MBA programs from around 21,000 business schools all over the world accept the GMAT exam as the criteria to enroll candidates in their schools. In order to finish their registration process and book their GMAT exam date, candidates need to visit the official website. The GMAT exam is conducted several times throughout the year.
Things candidates must keep in mind before choosing the exam dates
- When to apply for the Business Schools?
- When is the application deadline for these schools?
- Prepare at least 10 months before the test.
- GMAT exam date should be set a minimum of 6 months before the deadline for applying.
This is important so that you’re able to re-appear for the GMAT Exam in time, before the deadline to apply for the school you chose, just incase you don’t make the cut.
To book a Slot in GMAT
Before picking the date, you have to find out the available test dates. Visit the GMAT official website and click on the Find Test dates link. After you reach the website, you will be asked to enter a code and click on the submit button. The time has come for you to choose the test center that is most convenient for you.
Time slots change continuously based on the strength of the applicants at that particular time and ongoing registration). You will be provided the time slots available at your chosen test center as and when you register.
Enter your country. In case you select India, a list of all the test centers available in India will be shown. You have the freedom to choose up to 3 GMAT test centers. After choosing the centers, you will be asked to select the GMAT Exam date you’d like to appear on.
Candidates are permitted to take the GMAT Exam 2 times a year. There will be a gap of 6 months between each exam. Candidates are eligible to apply for admission to MBA programs in India & abroad. Candidates are allowed to take a total of 8 attempts in a lifetime.
10 BEST BOOKS FOR GMAT PREPARATION
| Name of the Book | Publisher |
| All the GMATs Bundle | Manhattan Prep |
| GMAT Official Guide | GMAC |
| GMAT Math Prep Course | Nova |
| GMAT Prep Plus | Kaplan |
| GMAT Critical Reasoning Bible | Power Score |
| GMAT Integrated Reasoning and Essay | Manhattan Prep |
| GMAT Analytical Writing Guide | Manhattan Review |
| GMAT Math Workbook | Kaplan |
| The Complete GMAT Sentence Correction Guide | The Critical Reader |
| GMAT Foundations of Verbal | Manhattan Prep |
GMAT RESULT
The final result is declared after 20 days of taking the exam. You can log in to your account on the MBA Website and download your score.
However, you are shown an unofficial GMAT score based on some sections of the exam once the exam is over and been submitted.
Average GMAT Scores
GMAT scores range from 200 to 800, and the average total GMAT score is currently 565. But the average GMAT score for the top MBA programs at the Top most Universities across the globe falls in the 700-730 range. This makes it very hard and competitive.
How is the GMAT Exam score calculated?
| Score | Range | Calculation Insight |
| Total Score | 200–800 | Based on Math and Verbal section results |
| Quantitative Score | 0–60 | Based on the number of questions you get right, answer and the difficult questions you get right |
| Verbal Score | 0–60 | Based on the number of questions you get right, answer and the difficult questions you get right. |
| Integrated Reasoning | 1–8 | Based on number of questions answered correctly |
| Analytical Writing Assessment | 0–6 | Two readers evaluate this part. |
GMAT Percentiles
Each of these scores have a GMAT score percentile, for you to compare your scores to others who appeared in the test. For example, if you see a percentile of 75 next to your Analytical Writing Assessment, it means that 75 percent of the people who took this test scored lower than you in this section.
The number of applicants for the MBA courses has increased significantly over the years. The average GMAT acceptance scores have been increasing with time and the cut offs are only getting higher.
Many of the good colleges don’t base their intake solely on GMAT scores, but also the overall personality traits and any accomplishment or expertise in a particular field, cultural diversity etc. If you have none of these going for you, you probably need to score at least 730 (99th percentile) to have a good shot at securing a position in a college ranked in the top ten all over the world.
GMAT CUT-OFFS for Admission
Every Business School sets their own GMAT cut-off for admission of students. There are Business schools that highly focus on the total GMAT score. And at the same time, some Business schools might set the requirements for scores as their cut-offs in individual sections only. The GMAT total score is out of 800, and most of the first-rate premier Business Schools abroad usually set the GMAT cutoff around 700.
Your total score must be at least 650 to meet the cut-off for Top MBA Colleges. There are a number of factors that play a role in deciding the GMAT Cut-offs
- The average cut-off of a Business School depends on the number of candidates that applied there.
- The level of difficulty is also taken into consideration to determine the cut-offs.
- The number of seats available for occupancy is an integral part in regulating the GMAT cut-off. If the number of applicants overpowers the number of seats available, the cut-offs will increase.
All said and done, it is highly likely that despite getting a good score, you are unable to get into the colleges you applied to. You must maintain your overall student profile to be able to stand out in a crowd. In addition to that, a statement of purpose, letter of recommendation, resume are very important documents that can come handy anytime. You must build a strong resume.
GMAT CUT-OFFS OF SOME OF THE BEST BUSINESS SCHOOLS IN THE WORLD
| Serial No. | University Name | Avg Cut-Off |
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | 722 |
| 2 | University of Cambridge | 700 |
| 3 | Stanford University | 737 |
| 4 | University of Oxford | 690 |
| 5 | Harvard University | 729 |
| 7 | ETH Zurich | 660 |
| 8 | University of Chicago | 724 |
| 9 | National University of Singapore | 670 |
| 10 | University of Pennsylvania | 733 |
| 11 | University of Edinburgh | 600 |
| 12 | Yale University | 730 |
| 13 | University of Melbourne | 695 |
| 14 | University of South Wales | 686 |
COUNSELLING
A candidate can apply to the college or University or Institute they wish to, if their scores meet the cut-off requirements. Post that, they can proceed to counselling. The Counselling process has two major sections of focus-
- Group Discussion
- Personal Interviews.
A lot of emphasis and effort needs to be given to do well in these two sections. A good Counsellor/ Training Institute can train you well to get admission and be accepted. The candidate must be confident, presentable and perform very well in both rounds. The candidate can be admitted to the Institute of their choice after receiving the final GMAT results.
Once the candidate scores enough marks for a B-School, they are called for further rounds, where these sections come in. Countries like USA, Canada the GMAT do not take the GMAT score as the only requirement.
Along with a good score, candidates have to make a college application, comprising of SOP (statements of purpose) letters of recommendation, any certificates you wish to submit and other necessary documents.
Once they are called in for a personal interview or group discussion or both, depending on the institute, their communication skills, knowledge and other aspects will be observed. After evaluating every single thing, the final selection is done.
GMAT Counselling
The GMAT Counselling varies college to college. Candidates should read GMAT handbook available on GMAT official website and must be aware of the counselling dates for institutes they apply to.
What you need to get admission into colleges accepting GMAT scores,
- Score Card: GMAT fee includes the cost of 5 free score reports.
- Universities: Before the commencement of GMAT 2022 Exam, candidates have the option to add 5 programs they are interested in. This score report will be submitted to those colleges.
- Decide a university: It is important to decide on the Programs and Colleges you’re keen to join, as early as possible.
Research: Candidates of the GMAT exam must do a thorough research of the stream of management they want to study. They must take into account the geographical locations of colleges and affordability of the fees, to be able to choose the right Business School.
