GMAT 2026: test dates, format, how to book and free practice tests
The GMAT is the business-school admission test run by GMAC (Graduate Management Admission Council), used for MBA and other business master's programmes. There is no single GMAT exam date: you book your own day, at a test centre or online. This guide explains how booking works, the Focus Edition exam pattern, what each section tests, and how to use the weeks before your test.
GMAT at a glance
| Conducting body | GMAC (Graduate Management Admission Council) |
| What it is for | Admission to MBA and business master's programmes |
| Mode | On a computer, at a test centre or online |
| Questions | 64: Quant 21, Verbal 23, Data Insights 20 |
| Time | 2 hours 15 minutes, plus an optional 10-minute break |
| Marking | Each section 60 to 90; total 205 to 805; unanswered questions cost more than wrong ones |
| Language | English |
| How often | Any free slot; attempts are limited per 12 months |
| Official website | mba.com |
Test dates and booking
The GMAT has no national exam date. You choose a date and time when you book on mba.com, either at a test centre or for the online version taken at home. Our attempt to read mba.com on 20 October 2026 returned no content, so check slot availability and the fee there directly.
GMAC's own FAQ advises booking early because test-centre slots fill up fast in the peak application season, August to November. Work back from your first application deadline: leave time for the score to reach the school and for one retake.
On retakes, GMAC's help pages say you must wait at least 16 days between attempts and can sit the test up to five times in a rolling 12-month period, with online and test-centre attempts counted together. GMAC's documents disagree about a lifetime limit, so read the current exam policies before you plan a third or later attempt.
How to book the GMAT
- Create an account on mba.com.
- Choose test centre or online. For online testing, check the computer and room requirements first.
- Pick a date, time and (for a centre) location, and pay the fee shown at checkout.
- Check that your name matches your ID exactly.
- Read the exam policies on mba.com for the rules on rescheduling and cancelling.
Keep ready: a valid passport or other ID GMAC accepts in your country, a payment card, and your list of target schools.
GMAT exam pattern
You choose the order of the three sections. The test adapts question by question: each answer affects the difficulty of the next.
| Section | Questions | Time | What it contains |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Reasoning | 21 | 45 minutes | Problem Solving in arithmetic and algebra; no calculator |
| Verbal Reasoning | 23 | 45 minutes | Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning |
| Data Insights | 20 | 45 minutes | Data Sufficiency, Multi-Source Reasoning, Table Analysis, Graphics Interpretation, Two-Part Analysis; on-screen calculator |
Each section is scored 60 to 90, and the total is 205 to 805 in steps of 10, with the three sections counting equally. The total is not a simple sum of the section scores. You can bookmark questions and, at the end of a section, review them and change a limited number of answers. In Data Insights, a question with several parts counts as right only when every part is right.
There is no pass mark: schools publish the range of scores of the students they admit.
GMAT syllabus
- Quantitative Reasoning: arithmetic and algebra word problems: percentages, ratios, rates, number properties, equations and inequalities. No geometry section as such.
- Verbal Reasoning: reading passages, and short arguments where you find assumptions, strengthen or weaken a claim, or evaluate a plan.
- Data Insights: deciding whether data is enough to answer a question, and reading tables, graphs and several sources together.
The full topic list is on our GMAT syllabus page.
A plan for the weeks before your GMAT
| Weeks | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Take one full GMAT mock test in the section order you think suits you. Note where you ran out of time. |
| 2 to 3 | Quant: rebuild arithmetic and algebra speed without a calculator. Verbal: ten Critical Reasoning arguments a day, naming the conclusion before you read the choices. |
| 4 | Second full mock. Try a different section order and compare. |
| 5 to 6 | Data Insights: Data Sufficiency every day, then mixed table and graph sets with the calculator. Keep an error log. |
| 7 | Third full mock at the time of day you will test, then fix the two weakest question types. |
| 8 | Short timed sets only; practise the end-of-section review so you use your answer changes well. |
Because an unanswered question costs more than a wrong one, practise finishing every section: if time is short, guess the last few rather than leave them. How to analyse a mock test explains how to turn each mock into a list of fixes. Any GMAT score shown by a practice test is an estimate; GMAC does not publish its conversion table.
Useful links
- GMAT exam and booking (mba.com)
- GMAT exam policies (mba.com)
- Free GMAT mock tests
- GMAT syllabus
- GMAT exam dates
- GRE 2026: test dates, format and how to book
- How to use mock tests
Frequently asked questions
When is the GMAT exam date in 2026?
There is no fixed date. You book a day and time that suits you on mba.com, at a centre or online, subject to availability.
Is there negative marking in the GMAT?
There is no separate deduction for a wrong answer, but leaving questions unanswered costs more than answering them wrongly. Answer every question in each section.
How many times can I take the GMAT?
GMAC's help pages say up to five times in a rolling 12 months, with at least 16 days between attempts. Check the current exam policies on mba.com, as GMAC's documents differ on a lifetime limit.
Is the GMAT score out of 800?
No. The Focus Edition total runs from 205 to 805 in steps of 10, and each of the three sections from 60 to 90, counting equally.
Can I take the GMAT online from home?
Yes. GMAC offers the GMAT at test centres and online; check the technical and room requirements on mba.com before you book.