes, etc.
Q15. What is percentile?
Ans. If you secure 85 percentile it would mean 85 % of the students taking the exam in the past three years are below you and 15% are equal to or above you.
Q16. Can I apply to universities if I do not
have the AWA score?
Ans. Yes, you can apply to the universities based on your
provisional scorecard that you receive on the day of the
test. But only if the university waives the requirement and
as long as you are able to send the official score once it
is out.
Q17. Do universities consider photocopies of
the GMAT scorecard? Do I have to send scores through
Pearson?
Ans. No, photocopies are not accepted. You have to send your
scores only through Pearson.
Q18. If I take GMAT® more than once, which
score will be considered by the universities?
Ans. Most of the Universities take the best score. However, it is
best to confirm the same from a particular university before
applying.
Q19. If the application deadline of
University X is July 15, by when should I take the GMAT®?
Ans. Technically, you can take it as late as July 15. However, it
is best to take the GMAT® at least 15 days before the
deadline so that you have enough time to prepare the other
parts of the application.
Q20. Do I need to have the GMAT® score at the
time of applying to universities?
Ans. Not necessary, although it is always better to have it
ready. If the score is not available, it is advisable to
book a date and give the university the schedule. Please
note that the date of the GMAT® HAS to be before the
deadline of the university.
Q21.
I took the GMAT® in May 2007. Can I apply for Fall
2012 with this score?
Ans. No, the GMAT® score has to be valid till the start of the semester, ie., August 2012.
Q22. Is GMAT® mandatory for applying to MBA
programs outside India?
Ans. No, not all the MBA programs outside India. But to seek
admission into the reputed Business Schools, one has to have
a GMAT score.
Q23. When is the GMAT going to change?
Ans. The new format of GMAT (Next Generation GMAT) is going to start from June 5, 2012.
Q24. What changes are going to be introduced in the GMAT?
Ans. One whole new section, Integrated Reasoning section, will be added to GMAT.
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