How long is the GMAT Exam?
The current GMAT Exam takes 2 hours and 15 minutes of testing time and contains 64 questions across three 45-minute sections — Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, and Data Insights — with one optional break (accessed 2026-08-07).
GMAT Exam format at a glance
GMAC lists 21 Quantitative Reasoning problem-solving questions, 23 Verbal Reasoning questions covering reading comprehension and critical reasoning, and 20 Data Insights questions covering data sufficiency, tables, graphics, and multi-source reasoning (accessed 2026-08-07).
| Section | Questions | Time | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Reasoning | 21 | 45 minutes | Problem solving |
| Verbal Reasoning | 23 | 45 minutes | Reading comprehension and critical reasoning |
| Data Insights | 20 | 45 minutes | Data sufficiency, tables, graphics, and multi-source reasoning |
Does the current GMAT Exam have an essay?
No. When this format was introduced as the GMAT Focus Edition, the Analytical Writing Assessment was removed and Data Insights replaced the classic GMAT's Integrated Reasoning section (accessed 2026-08-07). The current name is GMAT Exam, but the three-section format remains the one described above.
Can you choose the GMAT section order and change answers?
You can choose the order in which you take the three sections. The current exam also lets you bookmark questions and review or edit a limited number of answers within a section while time remains. That flexibility makes section order part of your test-day plan, but it does not add time to any 45-minute block.
What does the GMAT timing mean for pacing?
The average works out to a little over two minutes per Quantitative question, just under two minutes per Verbal question, and a little over two minutes per Data Insights question. Those are averages, not time limits for individual items: spending longer on one question means recovering the time elsewhere in that same section.
Related GMAT answers
Sources
Every source below was accessed on the listed date. Pages — especially department admissions pages — change without notice; the links go to the live versions.
- GMAT Exam Structure — GMAC. Accessed 2026-08-07.
- GMAT Exam Content — GMAC. Accessed 2026-08-07.
- The GMAT Exam (GMAT Focus Edition) — GMAC. Accessed 2026-08-07.
Related guides
Sources and corrections
Sources last checked 2026-08-07Every source cited on this page was checked on the date shown, and we update the page when a source changes. If something looks wrong, tell us and we'll recheck it.