The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a standardized test administered in English and used by business schools to help assess applicants. The GMAT is one of a variety of criteria that MBA programs use to select their participants. It compliments the admission committee’s primary considerations of academic performance, personal essays, professional achievement, recommendations, and personal integrity.

Because of the diverse and international nature of graduate management training, the GMAT is often the only common feature on all applications. The GMAT provides a benchmark to the incredible range of applications and difficult-to compare data that a competitive MBA programme typically receives. The GMAT is not an intelligence test, nor an indicator of future success. Only when combined with extensive candidate information can it provide a reasonable indication of a candidate’s level of academic preparedness.

The GMAT assumes English proficiency and consists of three parts. There is a 60 minute Analytical Writing Assessment, which does not directly affect the score. This is followed by a 75-minute quantitative (math) section, a 5-minute break, and a 75-minute verbal section.

Since the test is computer-based, the final score is instantly computed at the end of the test. The scores range from 200 to 800 with the average score about 530. GMAT averages at highly competitive business schools tend to be in the high 600s, a score which is near or higher than the 90th percentile. Keep in mind that GMAT test takers are better educated and more ambitious than the population at large. Indeed it is a very challenging exercise with significant preparation normally required.