How to prepare for the GMAT

So, you’ve decided to study abroad for your MBA. You see that a GMAT test score is needed to apply for an MBA degree abroad. A great GMAT score is a way of securing admission, but also a scholarship. If you’re a first timer, you may be panicking about achieving a good score for the GMAT and how to start preparing for it. Rest assured, this article will help you prepare smartly and efficiently for the GMAT exam.

What is the GMAT Exam?

The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a globally recognized entrance exam, used typically for admissions into business courses, such as MBA or any other master's degree programme in business, management, and related studies.

The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) officially administers the exam and assesses analytical, quantitative, verbal, and reading proficiency. The main aim of the GMAT is to evaluate critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, which are essential for success in business school. These schools use GMAT scores as the entry criterion. Scores can range from 200 to 800. Note that the computerized version of the GMAT is different to the written test. It’s called the computer adaptive test (CAT), and as the name suggests, adapts to your performance in the test.

For example, you will be given simple questions at first, and if you answer them correctly, the difficulty level of questions will increase. If you answer incorrectly, you will get simpler questions. Note that your answers determine your ability, an important factor in GMAT. An algorithm calculates this ability based on correct or incorrect answers, and the level of difficulty of questions you answered.

GMAT Preparation

Prerequisites

• Determine how you want to prepare for the exam and what kind of learning will help you.
• Decide if you want to read books, take GMAT classes online, or hire a personal tutor to help you prep for the GMAT exam.
• Plan and schedule your prep or study time - daily, weekly?
• Lastly, relax. It’s not as hard as you think.

How to Prepare for GMAT

1. Study and familiarise yourself with the structure, format, and content of the GMAT exam. Go through the GMAT Focus Edition 2024 to understand GMAT sections and their estimated duration. This exam is for two hours and 15 minutes and tests you in the following categories:

Familiarize yourself with the types of questions in GMAT.  Carefully study the questions you’re likely to encounter in advance. As GMAT questions focus on reasoning, logic, and analysis, pay close attention to what the question pertains to. Practice and prepare accordingly.

Tip: You can go through the official GMAT question bank and guide to help you along the journey.

1. Go through the GMAT test materials and develop your study plan, which is the most important step. Do the following:

• Set your target score: Even though this score depends on the college or university requirements, aim to increase your chances of acceptance by scoring at least 20 per cent more than the cutoff score. For example, if your university’s requirement is a GMAT score of 650, you should aim to score 675 or higher.
• Set your baseline score by taking mock tests. After setting your target score, do a gap analysis to find out where you stand. Try to bridge the gap by checking against a baseline score. Do a detailed analysis of your scores in each section and subsection in GMAT. This helps you understand your progress in each section and will give you an idea of what you need to focus on.
• So, how can you do this? Take mock tests to get your baseline score. For example, the e-GMAT Sigma-X mock test is completely free and provides excellent insights or data points for each of the GMAT sections. You will get data regarding how you fared in all the questions but also on your time management skills.
• The best part of the report is it also analyses whether your performance was lucky (did you guess a particular answer?), timing, or rush-through factors. Use this comprehensive report to improve and perfect your score.
• Retake mock tests: If required, retake these mock tests to improve your performance.
• Decide your approach - There are several ways to achieve your target score. Decide if you score best with quant, verbal, or data insights.  For example, to achieve a GMAT score of 645, you can get a Quant score of 77, a data insights score of 183, and Verbal reasoning score of 86. Or, you can score 85 in Quant, 80 in verbal reasoning and 181 in data insights.
• Since these scores are measured in percentiles, (for instance, a score of 85 is 89th percentile, but a score of 77 is 46th percentile), analyse which section is your strong suit and act accordingly.
• Plan your time: At this stage, you have both your target and baseline scores. It’s now time for time management! So, how can you calculate the time needed for GMAT preparation?
• Typically, you will require seven hours of studying to improve your score by 10 per cent if you take courses online. If you’re going the traditional route of books, you may need 12 hours.
• Factor in extra time for subjects that you are weak in. For example, if you score 25th percentile in Quant, you should add 25 per cent more to your estimated time for Quant preparations. This is known as confidence-building time (CBT).
• In short, if you’re targeting an increase of 100 points, you can estimate studies of 80 hours with online courses. Double this time if you need more, say 200 points.

Here’s the general calculation:

2. Establish a study sequence: Schedule and start your studies. Block your time, set reminders etc., whatever works for you. Start with the subject you’re strong in, to set the momentum. We recommend you follow this sequence for the best results:

• Verbal: Start with critical reasoning (CR) before moving on to reading comprehension (RC)
• Quant: Start with number properties followed by word problems
• Data Insights: Start with graphics interpretation and table analysis (GITA) and then move on to two-part analysis (TPA), data sufficiency (DS) and multi-source reasoning (MSR).

Tip: Focus on one area or section at a time and memorise or familiarise yourself with mathematical formulae to improve your answering speed. Read a lot of books, articles, and newspapers. Practice writing on a variety of subjects or topics.

3. Answer all questions and focus on explanations. Don’t spend a lot of time on tricky or difficult questions. Dedicate two or two and a half minutes max to each question.

4. Remember, the exam is timed. Wrong answers or unanswered questions will lower your score. Study the correct answers so you can improve next time.

Tip: Use strategies like elimination if you’re unsure of the right answer, and quickly move on to the next question.

Check out these GMAT exam practice questions or the online questions bank. These include over 300 and 650 practice questions, from all the sections of the GMAT exam. Use these to retry, analyse answers, and improve your performance.

1. Practice reading charts, images, and other visual content: Learn to quickly scan images, charts, tables, graphs, and other visuals to improve your answering efficiency. This is especially helpful when handling the Quant section.
2. Simulate the GMAT experience: Practice for your GMAT by recreating the experience through mock exams, such as GMAT Official Focus Practice Exams, which mimic the actual exam, including scores and timing.

GMAT Slot Booking

So, the oft-asked question is: When should I book the slot for the exam?

Remember you can take the GMAT exam online or at a test centre.

Tip: Even though GMAT is available year-round, we recommend you book your slot within three to six months before your planned date. Book on time to avoid disappointments.

Follow these steps to book your GMAT slot:

1. Before booking a slot, you must register on the official GMAT site or mba.com, and create your account with your credentials and other contact details.
2. Next, log in to your GMAT account.
3. Navigate to “Schedule an appointment”
4. Check if your desired slot is available.
5. Select the preferred date, time, and the test centre.
6. Pay the fees. The fee is applicable for registration, not for booking. The fee is USD 275 (approx.) for the test centre exam and USD 300 (approx.) for the online exam.

Ready to Get Started?

As you can see, preparing for GMAT is not rocket science. All it needs is discipline, planning, and lots of practice! It’s all in your control.

There are several guides, tutorials, GMAT practice exam questions, GMAT official starter kits, GMAT Prep software (Free), Kaplan GMAT 800, Manhattan GMAT strategy guide, and many more to give you a head start.

You can browse the official GMAT prep store for official guides and more. As always, we at IDP will be glad to assist you in your GMAT preparation. Contact us now for more details.

Editor's note: This article was originally published in February 2016 by our content writer, Mahesh Ramani. We have since revised it to include up-to-date information and ensure its comprehensiveness.