GMAT is an acronym for Graduate Management Admission Test
GMAT is a standardized test required by various graduate schools as a basis for selecting students for a graduate management programme. It tests your reading, writing, addressing data sufficiency logic, critical reasoning, and problem-solving abilities.
The Graduate Management Admission Council
Those looking to get an admission into an MBA programme (Master of Business Administration) will have to take the GMAT. Also, those looking to get degrees such as Master of Finance and Master of Accountancy will also need to take the GMAT.
Registering for the GMAT will cost you $250. However, additional costs might be incurred for taxes, cancellation, rescheduling or sending additional score reports.
The most reliable place to register for your GMAT test is the official GMAC website www.mba.com where you will fill the Appointment Scheduling Form and also get to pick your test centre.
Some prep centres also offer registration services to candidates, however, do be careful about making transactions with anyone centre as there are lots of rascals and fraudsters on the loose. Be sure to confirm that the organization you wish to register with is legit. $250 is not chicken change.
If you feel unsure about doing the registration yourself, Effiko can help you but this will incur a $50 service charge. If you want us to help you, then contact us
In Lagos, the GMAT test is available to be taken every day, while in Abuja, it’s only taken on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This means that you are free to schedule your test whenever you think is convenient for you as there are no set test dates.
You will be allocated 3 hours 30 minutes in total for the four sections of the GMAT test.
Verbal: 75 minutes (41 questions)
Quantitative: 75 minutes (37 questions)
Integrated Reasoning: 30 minutes (12 questions)
Analytical Writing: 30 minutes (1 topic)
We will give a brief rundown of what to expect from each section of the GMAT test.
Verbal: expect questions on sentence correction, reading comprehension, and critical reasoning.
Quantitative: expect questions on data sufficiency, and problem-solving
Integrated Reasoning: This will test your ability in multi-source reasoning, table analysis, graphics interpretation, and two-part analysis.
Analytical Writing Assessment: this tests your ability to analyze a given argument.
No!
Originally, the exam comes in a particular order and that’s: Analytical Writing Assessment first, followed by Integrated Reasoning, followed by the Quantitative and Verbal. However, depending on your strengths, you have two other options of rearrangement.
You can decide to do Verbal, then Quantitative, followed by Integrated Reasoning and then Analytical Writing Assessment.
OR
Quantitative first, then Verbal, before Integrated Reasoning and then Analytical Writing Assessment.
But note that this must be done before you commence the test. Any order you begin with cannot be changed in the middle of the test.
No. Just go with the one that’s most convenient for you.
There are four components of a GMAT score
The Analytical Writing Assessment: 0 – 6
Integrated Reasoning: 1 – 8
Verbal: 0 - 60
Quantitative: 0 - 60
Verbal and quantitative (cumulative): 200 – 800. This is the score mostly referred to as your GMAT score.
The Analytical Writing Assessment is graded by a human as compared to the others that are graded by the computer, hence it’s sent to you separately, and isn’t factored into your cumulative. The Integrated Reasoning section isn’t factored into your cumulative either.
Aside from the normal 0 – 60 score scale, the score is converted into a percentile and this percentile score is relative to scores lower than yours.
Alright chill, let’s take it slowly.
For example, if you score in the 90th percentile, it means that you did better than 90% of people who take the exam. This percentile is usually based on people’s scores on the GMAT in the last three years.
None. There are different scholarships available for an MBA programme, and there are two major sources: external sources and the business schools themselves.
For the business schools, many scholarships offered are need-based, while other opportunities are merit-based or targeted at a particular demographic.
While the GMAT score plays a significant role in getting a merit-based scholarship, other factors such as your GPA, and other academic and personal achievements also count. Business schools hardly list a minimum score for the award of a scholarship, however, you can be sure that they will be after those with really high scores.
Also, there are scholarships targeted at a particular demographic, like we mentioned earlier. Categories like females, students of color, students in certain parts of the world (3rd world countries, for instance) are usually target groups.
Normally, you are to come with a list of five schools you’d want your scores to be sent to after your test. Be sure to check with your proposed school for admission deadline so that you can schedule your test at a time that will enable your score to be sent in before the time.
A GMAT score is valid for as long as five years.
Over 2,100 universities and institutions require a GMAT score for admission into more than 5,900 graduate programmes, especially top business schools. You’d have to check your proposed school to see if they require a GMAT (they most likely will though).
Programmes to be studied with GMAT will have to be MBA related.
Know all about the test. Practice with good prep books. Take classes.
Yes, you can but of course, it won’t be for free. There are two scenarios
If you reschedule it more than 7 calendar days before your test date, then you’d be required to pay the sum of $50 for each rescheduling.
If you reschedule it within 7 calendar days of your test date, you’ll be required to pay the sum of $250.
However, if you wish to reschedule to a different country from the one in which you initially chose, you’d have to place a call through to them (+44 (0) 1618557219). You can’t do that by email or fax, please.
Yes, you can and just like with rescheduling, there are two scenarios.
One, if you cancel it more than 7 calendar days before your test date, then you get a $80 refund. However, if you cancel within seven calendar days of your test, then there will be no refunds made
Yes, you can. However, you can only retake the exam once every 16 calendar days, and a maximum of five times in 12 consecutive months. Also, please note that there is a lifetime limit of 8 times, after which you won’t be able to take the GMAT exam ever again.
Yes. With the proper presentation of documents and certain eligibility criteria met, a person with disabilities may take the GMAT exam. Visit www.mba.com for more information about that.
There are several centres which offer tutelage for the GMAT and we have listed them here. Be careful to note the ones we have verified. Those are the centres we have visited and can vouch for. Click the ‘Contact this Centre’ link to get in touch with any of the prep centres.
It’s best to get the official study guide for the GMAT from the test makers themselves, however, this will not suffice, you’ll need other prep books to aid your all-round preparedness. Remember it’s not just about having all the knowledge, you don’t have all the time, so you’ll need to have a few tips and strategies up your sleeve to make the most out of the allocated time.
You can check out our reviews on the best GMAT prep books where we give expert reviews on different prep books suited for the different preparation levels and different kinds of students.
For now, there are only three testing centres in Nigeria, and they are listed below:
First Floor, Back Wing. 63, Ogunlana Drive, Seeodee Business Hub
Surulere, Lagos.
3rd floor, 76 Opebi road, Ikeja, Lagos.
Ground floor, Osas and Oseji building. 50, Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, (just beside H-Medix), Wuse II, Abuja.
PS: There are some other things you need to know about this test