About Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)
The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a computer-adaptive assessment administered by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). Business schools worldwide use GMAT scores as one part of admissions to graduate management programmes. Each school sets its own academic, work-experience and application requirements; taking the exam or earning a particular score does not guarantee admission.
2026-2027 scheduling: The GMAT is offered throughout the year rather than on one annual national exam date. Candidates choose an available test-centre or online appointment through GMAC. Appointment availability, regional pricing, rescheduling terms and score-reporting timelines can vary; confirm them in the official registration account before booking. The automated check on 9 October 2026 could not access the live mba.com pages, so no unverified 2026/2027 fee or appointment date is quoted here.
| Exam detail | GMAT information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Graduate Management Admission Test |
| Conducting body | Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) |
| Category | International graduate management admissions test |
| Official exam information | GMAT on mba.com |
| Registration and appointment booking | Official GMAT registration; appointments are scheduled year-round subject to availability |
| Delivery | Computer-adaptive exam at a test centre or online, subject to current GMAC availability and rules |
| Sections | Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning and Data Insights |
| Latest published structure | 64 questions; 2 hours 15 minutes; one optional 10-minute break |
| Score scale | Total score 205-805; each section is scored on a 60-90 scale |
| Exam dates | No fixed 2026/2027 national date; select an available appointment in the candidate account |
| Fees | Vary by delivery mode and country/region; the current amount and taxes are shown in the official checkout |
Eligibility and admission requirements
GMAC does not require a particular undergraduate major or degree simply to sit the GMAT. Candidates must meet GMAC's age and consent rules: test takers under 18 need the required parent or guardian consent, and the current candidate policy should be checked for the precise age threshold and documentation. Candidates must also satisfy identity-verification requirements for their selected test mode and location. A passport or another specific identity document may be required depending on the country and appointment.
Admission eligibility is set by each business school and programme, not by the GMAT. Schools may require a recognised bachelor's degree, particular academic standing, work experience, English-language evidence, essays, interviews or other tests. Check every target programme's current 2027 intake requirements and score-submission deadlines separately.
GMAT fees and booking
GMAT registration, rescheduling, cancellation and additional score-report charges are set by GMAC and can differ by country, delivery mode and timing. The live candidate account displays the applicable price, taxes and terms before payment. Review the appointment location or online mode, cancellation window, score recipients and confirmation details before completing checkout. Historical IndCareer articles quote previous-cycle estimates; those amounts are not current fee guidance.
Exam pattern and scoring
The current GMAT structure has three 45-minute sections and 64 questions overall. Candidates can select the section order and may take one optional 10-minute break. The exam is computer-adaptive: section scores reflect performance and question difficulty, so it is not scored as a simple fixed-mark-per-question test. GMAC reports a total score from 205 to 805 and section scores from 60 to 90. Do not apply a coaching site's conventional +1/-0.25 marking scheme; consult GMAC's scoring guide for the current score calculation.
| Section | Questions | Time | Score scale | Core coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Reasoning | 21 | 45 minutes | 60-90 | Arithmetic, algebra and quantitative problem solving |
| Verbal Reasoning | 23 | 45 minutes | 60-90 | Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning |
| Data Insights | 20 | 45 minutes | 60-90 | Data Sufficiency, tables, graphics, multi-source information and two-part analysis |
| Total | 64 | 2 hours 15 minutes, plus optional break | 205-805 overall | Computer-adaptive exam |
2026-2027 dates and milestones
There is no single 2026 or 2027 GMAT examination date or annual application window. Registration and appointment selection operate year-round, with test-centre slots and online appointments subject to availability. Candidates should book around each target school's application deadline and leave time for score delivery or a retake. The official registration account is the source for live appointments, fees, rescheduling deadlines and score reporting.
Historical IndCareer GMAT pages are retained as context, not as current rules: the migrated 2017 page describes the older exam with Analytical Writing Assessment and Integrated Reasoning, while the migrated 2026 overview records the newer 64-question, three-section structure and year-round appointments. The current GMAC structure supersedes those legacy formats. Historic routes including /en/gmat, /gmat and /studyabroad/graduate-management-aptitude-test-gmat redirect to this canonical guide.
Official references: GMAT exam information, GMAT exam structure and GMAT registration.