考试当日，您有3小时30分钟的时间去完成GMAT考试的四个组成部分：分析性写作、综合推理、定量
推理和文本逻辑推理。
您的GMAT成绩取决于多个因素，包括您回答的试题数量、回答是否正确、试题难度，以及每个试题的其
他统计特性。
GMAT 考试结构题目数量题目类型考试时间
分析性写作 1 篇论证分析写作30 分钟
综合推理12 题图表解读
30 分钟
二段式分析
表格分析
多源推理
定量推理37 题数据充分性分析
75 分钟
问题求解
75 分钟
文本逻辑推理41 题阅读理解
批判性推理
句子改错
考试时长3小时30分钟
分析性写作(AWA) 是要考核您的辩证思维能力和表达观点能力。你要基于一项给定的论证，分析论证背后的推理和假设，然后对该论证的有效性进行批判性评价。分析性写作例题
您的论证分析将会由来自各院校不同专业领域的教职人员评估，他们将会就构思和写作的整体质量进行评价。
小贴士
开始写作前，先分析题目并想好如何作答
整理好思路，充分展开
提供相关的论据和例子
说明
本部分将要求您针对所提供的论证进行批判性评价。您不需要就话题给出自己的观点。
例题
The following appeared in the editorial section of a monthly business news magazine:
"Most companies would agree that as the risk of physical injury occurring on the job increases, the wages paid to employees should also increase. Hence it makes financial sense for employers to make the workplace safer: they could thus reduce their payroll expenses and save money."
Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion.
You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.
答案
The following is an actual AWA essay that received the highest rating:
This argument states that it makes financial sense for employers to make the workplace safer because by making the workplace safer then lower wages could be paid to employees. This conclusion is based on the premise that as the list of physical injury increases, the wages paid to employees should also increase.
However, there are several assumptions that may not necessarily apply to this argument. For example, the costs associated with making the workplace safe must outweigh the increased payroll expenses due to hazardous conditions. Also, one must look at the plausibility of improving the work environment. And finally, because most companies agree that as the risk of injury increases so will wages doesn't necessarily mean that all companies which have hazardous work environments agree.
The first issue to be addressed is whether increased labor costs justify large capital expenditures to improve the work environment. Clearly one could argue that if making the workplace safe would cost an exorbitant amount of money in comparison to leaving the workplace as is and paying slightly increased wages than it would not make sense to improve the work environment. For example, if making the workplace safe would cost $100 million versus additional payroll expenses of only $5,000 per year, it would make financial sense to simply pay the increased wages. No business or business owner with any sense would pay all that extra money just to save a couple dollars and improve employee health and relations. To consider this, a cost benefit analysis must be made. I also feel that although a cost benefit analysis should be the determining factor with regard to these decisions making financial sense, it may not be the determining factor with regard to making social, moral and ethical sense.
This argument also relies on the idea that companies solely use financial sense in analyzing improving the work environment. This is not the case. Companies look at other considerations such as the negative social ramifications of high
on-job injuries. For example, Toyota spends large amounts of money improving its
environment because while its goal is to be profitable, it also prides itself on high employee morale and an almost perfectly safe work environment. However, Toyota finds that it can do both, as by improving employee health and employee relations they are guaranteed a more motivated staff, and hence a more efficient staff; this guarantees more money for the business as well as more safety for the employees.
Finally one must understand that not all work environments can be made safer. For example, in the case of coal mining, a company only has limited ways of making the work environment safe. While companies may be able to ensure some safety precautions, they may not be able to provide all the safety measures necessary. In other words, a mining company has limited ability to control the air quality within a coal mine and therefore it cannot control the risk of employees getting blacklung. In other words, regardless of the intent of the company, some jobs are simply dangerous in nature.
In conclusion, while at first it may seem to make financial sense to improve the safety of the work environment sometimes it truly does not make financial sense. Furthermore, financial sense may not be the only issue a company faces. Other types of analyses must be made such as the social ramifications of an unsafe work environment and the overall ability of a company to improve that environment (i.e., coal mine). Before any decision is made, all these things must be considered, not simply the reduction of payroll expenses.
Analysis of an Argument Topics
All Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) Analysis of an Argument topics used in the GMAT exam are available to you.
This document contains all Analysis of an Argument questions used on the GMAT? exam. Each question is followed by this statement:
Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.
The following appeared as part of an annual report sent to stockholders by Olympic Foods, a processor of frozen foods:
“Over time, the costs of processing go down because as organizations learn how to do things better, they become more efficient. In color film processing, for example, the cost of a 3-by-5-inch print fell from 50 cents for five-day service in 1970 to 20 cents for one-day service in 1984. The same principle applies to the processing of food. And since Olympic Foods will soon celebrate its 25th birthday, we can expect that our long experience will enable us to minimize costs and thus maximize profits.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
The following appeared in a memorandum from the business department of the Apogee Company:
“When the Apogee Company had all its operations in one location, it was more profitable than it is today. Therefore, the Apogee Company should close down its field offices and conduct all its operations from a single location. Such centralization would improve profitability by cutting costs and helping the company maintain better supervision of all employees.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
The following appeared in a memorandum issued by a large city’s council on the arts:
“In a recent citywide poll, 15 percent more residents said that they watch television programs about the visual arts than was the case in a poll conducted five years ago. During these past five years, the number of p eople visiting our city’s art museums has increased by a similar percentage. Since the corporate funding that supports public television, where most of the visual arts programs appear, is now being threatened with severe cuts, we can expect that attendance at our city’s art museums will also start to decrease. Thus some of the city’s funds for supporting the arts should be reallocated to public television.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
The following appeared in an announcement issued by the publisher of The Mercury, a weekly newspaper:
“Since a competing lower-priced newspaper, The Bugle, was started five years ago, The Mercury’s circulation has declined by 10,000 readers. The best way to get more people to read The Mercury is to reduce its price below that of The Bugle, at least until circulation increases to former levels. The increased circulation of The Mercury will attract more businesses to buy advertising space in the paper.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
综合推理 (IR) 的四种题型是用于考核您整合数据以解决复杂问题的能力。
?整合以图表形、文字和数字等不同形式呈现的各种信息
?评估不同来源的相关信息
?整理信息，了解其中的关系弄清关系，以及解决多个互相关联的问题
?结合和利用不同来源的信息，以解决复杂的问题对不同来源的各类信息进行吸收和整合，以解决富有挑战性的问题
有关综合推理题目的六点须知:
1.您必须答对题目的所有部分才能得分，部分答对不得分。
2.屏幕会显示出一道题目的所有答题选项。
3.您必须提交所有部分的答案之后才能进入下一道题。
4.提交答案后，不得返回前题更改答案。
5.答案选项不会提供解答其他问题的任何信息或线索。
6.一组数据会用以若干道综合推理题目。如果您答错某一道题，该题的错误答案并不
会影响到衍生自同一组数据的其它题目。
准备好体验一下综合推理了吗？以下是综合推理考察的四大题型：
图表解读
解读图形或图像，然后在下拉列表中选择相应选项使得陈述准确。
二段式分析
题目包括两部分，可选答案将以列表形式展现，每一栏选择一个相应答案完成作答。
表格分析
为表格排序并整理数据，以确定是否符合特定的条件。每个试题都会有多个陈述，这些陈述的答案互相对立（例如“是/否”、“对/错”、“可推测/不可推测”）；请为每个陈述选择一个答案。
多源推理
单击标签页即显示不同的数据，您需要识别出哪些数据是回答试题所需的。
问题求解例题
问题求解主要衡量运用基本定量推理技能解决问题的能力。
说明
Solve the problem and indicate the best of the answer choices given.
问题
If u > t, r > q, s > t, and t > r, which of the following must be true?
I. u > s
II. s > q
III. u > r
(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) III only
(D) I and II
(E) II and III
答案：(E)
数据充分性例题
运用基本定量推理和分析技能，完成数据充分性例题。
说明
此数据充分性问题包含一个试题，以及分别标记为(1) 和(2) 的两个陈述，其中提供了特定的数据。您必须判断陈述中提供的数据是否足以回答试题。您必须使用陈述中提供的数据，加上您的定量推理知识和生活常识（如七月有多少天，或者“逆时针”是什么意思），指出:
Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not sufficient to answer the question asked.
Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) alone is not sufficient to answer the question asked.
BOTH statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question asked, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question asked.
EACH statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question asked.
Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient to answer the question asked, and additional data specific to the problem are needed.
例题
If a real estate agent received a commission of 6 percent of the selling price of a certain house, what was the selling price of the house?
(1) The selling price minus the real estate agent's commission was $84,600.
(2) The selling price was 250 percent of the original purchase price of $36,000.
(A) Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not sufficient.
(B) Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) alone is not sufficient.
(C) BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient.
(D) EACH statement ALONE is sufficient. (E) Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient. 答案: (D)
阅读理解例题
考核您对此阅读理解题目进行分析和归纳总结的能力。
说明
此部分的试题，是基于某一篇文章的内容。阅读文章后，为每个试题选出最佳的答案。根据文章表达或暗示的内容，回答文章后面所有试题。
例题
Schools expect textbooks to be a valuable source of information for students. My research suggests, however, that textbooks that address the place of Native Americans within the history of the United States distort history to suit a particular cultural value system. In some textbooks, for example, settlers are pictured as more humane, complex, skillful, and wise than Native Americans. In essence, textbooks stereotype and depreciate the numerous Native American cultures while reinforcing the attitude that the European conquest of the New World denotes the superiority of European cultures. Although textbooks evaluate Native American architecture, political systems, and homemaking, I contend that they do it from an ethnocentric, European perspective without recognizing that other perspectives are possible.
One argument against my contention asserts that, by nature, textbooks are culturally biased and that I am simply underestimating children's ability to see through these biases. Some researchers even claim that by the time students are in high school, they know they cannot take textbooks literally. Yet substantial evidence exists to the contrary. Two researchers, for example, have conducted studies that suggest that children's attitudes about particular cultures are strongly influenced by the textbooks used in schools. Given this, an ongoing, careful review of how school textbooks depict Native Americans is certainly warranted.
Which of the following would most logically be the topic of the paragraph immediately following the passage?
(A) specific ways to evaluate the biases of United States history textbooks
(B) the centrality of the teacher's role in United States history courses
(C) nontraditional methods of teaching United States history
(D) the contributions of European immigrants to the development of the United States
(E) ways in which parents influence children's political attitudes
答案: (A)
批判性推理例题
在批判性推理试题中运用您的推理技能。
例题
The cost of producing radios in Country Q is ten percent less than the cost of producing radios in Country Y. Even after transportation fees and tariff charges are added, it is still cheaper for a company to import radios from Country Q to Country Y than to produce radios in Country Y.
The statements above, if true, best support which of the following assertions?
(A) Labor costs in Country Q are ten percent below those in Country Y.
(B) Importing radios from Country Q to Country Y will eliminate ten percent of the manufacturing jobs in Country Y.
(C) The tariff on a radio imported from Country Q to Country Y is less than ten percent of the cost of manufacturing the radio in Country Y.
(D) The fee for transporting a radio from Country Q to Country Y is more than ten percent of the cost of manufacturing the radio in Country Q.
(E) It takes ten percent less time to manufacture a radio in Country Q than it does in Country Y.
答案: (C)
句子改错例题
Test your grammar and effective communication skills with this sample sentence correction question.
说明
此试题将列出一个句子，其中一部分或全句标有下划线。在该句子下方，您会看到五个选项。其中，第一项重复原句；另外四种则与原句不同。如果您认为原句为最佳表述，请选择第一选项作为答案；否则，请在其他四种方式中选择您认为最好的一个。
此试题是要测试表达的准确性和有效性。选择答案时，请遵守英语写作标准的要求；即，注意语法、用词和句子结构。选择最有效表达的语句；此答案应该清晰准确、无混淆、无歧义、无累赘和无语法错误。
例题
While larger banks can afford to maintain their own data-processing operations, many smaller regional and community banks are finding that the cost associated with upgrading data-processing equipment and with the development and maintenance of new products and technical staff are prohibitive.
(A) cost associated with
(B) costs associated with
(C) costs arising from
(D) cost of
(E) costs of
答案: (B)