The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a globally accepted entrance exam taken by students who want to pursue Management Studies. Did you know that around 2,00,000 study abroad students appear for the GMAT every year? If you want to clear your GMAT exam to secure a university seat, you must prepare well. Here are some effective tips to help you ace your GMAT exam.

Key Highlights

·         Interesting facts

·         GMAT preparation strategy - Planning, planning and planning

·         Best way to prepare for GMAT - Familiarise yourself with the exam format

·         Resources to prepare for GMAT

·         Time Management

·         Create a strategy to win

·         Interesting facts 

v  The GMAT exam is for which course? – It is for Business Management programs

v  9 out of 10 students get enrolled on a Business Management program after appearing for GMAT

v  The world’s first GMAT exam was conducted in 1954.

v  Did you know that 7,000+ study programs across 110 countries accept GMAT scores?

v  Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) conducts GMAT exams.

GMAT preparation strategy - Planning, planning and planning

We can’t stress enough about planning because you can’t appear for the GMAT exam after studying for 10-15 days. You must develop a GMAT study plan for the next 8-12 weeks before your D-Day. Prepare a schedule outlining the topics you will cover each day and the time you will spend learning each topic. Allot more time for subjects you find challenging so that you deep dive to master those areas. When you prepare a schedule, ensure there is a right blend of all the topics, or it may become monotonous to study one theme for days together.

Best way to prepare for GMAT - Familiarise yourself with the exam format

If you know the format, sections and other details, it will further strengthen your study plan.

Here is what you must know about the sections.

Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA section)	·         It intends to evaluate your critical thinking abilities and skills to express your ideas and thoughts. ·         1 Question – 30 minutes ·         Question type: Essay format
Integrated Reasoning (IR section)	·         Your analytical skills will be put to the test. And it will evaluate if you can interpret the data effectively. ·         12 Questions – 30 minutes ·         Question types: Table analysis, multi-source reasoning, graphics interpretation
Quantitative Reasoning (Quant section)	·         It examines your qualitative aptitude and ability to interpret data. ·         31 Questions: 62 minutes ·         Question types: Data sufficiency problem solving
Verbal Reasoning (Verbal section)	·         It gauges your reading comprehension skills and ability to interpret written arguments. ·         36 Questions – 65 minutes ·         Questions types: Reading passages, sentence correction, and critical reasoning
Total Time	·         3 hours and 7 minutes

 

Resources to prepare for GMAT

Pick the right study material when you study for the GMAT. Avoid taking old material from your friends who have taken the GMAT, as the format and other details may change with time. However, you can always take some tips from your peers who have cleared their GMAT. It is advised to rely on the preparation material and mock test available on the official website of GMAC.

·         Other information to gather

ü  B-schools that you would like to appear that require GMAT scores

ü  Deadlines of the admission process and GMAT exams

ü  Score range required to get into your choice of university

Time Management

Why is time management important for GMAT exams? Because you have to chase your application deadlines. You must ensure you have your GMAT scores ready to meet these targets successfully. Secondly, depending on your expertise, you must allot accurate time to prepare for each section. For instance, if your English grammar is your challenge, you have to devote more time to GMAT English preparation.

·         Some tricks to use time efficiently

ü  Change your plan of action 10-12 days before your exam by allocating more time to those areas that you find challenging.

ü  Study for at least 3-4 hours with sufficient breaks.

 

Create a strategy to win

Please remember that your score will be deducted if you don’t answer a question in any given section. So instead of panicking and wasting time on that one question that you find hard to crack, apply a stop-loss strategy. This means you decide the number of minutes you will spend thinking about that answer, and if it doesn’t work, skip the answer for the time being. If you remember the answer while solving the other section, return to the unanswered question to complete it. This way, you will neither waste valuable time nor risk your marks.

So, we hope this guides you in developing your study plan to prepare for your GMAT exam. Whichever part of the world you may want to study, you can always opt for an education loan for studying abroad purpose.