GMAT Test Structure

Why Should You Know about the GMAT Test Structure?

The GMAT is an entrance test that enables students to apply for the graduate management courses of different universities located across the world. You will be eligible for further consideration of an admission procedure of any particular university or a college only if you obtain a  score that is higher than the required score. If you can score high in the test, then it is obvious that you will be placed in a top grade management institution, and will have a bright future. Prior to all such happenings, you should first concentrate on preparing well for the GMAT. The following article throws a light upon thetest structure and presents you with some crucial points that reiterate the importance of knowing the test structure of GMAT in order to perform better in the examination.

GMAT Test Structure

The  test consists of four different sections, all of which are timed separately. The four sections  include the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA), Quantitative Section, the Verbal Section and the Integrated Reasoning Section.

  • The Analytical Writing Assessment Section consists of 1 essay writing task that requires to be attempted within a total time of 30 minutes.
  • The Verbal Section consists of 41 questions to be attempted within a total time of 75 minutes. This section tests your language skills.
  • The Quantitative Section consists of 37 questions and will be allotted a total time of 75 minutes to be attempted.
  • The Integrated Reasoning Section consists of 12 questions and must be attempted within a total time of 30 minutes.

Why Should You Know about the Test Structure?When we prepare for an exam, apparently, the first step would clearly be in regards to understanding the test content and structure. If you wish to score high, then the first important thing that you must take up is to understand the format of the test completely. You are advised not to just take a note of the format but also plan your preparation accordingly. The following points clearly illustrate the reasons behind why you should get to know the test well:

  • There are four sections in GMAT and each section has varied number of questions. Proportionately, the list of topics involved in the entire test would be very large. Hence, it is quite important that you keep track of every topic to ensure that you are preparing in the right manner.
  • On a regular basis, you should be checking the topics and question types that you have covered and the topics yet to be covered, to strategize your preparation in a much better way. You can do this effectively only if you keep a track of the test structure and syllabus.
  • At the most, the knowledge of the test helps you best during your test. If you are well-versed with the structure, then you shall not get confused during the real test, which in turn helps you be confident.

How Should You Tackle the GMAT Test?This is where understanding the test structure comes in handy. You should clearly understand the GMAT and then plan your preparation accordingly. For example, we can observe that there are 37 questions in the Quantitative section. The question types that appear in this section include data sufficiency and problem solving, both of which appear in almost equal proportions. Further, observe the trend of the questions by referring to old  test question papers.You can definitely observe that not all the concepts can be included into the given questions. Likewise, prepare your own list of topics that are considered the most important. Over the Internet, you can also find many websites that give a clear info-graphic presentation on the topics that are considered the most important for the test. Concentrate more upon them. This will help you reduce your burden of trying to study all the topics for the test. This way you can save much of your time and prepare for the test in a smarter way.