Every year, thousands of applicants attempt the GMAT exam to get admission into the top management and business schools worldwide. The top 10% of the scorers are above 710, while the top 25% are above 650 out of 800. The below article will take you through the details of the GMAT exam syllabus and the essential concepts covered in it.
What is GMAT?
GMAT stands for Graduate Management Admission Test, which is a standard entrance test for business schools globally. This exam is administered by GMAC (Graduate Management Admission Council). The exam is a computer adaptive test and evaluates the candidate’s abilities to pursue an academic degree in the management domain. The duration of the exam is approximately three and a half hours.
The GMAT scores are essentially required to get admissions in around 2,300 colleges consisting of over 7,000 courses worldwide. The GMAT scores are a pre-requisite that showcases the student’s ability to pursue a master’s in business and management programs.
It is crucial to know about the exam’s pattern, and the concepts covered in it to make it to your dream B-school.
Syllabus for GMAT Exam
The GMAT exam syllabus covers a range of topics that are designed to test your skills in critical thinking, analytical writing, and quantitative reasoning. The syllabus of GMAT exam is divided into four sections: analytical writing, integrated reasoning, quantitative, and verbal. Each section is timed, and you will need to complete the exam within three and a half hours.
Analytical Writing Assessment evaluates communication and critical thinking skills.
Integrated Reasoning Assessment evaluates the candidate’s ability to analyze data and interpret information in various formats.
Quantitative Reasoning Assessment evaluates the candidate’s ability for mathematical and numerical literacy.
Finally, the Verbal Reasoning Assessment evaluates the candidate’s English language abilities and reading comprehension skills.
4 sections of GMAT Exam Syllabus –
| Section | Duration | Questions |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 62 mins | 31 MCQs |
| Verbal Reasoning | 65 mins | 36 MCQs |
| Analytical Writing | 30 mins | 1 Essay |
| Integrated Reasoning | 30 mins | 12 MCQs |
The Quantitative Reasoning section consists of 31 multiple choice questions, and the duration for this section is 62 minutes. In addition, it contains questions related to the problem – solving and data sufficiency.
The Verbal Reasoning section consists of 36 multiple choice questions, and the duration is 65 minutes. In addition, it contains questions related to critical reasoning, comprehension, and sentence correction.
The Analytical Writing section consists of 1 essay, which is to be completed in 30 minutes. The main requirement is intrusive communication and an aggressive approach.
The Integrated Reasoning section consists of 12 multiple choice questions and the time to complete is 30 minutes. It mainly consists of graphic interpretation, two-part analysis, multi-resource reasoning.
What is the GMAT Exam Syllabus?
There are four sections in the paper, as discussed above. The syllabus for the GMAT exam in each of those segments is given below:
Analytical Writing Section
Argument Essay
This essay aims to present the skill of reason and argumentative analysis on the given topic.
Issue Essay
The objective of this essay is to present your thoughts and understanding regarding any topic. The most critical element is to draw out opinions in a structured way.
Integrated Reasoning Section
Multi–Resource Reasoning: The purpose of these questions is to draw data and information from multiple sources such as graphics, tables, passages, or a combination of two or more of them. The approach to attempt is by drawing inferences from the data.
Graphics Interpretation: The objective of this is to evaluate the candidate’s ability to interpret the information from a graphical representation of data which can be in the form of bar chart, pie chart, scatter plot, etc.
Two-Part Analysis: These questions aim to measure student’s skills to solve a complex problem. The questions can be a combination of quantitative and verbal, covering a wide range. The evaluation is basically on the ability to comprehend simultaneous equations, relationships between two entities.
Table Analysis: The purpose of this type of question is to measure the ability of candidates to analyse and interpret the tabulated data. The goal is to evaluate the efficiency of information and its interpretation from the data.
Quantitative Reasoning Section
Data Sufficiency: The objective of the questions is to evaluate the candidate’s ability to inspect quantitative data for relevant information and deduction.
Problem Solving: The purpose of this type of question is to evaluate the candidate’s skill to solve quantitative problems. One important thing to note is that 50% of the total questions among the syllabus for the GMAT exam are based on the issue–solving.
Quantitative reasoning is further divided into three categories – Algebra, Arithmetic, and Geometry.
The topics in ‘Arithmetic‘ are Probability, Speed, Time, and Distance, Ratio and Proportion, Simple and Compound Interest, Fractions, Average, Number Properties, Percentage, Decimals, Multiple and Factors.
The topics in ‘Algebra‘ are Exponents, Permutations and Combinations, Arithmetic and Geometric Progressions, Statistics, Fractions.
The topics in ‘Geometry‘ are Triangle, Coordinate Geometry, Circles, Lines and Angles, and Quadrilaterals.
Verbal Reasoning Section
Sentence Correction: This type of question aims to seek the candidate’s proficiency in the language. It is meant to focus on the expression of sentences to be grammatically correct.
Critical Reasoning: The objective of this type of question is to evaluate the candidate’s ability to evaluate arguments, formulate a plan of action, and make an argument.
Reading Comprehension: The objective is to evaluate the candidate’s ability to draw inferences, comprehend the logical relationship among words and statements, and observe the development of concepts.
Preparation Tips
The preparation for the GMAT exam should be done by strictly adhering to the syllabus.
Some general tips for preparing for the GMAT are:
- Chalk out a study plan inclusive of all the concepts and set a timeline.
- Get familiar with sections and identify your weak and strong concepts. Focus on each of them following your level of understanding.
- Be choosy about the materials for the GMAT. Don’t fill your bookshelves with irrelevant books.
- Make sure to keep track of the time for every concept and section, and the timeline goal should be strictly targeted.
Summing Up
By now, you would have a good understanding of the syllabus for the GMAT exam and the critical concepts to prepare for the exam. You can always reach out to the LilacBuds team for comprehensive and result-oriented guidance.
