What is the GMAT?
Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is an aptitude test for graduate business programs. It is an entrance exam taken by mainly business school applicants. It is an intensive three and a half hour exam. This article gives an overview of the test structure, creating an effective study schedule, and tips to ace the exam.
Test structure
The test is adaptive. This means that as you advance through the test, the testing software adapts to your performance.
As a result, the difficulty level of the following few questions in the exam will be determined by your performance on each question.
As a result, the GMAT score is calculated based on your ability level, i.e., the difficulty level of questions you answer correctly rather than the number of questions you answer correctly.
Each section begins with questions of medium difficulty.
You will then be asked an easier or more difficult question based on your response.
Your score is a composite result that considers the difficulty of each question you answered correctly and incorrectly.
Because each question you answer has an immediate impact on the next one, the CAT does not allow you to go back and answer previous questions.
It only displays one question simultaneously and won’t let you see the next one until you’ve answered the current one.
You must carefully consider each response before confirming and moving on to the next one.
Sections in the GMAT
The GMAT exam assesses you on the four sections listed below:
- Analytical Writing
- Quantitative
- Verbal
- Integrated Reasoning
Here’s a quick briefing of each of these sections in GMAT format:
Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) – “The Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) measures your ability to think critically and to communicate your ideas. The AWA asks you to analyze and critique the argument. Duration-30 minutes.
IR-The Integrated Reasoning section of the GMAT measures your ability to evaluate information presented in multiple formats from multiple sources.
Duration: 30 minutes
12 questions of the following types:
Reasoning From Multiple Sources
Graphics Interpretation
Two-Part Analysis
Analyze the Table
Quant–
The Quantitative section assesses your ability to analyze data and draw conclusions based on your reasoning abilities.
The mathematics required to understand and solve the questions in this section of the GMAT exam is no more advanced than that taught in secondary school.
62 minutes in length
31 questions from the following types of questions:
Solving Problems(PS)
Data Sufficiency(DS)
Verbal–
The Verbal section evaluates your ability to read and comprehend written material, evaluate arguments, and correct written material to confirm standard written English.
65 minutes in length
36 questions on the following subjects:
Reading Comprehension (RC)
Critical Reasoning (CR)
Correction of Sentences (SC)
GMAT study plan
Now that we know the test structure, it is time to get cracking on creating a study plan.
Build concepts
Any genuinely comprehensive GMAT study plan is divided into two distinct phases. The first of these phases is the learning phase, during which you master GMAT content and improve your GMAT knowledge and skills.
The second phase is the practice-test phase, during which you will perfect all of your new knowledge and skills under realistic testing conditions. It would help if you didn’t depend on quizzes and practice tests to guide your GMAT studies unless you’re already within a few points of your Quant section and Verbal section score goals to get a baseline score when you take an initial practice test.
If you do, you will almost certainly be left with numerous gaps in your knowledge, so you will essentially be gambling on your test score on test day. Consider GMAT practice to be a means of honing your skills rather than learning them from the ground up. Practice questions do not teach you how to take the GMAT! They teach you how to apply the GMAT knowledge you’ve acquired through diligent study.
Know your baseline and target score
Write a mock test to understand your baseline score, strengths, and weaknesses. This will be your starting point. Also, keep in mind your target score. The target score varies on the program and school you’re applying to. A look into the average scores of the incoming batch will give you a fair idea.
Conquer each topic
GMAT questions cover a wide range of Quantitative and Verbal concepts, and it is impossible to predict which concepts will be tested on any given GMAT exam.
So, simply learning random GMAT concepts with no order or logical progression is not a productive or efficient study method. Taking a topic-by-topic approach to GMAT preparation is the best way to ensure that you learn each topic thoroughly and don’t waste time trying to master advanced topics before you’ve solidified your foundational knowledge.
In other words, the structure of your GMAT study plan should be to understand one topic at a time and then practice numerous questions on that topic. Begin with basic concepts and work your way up to more advanced ones using this method. Although it may appear to be a time-consuming process, using a comprehensive and systematic topic-by-topic structure for your GMAT study plan will save you time in the long run.
Revise.
As you advance through the learning phase of your GMAT study plan, you must return to previously learned GMAT topics on a regular and systematic basis.
As we’ve already discussed, you don’t want to get so far away from a topic that you forget about it.
Because there is so much material to learn for the GMAT, you risk losing some of that knowledge as you know new things if you don’t review previous topics regularly.
Taking Notes While Learning
Taking notes as you learn new content is another essential study strategy for the learning phase of your GMAT study plan.
Notes is a critical way to improve your study skills because it forces you to be a more active participant in your study and learning.
The simple act of writing down a concept or principle in your own words causes you to reflect more on its meaning.
And the more you have to think about what you’re learning, the better you’ll understand.
Full-length practice tests and error log.
Writing full-length practice tests is essential. Make sure that you write 6-7 practice tests before the exam—space out the test intervals.
What is also important is maintaining an error log. However, simply tracking your errors and randomly reviewing them is not an effective way to prevent yourself from repeating the same faults/mistakes in the future. A weekly review of your error log ensures that you correct mistakes and close knowledge gaps on time, allowing you to feel confident in your mastery of a topic before moving on to the next — and preventing bad habits from becoming ingrained.
Finding the right tutor can be highly beneficial in your GMAT journey. Miles Smart Tutoring provides affordable and customized learning plans with tutors to fit your learning needs. Our professionals are trained to work with students from diverse backgrounds and age groups. Our excellent learning approach has helped thousands of students to ace their educational journey. You can select a tutor and learn from one whose expertise aligns with your learning needs. We assure customized support, lesson plans, and assistance. With the right study plan, a tutor, and some dedication, you can ace your target score.