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.’

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1.Assess your needs

The first essential step to creating a GMAT study plan is to figure out what you need from that GMAT study plan. For example, if you are already reaching your goal score in quant, it would be a waste of time to focus equally on quant and verbal. In order to assess your needs, you should start by taking a GMAT practice test. You can get two free from GMAC, when you download their GMAT prep software.

2.Learn the Core Strategies and Concepts

After you figure out where you weaknesses are and how far you are from your target score, then you can work to improve your weak spots by learning strategies and concepts. For some question types, like reading comprehension and reading comp, you will only need to learn strategy. For other question types, such as sentence correction and the quantitative section, you will need to learn many rules and formulas to do well. Thus, it is important to understand and memorize this important information through either a course or comprehensive strategy guide set. The best way to remember things is to take notes, so make sure that you do this.

3.Practice, Practice, Practice

You then need to practice this new found knowledge by doing lots of practice questions. I recommend that you save the official guides for this section. They are the best sources for practice questions since they have actual retired GMAT questions in them. This is also the time to work on your pacing, which means finding the right balance between speed and accuracy. The first step is improving your accuracy. There is no point to getting a good level of speed if you aren’t being accurate. So, start by doing practice questions without worrying about timing. After you have achieved your desired accuracy level, then work on improving your speed.

4.Build mental endurance

The GMAT is kind of like a mental marathon. People aren’t capable of running for four hours straight without any training. Likewise, people cannot fully concentrate for four hours straight without training. If you have already done a lot of practice questions then you have already begun building your mental endurance. The final step is to take at least five full-length practice tests. Try to simulate the test experience as much as possible. This means that you should take the IR and AWA sections and only allow yourself the allotted 8-minute breaks.

5.Give yourself a break

It is also important to give yourself breaks. If you are very tired and aren’t being productive with your studying, take a quick nap or meditate. It is also important to give yourself one day off from the GMAT per week, so that you don’t overdo it. And on the last day before your exam, you shouldn’t do any studying, to ensure that you show up refreshed and relaxed on test day.