GMAT TEST PATTERN –

The GMAT exam consists of mainly four sections which will test the candidate’s abilities on various parameters. These are :-

1. A 30-minute Analytical Writing Assessment ( one writing task).
2. A 30-minute Integrated Reasoning section (12 multiple-choice questions)
3. A 75-minute Quantitative section (37 multiple-choice questions)
4. A 75-minute Verbal section (41 multiple-choice questions)

For each of the four sections, a separate scaled score and percentile rank are awarded. A combined Quantitative / verbal score ( called a Total score) and corresponding percentilerank are also awarded. The GMAT is not a pass/fail test.

ELIGIBLITY CRITERIA FOR GMAT :-

1. AGE – You must be atleast 18 years old. There is no upper age limit to take the GMAT exams.

2. EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS – You must have an undergraduate degree in any discipline from a recognized board or university. There is no upper limit of educational qualification apart from graduation, if you are interested in appearing for the GMAT exam.

3. NATIONALITY – As far as your nationality is concerned, there are no restrictions and hassles. You can be from any part of the world to be able to take the test.

4. NUMBER OF ATTEMPTS – You can take the GMAT exam as many times as you want.

LATEST UPDATE :-

The Graduate Management Admission Council has shortened the GMAT exam by 30 minuites which will be effective from 16 April, 2018. The new exam will be of 3 hours and 30 minutes including test instructions and breaks.

5 TIPS TO CRUSH THE GMAT :-

1. Consistency over intensity. One can compare GMAT prep with learning to play chess. It is not only necessary to learn and know all the concepts and tricks; it is also essential to be confident and quick in using them. This means doing quick calculations in the quant section.

2. Set an exponential GMAT prep timetable. It goes with saying that you need to leave enough time and plan effectively during GMAT preparation.

3. Practice educated guessing – A good method in dealing with GMAT questions ( especially in the Verbal section) to which you are not absolutely certain of the answer is ‘éducated guessing.’ This means to quickly rank the five possible answers in order of their suitability and exclude wrong answers.

4. Try to overshoot your target GMAT score – Even if you don’t necessarily need a 700+ GMAT score for your MBA application – maybe only 500 or 600 – it is still wise to overshoot during preparation in order to more or less safely reach your required score. Your preparation should target a GMAT score of atleast 50 higher than you ‘need.’

5. Join StudyPal.co to study with study partners and experts!!!

I was working in Investment Banking at the time, so needless to say I worked long hours and had to squeeze in GMAT prep at nights and occasional free weekends. Turns out chatting at the water cooler actually does help, because little did I know, a colleague in a different division was also in the same boat as I. So we decided to become study buddies and met up three times a week.

During our very first session we realized that our skills complemented each other’s. While I was strong in the Verbal Section, he was a Quant Guru who needed to improve his sentence correction and reading comprehension. Together, we tackled almost every OG question successfully. More importantly, through discussion we were able to flesh out sound reasoning that related back to the basic concepts, which we could then hone individually.

My time management improved and I became more efficient. Where I used to slip in an episode or two of 30 Rock during my numerous breaks and shamelessly still kudos myself on a hard night’s work, I could now get some much needed sleep rather than dream about Liz & Tracy. I stopped procrastinating! Once we established our study routine it was easier not to slack as we had preset breaks where we would discuss mistakes and doubts.

Most importantly, and most of you can sympathize with this, I got the motivation I needed to study. At times it really can get pretty difficult to solve those OG problems and read through the Manhattan GMAT Verbal books, there are 6 of them. But, by meeting at different locations such as coffee shops, local libraries and small eateries it became more social and just that little less painful. At least I wasn’t cooped up alone in my room late at night all the time. Funnily enough, studying with a partner also helped me study better individually as I wanted to prep better for our next session.

Studying with a partner also instilled in me that sense of accountability. I did not want to be the one who had not done the problems we assigned ourselves, and let down the team so to speak.  It would have also been a pretty unproductive session had I done that.

This experience made us both realise the importance of studying with a partner, someone who has a similar background to mine or whose work and study schedule are in sync with mine. That is thrwhy we started StudyPal.co, where you can find a StudyPal or a StudyGuru in your city studying for the same test as you.

-Akkshay Chugh
CEO, StudyPal.co

Join Us and lets change the way people study. To find a study partner near you, sign up at www.studypal.co today!

A score of 800 on 800, in fact, has been achieved by GMAT aspirants previously. How did they do it? Did they study 24 hours a day? Did they have siblings who had already cleared GMAT guiding them? Did they have better coaching?
While the aforesaid factors like more study hours, better guidance do affect the scores of a GMAT candidate positively, the prime influence in delivering an excellent score is an excellent study plan!

A few handy tips would be for making an efficient and effective study plan would include:
• Listing down all topics to be covered in the various sections of GMAT
• Categorizing the topics to Strengths and Weaknesses
• Prepare strength topics starting from easy levels, but devoting major time to medium and hard level questions
• Prepare weak topics by devoting more time to easy questions before moving on to medium and hard level questions
• Prepare a timeline to finish off the entire course 45 days before the exam
• Revise the entire course by giving practice tests daily at the time of your scheduled GMAT exam. This will help you develop a routine
• Keep a track of the mistakes that you do in the practice tests and re-attempt those questions after the practice test
• 15 days before the actual GMAT exam stop preparing any new topics and shift your focus on developing an exam strategy based on the performance of the practice tests

Execution – The last, yet the most important, mile
So it’s exam day. Have a good sleep the night before. Take all your weapons (exam necessities) along and enter the battlefield with full confidence. In the test, the importance of executing your strategy can’t be stressed enough.
Look for the ‘easy’ and ‘medium’ difficulty questions and nail them! When it comes to ‘tough’ questions be careful in attempting the ones of your strength and which you can solve with time efficiency!
That’s a recipe enough for a so-called impossible score of 800/800 in GMAT.
Good Luck! Cheers!

Many people set their GMAT goal score as 700+. This is a good benchmark since it means that you have done better than 90% of other test takers and sets you up in a good position for admittance to a top business school. Since your score is based on how well you do in comparison with others, however, not everyone will be able to accomplish this goal. If you want a good shot at reaching a 700+, then there are two things you absolutely must do.

1)Practice with the most difficult questions

The test is computer adaptive, meaning that the more questions you get right, the more difficult it will become. If you are going for a 700 or more, you will see more 700+ level questions on test day. This means you need to learn how to tackle them. While the general books and courses are good for some practice, you will likely need more. Try to seek out books like MGMAT Advanced Quant and Kaplan 800, which cater specifically to students who are aiming for a top score.

2)Build your mental endurance

Building your mental endurance is important for any GMAT student, but absolutely essential for those who want a 700+. If you are mentally exhausted by the verbal section, then your score will suffer. This is why it is important to take lots of full length practice tests, to essentially train your brain to fully concentrate for the full four hours. In order to make the best use of these practice tests, then you need to only take the 2 allotted 8-minute breaks and also complete the AWA and IR sections. I generally recommend at least 5 practice CATS, but if you want a 700+, you will probably need more. I would recommend doing them until you are not mentally fatigued during the test at all. I took 15 when I was studying.

Studying for the GMAT is no easy feat! It’s a laborious, time-intensive test, and it can be very expensive to prepare for. Ever wish you had affordable and high-quality resources that’d help you along the way? Say hello to our friends at Magoosh! They’ve released free flashcards that’ll help you build skills in GMAT math and grammar. You can download them onto your Android or iOS phone, or you can practice them right on your computer. Did I mention they’re free?

So, if you’re ready to dominate the GMAT, now’s the time to study. Take your pick of free GMAT math flashcards or GMAT idiom flashcards (or both!), and begin!

I am often hungrier while writing an article about food rather than while I’m cooking it. Thinking can make us pretty hungry. According to medical researchers, our brain cells need double the energy as the other cells in our body, causing our body to crave food to restore this energy during intellectual activities like test prep.

So if you are preparing for standardized tests and often get the munchies, it is merely your brain insisting on a glucose boost. Sorry to be a damper on a guilt free study binge by stating the obvious, but over-snacking and eating the wrong things during your hunger pangs will certainly be counterproductive. It can cause your brain to get too much glucose and slow down. Not so smart after all!

However, there is nothing better than a healthy snack to keep your mental juices flowing.  So why don’t we make this snack time doubly productive by eating not just healthy but brainy foods too.

There are four main nutritional components that help our brains function to their full potential and even reinforce new brain cells. Here is a list of healthy powder foods that will provide the right nourishment for those long study days.

1. Glucose (carbohydrate) – The energy giver
   
   • Banana smoothies
   • Bean and corn salads
   • Popcorn
   • Lentil soups
   • Whole grain crackers with hummus

    

2. Fatty acids (omega 3-6) – The brain lubricant
   • Smoked salmon or grilled sardine fingers snacks
   • Avocado and chia smoothie
   • Walnuts
   • Cashew nuts
   • Flax seed rich energy bars
   • Tahini (sesame paste) dip

3. Antioxidants – The restorer
   
   • All kinds of berries
   • Spinach soups
   • Steamed garlic broccoli
   • DIY Energy drink: Coconut water with chia seeds
   • A variety of teas

    

4. Amino acids (protein) – The protector
   
   • Grilled fish, meat, liver and tofu snacks
   • Egg white salads
   • Yogurt snacks with honey and flax powder

And here are two simple and quick recipes for you and your study buddy.

AVOCADO SMOOTHIE

Serves – 2 glasses
Prep time – 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 avocado
3 tablespoons chopped dates
5 tablespoons 0% fat greek yogurt
½ cup Soymilk
¾ cup water
2 tablespoons chia seeds

Methods:

Mix the soymilk, water and chia seeds in a glass and leave aside letting the chia seeds absorb the water and fluff up.

Put the avocado, dates and greek yogurt in a blender and blend till they form a smooth paste.

Put the avocado paste in a mixing bowl with the soymilk mix and gently combine the ingredients together with a spatula.

Chill in the refrigerator and drink the cold avocado smoothie during your study break to give your brain a jumpstart!

BEAN SALAD

Serves – 3
Prep time – 20 minutes

Ingredients:

½ cup red beans
½ cup sweet corn
½ cup chopped coriander leaves
¼ cup spring onions
¼ cup chopped walnuts

Dressing:

½ a lime, juiced
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon paprika powder
1 teaspoon honey

Method:

Mix together all the ingredients for the dressing and leave aside.
Put the remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl and toss till the produce have come together nicely.

Mix in the dressing and serve chilled.

Remember to graze through your study days, eat nutritious snacks and keep it light.

Enjoy!

Did you study with a partner or by yourself for the GMAT? If yes, why?

I studied by myself for the GMAT as none of my friends were taking it around the same time. At the time of my GMAT prep I was running my start-up Dream11.com and had long working hours, which meant studying at odd hours of the night and squeezing in time on free weekends. I was not able to find a study partner in my city who had a similar educational background and studied during my time preference. More importantly, I would have wanted someone with a similar score & college aspirations as mine but did not have a platform of finding such a study partner.

What resources did you use for the GMAT?

I primarily used Manhattan GMAT books & prep courses as well as Karan Gupta Tutorials

Did you use a college counselor? Which?

While applying to CBS I took advice from ReachIvy

Would it have helped to have a StudyPal in your city to prepare with? Would you have used StudyPal.co?

Yes, it would have helped to keep me motivated and share the load of balancing my work and test prep with another who was going through what I was. Moreover, if the study timings matched and I could find someone who was at a similar level of preparedness to me, I would definitely have used StudyPal.co

Can you provide a few lines on your experience at MBA and life in NYC

Columbia is an awesome fit because its right in the middle of NYC so I have the best of everything – Wall Street, Silicon Alley, Restaurants, Nightlife.

CBS’s strong Entrepreneurship program, focusing on hands-on learning, lends well to learning & growing of my start-up Dream11.com.