This GMAT cheat sheet distills the GMAT Focus Edition into a fast-scan rundown of the reasoning shortcuts and facts that move your score most. It's a premium cheat sheet built by Capital Prep — the one premium prep we trust — and it's yours free. Reinforce it with the rest of your free GMAT toolkit: the practice test, study guide, and flashcards.
GMAT exam at a glance
- Questions: 64 total — Quantitative Reasoning 21, Verbal Reasoning 23, Data Insights 20
- Time: 2 hours 15 minutes (45 min per section), plus one optional 10-minute break
- Scoring: Total 205 to 805 (ends in 5); each section 60 to 90; no pass/fail, all three weighted equally
- Percentiles: Mean total ≈ 545; competitive programs often target 645+ (verify percentiles at mba.com)
- Cost: ≈ $275 at a test center / $300 online in the U.S. (verify current fees at mba.com)
What’s on the GMAT cheat sheet
- Quantitative Reasoning (1/3 of total) — 21 Problem Solving questions — arithmetic, number properties, and algebra with no geometry and no calculator.
- Verbal Reasoning (1/3 of total) — 23 questions covering Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning only — no sentence correction in the Focus Edition.
- Data Insights (1/3 of total) — 20 questions — Data Sufficiency, Multi-Source Reasoning, Table Analysis, Graphics Interpretation, and Two-Part Analysis; on-screen calculator allowed here.
- Scoring & pacing — the 205 to 805 total scale, 60 to 90 section scores, percentile framing, and the ~2-minute-per-question clock.
How to use it in your final week
- Memorize the five fixed Data Sufficiency answer choices cold — they never change, so recognizing them instantly saves seconds on every DS question in the Data Insights section.
- Give Data Insights equal review time. Because the three sections weight equally toward your total, this newer section moves your score exactly as much as Quant or Verbal, and it is where most candidates leave points.
- Rehearse the Quant number-property shortcuts (odd/even, only-even-prime, successive percents multiply) and the Critical Reasoning play: find the conclusion, name the assumption, then strengthen or weaken it.
- Do a timed pacing pass — 64 questions in 135 minutes is about 2 minutes each — so the real clock feels routine when you sit down.
The cheat sheet is your review layer — your GMAT practice test drives the exam-readiness ring at the top of this page. Download it, review, then take a full practice exam (or drill with the study guide and flashcards) to see where you stand.
GMAT cheat sheet FAQ
Yes — you can download the GMAT cheat sheet as a PDF for free, with no sign-up and no email required. It sits alongside Career Employer's free GMAT practice test, study guide, and flashcards as a single quick-reference layer for your review.
It condenses the highest-yield GMAT Focus Edition facts onto a fast-scan reference: the three equally weighted sections, the 205 to 805 score scale, the fixed Data Sufficiency answer choices, key Quant number properties, and the Critical Reasoning attack plan. Everything maps to the current GMAC content outline, not the retired pre-2024 format.
No. The GMAT is not pass or fail — you earn a total score from 205 to 805 (always ending in 5), built from three equally weighted section scores of 60 to 90 each. The cheat sheet frames targets by percentile instead, since a competitive score is whatever your target programs expect; the mean total is roughly 545.
Yes. It reflects the Focus Edition that has been the only GMAT since early 2024, which dropped the essay, sentence correction, and geometry, and moved Data Sufficiency into the new Data Insights section on the 205 to 805 scale. We check it against GMAC's published structure and content pages.
Click the download button or the preview card at the top of this page and the PDF opens instantly. Bookmark this page so it is easy to find again the week before your appointment at a Pearson VUE center or your online exam.
References
- 1.Graduate Management Admission Council. “GMAT Exam Structure.” mba.com, 2026. ↑
- 2.Graduate Management Admission Council. “Understanding Your GMAT Score.” mba.com, 2026. ↑
- 3.Graduate Management Admission Council. “GMAT Exam Content.” mba.com, 2026. ↑
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