GMAT is a standardised test given by MBA aspirants and is one of the most important admissions criteria for getting into MBA programs from top business schools. This test is a computer adaptive assessment that can be attempted five times in a year and the GMAT scores stay valid till 5 years.
Though this exam is important, MBA aspirants must also understand that a lot more is expected out of the GMAT aspirants other than a good GMAT score. In this article we will be discussing a complete GMAT exam preparation guide as how and when an aspirant should prepare for the same.
GMAT is a 2:15 hour exam and aspirants need to submit an exam fee of USD 275 to give this exam. You must be thinking that if you have given this exam multiple times, then which score do universities consider? The best part about attempting this exam is that you can choose the score yourself and can share your highest score.
GMAT Exam Preparation – When & How to Start Preparing?
The basic things to know about GMAT exam preparation are:
Start early – Studying and preparing for GMAT is not a matter of days, however it takes months to prepare. Thus, it is always better to start with your exam preparation as early as possible.
Stay Focussed – While preparing for the exam, you should consider all three sections as important and equal weightage to be given to all. Avoid common pitfalls such as giving importance only to one and ignoring other sections.
Study Plan – Draft a study plan and more importantly stick to it.
GMAT Study Material – Getting access to the right study material will be of great help.
Know-How of the Exam Format – A detailed know-how of the GMAT exam prep and format and content will be beneficial.
GMAT Exam Structure
As mentioned above it is a 2 hour 15 minute examination and is a computer adaptive exam. For those who don’t know about computer adaptive test. This is a test in which your score is calculated based on:
- Number of questions answered correctly
- Difficulty of the questions you answer
- Number of questions you complete
Initially when the exam starts, each section begins with a medium-level question and an average score. If the question is answered correctly, the computer will then raise your score, but will also present a more difficult question to you and if answered incorrectly then your score will be decreased, and you will be given an easier question. Till the time you reach the final score for that section, the process gets repeated.
| Section Name | Total Questions | Total Time | Assesses |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 21 | 45-minutes | Problem-solving skills |
| Verbal Reasoning | 23 | 45-minutes | Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension skills |
| Data Insights | 20 | 45-minutes | Data Literacy skills |
GMAT Exam Score Range
| Section Name | Score Range | Score Interval | Standard error of measurement |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 60-90 | 1 | 3 points |
| Verbal Reasoning | 60-90 | 1 | 3 points |
| Data Insights | 60-90 | 1 | 3 points |
| Total | 205-805 | 10 | 30-40 points |
Familiarize yourself with every section and try to solve a few questions of each section and their sub-sections on a regular basis.
Create a Study Plan
It is one of the most important and critical parts of the GMAT exam preparation. A well drafted study plan can actually save a lot of time in your preparation and for creating one a few basic steps are required:
- Decide your target score
- Take the initial mock test that will help you understand your baseline score, so that you get to know which are your strong and weak areas to work upon.
- Mock test helps you decide whether your preparation should be inclined towards which section including verbal, quant or DI. However, one must not ignore any section, but put in enough time and energy for each.
- Estimate the amount of time you need to practice each section and then divide your preparation into smaller sub-sections.
- Keep attempting mocks in between your GMAT prep.
Make Use of Right Resources and GMAT Study Material
GMAT preparation can be divided into three stages including:
- Learning Concepts
- Implementation & Practice
- Test Readiness
Learning Concepts
Having conceptual knowledge is extremely important and it only comes when you are in the learning phase. All sections and their sub-sections should be included in this stage.
Implementation & Practice
Next comes practice which directly implies that you will now be able to apply whatever you have learned so far. Practice as many questions of each section as you can as this will further help in gaining conceptual clarity. First, try and solve medium difficulty level questions and then gradually you move over to the hard ones.
Test Readiness
Last but not least is the test readiness and is also the final stage of your GMAT exam prep. This is the stage where you can try writing full length mock tests just to check your test readiness
It’s important to pick the right study material and GMAT exam preparation resources so that you are able to prepare well and achieve the desired score.
Managing GMAT Anxiety
Be it GMAT or any other exam, anxiety is bound to happen and it is absolutely natural to feel anxious as GMAT is quite a major exam and plays an important role in deciding your career path ahead. Thus, it’s important for the GMAT aspirants to be prepared mentally to handle the stress.
GMAT exam preparation is not a piece of cake, however knowing the structure and format of the exam and if you get the right guidance, solves half of your problem. Create a perfect study plan and stick to it. So, what are you waiting for? Get going with your GMAT exam prep.