The GMAT exam has undergone several changes since its creation. However, its main goal has remained the same – to assess analytical skills, quantitative and verbal skills, and skills in reading. To see the GMAT structure in the table format, click the link. 

 

 

Before 2017, the GMAT exam had a unique section order:

 

1. Analytical Writing Assessment

2. Integrated Reasoning 

3. Quantitative section

4. Verbal section

This is no longer the case. Now a test taker is free to decide on the section order that he wants to receive on the test. Basically, there are three possible orders in which the GMAT sections may appear to you:

 

 

Scenario 1:

 

1. Analytical Writing Assessment

2. Integrated Reasoning 

3. Quantitative section

4. Verbal section

 

 

Scenario 2:

 

1. Quantitative section 

2. Verbal section 

3. Integrated Reasoning

4. Analytical Writing Assessment

 

 

Scenario 3: 

 

1. Verbal section 

2. Quantitative section

3. Integrated Reasoning

4. Analytical Writing Assessment

 

 

 

Sections Overview

 

 

Introduction: 

 

Before you start the test itself, you will have to put all your belongings into a locker and, when seated at the table, read some introductory information on the screen. 

 

 

Analytical Writing Assessment

 

You will be given a piece of information (an argument) to analyze in terms of its logical consistency. This piece of information (an argument) will be no longer than an ordinary critical reasoning argument. Your main goal is basically to criticize the author's reasoning by providing your own arguments and supporting examples. You will have 30 minutes to cope with the task. 

 

 

Integrated Reasoning

 

This section consists of 12 problems, each having more than one question. The questions test your ability to interpret data of different formats, providing you with tons of graphs, tables, charts, etc. Even though you may encounter more than 20 seperate questions, you will be given only 30 minutes for that. The IR problems are of 4 main types: graph analysis questions, table analysis questions, multi-source reasoning questions, and two-part analysis.

 

 

Break 1

 

During an 8-minute break you can have a quick snack from your locker or use the test-center's facilities. 

 

 

Quantitative Section

 

The Quantitative (or simply Math) section provides you with 62 minutes to do 31 questions. Each question is accompanied with a question stem and five different answers, among which only one is correct. The questions fall into Problem Solving questions and Data Sufficiency questions. The former require you to simply find the answer to the question, while the latter require you to identify which of the two supporting pieces of information is sufficient to solve the task given in the question stem.

 

 

Break 2

 

 

Verbal Section

 

The Verbal part of the exam test your skills in reading, critical reasoning, and sentence correction. You will be given 65 minutes to cope with 36 questions. All the questions are in the test format, that is they all have five different answers among which only one is correct.

 

 

Fact 1

 

Adaptivity in the GMAT exam applies only to the Quantitative section and the Verbal section.

 

 

Fact 2

 

The Analytical Writing Assessment and the Integrated Reasoning section do not count towards your targeted 700+ score. 

 

 

Fact 3

 

You are not allowed to go back to a question after answering it. 

 

 

Fact 4

 

You know your preliminary test results right after you finish your test. The official GMAT report will be sent to you within 20 days after the test. It will additionally include your AWA score. 

 

 

Fact 5

 

To hit the best possible score, it is important to equalize the Verbal section and the Quantitative section. 

 

 

Fact 6

 

Both the Verbal section and the Quantitative section have so-called trial questions, which do not influence your score whether you have answered them correctly or not. 

by Chris Hazel