The Graduate Management Admission Test, popularly known as GMAT is probably the most important exam that can help you to get into the best MBA schools across the world. Beginning in 1953, GMAT is conducted by the Graduate Management Admission Council. The scores are accepted by over 2100 schools worldwide and for 5900 programs.
Needless to say, this exam is one of the important steps that will help you to get into your chosen B-School. Though the GMAT exam is not the only factor for getting admission in the B-Schools, a good enough GMAT score makes the rest of the admission procedure incredibly easy.
The GMAT exam is conducted at regular intervals all over the world and essentially contains four sections – the analytical writing assessment (AWA), Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative and Verbal. The total duration of the test is three and a half hours and one score anything between 200 and 800.
Like any other examination, the GMAT has its own challenges. It is one of the toughest MBA entrance tests and the very fact that it gives you access to the Top 10 colleges across the world shows its reach. The best part about GMAT is the fact that it is conducted multiple times in a year and hence a student can decide to take the test anytime depending on when they feel their preparation is up to the mark, unlike most Indian MBA entrance tests.
Here are 5 tips on how to up your GMAT game.
1. Fix the Test Date after you start preparing
The tendency for students irrespective of which part of the world they belong to is to keep the exam preparations for the last moment. But serious test takers will start preparing long in advance. For the lazy test taker, we suggest that you start preparing first and then later decide the date when you will take the test. If after three months of preparation you feel confident enough to take the test, sign up for the nearest test date. This way you will not wait for the last moment to start preparing. The larger aim of the test preparation comes into play here. Instead of preparing because you have to take the test, you prepare first and then decide to take the test.
2. Study continuously, not sporadically
Like most tests that assess your understanding of a variety of subject matters, you need to be in constant touch with the study material for GMAT as well. It does not help if you start studying mid way and then decide to resume after a week’s gap. This not only breaks the continuity of your preparation but also makes you forget valuable concepts and techniques. Thus being continuously in touch with your test preparation is needed. A one or two day break is acceptable, but anything longer would only bring down your level of preparation.
3. Take a GMAT prep test to see where you stand
The GMAT website offers two free prep tests that all test takers can avail. The best way to assess where you stand before you start preparing is to take one of these tests and see the scores and compare them against what you aim to achieve. They give a fair understanding of your current aptitude in GMAT and which ones are your problem areas. The only hazard with these free prep tests is that they are not adapted to empirical, standardized test results and can possibly give you a different understanding of your position. You can also always take the tests available on Princeton, Kaplan, Manhattan etc. and then use a GMAT Score Estimator/Calculator to find your real GMAT equivalent. Once you have started preparing, take as many prep tests as you can because only then can you gauge your own progress. Use your first score as the lowest limit and set a target score. If you prepare right, all the tests that you take must only point towards you reaching the target score.
4. Discover your weakness and work on it
Every test taker has their weakness. Some are strong in quant but finds the verbal section problematic. On the other hand, someone may be very strong in verbal but quant is where they require some serious practice. Most people go for coaching classes but since most of these classes focus on both on Quant and Verbal, a person who is strong in one of these benefits from only half the material provided. It is, therefore, preferable to go for one-on-one coaching or study through an online course. It not only helps you to get individual and undivided attention but also allows you to choose what exactly you want to study depending on your need.
5. Decide your own time milestones
The nightmare of every test taker is not being able to finish a test. As children, all of us have had those dreams of time running out and our exam papers being blank. With a time-sensitive test like GMAT, it is quite possible that you might run out of time causing you to take random guesses that would do you more bad than good. The cleverest thing to do here is to see how much time each question will take and then set milestones that you need to achieve. For example, in the quant section, you must reach the seventh question with 60 minutes remaining and the fifteenth question with 45 minutes remaining on the clock. This way if you see you are falling behind early enough, you can speed up and finish the section smoothly.
The key to getting a good GMAT score is knowing the right techniques and having the right amount of practice along with good time management skills. This test truly prepares you for the challenges of management career!
All the best!
Some useful resources: Best GMAT Books
Writer Ben-Hur-Christopher
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