GMAT Exam Syllabus & Pattern 2022

The Graduate Management Admission Test or GMAT is a computer-adaptive standardised test used for admissions by top b-schools worldwide. GMAT is accepted for admissions to over 7000 programs across 2300 colleges and universities. The test analyses a candidate’s quantitative and analytical skills for a graduate management program.

Let’s dive into the GMAT exam pattern and syllabus.

How is the GMAT structured?

GMAT is a 3-hour and 7-minute long exam, with optional 8-minute breaks between the sections. Scored on a scale of 200-800, GMAT covers more than 50 topics in four sections, namely-

• Quantitative Reasoning
• Verbal Reasoning
• Integrated Reasoning
• Analytical Writing Assessment

You can select the order of the questions as per your preference.

GMAT Syllabus for Quantitative Reasoning

The quantitative reasoning section is divided into two subsections-

• Problem Solving- You’re given a question that has five answer choices. In order to pick your answer choice, you have to solve for a numeric value or algebraic expression.
• Data Sufficiency- The questions have two statements of data, but instead of solving for a numeric value, you pick the answer choice that has enough information to solve the problem.

Comprising a total of 31 questions to be answered in 62 minutes, the GMAT quant section tests your knowledge and analysis of basic mathematical concepts. The GMAT maths syllabus includes the following topics-

• Arithmetic– numbers and their powers and roots, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio and proportion, sets, counting methods, discrete probability.
• Algebra– equations, inequalities, absolute value, functions and exponents.
• Geometry– lines and angles, polygons, circles, solids, coordinate geometry.
• Word problems– rate, time and work, mixtures, simple and compound interest, discounts, profit and loss, geometry problems, measurement problems, and data interpretation.

GMAT syllabus for Verbal Reasoning

Made up of 36 questions to be answered in 65 minutes, The Verbal Reasoning section measures your ability to read and comprehend written content and to reason and evaluate arguments. The GMAT exam syllabus for the Verbal Reasoning section is based on three question types-

• Reading comprehension– questions ask you to refer to a passage of up to 350 words and answer questions based on the main idea, supporting ideas, inferences, context, style, and tone, etc.
• Critical reasoning– questions check you on argument construction, argument evaluation, and formulating/evaluating a plan of action based on shorter passages.
• Sentence correction- questions are categorized into an agreement, diction, grammatical construction, idiom, logical predication, parallelism, rhetorical construction, and verb form.

GMAT syllabus for Integrated Reasoning

With 30 minutes to answer 12 questions, the Integrated Reasoning section requires you to analyze and evaluate information presented in multiple formats. IR questions will challenge both your quantitative and verbal skills. Question types can broadly be grouped into-

• Multi-source reasoning– questions will ask you to synthesize, compare, interpret or apply the information presented in written passages, tables, graphs, diagrams, and other types of visual representation.
• Table analysis– questions ask you to determine statistics, ratios, proportions or probabilities, etc., from a given spreadsheet-like table with a drop-down menu.
• Graphics interpretation– fill-in-the-blank questions to be answered based on given bar graphs, line graphs, scatterplots, and bubble graphs.
• Two-part analysis– questions will ask you to calculate proportion, determine trade-offs, etc. and choose answer options that will be given in tabular format.

GMAT syllabus for Analytical Writing Assessment

With just a 30-minute bracket, the AWA section of the GMAT exam requires you to analyse a given argument and write a critique on it. The argument topics are mostly of general interest and may be related to business. AWA will check your ability to organize your thoughts and how you use the given evidence to support your viewpoint.

GMAT Sections Overview

In the quest to find the best-fit candidates, b-schools assess your applications holistically, of which your GMAT score is a crucial part. The GMAT syllabus for MBA is designed to test your analytical, logical, and problem-solving skills. It’s therefore imperative that you give your best on this exam.

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