GMAT
Admission test for MBA, Master in Management (MiM), Master of Finance and other business master's programmes worldwide, and for executive and one-year MBAs at Indian B-schools such as ISB, IIM PGPX and XLRI GMP.
Eligibility
GMAC sets no educational qualification; schools generally require a bachelor's degree. Candidates must be at least 18; those aged 13-17 need written parental consent. You may take the test up to 5 times in any rolling 12 months and 8 times in a lifetime, with at least 16 days between attempts. A valid passport is required in India.
Age limit: Minimum 18 (13-17 with parental consent); no upper limit
Exam pattern
Computer-adaptive at the question level, 2 hours 15 minutes, with an optional 10-minute break; there is no essay. It has three 45-minute sections taken in an order you choose: Quantitative Reasoning (21 questions, problem solving only, no calculator), Verbal Reasoning (23 questions, reading comprehension and critical reasoning) and Data Insights (20 questions, on-screen calculator allowed). The total score is 205-805, and each section is scored 60-90. You can bookmark questions and change up to 3 answers per section, and unanswered questions are heavily penalised.
Syllabus at a glance
Quant covers arithmetic and algebra (number properties, percentages, ratios, rates, equations, inequalities, statistics); geometry is no longer tested. Verbal is reading comprehension and critical reasoning; sentence correction was removed. Data Insights covers data sufficiency, multi-source reasoning, table analysis, graphics interpretation and two-part analysis.
Upcoming dates
| Event | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Test slots (centre and online) | Year-round, through Nov 2026 to 2027 | confirmed |
| Unofficial score | On screen immediately after the test | confirmed |
| Official Score Report | Within 3-5 days of the test | confirmed |
| ISB PGP 2028 Round 2 application deadline | Early Jan 2027 | expected |
| US/European MBA Round 2 deadlines (Fall 2027 intake) | Jan 2027 | expected |
Expected dates follow the usual calendar; confirm on the official notification before planning.
Free prep material
Standard books
- GMAT Official Guide 2025-2026 (Focus Edition) – GMAC
- GMAT Official Guide Quantitative Review – GMAC
- GMAT Official Guide Verbal Review – GMAC
- GMAT Official Guide Data Insights Review – GMAC
- Manhattan Prep GMAT All the Quant – Manhattan Prep
- PowerScore GMAT Critical Reasoning Bible – David Killoran
How toppers play it
- Data Insights carries equal weight with Quant and Verbal; master data sufficiency logic (AD/BCE elimination) because it is the most frequent DI question type.
- Unanswered questions cost far more than wrong ones, so budget about 2 minutes per question and guess rather than run out of time.
- Use the bookmark and review feature strategically: flag doubtful questions, but keep about 3-4 minutes at the end of each section for up to 3 answer changes.
- Experiment with section order in the official mocks; many candidates do best starting with their strongest section to build confidence.
- Quant has no calculator and no geometry, so drill mental arithmetic, number properties and word problems (rates, mixtures, overlapping sets).