GMAT Frequently Asked Questions

You should subscribe to GMAT FAQ feed to receive detailed answers of following questions. I’ll create links for each questions as they start publishing every Monday & Thursday from March 2014.

General Questions

1. What is the GMAT?
2. Who can take the test?
3. Do I have to take the GMAT to apply for an MBA program?
4. I have a disability–can I still take the test?
5. How much does it cost to take the GMAT?
6. How do I register for the GMAT?
7. I am an international candidate and I don’t have a credit card. How can I register for the GMAT?
8. Are there scholarships for the GMAT?
9. Who makes the GMAT?
10. How do I find the available exam centers in my country to take the GMAT?
11. Will I be guaranteed a seat at my preferred GMAT test center?
12. When is the best time of day to take the test?
13. I want to cancel my GMAT test date. Will I get a refund for my registration fee?
14. I want to re-schedule or postpone my GMAT test date. Do I have to pay registration fees?
15. Can the GMAT be taken as a pencil-and-paper test?
16. What is the structure of the GMAT test?
17. I do not type well. Will I be able to finish the AWA Essay portion of the exam on time?

GMAT Preparation / strategy

18. How much will my previous SAT experience help my GMAT preparation?
19. Is the GMAT a predictable measure of academic performance in MBA programs?
20. Which books should I use for my preparation?
21. I don’t understand the common abbreviations I’ve seen for GMAT preparation. What are the most common abbreviations used in GMAT prep or in online forums that I should know?
22. What is OG? (Official Guide)
23. Does the OG book set come free with GMAT registration?
24. Is it wise (or recommended) to study earlier versions of OG?
25. I already have OG 10th Edition. Should I buy the latest versions of the OG books?
26. What’s the difference between OG10 or OG11?
27. How much time does it take to prepare for the test? What is recommended?
28. Are there any tools to help me determine where I stand if I were to take the GMAT today?
29. How much does GMATPrep™ cost? Where can I get it?
30. I am skeptical about free materials on the web. How credible is the GMATPrep™ software? How accurately does it assess my actual performance?
31. Which one is more important, the OG book set or GMAT Prep software?
32. I’ve heard that the three OG books feature problems that repeat one another. Is that true?
33. What are the recommended study materials produced by GMAT test prep companies?
34. I want to see real GMAT problems and I have exhausted OG as well as GMAT prep. Are there any other study materials I can use for preparation?
35. When will the Official Guide 12th Edition be published?

The GMAT Exam

36. What can I bring to the exam center on my GMAT test day?
37. Is a calculator allowed on the GMAT?
38. What can I bring into the testing room?
39. What will the exam center provide me during the GMAT?
40. During my GMAT exam when do I select the 5 schools where I wish to send my scores?
41. I want to send my GMAT score to business schools only after seeing the results. Are you allowed send your scores after you’ve completed the exam and received your results?
42. When I was writing my AWA essay during the test, I ran out of time an didn’t hit the ‘Confirm’ button. What happened to the content that I did write?
43. I ran out of time on my section and left a question unanswered. Will I be penalized for skipping a question?
44. I ran out of time on my section. I selected a random answer choice but didn’t hit the ‘Confirm’ button before time expired. Will I be penalized for skipping a question?
45. Why are my AWA Essays evaluated after completing the GMAT? Why don’t I receive instant results?
46. I heard that a computer program evaluates AWA essays?
47. I am not an American and I do not spell words in American English. I am worried that the “computer programme” that analyzes my essay will spot and error and penalize me?
48. What are the elements of a successful AWA essay? Will I be penalized for grammar mistakes?
49. I know how many questions I answered correctly on the GMAT, yet I didn’t receive my expected score. Why did this happen?
50. Is there a direct relationship between the number of questions I get correct and my actual GMAT score?
51. What are experimental questions? Why are they in GMAT?
52. Tell me more about experimental questions.
53. Explain to me what a Computer-Adaptive Test (CAT) is. Why do CAT tests have complicated scoring?
54. My raw score in the verbal section was lower than my raw score in the math section. Yet, my verbal percentile is higher than my math percentile. Why did this happen?
55. What does a GMAT score look like?
56. I heard that percentiles change over the time. How are GMAT percentiles calculated?
57. What does a perfect verbal and quantitative score look like? What is the highest possible score for each section?
58. According to GMAC, the highest possible raw score for the verbal and math section is 60. Why can’t an perfect score recipient receive these raw scores?
59. One of my friends scored a 40 Verbal and 50 Math and received a 730 overall. Two months later my other friend got the same raw score yet received a 750. How is that possible?
60. How does GMAC score the individual?

Post GMAT (beyond GMAT: MBA admissions)

61. How many years is my GMAT score is valid?
62. When I ask the GMAC to send my GMAT scores to business schools, what will be reported?
63. What if I want to send my GMAT score to more than 5 business schools?
64. How many times can I retake the GMAT?
65. When should I plan to take the GMAT?
66. What if I retake the GMAT and don’t improve my score?
67. Should I retake the test?
68. My GMAT score split between math and verbal appears unbalanced. Does that affect my admission chances at business schools?
69. Where can I got ask other questions about the GMAT?