About the GMAT™ Exam (10th Edition)

Even the GMAT Exam (10th Edition) helps find and compare candidates who will succeed in your program.

The previous edition of the GMAT exam, the GMAT Exam (10th Edition), was a computer-based assessment that measured verbal, mathematical, integrated reasoning, and analytical writing skills—skills that candidates have developed and honed over the years through education and work. The exam contained four sections. Candidate scores and percentile rankings are reported for each one:

  • Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA, 0-6): Measures reasoning and construction of a written analysis.
  • Integrated Reasoning (IR, 1-8): Measures the ability to analyze and synthesize data from multiple sources and in different formats to solve complex problems.
  • Quantitative (6-51): Measures the ability to reason quantitatively and discern how much data are needed to solve problems.
  • Verbal (6-51): Measures the ability to analyze texts, draw inferences, and convey meaning effectively in English.

GMAT Exam (10th Edition) Format & Length

The GMAT Exam (10th Edition) was delivered at individualized workstations in a computer adaptive format, both at a test center and online. The test tailored itself to each test taker’s ability level by using the answers given to the previous questions to select questions of appropriate difficulty. In general, the more questions a test taker answered correctly, the harder the test became.

GMAT Test Section Number of Questions Question Types Timing
Analytical Writing Assessment 1 Topic Analysis of an Argument 30 Minutes
Integrated Reasoning 12 Questions Multi-Source Reasoning,
Graphics Interpretation,
Two-Part Analysis,
Table Analysis
30 Minutes
Quantitative Reasoning 37 Questions Data Sufficiency,
Problem Solving
75 Minutes

Verbal Reasoning

41 Questions Reading Comprehension,
Critical Reasoning,
Sentence Correction
75 Minutes
Total Exam Time 3 Hours
30 min

 

The GMAT Total score (200-800) was based on performance on the Quantitative and Verbal sections.

Availability of Scores

You may still receive scores from the GMAT Exam (10th Edition) through January 2029, as GMAT scores are valid for five years.

An official GMAT Score Report for this edition of the exam shows each of these scores and the associated percentile ranking. The ranking indicates the percentage of exam scores below this score, based on the scores of the entire GMAT testing population for the most recent three-year period. Although the percentile rank may change slightly from year to year, the scaled numerical score never changes. The score report includes all of a test taker’s GMAT exam results from the past five years, the most recent AWA essay response, and helpful background information for each candidate, such as country of citizenship and GPA. Total GMAT scores ranged from 200 to 800, and two-thirds of test takers score between 400 and 600.

Official GMAT score reports are available to the test taker and his or her designated score-report recipients (schools) approximately three weeks after the test date. When test takers select your program, their scores will be sent automatically to the chosen school(s) and can be uploaded to the candidate’s database. Once you become a score-report recipient, you can differentiate your program by advertising your status in your admissions materials, on your website, and through direct contact with select prospects. When approved and the test taker is assigned a GMAT program code, the school will be added to a database that test takers use to select their score-report recipients.

Accessing valid GMAT Exam (10th Edition) scores is easy: it’s all online, available when needed, regardless of time zone. Learn more at Access GMAT Scores.