Plain-English definitions of the terms you will meet around the GMAT. Simplified for learning; GMAC’s materials on mba.com are authoritative.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| GMAT | Graduate Management Admission Test - the admissions test built for business school. |
| GMAC | Graduate Management Admission Council - the non-profit body that owns and administers the GMAT. |
| Focus Edition | The current and only version of the GMAT (since 1 February 2024): three sections, no essay, 205-805 score. |
| Quantitative Reasoning | The section testing mathematical Problem Solving, with no calculator. |
| Verbal Reasoning | The section testing Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning. |
| Data Insights | The section testing reasoning over data, with a calculator allowed. |
| Problem Solving | Quant question type: solve a maths problem and choose the answer. |
| Reading Comprehension | Verbal question type: answer questions about a passage’s meaning and structure. |
| Critical Reasoning | Verbal question type: analyse an argument’s logic (assumptions, strengthen, weaken). |
| Data Sufficiency | A question type (now in Data Insights) asking whether the statements are enough to answer. |
| Multi-Source Reasoning | Data Insights type: combine information across several tabs. |
| Table Analysis | Data Insights type: sort and interpret a table to judge statements. |
| Graphics Interpretation | Data Insights type: read a chart and complete statements. |
| Two-Part Analysis | Data Insights type: solve a two-component problem, often in a grid. |
| Total Score | Your overall GMAT score, from 205 to 805 (always ending in 5). |
| Section score | A score from 60 to 90 for each of the three sections. |
| Percentile | How your score compares with other test-takers; updated periodically. |
| Concordance | GMAC’s official mapping between the Focus 205-805 scale and the old 200-800 scale. |
| Section-adaptive | The exam adjusts question difficulty as you progress through a section. |
| Question Review & Edit | The tool to bookmark questions and edit up to 3 answers per section. |
| AWA | Analytical Writing Assessment - the essay from the old format, removed in the Focus Edition. |
| Executive Assessment | A separate, shorter GMAC admissions test aimed at Executive MBA candidates. |
| GRE | The Graduate Record Examination (from ETS), the GMAT’s main alternative for MBA applications. |
| Pearson VUE | The test-centre network that delivers the in-person GMAT. |