About the GMAT Online Exam

An Online GMAT™ to Support Business School Goals

The GMAT™ online exam is a remote proctored version of the of the test center-based GMAT™ exam designed to help candidates meet their application goals – from the comfort of their home.  Candidates have the option to take the GMAT™ exam online or at a test center – or both!

The GMAT™ online exam provides candidates with even more choice and flexibility to bring their best on test day, and confidently meet their business school goals.  The enhanced GMAT™ online exam further aligns with the test center exam with the following features added:

  • Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA). Demonstrate writing and critical thinking skills with the addition of the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section. 
  • Select exam section order. Candidates can choose which section order to take the exam in. 
  • Two 8-minute optional breaks. Candidates will have the option to take advantage of two breaks to prepare themselves for the next section of the exam. 
  • View unofficial score immediately. Unofficial scores will be displayed on the screen after exam completion so they can plan their next steps. 
  • Schedule GMAT™ online exam appointments up to 6 months in advance. Candidates will be presented with GMAT™ online exam appointments on a rolling 6-month basis. 

GMAT™ Online Exam Structure

The GMAT™ online exam measures the verbal, quantitative, integrated reasoning, and critical thinking skills that are most relevant for graduate business education.

  • Integrated Reasoning—measures the ability to analyze data and evaluate information presented in multiple formats
  • Quantitative Reasoning—measures the ability to analyze data and draw conclusions using reasoning skills
  • Verbal Reasoning—measures the ability to read and understand written material, to evaluate arguments and to correct written material to conform to standard written English
  • Analytical Writing Assessment—measures the ability to think critically and to communicate ideas

The GMAT™ online exam includes the Quantitative, Verbal, Integrated Reasoning and the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section. Each section contains the same number of questions and time per section as the current test center-based GMAT™ exam.

The sections are as follows: 

  • 31 Quantitative Reasoning/ 62 minutes
  • 36 Verbal Reasoning/ 65 minutes
  • 12 Integrated Reasoning/ 30 minutes
  • 1 Analytical Writing Assessment/ 30 minutes

The Section Order for the GMAT™ online exam:

  • Candidates will have the flexibility to choose from three options for their exam's section order:
    • Analytical Writing Assessment, Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, Verbal
    • Verbal, Quantitative, Integrated Reasoning, Analytical Writing Assessment
    • Quantitative, Verbal, Integrated Reasoning, Analytical Writing Assessment

This choice simply gives candidates more control and flexibility to take the GMAT™ exam based on their strengths and testing preferences. Read more about selecting the exam’s section order.

Total Exam Time

The total exam time is 3 hours 7 minutes, not including two optional 8-minute breaks.

Please check the GMAT™ Location-Specific Pricing page for pricing and fees in candidates' location. The GMAT™ exam with online delivery includes 5 complimentary score reports, and candidates must use them within 48 hours upon receipt of their official score.

Candidates can reschedule their exam appointment any time before their scheduled exam time for a fee. The cancellation fees for the GMAT™ online exam are based on advance notice of the cancellation

Scoring

To enable comparability, the GMAT online exam will have the same type and number of items and section times as the exam administered in test centers. It will also use the same scoring algorithm and score scale for the Section Scores and Total Score as the test center-based version.

Candidates will be able to preview their unofficial Total, Quant, Verbal, and IR scores at the end of the exam. The official score report will be made available to candidates via their mba.com account within 7 business days (but it may take up to 20 business days to process scores in some cases).

When candidates receive their official score report, they will see individual section scores as well as the total score on their exam. Candidates will also be able to view the percentiles of their score in their score report.  GMAT online exam scores are valid for 5 years and will count towards candidates' 12-month and lifetime GMAT™ limits.

Sending Scores

We have introduced new flexibility with the GMAT online exam that gives candidates control to decide when they are ready to send their score to programs. Included with the GMAT™ online exam fee, candidates will have the opportunity to first view their official score and then choose to send their score to selected programs. In addition, candidates can send 5 complimentary score reports within 48 hours upon receipt of their official score in their mba.com account. 

Official scores will be made available to schools within 24 hours of the candidate’s request.   

Availability of the GMAT Online Exam 

We are committed to providing the GMAT™ online exam as an option to support candidates' graduate business goals. Candidates can schedule an online exam appointment up to 24 hours before an available testing slot. New appointments are available on a rolling basis 

The GMAT online exam is available in most locations, with the exception of: Mainland China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Sudan due to regulatory and local data privacy rules. Please note that currently proctoring support for the GMAT™ online exam is only offered in English.

The GMAT online exam can be taken on both Windows and Mac personal computers and laptops. Learn more about specific system requirements here.

If test centers in candidates' location are open and they feel safe accessing a test center facility, candidates are encouraged to do so. We are closely following local government directives to ensure the health and safety of our test-takers and test center staff. All our test centers that are currently open have enhanced safety, social distancing, and hygiene practices in place.

Test center-based GMAT™ exams are also available. To maximize your candidates' needs compare which GMAT™ exam delivery would help candidates accomplish their business school goals.

Managing the GMAT Online exam

Rescheduling or Cancelling the Exam

Candidates can reschedule or cancel their exam appointment at any time before their scheduled appointment by logging into their mba.com account. 

Retesting  

The attempt limits for the online exam will be adjusted to 5 attempts in a rolling 12-month period and 8 lifetime attempts.