WHAT IS THE GMAT?
The letter GMAT stand for Graduate Management Admission Test: a standardized exam given at various locations in the United States and Canada and around the world. Throughout North America and in many international locations, the GMAT is administered only via computer. In those international locations where an extensive network of computers has not yet been established.

HOW DO YOU REGISTER FOR THE GMAT ?

GMAT information and registration forms can be found in the GMAT bulletin, which is available from your career placement office or by contacting : Graduate Management Admission Test Educational Testing service P.O. Box 6103 Princeton NJ 08541-6103 Telephone: (609) 771-7330 E-mail: gmat@ets.org

On-line: http://www.gmat.org You can also register in either of the following two ways : On-line using the URL above if you have a Visa, Master card or American express card.

By phone by calling one of the hundreds of test centers listed in the Bulletin.

To schedule your test, you must call one of the designated test centers and make an appointment. While it is possible to make the appointment even just a few days before you would like to take the test, it is better to schedule a few weeks in advance to ensure that you get an appointment that is convenient for you.

WHAT KINDS OF QUESTIONS ARE ON THE TEST ?

Even though the vehicle for delivering the GMAT has changed from pencil and paper to computer, the content of the test itself remains substantially the same.

VERBAL QUESTIONS

There are three type of verbal question:

Sentence Correction - This type tests grammar and expression. Sentence correction items consist of a sentence, all or part of which ahs been underlined, with five associated answer choices. You must choose the best way of rendering the underlined part. This question type tests your ability to recognize standard English.

Critical Thinking - This type tests logical thinking. Critical thinking items presents an argument that you are asked to analyze. Questions may require you to draw a conclusion, to identify assumptions, or to recognize strengths or weaknesses in the argument.

Reading Comprehension- This type tests your ability to read critically. Reading comprehension questions relate to a passage that is provided for you to read. The passage can be about almost anything, and the questions about it test how well you understood the passage and the information in it.

QUANTITATIVE QUESTIONS
There are two types of Quantitative questions :

Problem Solving- This type tests your quantitative reasoning ability. Problem solving questions present multiple-choice

Data sufficiency- This type tests your quantitative reasoning ability using an unusual set of directions. You are given a question with two associated statements that provide information that might be useful in answering the question. You then have to determine whether either statement alone is sufficient to; answer; whether both are needed to answer; or whether there isn't enough information given to answer.

There is also an essay component. The essay component is called the Analytical Writing Assessment or AWA. The AWA consists of two 30-minute writing exercises.

One "prompt" or topic asks you to analyze an issue.
A second "prompt" or topic asks you to analyze an argument.

HOW IS THE TEST STRUCTURED ?

The following chart shows the structure of a typical GMAT Computer Adaptive test.

Anatomy of a Typical GMAT

(optional break)

Section	No.Q	Time
Analytical Writing Assessment
Issue Topic		30mini.
Arguement Topic		30mini
Quantitative Section	37	75mini
Verbal section	41	75min

 

The Warm up period is untimed and contains no question that count toward a score. Instead, the Warm up period allows you to become familiar with the computer (the mouse and scroll bar functions in particular) and with the peculiarities of the program

HOW IS THE TEST SCORED ?

The multiple -choice parts of the test are not scored in the traditional way; that is , a grader does not compare a completed answer document o a key in order to calculate a final score based upon total performance. Rather, the computer "builds" your score as you work your way through the questions . Initially, the computers knows nothing about your quantitative or verbal skills, so it "assumes" that you are average and gives you a question of average level of difficulty. based upon your response, the computer Adjusts the initial assumption either in the direction of "above average" or "below averages" and firs f another question. Then based upon your first two responses, the computer readjusts the assumption and gives you a third question. The process continues until the computer has "built" a score for you. A word of caution. Your final score is not based solely on the last question that you answer. The algorithm used to build a score is more complicated than that. This means that you can make a silly mistake and answer incorrectly and that the computer will recognize that item as anomaly. In other words, don't worry that if you miss the first question that you score will fall somewhere in the bottom half of the range. Each of the two essays in the analytical Writing part of the test is grade on a scale of 0 (the minimum) to 6 (the maximum) :

0. An essay that is totally illegible or obviously not written on the assigned topic.
1. An essay that is fundamentally deficient.
2 An essay that is seriously flawed.
3. An essay that is seriously limited.
4. An essay that is merely adequate.
5. An essay that is strong.
6. An essay that is outstanding.

Each essay will be graded by two readers, and in most cases, the final score will be the average of the two scores awarded. Thus, if an essay receives a 3 from one reader and a 4 from the other. the final score for that essay is 3.5. In the event that the individual graders assigns scores that are more than one point apart. e.g., 2 and 4, then the essay is graded by a third reader.