| GMAT OVERVIEW |
| Critical Reasoning Questions Critical Reasoning questions are designed to test the reasoning skills involved in making arguments, evaluating arguments, and formulating or evaluating a plan of action. Questions are based on materials from a variety of sources. No familiarity with the specific subject matter is needed. What Is Measured This section measures your ability to reason effectively in three areas: • Argument construction: Questions of this type may ask you to recognize the basic structure of an argument, properly drawn conclusions, underlying assumptions, well-supported explanatory hypotheses, or parallels between structurally similar arguments. • Argument evaluation: Questions of this type may ask you to analyze a given argument, recognize factors that would strengthen or weaken an argument, reasoning errors committed in making an argument, or aspects of the methods by which an argument proceeds. • Formulating and evaluating a plan of action: Questions of this type may ask you to recognize the relative appropriateness, effectiveness, or efficiency of different plans of action; factors that would strengthen or weaken a proposed plan of action; or assumptions underlying a proposed plan of action. Sample Question For an example of this type of question and directions for answering, click Sample Critical Reasoning Question. Sentence Correction Questions Sentence Correction questions ask you which of the five choices best expresses an idea or relationship. The questions will require you to be familiar with the stylistic conventions and grammatical rules of standard written English. You must also demonstrate your ability to improve incorrect or ineffective expressions. What Is Measured This section tests two broad aspects of language proficiency: • Correct expression: A correct sentence is grammatically and structurally sound. It conforms to all the rules of standard written English, e.g., noun-verb agreement, pronoun consistency, pronoun case, and verb tense sequence. A correct sentence will not have dangling, misplaced, or improperly formed modifiers, unidiomatic or inconsistent expressions, or faults in parallel construction. • Effective expression: An effective sentence expresses an idea or relationship clearly and concisely, as well as grammatically. This does not mean that the choice with the fewest and simplest words is necessarily the best answer. It means that there are no superfluous words or needlessly complicated expressions in the best choice. In addition, an effective sentence uses proper diction-the standard dictionary meanings of words and the appropriateness of words in context. In evaluating the diction of a sentence, you must be able to recognize whether the words are well chosen, accurate, and suitable for the context. Quantitative Section The Quantitative section of the Graduate Management Admission Test® (GMAT®) measures the ability to reason quantitatively, solve quantitative problems, and interpret graphic data. Two types of multiple-choice questions are used in the Quantitative section of the GMAT® exam-Problem Solving and Data Sufficiency. Problem-Solving and Data-Sufficiency questions are intermingled throughout the section. Both types of questions require knowledge of: • arithmetic, • elementary algebra, and • commonly known concepts of geometry. Problem-Solving Questions Problem-Solving questions are designed to test: • basic mathematical skills, • understanding of elementary mathematical concepts, and • the ability to reason quantitatively and solve quantitative problems. For an example of this type of question and directions for answering, go to Sample Problem-Solving Question. Data-Sufficiency Questions Data-Sufficiency questions are designed to measure your ability to: • analyze a quantitative problem, • recognize which information is relevant, and • determine at what point there is sufficient information to solve a problem. Data-Sufficiency questions are accompanied by some initial information and two statements, labeled (1) and (2). You must decide whether the statements given offer enough data to enable you to answer the question. You must choose one of the following answers: • Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) is not sufficient. • Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) is not sufficient. • BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient. • EACH statement ALONE is sufficient. • Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient. Analytical Writing Assessment Section The Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) of the Graduate Management Admission Test® (GMAT®) is designed as a direct measure of your ability to think critically and to communicate your ideas. The AWA consists of two 30-minute writing tasks - Analysis of an Issue and Analysis of an Argument. |
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