GMAT syllabus 2026
If your GMAT book has a sentence correction chapter, a geometry chapter or an essay chapter, it is out of date. GMAC removed all three when the Focus Edition replaced the classic GMAT on 31 January 2024. That edition is now simply called the GMAT, and the older format is no longer offered anywhere.
Three sections, 64 questions, 2 hours 15 minutes, scored 205 to 805. Every section is computer-adaptive, so the difficulty of the next question depends on how you handled the last one.
Syllabus by section
| Section | Questions | Time | Syllabus page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Reasoning | 21 | 45 min | Quant syllabus |
| Verbal Reasoning | 23 | 45 min | Verbal syllabus |
| Data Insights | 20 | 45 min | Data Insights syllabus |
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GMAT 2026 at a glance
| Conducting body | GMAC |
|---|---|
| Mode | Computer-adaptive, at a test centre or online |
| Frequency | Available year round, by appointment |
| Duration | 135 minutes, plus an optional 10-minute break |
| Sections | Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, Data Insights |
| Questions | 64 |
| Total score | 205 to 805, in 10-point increments |
| Section scores | 60 to 90 each, weighted equally |
| Negative marking | None |
| Section order | Chosen by the candidate at the start |
| Attempts | Up to 5 in a rolling 12 months and 8 in a lifetime, with a 16-day gap |
| Score validity | 5 years |
GMAT exam pattern 2026
| Section | Questions | Time | Pace | Section score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Reasoning | 21 | 45 min | 2 min 10 sec | 60 to 90 |
| Verbal Reasoning | 23 | 45 min | 1 min 55 sec | 60 to 90 |
| Data Insights | 20 | 45 min | 2 min 15 sec | 60 to 90 |
| Total | 64 | 135 min | 205 to 805 |
All three sections carry equal weight in your total score. On the classic GMAT only quant and verbal counted, which is the single biggest reason old percentile tables will mislead you. A Data Insights score now moves your total as much as a quant score does.
There is no negative marking, but you cannot skip a question, since an adaptive test needs an answer before it can serve the next one. Running out of time with questions unanswered is penalised heavily, so a guess at the end is always better than a blank.
What the format allows
- Choose the order of the three sections at the start of your appointment
- Take one optional 10-minute break
- Bookmark questions as you go, with no limit on how many
- Change up to three answers per section, but only at the end of that section
- Sit the exam at a test centre or online, on the same format and scoring
What changed with the Focus Edition
| Classic GMAT | GMAT now | |
|---|---|---|
| Sections | 4 | 3 |
| Questions | 80 | 64 |
| Duration | 3 hr 7 min | 2 hr 15 min |
| Analytical Writing | Yes | Removed |
| Sentence correction | In verbal | Removed |
| Geometry | In quant | Removed |
| Data sufficiency | In quant | Moved to Data Insights |
| Integrated Reasoning | Scored separately | Became Data Insights, now scored in the total |
| Score scale | 200 to 800 | 205 to 805 |
| Review and edit | No | Up to 3 answers per section |
A score ending in 5 is a current score. A score ending in 0 is from the old exam. That is the quickest way to tell which scale a percentile table or a school average is quoting.
Quantitative Reasoning syllabus
21 questions, 45 minutes, problem solving only. Arithmetic and algebra. Geometry is gone and data sufficiency has moved out.
| Area | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Arithmetic | Properties of integers, fractions and decimals, percentages, ratio and proportion, powers and roots, averages and statistics, rate and work, sets, counting, probability |
| Algebra | Linear and quadratic equations, inequalities, absolute value, functions, exponents, sequences, word problems |
The maths stops at roughly Class 10 level. The difficulty is the clock and the adaptive engine. The full quant breakdown has every subtopic and what the adaptive format changes about your approach.
Verbal Reasoning syllabus
23 questions, 45 minutes, two question types and nothing else.
- Reading comprehension: passages of 200 to 350 words on business, science, social science and law, with questions on main idea, detail, inference, tone, function and application
- Critical reasoning: assumption, strengthen, weaken, inference, flaw, paradox, evaluate, boldface and complete the argument
Sentence correction has been removed entirely, so grammar is no longer tested as a question type. Time spent on idiom lists is wasted. The full verbal breakdown covers every critical reasoning format.
Data Insights syllabus
20 questions, 45 minutes, five question formats, and the only section with a calculator.
- Data sufficiency, moved here from quant with the same A to E answer choices
- Multi-source reasoning: two or three tabs of information to reconcile
- Table analysis: a sortable table with statements to judge
- Graphics interpretation: completing sentences from a chart using dropdowns
- Two-part analysis: two related answers from one set of options
This is the section that catches experienced test-takers out, because it absorbed Integrated Reasoning and now counts in the total. The full Data Insights breakdown covers all five formats.
What is not in the GMAT syllabus
- No essay or written response of any kind
- No sentence correction, grammar or vocabulary questions
- No geometry or coordinate geometry
- No trigonometry or calculus
- No separate Integrated Reasoning score
- No general knowledge or current affairs
How scoring works
Each section is scored 60 to 90 in 1-point increments. The three combine into a total between 205 and 805 in 10-point increments, and all three carry equal weight.
Because the test is adaptive, your score depends on the difficulty of the questions you answered correctly, not only on how many. Two candidates with the same number right can finish several tens of points apart.
The official score report also carries percentile rankings, which are recalculated periodically against the current testing population.
How the GMAT compares with CAT and XAT
The GMAT is the only one of the three that is adaptive and the only one with no negative marking. It is also the only one that has dropped geometry, which both the CAT syllabus and the XAT syllabus still test.
| GMAT | CAT | XAT | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sections | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Questions | 64 | 68 | 95 |
| Duration | 135 min | 120 min | 180 min |
| Adaptive | Yes | No | No |
| Section order | Your choice | Fixed | Fixed in two parts |
| Negative marking | None | 1 mark on MCQs | 0.25 |
| Geometry | Not tested | Tested | Tested |
| Grammar tested directly | No | No | Yes |
| Score scale | 205 to 805 | Percentile | Percentile |
| Attempts per year | Up to 5 | 1 | 1 |
| Validity | 5 years | 1 admission cycle | 1 admission cycle |
Frequently asked questions
Is the GMAT Focus Edition different from the GMAT?
No. GMAC dropped the Focus label and the exam is now just the GMAT. The structure, timing and scoring are unchanged.
How many questions are on the GMAT?
- That is 21 in Quantitative Reasoning, 23 in Verbal Reasoning and 20 in Data Insights.
Is there negative marking on the GMAT?
No, but leaving questions unanswered at the end of a section is penalised heavily, so always guess rather than run out of time.
Is geometry on the GMAT?
No. It was removed with the Focus Edition.
Can I choose the order of sections?
Yes. You pick the order at the start of your appointment.
How long is a GMAT score valid?
Five years.
How many times can I sit the GMAT?
Up to five times in a rolling 12-month period and eight times in total, with at least 16 days between attempts.
Is there an essay on the GMAT?
No. The Analytical Writing Assessment was removed in 2024.
Can I change my answers?
Up to three per section, and only at the end of that section using the bookmark feature.
What is a good GMAT score?
It depends entirely on the programme. Check the reported range for the schools you are applying to rather than a general benchmark.
Is the online GMAT the same as the test centre version?
The format, content and scoring are the same. The environment and the proctoring differ.
Does the GMAT test current affairs?
No. Nothing on the exam requires outside knowledge.