How hard is the GMAT for Indian students?

Question

P Sinha · Accepted Answer

The GMAT can feel a bit tough for many Indian students, especially because it tests more than just math skills. While the Quant section is usually manageable&mdash;since most students from India have a solid math background&mdash;the Verbal section often feels challenging. It focuses heavily on grammar, reading comprehension, and critical reasoning, which needs regular practice even if you&rsquo;re fluent in English.
Also, what makes it tricky is the format and timing. The test is adaptive, which means the questions change based on your answers. So, time management plays a big role. But the good news is, with 3&ndash;4 months of focused prep and regular mock tests, you can definitely aim for a good score. Many Indian students crack 700+ every year&mdash;it just takes a bit of smart planning and consistency.
GMAT is tough, but 4 months is enough! Read this BLOG for a smart prep plan that works

Harshal G · Answer

For Indian students, the GMAT Focus Edition feels hard mostly because it demands a different skill set than what traditional school exams test. Memorizing formulas isn&rsquo;t enough &mdash; the exam tests how fast you can think through problems under pressure, especially in the Quantitative and Data Insights sections. Verbal questions also expect clear logical structuring, which many aren't exposed to during undergraduate studies.
Most Indian applicants aiming for top schools usually need around 5 to 7 months of preparation, often doing 8&ndash;10 full-length mocks to build stamina and accuracy. Even candidates good at Quant find Verbal and Data Insights tough initially because of the logical depth involved, not the surface-level difficulty. Scoring above 700 usually takes consistent practice across both Quant and Verbal, especially because Indian candidates compete with a large, highly skilled applicant pool, where higher GMAT scores are almost expected to stay competitive.
You can check out free GMAT resources here.

kritika K · Answer

The GMAT Focus Edition is shorter, but every question matters more. For Indian students, the difficulty often comes from time pressure, accuracy, and adapting to the new section structure, not the concepts themselves.
Here&rsquo;s where most go wrong:

Quant feels doable, but there&rsquo;s no room for error. With fewer questions, one mistake affects your score more than before.
Data Insights trips people up. It&rsquo;s not just basic IR. Students often skim through tables or charts, missing what&rsquo;s actually being tested. You have to slow down and think critically.
Verbal is logic-driven. Without Sentence Correction, it&rsquo;s all CR and RC &mdash; and many struggle with pacing and argument structure.
Practicing questions isn&rsquo;t enough. Most don&rsquo;t review deeply. Knowing why you got something wrong is key.
Mocks help only if analyzed. Repeating tests without fixing weak areas wastes time.

If you work on timing, review, and clarity, crossing 700 is very possible. For preparation, check out these GMAT resources.

Divakshi Arora · Answer

The GMAT Focus Edition is definitely challenging, especially for Indian students targeting top business schools. The test is shorter now &mdash; just 64 questions &mdash; but that means every question carries more weight. One mistake can impact your percentile.
Quant is still doable for most Indian test-takers, but the level of accuracy needed is higher. You can&rsquo;t afford to lose focus, especially since there&rsquo;s no longer a separate Data Sufficiency or Problem Solving split &mdash; it&rsquo;s all mixed.
Verbal is where many students struggle. It&rsquo;s now mostly Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension, so the focus is on logic, structure, and understanding tone. If English isn&rsquo;t something you read every day, this can be a real challenge.
Data Insights is where the exam really feels different. You&rsquo;ll have to combine math, logic, and data interpretation skills in a single section. It&rsquo;s very application-based, so basic concepts won&rsquo;t be enough unless you practice with real-style questions.
Overall, it&rsquo;s not about solving more &mdash; it&rsquo;s about solving smart. Focus on mock tests, detailed reviews, and time discipline.

Aarushi S · Answer

The GMAT Focus Edition can be challenging for Indian students mainly because of the time pressure and the type of questions asked. Indian test-takers are usually good at Quant because of strong math backgrounds, but the Verbal section &mdash; especially Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension &mdash; trips up many. Even strong engineers and commerce grads often find Verbal harder than expected because it tests logic and written reasoning, not just grammar.
On average, many Indian students score around 600&ndash;640 in their first mock tests and need 4 to 6 months of focused prep to push it beyond 680&ndash;700. Plus, since Indian applicants are part of one of the most competitive pools globally, simply getting an average score isn&rsquo;t enough &mdash; aiming higher, usually above 700, makes a big difference in standing out. Managing timing across the shorter Focus Edition sections (45 minutes per section) takes a lot of practice since the test moves faster now compared to the older GMAT.