The Graduate Management Admission Test, or GMAT, is an important part of the business school application process. The GMAT is a standardized computer-based and computer-adaptive examination having multiple-choice questions and this examination is often required for admission into graduate business programs (MBA) globally. The GMAT is developed and administered by test makers to provide business schools with common measures for testing the applicant’s preparedness for graduate-level academic work.
Business school admission committees look at your GMAT score, along with work experience, academic record, and supporting materials, to assess your readiness for facing the rigor that comes along with the admittance into an MBA program.
It is internationally recognized and valued by over 6,000 programmes around the world in over 2100 universities in 114 countries.
The GMAT is a test of your reasoning and critical thinking skills.
Which means: It assesses how well you analyse and evaluate information through a series of problems
Which equates to the fact: GMAT has been shown to be a valid predictor of academic performance in MBA and other business masters programmes.
It provides a uniform gauge of the candidate’s academic skills for the admission bureau that in-turn must choose students from a huge pool of academic programmes and undergraduate majors worldwide, with varying levels of professional experience as well
*Candidate must be a graduate from a recognized University and must be 18 years of age.
| Date and Frequency |
GMAT is conducted throughout the year. Candidates can take the GMAT once every 16 days, up to five times in the timespan of 12-month period (365 days) and maximum up to a total of eight times. |
| Centre and Admit Card |
The GMAT exam is conducted year-round at 34 cities in India in 39 different test centres. |
| Result |
Candidates can check their Official Score Report within 20 days after giving the Exam on the official website of GMAC. A unique link will be sent to the registered email ID which will assist the candidate on to access their GMAT Score Report. |
| Score Reporting |
You can send your Official Score Report to up to five programs that you select at the test centre prior to the start of your GMAT exam. It will be sent electronically or by mail, depending on the programs’ preferences. This service is covered by your GMAT exam registration fee. Once you have made your selections, they cannot be changed. |
| Score Validity |
5 Years |
| Time Duration |
3 Hours and 23 minutes (approximately) |
| Score range for the test |
200 - 800 |
The GMAT verbal section is designed to test your command of standard written english, your skill in analyzing arguments, and your ability to read critically.You will see reading comprehension questions,critical reasoning questions and sentence correction questions
The Analytical Writing Assessment, or "essay" section, helps business schools analyze your writing skills. It is scored separately, and your AWA score is not used to generate your 200-800 point score. Essays are scored by a human grader and a computer grading system, and the two scores are averaged for your final score.
This section consists of Multi-Source Reasoning questions, Graphics Interpretation questions, Two-Part Analysis questions and Table Analysis questions. It judges your data interpretation and reasoning abilities.
The GMAT Quantitative section is designed to test your content and analytical knowledge of basic math concepts, including arithmetic, algebra, and geometry. It consists of 14-15 Data Sufficiency and 16-19 Problem solving questions.
As online learning has become the preferred learning mode in the current pandemic situation, many national and global-level exams can also been availed in the online version. One of the top MBA entrance exams, GMAT also has an online version to help students from across the globe take the test from the comfort of their homes without worrying about visiting the exam centre. GMAC launched the online GMAT exam for highly affected regions which are located outside Mainland China, Cuba, Iran, Sudan, Slovenia and North Korea and for anyone who was planning to appear for this exam this year. This blog brings you an exclusive guide on the online GMAT exam, its test dates for 2020, registration process as well as how you can crack this slightly different version and get a better score to land into your dream business school!
Online GMAT Exam Highlights| Total Duration | 3 Hours |
| Exam Duration | 2 hours and 45 minutes |
| Check-in | 15 minutes |
| 1 Optional break | 1 Optional break 5 minutes |
| Exam Sections | Quantitative, Verbal and Integrated Reasoning (AWA section is not included) |
| Additional Details | Candidates can use a physical or online whiteboard for rough calculations. Can be taken on Windows or Mac Laptop or PC |
GMAC has announced the online GMAT exam appointment dates which are available 24 hours for 7 days in a week to ensure flexibility. Earlier, aspirants can book their GMAT slots online from April 20, 2020 to June 15, 2020 and now the dates have been extended to December 31, 2020.
Registration, Fees & DocumentsThere is a simplified process for registering for the GMAT online exam. You can visit the official website of the exam by clicking here and then create a new account by clicking on “Register Now”. Then, select your appointment details, i.e. online exam date and time as per your convenience and preference and then complete the GMAT registration.
The exam fee for GMAT online is 200 USD (roughly 14,720 INR) and this provides the candidate the opportunity to send their score report to business schools and universities around the world for free and for unlimited number of times.
HERE ARE THE ACCEPTED ID DOCUMENTS YOU CAN CHOOSE FROM TO PROVIDE AS ID PROOF BEFORE THE EXAM:Passport
Military ID (spouse and dependents added)
Driver’s License
Any national or local identification card
Any registration card such as visa, green card, permanent resident, etc.)
Also, there are no rescheduling or cancelation charges for the online exam but you can only reschedule/cancel your exam within 24 hours of the appointment date and time.
Exam Pattern
The only difference is that this version omits the AWA section and an optional 5-minute break is offered to candidates after Verbal and before beginning the Integrated Reasoning.
How to Take GMAT Online Exam?Since the online GMAT can be slightly newer in terms of taking the exam online, there are certain things you must keep in mind while appearing for this new version. Here are some useful tips to help you ace the online GMAT:
Practicing the Online GMAT Version before the ExamMake sure to go through the online whiteboard available as a rough sheet during the exam. Here’s a snapshot of the online whiteboard which you can use during the exam and you can practice on it before by visiting the official GMAT website.
Go through the policies and procedures available on the official website, check the ID requirements (mentioned above) and also run a system test to ensure that your computer and internet is ready.
During the GMAT examThe check-in time for GMAT online is 15 minutes so make sure that you are available online within this time and then remove any devices [headphones, mobile, notes, etc.] from the computer or laptop you are using. You can also not use touchscreens, stylus or graphic tablets during the exam.
What to Do After the ExamWait for 7 business days for the official scores of the GMAT online exam. You can then start sending your scores to your preferred business schools and universities. Moreover, the approach to GMAT scoring and results is the same for the online version.
The GMAT score validity is for a time-span of 5 years and the number of cancellations or attempts for the exam are not provided unless authorized retakes or technical issues are validated.
| University | Valid GMAT Scores | Course(s) |
|---|---|---|
Indian Institute of Management, Indore |
580+ |
EPGP |
S.P.Jain Institute of Management & Research |
680+ |
PGDM680 |
IMT, Ghaziabad |
690+ |
PGDM, PGDM-Ex |
Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore |
690+ |
EPGP |
Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow |
680+ |
IMPX |
Great Lakes Institute of Management |
680+ |
PGPM |
XLRI, Jamshedpur |
700+ |
General MBA |
Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta |
700+ |
PGPEX |
Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad |
700+ |
PGP, YLP |
Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad |
700+ |
PGPX |
For someone asking about the GMAT score validity of Harvard, INSEAD, London Business Schools, amongst others, you must know that business schools abroad provide their own timeframe for ensuring that students provide valid GMAT scores. For example, take a look at the GMAT score validity for Harvard Business School for MBA admissions 2020:
| Applying for | Valid Test Dates of GRE or GMAT |
|---|---|
| Round 1 | 8th September 2015 to 7th September 2020 |
| Round 2 | 5th January 2016 to 4th January 2021 |
| 2+2 Round | April 2015 to June 2020 |
Thus, it is important to check the official university website for GMAT and GRE score validity and see the same for the admission rounds as well.