A good score in the Graduate Management Aptitude Test is very much necessary for gaining admission into a top business school for pursuing Master of Business Administration (MBA), even though this alone won’t determine your admission. The overall GMAT score is in the range of 200 to 800 and a higher score is always better. GMAT is made up of four sections, namely analytical writing assessment (one topic), integrated reasoning (12 questions), quantitative (37 questions), and verbal (41 questions). This is a three-hour-thirty-minute exam and in order to crack it, you need to prepare well. The following tips will help you prepare exceedingly well for what is a challenging exam:
1. Study and work out questions daily
This is probably a no-brainer but as an aspirant, you can ill-afford to skip a day of learning. Performing calculations quickly is paramount to success in this exam. For example, you need to be quick in solving the questions in the quantitative section and being able to solve questions quickly is a by-product of confidence and regular practice. So, it’s recommended that you don’t skip coaching classes or self-study.
2. Make a note of your shortcomings
As you prepare, chances are that you will discover where you need to improve and where you’re particularly strong. What you can do is note down the areas that you need to improve in. In terms of GMAT, you might have taken a long time to solve certain questions than others. You can make a note of those question and ensure that you identify the right answer and the concept behind the same. This will help you conquer not only this type of shortcomings but others also.
3. Create a preparation/study time table
Creating a learning schedule and sticking to it is necessary for good preparation. This will help you complete the syllabus within the time you had planned to, write the practice tests according to that schedule and finish your preparation before the exam date.
4. Use laminated drawing board during preparation
The reason being your test centre might well provide you with only a laminated drawing board for doing rough calculations and sketches. Incorporating this during practice will make you familiar with the same on the exam day.
5. Write as many prep tests as possible
This is another obvious but essential part of your preparation. The more tests you write, the more questions you will come across, the more you will learn, and ultimately be more equipped to attain the GMAT score you’ve aimed for. Also, writing more tests will help you overcome exam fear and set you up nicely for success.
6. Do not obsess over prep test results
The focus has to be on writing the test well and ensuring that you improve with each of them. But, do not always think about the scores you attain in your mock tests because they can be misleading.
7. Master educated guessing
In the verbal section of the GMAT test, ideally, you have to be able to sift the five answers which might contain the right one. By being able to guess correctly, you will save ample time and time is anyway not a luxury. So, one of the keys to success is being able to guess an answer correctly.
8. Don’t focus on your weaknesses alone
Though the usual practice is to dedicate more time to work on your weaknesses, spending hours together will not help. Therefore, spend equal lengths of time towards all the preparation exercises, but place more emphasis on the areas you need to improve on.
9. Practice writing tests within short durations
And for obvious reasons: on the test date, you should be able to complete the four sections within a duration of 210 minutes (3 ½ hours). A good way to prepare is to set yourself shorter time durations and aim to complete the test within the set time length. Self-explanatory, really. It’s recommended that you practice understanding the logic and concepts behind a question and thereby equip yourself to choose the right answer. This will help you acquire a high score.
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