How to Prepare for the GMAT: Tips | Student Reviews & University Rankings EDUopinions

How to Prepare for the GMAT: Tips

18/04/2019

Are you trying to prepare for the GMAT, but not sure where to start? Whether you are in the final stage of a long GMAT preparation plan or just studying for a few weeks, I have some GMAT tips to help you ace the exam!

In this article, EDUopinions will tell you everything you need to know about getting the most out of your study sessions: strategies, tips, key learnings, testimonies and much more!

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FIRSTLY: REGISTER

This might sound logical, but before starting studying you should schedule your study programme according to the day of your GMAT exam. So, make sure to find your nearest test centre, on this page. Also, make sure to choose a date that will allow you to study for the exam in advance, most students take 3 to 6 months.

Get to know the GMAT exam structure

The GMAT exam has mainly four sections:

  1. Analytical Writing Assessment (30 minutes) – evaluates your ability to think critically and to communicate your ideas.
  2. Integrated Reasoning (30 minutes) – evaluates your ability to analyze data and the information presented in multiple formats.
  3. Quantitative Reasoning (62 minutes) – evaluates your ability to analyse data and draw conclusions using reasoning skills.
  4. Verbal Reasoning (65 minutes) – evaluates your ability to read, understand and correct written material.

The total exam length is approximately 3.5 hours, including two optional eight-minute breaks during the exam. Moreover, the score of the GMAT exam will determine your admission in business schools – there isn’t a pass or fail grade.

Practice, practice…

Since the GMAT exam lasts over three hours, you need to be prepared before the day of the exam. The best way to do it with the computer-based test.

Take a practice test! It will allow you to identify the areas you need to focus on the most (your strengths and weaknesses), to establish a customised study plan (will be adjusted to your skill level), and to be familiar with the format of the GMAT. Moreover, practising with question types will save you unnecessary time, you will go straight on to answering the question and not on decoding what is being asked.

There is a programme which is official, free and features real full-length GMAT practice test: Online GMAT Prep Program.

I encourage to take a look at the 10 Best Practices to Prepare for the GMAT™ Exam, there you will have the best insights and testimonies from other applicants like you! Here you have more tips from GMAT experts.

Move on, don’t get stuck!

It is recommended to devote 2.5 minutes maximum to answering a question.

It is not a secret that if you stay forever on a question you are losing precious time and spending mental energy that you will need for the rest of the exam questions. In this situation choose the shortest one, the GMAT generally prefers concise option over longer ones.  Another strategy of answering a question is by elimination: try to discard the options that from a logical-thinking standpoint might not be correct ones.

The day before the GMAT test

Be organised the day before, prepare all the necessary documents to present them to the staff on the day of your GMAT. Very importantly, you can’t bring a calculator to the GMAT exam. Also, it is better to have already decided the five MBA programmes to which you want to send your scores. In fact, the day of the exam you will be able to select up to five schools (you can bring a paper with the list of your top 5 MBA programs). Here you have the GMAT Exam Day Checklist in order to make sure to have everything you need for the day of the exam.

Moreover, since the GMAT exam will be one of the most important and stressful exams of your life, it is recommended that you take this day off from studying (at least go to sleep early). The most important thing is to be prepared emotionally, mentally and physically, in order to make the absolute most of the day of your exam.

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Finally, you can get more specific information on the GMAT by checking the GMAT™ Handbook: it explains the policies of the GMAT exam and describes what you need to know about the exam. Also, you can watch a short video that explains the GMAT exam and discover the Youtube canal of PrepScholar GMAT (will give you tips to prepare your GMAT exam).

If you’re still not sure whether to take the GMAT or not, check out the complete list of MBA programs that don’t require the GMAT.

We wish you the best with your business school journey!

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Written by
Aïna
Since I was young I have been a proactive person, had the opportunity to live in different countries which allowed me to discover various cultures. Consequently, I felt deeply interested in better understanding our world; therefore I am currently studying International Relations in Blanquerna Ramon Llull University. Simultaneously with my degree I engaged in different projects led by young people to keep learning and to improve myself everyday.

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