Taking the GMAT
- 75 minute math section
- 75 minute verbal section
- Two thirty minute essays
The exam is not to be taken lightly. It is important to take the exam seriously and to dismiss the notion that you can simply show up and “wing it.” Although a high score does not guarantee admission to a top program, a low score can keep you out of one. It is far better, and less expensive, to allot the necessary study time to do well on your first try than to take it multiple times. Also, know how each school you are interested in will treat multiple scores. Your last five results will appear in your score report, and will be viewed by schools. Some will count only the highest, while others may simply take an average.
The GMAT is used as a standard measure of academic ability and can tell admissions personnel a lot about an applicant. An applicant with an average score who makes no attempt to improve it may be viewed as complacent with mediocrity. And an applicant who aces it the first time may be viewed as someone with the intellectual ability necessary to survive business school. Pay attention to the average GMAT scores of the schools you are interested in. While the average score for all test-takers is about a 520, the average GMAT score for entering students at the top programs is at least 700.
GMAT Myths
General tips for the GMAT