Hotcourses Abroad brings you an insight into the GMAT exam for Business schools admissions. Many students have argued that this exam is a ‘hard nut to crack’; but with discipline and a few other tricks, you can master it! These are the top tips given by other students that have taken the GMAT exam and want to share with you their secret for success!

Read about your fellow students’ experiences

These are your best source of information at hand! An example of an online blog available to help is beatthegmat with many students sharing their views on the exam and how to tackle it!

Establish which study strategy best suits you

Whether you want to have a friend around and study together, or if you want to isolate from the rest of society to gain more concentration, that’s fine; just as long as you feel comfortable with it, and what you revise sticks with you.

Get your GMAT appointment as soon as possible!

This will allow you to plan how much time you have left to prepare, and have a plan B in case you don’t get your aimed score. It is ideal to give yourself at least 6 months, but it depends on your learning habits.

Run a first complete practice test

Do this before defining your approach. This practice test is very important to define where you are at and what you need to work on. From there, practice as much as you can, identifying the sections where you are weak and checking your progress as you go along.

Choose your problems carefully

Some GMAT material allows you to choose the types of problems that you want to solve. Try to choose the most representative ones. Well-chosen problems will allow you to understand a general rule for problem solving and be efficient with your study time, instead of attempting to learn thousands of answers!

Stick to your goal

This preparation will require a lot of your self-motivation. Always remember the score that (realistically) you are aiming to achieve and keep it in mind during your progress. Write it down, circle it, frame it....whatever you need to do to focus on it.

Use the help available

The resources that GMAT produces are of great quality and really helpful. You can purchase them online or just go to your university or college library and see if there have GMAT books available. The online resources are also very helpful. It’s important you familiarise with the material from early on so you don’t have a surprise on the day of the exam – exam environments can throw people off, so account for any nerves

Before you take your test...

The last three tests you run during your preparation period will give you an idea of the average score that you might get on the day of the exam. This can be a confidence booster though don’t get too over-confident if you find that you’re doing rather well. However, do not rely on these results solely; you will have a better grasp of your development by keeping track on your accuracy levels.

Make time for retakes

Give yourself a spare month before Business school applications deadlines just in case you need to retake the GMAT. Don’t see a failed attempt as the reason for you to quit and that this is the end. Business schools will see your constancy and perseverance as a good sign. Application deadlines vary but most of them start in June every year.

Relax

Preparing for the GMAT can be a very stressful time, like with any exam so make time to relax away from anything exam-related. If you push yourself too hard, you'll overthink things and place this GMAT on a pedestal. Find a balance, and reward yourself for periods of hard work.

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