At the most basic level, the essays test your ability to develop a coherent narrative (including a clear position, strong organization and persuasive reasoning) and your control of language (including diction, syntactic variety, and grammar). Below is a rubric for the skills necessary to achieve a certain score.
Position; examples | Organization | Language (syntactic variety, grammar, usage, diction) | |
---|---|---|---|
6 | clear; astute | strong throughout | superior; few errors |
5 | clear; well-chosen | mostly strong | strong; few errors |
4 | clear; relevant | adequate | adequate; some errors |
3 | limited; weak | poor | poor; some major or frequent minor errors |
2 | unclear; few or none | disorganized | poor; frequent major errors |
1 | no position or examples | no organization | poor; major errors that severely interfere with meaning |
The Quantitative section tests your knowledge of certain mathematical concepts, rules, and formulas, as well as your ability to carry out calculations or reasoning based upon that knowledge. Below is a list of the major skills tested on the Quantitative portion of the GMAT.
Topic Area | Sub-Topic |
---|---|
Arithmetic | Divisibility and Primes |
Odds and Evens | |
Positives and Negatives | |
Consecutive Integers | |
Exponents | |
Roots | |
Order of Operations | |
Digits and Decimals | |
Fractions | |
Percents | |
Algebra | Algebra Basic Equations |
Exponential Equations | |
Quadratic Equations | |
Formulas, Sequences, and Patterns | |
Inequalities | |
Geometry | Polygons |
Triangles and Diagonals | |
Circles and Cylinders | |
Lines and Angles | |
Coordinate Plane | |
Word Problems | Rates and Work |
Ratios | |
Combinatorics and Probability | |
Statistics and Sets |
The Verbal section tests your knowledge of certain grammar, punctuation, and language usage rules, as well as your ability to comprehend and make reasoned judgments about a given text. Below is a list of the major skills tested on the Verbal portion of the GMAT.
Question Type | Topic |
---|---|
Sentence Correction | Subject-Verb Agreement |
Parallelism | |
Pronouns | |
Modifiers | |
Verb Tense, Mood, and Voice | |
Comparisons | |
Idioms | |
Connecting Words | |
Punctuation | |
Quantity Expressions | |
Critical Reasoning | Understanding Argument Structure, including Counter-Arguments |
Finding / Interpreting the Conclusion | |
Determining Assumptions | |
Devising or Evaluating a Plan of Action | |
Reading Comprehension | Understanding Passage Structure |
Finding / Interpreting the Main Idea | |
Understanding / Evaluating Specific Details | |
Making Inferences | |
Evaluating Counter-Arguments | |
Determining Assumptions |
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