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current gmat format and section breakdown

mike mᶜgarry

june 28, 2024

about the gmat

the gmat format can be broken down into three sections: data insights (20 questions), quantitative reasoning (21 questions), verbal reasoning (23 questions). each section is 45 minutes for a total exam time of 2 hours and 15 minutes. you also have the option to take a 10-minute break after either the first or second section. keep reading to learn about the full gmat exam format.

click the below links to go straight to that section, or read on for the full scoop!

exam format and sections of the gmat

here’s a breakdown of the gmat exam format and section pattern.

section of the gmat	how many questions?	types of questions	time limit
data insights	20 multiple choice	multi-source reasoning graphics and table interpretation two-part analysis data sufficiency	45 minutes
quantitative	21 multiple choice	problem solving	45 minutes
verbal	23 multiple choice	reading comprehension critical reasoning	45 minutes
break			10 minutes (optional)
total exam stats	64 multiple choice		2 hours, 15 minutes

note: that you may choose any order in which you attack the gmat sections 😁

sections of the gmat

click the links below to read more detailed guides for each section of the gmat:
data insights
quantitative
verbal

6 facts you should know about the gmat exam format

1. total exam time: 2.25 hours

the three gmat sections, including the one optional break, as well as setting up your at-home space, or checking into a testing center will run a little over 3 hours. check out this post if you need some timing/pacing strategies.

2. the gmat is strictly computer-based

all three gmat sections are taken on a computer. during the gmat, the only break you get from staring at an electronic screen is to take the optional break (and we highly recommend that you do so!)

3. the on-screen calculator is only available for data insights

on the data insights section, you will have access to an on-screen calculator; on the quantitative section, you get no calculator.

4. the questions adjust in difficulty based on your performance

all three sections employ a computer adaptive testing (cat) format. as you move through each section, the algorithm adjusts the difficulty of each new questions based on your overall performance thus far. if you are doing well, on average you get more challenging questions. if you are having trouble, on average you will get easier questions.

5. question review and edit

although you cannot skip questions and must submit an answer before moving on to the next question (otherwise the cat wouldn’t be able to track your up-to-second progress), you are allowed to edit responses at the end of each section. as you work the questions in a section, you can bookmark questions that you want to return to later. when you have answered all questions in a section, you’ll arrive at the question review and edit screen. but! if there is no time remaining at the end of a section, you will not be given the option to review and edit. if there is time remaining, you can review as many questions as you want, but you can only edit up to three (3) answers.

6. your composite score is determined by all three sections

your big composite gmat score (205 – 805) is determined by all three sections. prior to november 2023, the composite score was only determined by the quant and verbal sections.

gmat format resources

if you are just getting starting in your gmat studies, take heart. i know this can all feel overwhelming when it’s all new. be patient with yourself: step by step, you will make this new world your own. we definitely recommended getting an official guide: you don’t necessarily need the latest edition, if you can find last year’s edition at a much cheaper price.

a great—and free!—supplement is our hassle-free guide to the gmat. aside from the format of the gmat, it covers everything including how a gmat practice test can help to kick off your gmat prep.

we provide a variety of study schedules and we provide a gmat diagnostic test that helps you place yourself in these study plans.

summing it all up

knowing the gmat format is just the first piece of the puzzle. the gmat requires critical thinking skills, mastery of several math and verbal content areas, and a host of test-taking strategies. at magoosh, we can guide you from your first tentative steps to your final bold strides toward the gmat. get a free 1-week trial to access our expert-created lessons, practice questions with video explanations, and full-length practice tests!

author

mike mᶜgarry

mike served as a gmat expert at magoosh, helping create hundreds of lesson videos and practice questions to help guide gmat students to success. he was also featured as “member of the month” for over two years at gmat club. mike holds an a.b. in physics (graduating magna cum laude) and an m.t.s. in religions of the world, both from harvard. beyond standardized testing, mike has over 20 years of both private and public high school teaching experience specializing in math and physics. in his free time, mike likes smashing foosballs into orbit, and despite having no obvious cranial deficiency, he insists on rooting for the ny mets. learn more about the gmat through mike’s youtube video explanations and resources like what is a good gmat score? and the gmat diagnostic test.

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11 responses to “current gmat format and section breakdown”

mike

april 4, 2018

the number of questions in each section and the time for them have changed.

https://www.mba.com/india/the-gmat-blog-hub/the-official-gmat-blog/2018/april/gmat-exam-30-minutes-shorter.aspx

reply
1. ps
  
  june 10, 2018
  
  hi mike,
  
  is there any information available for section wise (sc -rc – cr) questions for verbal ?
  
  i read somewhere the trial questions, which are about 25 % of total, make the way for this reduction.
  
  assuming trial question have question from all three section sc rc and cr
  
  so can we expect 12q each from these topic? i believe it was 14-15 from each topic earlier.
  
  and if gmat is continuing with 4 rc then probably we are going to get rc with 3 question each.
  
  the changed pattern sound good but it introduce minor planning troubles 🙂
  
  reply
  1. magoosh test prep expert
    
    june 27, 2018
    
    i can take this one, mike! 🙂
    
    the current breakdown of gmat verbal questions is approximately 11-14 of each of the three gmat verbal question types. as you can see, the range has gotten slightly less predictable since the reformat and shortening of the exam.
    
    the gmat isn’t exactly transparent about how it distributes experimental questions, however. so we can’t necessarily assume that 25% of each category will be the trial questions. moreover, since it’s impossible to distinguish a trial question from a “real” one, you should probably avoid considering the existence of trial questions in your plans.
    
    hopefully the estimated mix of questions i provided you with is helpful, though. and if you want the most accurate possible look at the new gre, the paid gmatprep tests (not the free ones) do reflect the current format. 🙂
    
    reply
mikebike

february 28, 2016

hi mike, how many questions each of type ps and ds can i expect from quant section and how many each of type sc, rc and cr from verbal?

reply
1. magoosh test prep expert
  
  march 1, 2016
  
  that’s a good question! i don’t have satisfying information for the verbal section, but we have done a systematic breakdown of the gmat quant section you can see here. for the verbal section, i would say expect each type of question to occur in roughly thirds, though based on anecdotal experience, there are slightly fewer rc questions than cr and sc.
  
  i hope that helps! 🙂
  
  reply
david

may 13, 2014

hi mike,
on the ir section, 12 problems mean 12 sets of situations with possibly multiple questions each yes? which mean that the actual number of questions on the ir will be more than 12.

in comparison to rc section, i have read that there are around 12-13 questions for rc. does this mean that there are 12-13 passages with multiple questions each, resulting in definitely more than 12 question on rc alone (seems to be too much stress on time), or does this mean that there are x number of passages with a total of 12-13 q?

reply
1. mike
  
  may 13, 2014
  
  david,
  i’m happy to respond. 🙂
  yes, on gmat ir, what is often called “12 problems” is really “12 pages.” on each page, you may have multiple tasks, depending on the nature of the particular ir question type. for example, gi pages always have two drop-down menu fill-in-the-blanks, whereas one could argue that a 2pa page is one big multi-part question. you can see more details in the ir ebook (link above) or in the articles about ir on the blog, including practice problems. for example, see:
  //www.catharsisit.com/gmat/2013/gmat-integrated-reasoning-graphic-interpretation-practice-questions/
  //www.catharsisit.com/gmat/2013/gmat-integrated-reasoning-two-part-analysis-practice-questions/
  //www.catharsisit.com/gmat/2013/multi-source-ir-practice-question-draw-loss-poker/
  //www.catharsisit.com/gmat/2012/integrated-reasoning-practice-question-table-analysis/
  on those pages, each numbered “problem” is what you could see on one of the 12 ir pages.
  on the gmat verbal section, those 12-13 rc questions will accompany 3-4 passages. a short passage will have 3 questions, and a longer passage will have four question. there are definitely only 41 multiple choice question on the verbal section. it just so happens that, among those 41, clumps of 3-4 will accompany rc passages. see this article for more details:
  //www.catharsisit.com/gmat/2012/how-to-study-for-gmat-reading-comprehension/
  does all this make sense?
  mike 🙂
  
  reply
  1. david
    
    may 13, 2014
    
    thanks for the clarification mike 🙂
    
    reply
    1. mike
      
      may 14, 2014
      
      david,
      you are more than welcome. best of luck to you in gmat preparations!
      mike 🙂
      
      reply
piyush jain

march 19, 2013

how long are the breaks in middle of each sections ?

thank you

reply
1. mike
  
  march 19, 2013
  
  piyush:
  there are two breaks — (1) after ir and before quant, and (2) after quant and before verbal. you are allowed a max of eight minutes on each one. for more info, see:
  //www.catharsisit.com/gmat/2013/how-long-is-the-gmat/
  mike 🙂
  
  reply

current gmat format and section breakdown