The Graduate Management Admission Test, better known by its initialism GMAT (and typically pronounced "ji mat"), is a standardized test for determining aptitude in business management studies. The GMAT is required by most accredited US MBA programs and some non-US MBA programs (such as INSEAD). Most MBA schools use the GMAT score as a criterion for admission.
Test
The GMAT is a computer-adaptive test that is designed to measure aptitude rather than achievement. The GMAT currently consists of an essay section and two multiple choice sections.
The "Total Score," comprised of the quantitative and verbal sections, is exclusive of the writing assessment, and ranges from 200 to 800.
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Essay
The essay section requires two free-response essays of 30 minutes each.
The writing samples constitute the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) score, which is scaled from 0-6 in half-point increments.
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Multiple choice - quantitative and verbal sections
Though the Graduate Management Admission Council® (the organization that owns the test) claims that scores for the quantitative and verbal sections run from 0-60, it is commonly believed that scoring above a 51 on either section is now impossible. Two-thirds of test takers score between 400 and 600. The 99th percentile begins at 740 or 750, depending on the individual test.