GMAT exam: format, questions, cost and prep
The GMAT exam is GMAC’s business school admissions test: 64 questions in 2 hours 15 minutes, split into Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning and Data Insights. Total scores run from 205 to 805, a test costs US$275 at a US test center or US$300 online, and scores stay valid for five years. GMAC says more than 7,700 business school programs accept it.
- Exam
- GMAT exam, administered by GMACmba.com (GMAC), checked 19 October 2026
- Sections
- Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, Data Insightsmba.com exam structure, checked 19 October 2026
- Questions and time
- 64 questions in 2 hours 15 minutes, plus an optional 10-minute breakmba.com exam structure, checked 19 October 2026
- Score scale
- Total 205 to 805; each section 60 to 90mba.com scores, checked 19 October 2026
- Cost in the US
- US$275 at a test center, US$300 onlinemba.com registration guide (14 July 2026), checked 19 October 2026
- Retakes
- Up to five attempts in a rolling 12-month period, at least 16 days apartmba.com exam policies, checked 19 October 2026
- Score validity
- Five years from the test datemba.com FAQs, checked 19 October 2026
- Minimum age
- 18 (13 to 17 at a test center with written parental consent)mba.com exam policies, checked 19 October 2026
- Free official practice
- Official Starter Kit with 70 sample questions and Practice Exams 1 and 2mba.com prep page, checked 19 October 2026
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Why you can trust these GMAT questions
What is the GMAT exam?
The GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) is the admissions test run by GMAC, the Graduate Management Admission Council. GMAC calls the GMAT exam the most widely accepted business school admissions test and says more than 7,700 business school programs worldwide accept it. Admissions teams use it to judge how prepared you are, and some use it to award scholarships.
The GMAT test is computer adaptive: it is not a fixed paper test put on screen. It measures reasoning with numbers, arguments and data. GMAC states that it is not designed to test your command of the English language.
Source: mba.com (GMAC) — What is the GMAT exam?. Checked 19 October 2026.
GMAT exam format: 64 GMAT questions in three sections
The exam has three sections of 45 minutes each, 2 hours 15 minutes in total, with one optional 10-minute break that you can take after the first or the second section. You choose the order of the three sections yourself.
Within each section the Question Review & Edit tool lets you bookmark GMAT questions, go back to them and change up to three answers. Official score reports usually arrive within 3 to 5 days, occasionally up to 20.
- Quantitative Reasoning: 21 questions, 45 minutes
- Verbal Reasoning: 23 questions, 45 minutes
- Data Insights: 20 questions, 45 minutes
Source: mba.com (GMAC) — GMAT exam structure. Checked 19 October 2026.
GMAT quantitative questions and the GMAT math test
GMAC describes the Quantitative Reasoning section as problem solving questions based on common knowledge of concepts related to arithmetic and algebra. So the GMAT math questions test how you reason with numbers under time pressure, not advanced school mathematics: 21 GMAT quantitative questions in 45 minutes, a little over two minutes each.
People often ask for the hardest GMAT math questions. GMAC does not label questions by difficulty, and because the GMAT math exam section is computer adaptive, the questions you see depend on how you perform. The useful preparation is the same either way: GMAT math practice problems on arithmetic and algebra, timed, with every mistake reviewed. If you search for GMAT mathematics questions or a GMAT math test, this is the section you are looking for.
When you work through GMAT quantitative practice questions, track two numbers per topic: accuracy and time per question. A topic where you are accurate but slow costs you as much as one where you guess.
Source: mba.com (GMAC) — What is the GMAT exam?. Checked 19 October 2026.
GMAT verbal questions: critical reasoning and reading comprehension
The Verbal Reasoning section has 23 GMAT verbal questions in 45 minutes, of two kinds. Reading comprehension uses passages of up to 350 words. Critical reasoning, in GMAC’s words, measures your ability to draw conclusions from short arguments.
GMAT critical reasoning questions are what many candidates mean when they search for GMAT logic questions or GMAT critical thinking questions: a short argument, then a question about its assumption, a weakness, what strengthens it or what follows from it. The same skills carry into Data Insights, so GMAT reasoning questions are not limited to the Verbal section.
For GMAT verbal sample questions, start with the official ones in GMAC’s free Official Starter Kit, then move to timed sets.
Source: mba.com (GMAC) — What is the GMAT exam?. Checked 19 October 2026.
Are there GMAT sentence correction questions?
Not in the current exam as GMAC describes it. GMAC lists only reading comprehension and critical reasoning for the Verbal Reasoning section; GMAT sentence correction questions do not appear among the question types on its pages.
If you find sentence correction questions for GMAT prep in older books or question banks, they were written for an earlier version of the exam. Spend that time on critical reasoning, reading comprehension and Data Insights instead.
Source: mba.com (GMAC) — What is the GMAT exam?. Checked 19 October 2026.
Data Insights: the third GMAT section
Data Insights has 20 multiple-response questions in five formats: data sufficiency, multi-source reasoning, table analysis using a sortable table of numeric data, graphic interpretation using a chart or graph, and two-part analysis using quantitative and/or verbal information.
Data Insights mixes math and verbal reasoning, which is why it often surprises candidates who prepared only for Quant and Verbal. If you take the exam online, GMAC provides a digital on-screen calculator in this section.
Source: mba.com (GMAC) — What is the GMAT exam?. Checked 19 October 2026.
What is the cost of GMAT registration?
GMAC’s registration guide gives the cost of GMAT in the United States as US$275 for an in-person test and US$300 for the online exam. Fees in other countries differ; GMAC shows them on its exam payment page after you select your country.
Rescheduling costs extra: the fee starts at US$55 if you reschedule more than 60 days before the test. Within 24 hours of your appointment you can no longer reschedule or cancel. Your score report goes to up to five programs free of charge if you send it within 48 hours of your official score becoming available.
Source: mba.com (GMAC) — GMAT exam registration guide. Checked 19 October 2026.
Registration, retakes and score validity
You register through an mba.com account, choose a test center or online appointment, pick a date and pay. GMAC advises registering as soon as you decide to apply to business school and taking the exam about four weeks before your application deadline. Test center slots from August to November fill up quickly.
You must be at least 18; candidates aged 13 to 17 can test at a test center with written parental consent. You can take the exam up to five times in a rolling 12-month period, online and test center attempts combined, with at least 16 days between attempts. GMAC states there are no lifetime limits. If you test more than once, you automatically receive a GMAT Superscore. Scores are valid for five years.
Source: mba.com (GMAC) — GMAT exam policies. Checked 19 October 2026.
GMAT vs GRE test
The GRE is a separate test from ETS, and many business programs accept either. Whether you should take the GMAT or GRE test depends on the programs you are applying to: check each program’s admissions page.
What GMAC itself says is that the GMAT exam is the most widely accepted business school admissions test, built around Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning and Data Insights. We do not compare scores across the two tests here, because no official conversion between them was part of the GMAC pages we checked.
Source: mba.com (GMAC) — What is the GMAT exam?. Checked 19 October 2026.
GMAT prep: free GMAT practice tests and official materials
Free GMAT practice tests come from GMAC itself. The free Official Starter Kit includes 70 sample questions with a guided review and two full-length practice exams. GMAC suggests using Practice Exam 1 to set a baseline, which makes it the natural GMAT diagnostic test, and Practice Exam 2 to simulate test day. If you are looking for a GMAT mock test free of charge, these two are the official ones.
If you want more than one practice test for GMAT preparation, GMAC sells further official practice exams that use the same algorithm, scoring and timing as the real exam, so a GMAT mock exam from that set behaves like the real GMAT mock test you want. GMAC’s paid GMAT prep materials also include Official Practice Questions with hundreds of additional questions and the Official Guide with an online question bank. GMAT example questions in all of these are written by GMAC.
What is the best prep for GMAT? There is no official answer, but the logic of GMAT test prep is simple: take a diagnostic, study the weakest section, practice under timed conditions and retest. Unofficial GMAT preparation materials are useful only if they match the current three-section exam.
Source: mba.com (GMAC) — Prep for the GMAT exam. Checked 19 October 2026.
GMAT practice questions
Certsqill’s GMAT exam practice questions are expert-developed and mapped to the three sections: Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning and Data Insights. You can work through GMAT practice questions online by section or in timed sets.
Every question comes with an explanation for each answer option, and your results build a readiness score per section, so you see where to focus before you book. A 7-day money-back guarantee applies.
GMAT questions people ask
What is a GMAT test used for?
Admission to graduate business programs. GMAC says more than 7,700 business school programs worldwide accept the GMAT exam. Source: mba.com, checked 19 October 2026.
How many questions are on the GMAT exam?
64: 21 in Quantitative Reasoning, 23 in Verbal Reasoning and 20 in Data Insights, in 2 hours 15 minutes. Source: mba.com exam structure, checked 19 October 2026.
How much does the GMAT cost?
In the United States, US$275 at a test center and US$300 online. Other countries have different fees. Source: mba.com registration guide, checked 19 October 2026.
What is the GMAT score range?
Total scores run from 205 to 805 and always end in 5; section scores run from 60 to 90. Source: mba.com scores, checked 19 October 2026.
Where can I find free GMAT practice tests?
GMAC’s free Official Starter Kit includes two full-length practice exams and 70 sample questions. Source: mba.com prep page, checked 19 October 2026.
Which practice questions for GMAT should I start with?
The official sample questions in the Starter Kit, then timed sets per section. Track accuracy and time per question in each section.
How often can I retake the GMAT?
Up to five times in a rolling 12-month period, at least 16 days apart, with no lifetime limit. Source: mba.com exam policies and FAQs, checked 19 October 2026.
How long are GMAT scores valid?
Five years from the date you took the test. Source: mba.com FAQs, checked 19 October 2026.
