So you just finished spending three months (which is the ideal prep time) working hard for the GMAT ……you are done with Critical Reasoning and its frustrating question stems, you are also done with practicing more than 150 Reading Comprehension questions and finally sentence correction looked easy, thanks to the intense grammar sessions provided by MBAGuru (I want to stress on this – this is the only place I have seen with such great focus on getting your grammar fundas right!)……

…..And now your test date is about 10-15 days away. From today to the date of your real GMAT Exam, you could end up committing your biggest prep mistake – which is either not appearing for online practice tests or appearing for very few of them.

As we get into the thick of our preparations, we often tend to forget that an examination like GMAT is finally not an aggregate of our knowledge of English and Math. Your GMAT preparation is incomplete without having understood the test dynamics that go beyond all theoretical knowledge.

Remember, the GMAT lasts for about 4 hours which gets stressful and takes a toll over your performance especially in the last one hour or so. The more you practice online, the more you are able to handle the imminent blanking out of your mind during the real GMAT.

Last 15 days before the exam are crucial and a well-planned schedule is a must.

• Time your preparation in a way that you spare yourself at least 15 days for online test preparation.
• Appear for at least 4 and maximum 6 tests.
• Each test will make you more aware of your fatigue level
• Each test will make your awareness of the test section and structure more and more concrete
• Excess of everything is bad – am sure you heard that before J – one day, spend 75 minutes doing a full-length English section; next day, focus on some Math topics.
• Try not to sacrifice the consistency for unplanned and excessive effort in the beginning as you may not see the results in the end. Mix and match your daily practice in the last 15 days – but keep the effort going and don’t stay away from the prep for even a single day.

So avoid the burn out and the anxiety, practice online sample papers, strengthen your base in the required subjects and earn your highest possible score.

Tanya Agarwal

An MBA from the prestigious NMIMS, Mumbai, Tanya is an expert English mentor for the GMAT and the CAT. Her rich experience of mentoring students for the GMAT spans various countries and continents! Tanya currently anchors the development of the GMAT offering at Roots Education and mentors the CAT aspirants at MBAGuru, India’s fastest growing CAT coaching, for the English section and the GD-PI stage.

Hi

Below, I have tried putting together some vital information on the GMAT Exam. Please go through it and feel free to post replies if you need any clarification or more information.

The GMAT exam measures basic verbal, mathematical, and analytical writing skills that you have developed in your education and work. It does NOT measure:

• your knowledge of business,
• your job skills,
• specific content in your undergraduate or first university course work,
• your abilities in any other specific subject area, or
• subjective qualities—such as motivation, creativity, and interpersonal skills.

Your GMAT score is valid for five years. If at first you don’t succeed, you can take the GMAT exam again. Remember, though, that all of your GMAT scores from the past 5 years will appear on your Official Score Report. However it is generallt recommended to appear maximum twice, as all your attempts are reported to the schools and too many attempts may reflect your insecurity and lack of self-confidence.

You have three and a half hours in which to take the GMAT exam, but plan for a total time of approximately four hours.

Analytical Writing Assessment

The GMAT exam begins with the Analytical Writing Abillity (AWA). The AWA consists of two separate writing tasks—Analysis of an Issue and Analysis of an Argument. You are allowed 30 minutes to complete each one.

Quantitative Section

Following an optional break, you then begin with the Quantitative Section of the GMAT exam. This section contains 37 multiple-choice questions of two question types—Data Sufficiency and Problem Solving. You are allowed a maximum of 75 minutes to complete the entire section.

Verbal Section

After completion of the Quantitative Section (following an optional break), you begin the Verbal Section of the GMAT exam. This section contains 41 multiple choice questions of three question types—Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning, and Sentence Correction. You are allowed a maximum of 75 minutes to complete the entire section.

While preparing for the GMAT, it is very important to remember that it is a Computer-Adaptive Test

Each of the first two sections consists of an analytical writing task; the remaining two sections (Quantitative and Verbal) consist of multiple-choice questions delivered in a computer-adaptive format. Questions in these sections are dynamically selected as you take the test; the multiple-choice questions will adjust to your ability level, and your test will be unique.

For each multiple-choice section of the GMAT exam, there is a large pool of potential questions ranging from a low to high level of difficulty. Each section of the test starts with a question of moderate difficulty. If you answer the first question correctly, the computer will usually give you a harder question. If you answer the first question incorrectly, your next question will be easier. This process will continue until you complete the section, at which point the computer will have an accurate assessment of your ability level in that subject area.

In a computer-adaptive test, only one question at a time is presented. Because the computer scores each question before selecting the next one, you may not skip, return to, or change your responses to previous questions.

More to follow..

Tanya Agarwal

An MBA from the prestigious NMIMS, Mumbai, Tanya is an expert English mentor for the GMAT and the CAT. Her rich experience of mentoring students for the GMAT spans various countries and continents! Tanya currently anchors the development of the GMAT offering at Roots Education and mentors the CAT aspirants at MBAGuru, India’s fastest growing CAT coaching, for the English section and the GD-PI stage.