GMAT Syllabus 2026: Topics, Format & Study Plan
The GMAT syllabus covers 64 questions across three equally weighted, 45-minute sections: Quantitative Reasoning (21 questions), Verbal Reasoning (23), and Data Insights (20). Quant tests arithmetic and algebra without a calculator; Verbal tests Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning; Data Insights tests how you interpret tables, graphs, and multiple sources, with an on-screen calculator available. Do not allocate study time from a generic topic-weighting chart. Take a diagnostic first, then prioritise the question types costing you the most accuracy and time.
Understanding the GMAT exam structure
Three sections, three different kinds of readiness for business school.
Verbal Reasoning tests how you read and argue. Every question falls under Reading Comprehension or Critical Reasoning, together measuring how carefully you interpret dense text and how tightly you follow an argument’s logic.
Quantitative Reasoning is entirely Problem Solving, drawing from Arithmetic and Algebra, and checks whether you can apply math concepts to realistic business scenarios rather than solve equations in isolation.
Data Insights is the newest of the three and covers Data Sufficiency, Multi-Source Reasoning, Table Analysis, Graphics Interpretation, and Two-Part Analysis. Business decisions today run on data, and this section checks whether you can pull a decision out of a messy dataset.
GMAT exam pattern: questions, timing, and section order
The questions and time per section are fixed. The order you take them in is not.
| Section | No. of questions | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal Reasoning | 23 | 45 min |
| Quant Reasoning | 21 | 45 min |
| Data Insights | 20 | 45 min |
You get one optional 10-minute break, placed between any two sections. Total testing time across all three sections runs a little over two hours.
The GMAT gives you six ways to sequence Quant, Verbal, and Data Insights. Pick the order based on where you’re strongest, not what feels conventional. Starting with your strongest section builds confidence early. Starting with your weakest gets it out of the way while you’re fresh. Either can work, but it has to be a deliberate choice. Read the full breakdown in our guide to GMAT section order selection.
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What is the GMAT syllabus for Quant?
21 questions, 45 minutes, 16 topics across three areas.
Every Quant question is Problem Solving, drawn from Arithmetic, Algebra, and Modern Math.
| Arithmetic | Algebra | Modern Math |
|---|---|---|
| Numbers and number line | Algebraic expressions and equations | Statistics |
| Factors, multiples, divisibility, remainders | Linear equations | Overlapping sets |
| Exponents | Quadratic equations | Counting methods |
| Ratio and proportion | Inequalities | Probability |
| Percentages | Functions and graphing | Sequences and series |
| Rate, work, and mixture problems |
Numbers and number line: the GMAT tests every category of real number, positive, negative, integer, fraction, rational, irrational, along with evens, odds, primes, and co-primes.
Factors, multiples, divisibility, and remainders: a factor divides a number evenly; a multiple is the product of a number and any other natural number.
Exponents: repeated multiplication of a number by itself, written as a base with a small raised power.
Ratio and proportion: a ratio compares two quantities; a proportion states that two ratios are equal.
Percentages: “percent” means “out of 100.” 40% is 40/100, or 2/5, and 3/4 expressed as a percentage is 75%.
Rate, work, and mixture problems: these ask how fast something moves, how long a task takes, or how substances combine. Distance = speed x time and work = rate x time solve almost all of them.
Algebraic expressions and equations: an equation sets two expressions equal, and solving it means isolating the unknown variable.
Linear equations: no variable raised above the first power, graphing as a straight line.
Quadratic equations: written as ax² + bx + c = 0, where a is never zero.
Inequalities: instead of stating two expressions are equal, an inequality uses >, <, ≤, or ≥. Read more in our complete guide to GMAT inequalities.
Functions and graphing: functions describe how one set of numbers relates to another, sometimes using custom symbols to define a rule.
Statistics: reading, analyzing, and interpreting data using mean, median, and mode.
Overlapping sets: Venn-diagram-style word problems that ask you to structure data across groups that share members.
Counting methods: permutations and combinations, for counting how many ways something can be arranged or selected.
Probability: expressed as a fraction under 1 or a percent under 100, found by dividing desired outcomes by possible outcomes.
Sequences and series: a sequence is an ordered list of terms; a series is the sum of those terms.
Over half the Quant section sits in just two areas, Linear & Quadratic Equations and Number Properties. If your prep time is limited, that’s where it pays off first.
Enter your Quant, Verbal, and Data Insights scores to instantly see your total and percentile.
What is the GMAT syllabus for Verbal?
23 questions, 45 minutes, two question types, 18 sub-skills.
Verbal splits into Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning. Expect 3 to 4 RC passages with 3 to 4 questions each, and 10 to 13 CR questions built around a short passage or argument.
| Reading Comprehension | Critical Reasoning |
|---|---|
| Passage analysis | Identify assumptions |
| Main point / central idea | Weaken arguments |
| Structure of the passage | Strengthen arguments |
| Tone of the passage | Evaluate arguments |
| Purpose of the passage | Identify inferences/conclusions |
| Stated information | Resolve paradoxes |
| Inferred information | Identify the logical flaw |
| Purpose of stated information | Method of reasoning |
| Assumptions in the passage | Bold-faced arguments |
Reading Comprehension
Every RC question tests how well you read a passage’s main point, its structure, its tone, and its purpose. You’ll also separate stated information, which can be paraphrased many ways but still means exactly what was written, from inferred information, which is implied but never directly said. Read our detailed guide on how to score well on GMAT Reading Comprehension.
Critical Reasoning
Critical Reasoning tests your logic directly. You’ll identify assumptions an argument depends on but never states, weaken it by finding information that undercuts it, or strengthen it with supporting evidence. Evaluate questions ask how new information would affect the argument’s validity. You’ll also resolve paradoxes, spot a logical flaw, explain a method of reasoning, or analyze the role of a bolded portion of text.
What is the GMAT syllabus for Data Insights?
20 questions, 45 minutes, five question types, drawing on both Quant and Verbal skills.
Data Sufficiency (DS): you don’t solve anything here. You only decide whether the information given is enough to answer the question.
Multi-Source Reasoning (MSR): you’re handed three tabbed sources, which could be charts, articles, or emails. You won’t necessarily need every piece of information to answer the questions attached to it.
Table Analysis: a sortable table similar to a spreadsheet. The task is to analyze and interpret what it shows.
Graphics Interpretation (GI): you’re given a graph or graphical image and asked to interpret what it represents. Our ultimate guide to Graphics Interpretation questions breaks this down further.
Two-Part Analysis (TPA): a short passage with instructions, testing either quant or verbal skills, where you select two related answers from a table based on the information given.
Data Sufficiency alone accounts for over a third of this section, worth knowing before you assume Data Insights is purely a data-reading exercise. See our related guide on solving Multi-Source Reasoning questions.
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Talk to a Crackverbal expertThe Syllabus Is Weighted. Your Prep Should Be Too.
The GMAT syllabus looks long on paper, but it isn’t random. Every section is weighted toward a handful of topics, Quant toward Linear & Quadratic Equations and Number Properties, Verbal toward Inference and Weaken, Data Insights toward Data Sufficiency. Once you know which ones, your prep time goes a lot further than it would spread evenly across everything.
Arun Jagannathan is the founder of Crackverbal and has spent nearly 20 years teaching GMAT strategy and mentoring test-takers. He focuses on turning complex GMAT concepts into practical frameworks that help students diagnose weaknesses, improve accuracy and prepare with a clear plan.
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