GMAT structure

We continue the series of publications about the GMAT test - we recall that in the previous article we gave a general description of the exam and talked about the assessment system. Today we will discuss the structure of the GMAT - we will describe in detail about each of the sections of the GMAT and point out its features.

As always, we are waiting for your comments, questions and suggestions!
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Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) consists of four main sections, namely (in the order of their passing):

• GMAT AWA (Analytical Writing Assessment);
• GMAT IR (Integrated Reasoning);
• GMAT Math (Quantitative);
• GMAT Verbal section.

Below will be discussed in detail each of the sections of the assessment.

GMAT Verbal
One of the main components of the GMAT test is the Verbal Section, a unit that assesses the candidate's verbal skills, including:

• language proficiency level;
• text comprehension;
• presentation logic;
• search for the main and secondary, general and particular, cause and effect;
• knowledge of the general rules of grammar.

The section consists of three main sections:

• reading comprehension This part tests the ability to work with text. You will need to read 2-4 short passages, and then answer the questions posed by choosing the correct option from five possible. Texts can be on various topics: business, management, marketing, economics, etc.
• critical rationale ( Critical Reasoning ). This section primarily assesses the candidate’s analytical skills. You will be offered several passages, and then several questions will be given to them that test logical skills. You may be asked to refute or confirm the argument, make an assumption, choose the most logical ending of the text or make a conclusion.
• correction of errors in the proposal ( Sentence Correction ). In this part, you need to show a sense of language and impeccable knowledge of grammar. It is necessary to choose the right answer not only in terms of grammar, idioms and sentence structure, but also the best of 2 correct ones.

Total section consists of 41 tasks. Work on the verbal section takes exactly 75 minutes.

AWA Section

The AWA (Evaluation Letter Assessment) is another major component of the GMAT. You will need to write an essay in 30 minutes allotted: analyze the argument, express your point of view, supporting it with facts and examples. The statement should be logical and comply with the canons of the organization of the written text.

Work is rated on a six-point scale.

The essay is checked and computer, and man. The computer program Intellimetric analyzes syntax, grammar and vocabulary. When checking people pay more attention to the overall style of the work than to the grammar and spelling.

After checking the estimates are added up, and the arithmetic average is displayed. The average score for the AWA section is 4 out of 6.

How to prepare for GMAT?

The main score of the GMAT test is made up of verbal and mathematical sections. To pass the test well, you need to pay attention to both components. Therefore, we recommend that you approach training as seriously as possible and devote to your studies at least a few hours a day.

Use proven textbooks (for example, GMAT Official Guide ) and perform typical tasks, like which you will surely meet in the verbal section. In addition, you need to regularly train in writing an essay.

GMAT math

The tasks in GMAT Math are divided into two types according to the format of tasks:

• problem solving;
• data sufficiency (data sufficiency determination).

Despite the fact that many GMAT students are most afraid of the mathematical section of the exam, most of the tasks are not complicated. As a rule, many of them do not exceed the level of the last classes of the school.

In the mathematical section, candidates must demonstrate the ability not only to solve standard problems, but also to analyze numerical information. Total section consists of thirty-seven tasks, which must be solved in 75 minutes. The adaptive format of the test determines the level of preparedness of the candidate and, depending on this, lowers or increases the level of complexity of the questions after passing the first few questions of the average level.

As in other sections of the GMAT, the key factor is precisely the knowledge of answers to questions of various types.



Data Sufficiency Format Issues

Many examiners mistakenly believe that the mathematical part of the GMAT test consists only of tasks, but in the Data Sufficiency section, first of all, students are tested not only to analyze the question, but also to divide it into several separate components in order to find the right solution.

This section also tests the ability to understand algebraic, arithmetic, and geometric concepts, as well as to use the logical techniques that are necessary when solving various mathematical problems.

The tasks, the main purpose of which is to analyze the sufficiency of the data, are presented in the same structural form: one question and two statements. Examinees should choose one of the five proposed options that relate to the sufficiency of the statements submitted to answer the basic question.

In all the tasks in the section, the options do not change, so we recommend remembering them in order not to spend a lot of time reading.

Task example:
1 is it?

(1) Term 1 = 1.
(2) The term 6 - term 5 = 32.

Variants of answers:

1. Assertion (1) is sufficient, but only assertion (2) is not sufficient.
2. Assertion (2) is sufficient, but assertion (1) is not.
3. Two statements together are sufficient, but neither of them is sufficient separately.
4. The first and second statements are sufficient separately.
5. Both statements together can not give enough data to solve the problem.

Format Issues Problem Solving

The tasks of this GMAT format are more traditional: the trainee must answer the proposed question by selecting one of five answer options.

The tasks of Problem Solving mainly check the candidate’s ability to solve algebraic and arithmetic problems, as well as the ability not only to understand, but also to interpret the presented graphic data.

The level of difficulty of the proposed tasks can be compared with the mathematics of high school, but if you have not practiced problem solving for a long time, you need to make additional training. And in order to understand how intense and thorough it should be, check your knowledge by deciding the examples of the tasks for the GMAT test.

When preparing for the mathematical section of GMAT, special attention should be paid to special terms, because if you do not know how a word is translated, it will be extremely difficult to answer the question correctly.

Some of the sheep are males / rams, others are females / ewes. Rams to ewes rate 4 to 5. There are three pens there.

The ratio of rams to ewes in the first pen is 4 to 11,
The ratio of males to females in group 3 is alike to the ratio of males to females in group 2.
Find the ratio of males to females in group 3?

A) 8 to 7
B) 2 to 3
C) 1 to 2
D) 3 to 12
E) 1 to 6

Translation and solution
4 to 5 is the ratio of sheep and sheep in the whole farm. Animals are divided into three groups with an equal number of individuals in them. The task is to find out what is the ratio of rams and sheep in the third group, if in the first group the ratio is 4 to 11, and the ratio in the second group and in the third coincides?

Algebraic solution method

Let x be the number of sheep shares, and y the number of sheep shares in each of the two groups (second and third). Then x + y = 15, therefore, x = 15 - y. What follows:

x + y = 15, therefore, x = 15-y. What follows:
(4 + x + x) / (11 + y + y) = 4/5
(4 + 2x) * 5 = 4 * (11 + 2y)
(4 + 2 * (15-y)) = 4 * (11 + 2y)
20 + 150-10y = 44 + 8y
126 = 18y
63 = 9y
y = 7, and x = 8.

The correct answer is A.



INTEGRATED REASONING

In 2012, a new section called Integrated Reasoning was introduced to the GMAT exam.

Section Information

• Integrated Reasoning duration - 30 minutes .
• The number of questions in the new section is 12 .
• Scale scoring from 1 to 8
• The scores obtained in this section do not affect the overall result of the exam. The overall result consists of an evaluation for the mathematical and verbal parts.

What is Integrated Reasoning section introduced for?

The conditions of modern business require a number of new key skills from MBA graduates, which are reflected in the new section. Integrated Reasoning includes analyzing information of various types and backgrounds, and in general, tasks resemble small business cases.

GMAT Integrated Reasoning Examples

The new half-hour Integrated Reasoning section presents 12 tasks, which are divided into four types:

• In the first type, it is necessary to describe the schedule (Graphics Interpretation) : questions that test the ability of candidates to correctly perceive graphic information. The task has a graph or graphic image and two statements. Candidates need to choose the answer that will make each of the statements true.
• In the second type, a two-part analysis is performed (Two-Part Analysis) : the initial task contains information about 2 interrelated things (for example, two mathematical quantities or an assumption and the following conclusion from it). Among the proposed answers, the candidate must choose two answers agreed to each other to both questions asked to him.
• In the third type of assignments, the candidate will have to analyze the table (Table Analysis) : as a result of the analysis, the candidate must give an answer three times agreeing or disagreeing with the three proposed statements.
• In the fourth type of assignment, it is necessary to analyze information provided from several sources (Multi-Source Reasoning) : a candidate must answer a variety of questions by analyzing information from two or three sources.

The next post will discuss GMAT preparation.

The author of the article is Vyacheslav Davidenko, founder of MBA Consult