Test Paper Pattern

The GMAT™ is a three-and-one-half hour computer adaptive test, which means that you will give the test on a computer. No more lead pencils and filling in small circles. There are four sections in the test.

Section		Time
Writing Section	Analysis of Issue Essay	30 minutes
Writing Section	Analysis of Argument Essay	30 minutes
Math Section	37 Questions	75 minutes
Verbal Section	41 Questions	75 minutes

The writing sections always begin the test. You will type your essay on the computer, using a very basic word processor.

Each question must be answered before you can go to the next question. Unlike the paper-based SAT, the computer will not allow you to return to a question once you go to the next one.

About one quarter of the questions are experimental, and are not graded. The experimental questions can be standard math, data sufficiency, reading comprehension, arguments, or sentence correction. The purpose of this experimental section is to gauge how students perform on different types of questions so that the difficulty level for future tests can be kept consistent. Even though you won't know which questions are experimental, the experimental section is generally more confusing and difficult than the rest of the test.

This brings up an ethical issue: How many students have run into experimental questions early in the test and have been confused and discouraged by them? Crestfallen by having done poorly on a few experimental questions, they lose confidence and perform below their ability on the other parts of the test. Whether or not this section should be there is a separate debate. All you have to keep in mind is that you should never allow a few difficult questions in a test to discourage you or affect performance on the rest of the test... it might just be the experimental section!