Candidates from all over the world take the GMAT. India has a large number of aspirants who take the test every year. Many aspirants have a lot of queries and doubts before they register for the exam. A list regarding the eligibility criteria to meet exam requirements is approved by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), the official body that conducts the GMAT exam.
First of all, there are no eligibility requirements. GMAT applicants typically hold a bachelor’s degree in any field from a reputable institution. Candidates are either working professionals or students who are preparing to enroll in Business Schools after finishing their undergrad.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR GMAT EXAM
Age Limit
There is no upper age limit for aspirants to appear for the GMAT. Although, the minimum age limit is 18 years. However, selective aspirants between the age of 13 to 17 have been granted permission to appear for the exam by submitting a written approval letter mentioning the consent of their parents or guardians.
Language Requirement
The basic structure and content of the GMAT exam are formulated in such a manner that it is required to be attempted in English. It is essential for aspirants to understand and be fluent in English.
For the GMAT, you need to have the ability to solve difficult questions that require linguistic skills to be able to write your answers and understand the questions. The nature of the exam is difficult and requires candidates to have logical and critical reasoning skills, communication skills, and a strong command of the English language.
Academic Criteria
There are no specific academic criteria set by GMAC for aspirants to be eligible to apply for the test. There is no requirement for any minimum qualification or degree for taking the GMAT. Although most of the aspirants are either in their final year or working professionals wanting to advance their careers by taking up a management course. Candidates can still appear for the exam even if they do not meet the requirements.
Scores
There are no minimum cut-off marks required for taking the GMAT. There are no set criteria for evaluating academic scores and grades for taking the GMAT. However, aspirants need to check the minimum score eligibility for the schools they are applying to and set a similar target for themselves for preparation.
Work Experience
Having work experience will always give you an added advantage while applying to a Business School. Many working professionals give the GMAT exam, however, there is no need not to have any prior work experience to take the GMAT. Therefore, there are no work experience eligibility criteria to take the GMAT.
Other Restrictions
Any person, irrespective of their gender, age, caste, race, nationality, religion, academic background, etc. can appear for the exam without any discrimination, as per GMAC. Differently-abled/specially-abled candidates can also take the test and receive special accommodations on request. Medical records showing the candidate’s disability must be submitted by these candidates.
How many attempts are allowed for appearing for GMAT?
- Candidates can take the GMAT test only once in 16 days.
- Candidates are allowed up to 5 attempts within a span of 12 months.
- Candidates are allowed to take 8 attempts in a lifetime.
The average cost of GMAT registration in India is approximately Rs. 20,600
CURRICULUM OF THE COURSE FOR PREPARATION TOWARDS GMAT EXAM
There are 4 sections following the syllabus of the GMAT Exams, which is taught in courses you can opt for, to study and prepare yourself. They are as follows-
1. Quantitative Reasoning
The two question types tested in this are-
- Data Sufficiency – candidate needs to go through a lot of data and evaluate whether the given data is sufficient or not to answer the question.
- Problem Solving – Candidates are asked to ‘solve’ these questions to get the answers.
Arithmetic
| Number Theory Profit & Loss Ratios and Proportions Probability |
Algebra
| Permutation & Combination Monomials, polynomials Algebraic expressions and equations Exponents |
Geometry
| Lines and angles Triangles Quadrilaterals Co-ordinate Geometry |
- Verbal Section
The three question types tested in this section are as follows:
- Sentence Correction: Ability to identify mistakes in a sentence, out of five given options. The errors are based on grammar, meaning, tenses and more. Common topics tested are
- Subject-verb agreement
- Verb tense
- Pronouns
- Idioms
- Critical Reasoning: Critical reasoning questions measure reasoning and explanation skills to evaluate arguments.
- Logic
- Evaluate
- Identify the reasoning
- Explanation
- Reading Comprehension: Passages for reading are given, followed by questions. The information given in the passage is clearly indicative of the answers. This measures your comprehension skills.
3. Integrated Reasoning
Measures the candidate’s ability to evaluate information presented in text, graphs, tables, etc. The 4 types of integrated reasoning questions are –
- Table Analysis
- Graphics Interpretation
- Multi-Source Reasoning
- Two-Part Analysis
4. The Analytical Writing Assessment
This section tests a candidate’s ability to assess and thoroughly analyze an argument, identify the problems associated with it, and provide logical solutions in the form of an essay. Candidates need to be excellent in their understanding of English. Only your ability to write correctly and critically is going to be examined here.
TOP 10 COLLEGES IN THE WORLD WHERE YOU CAN APPLY AND THEIR AVERAGE GMAT SCORES
| Rank | College | Average GMAT Scores |
| 1. | IIM-B | 740 |
| 2. | Standford | 733 |
| 3. | Columbia CBS | 730 |
| 4. | Harvard | 730 |
| 5. | UC Berkley- Haas | 727 |
| 6. | Northwestern Kellogg | 727 |
| 7. | Chicago Booth | 724 |
| 8. | UPenn- Wharton | 722 |
| 9. | Dartmouth Tuck | 722 |
| 10. | MIT Sloan | 720 |
