SCORE GMAT | THE GUIDE FOR GMAT MBA | GMAT PREPARATION

Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA)

krishkumar22 — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:55:14 +0000

The AWA’s Two Components The GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) consists of two, 30 minute components. One asks you to analyze an argument, and the other asks you to analyze an issue. These 2 essays can appear in either order when you take the GMAT. A Warning About Studying the Downloadable GMAT Essay Questions The test writers at ETS have published a list of the essay questions that are stored in the CAT’s software. You can download these questions for free from the GMAC website (look for the links near the bottom of the page). Be warned, however, that you do not want to spend the time it would take to practice responding to every one of these questions. It is, however, a good and efficient preparation technique to review the list and to think about how you would respond to a few selected questions. How the Essays are Graded Your essays will most likely be graded by a teaching assistant or graduate student from a university English department. This evaluator will assign your essay a grade from 0 to 6. A computer program, called the E-rater, will then ‘read’ your essays and assign a grade as well. If there is a difference of more than one point between the two grades, a second human reader will grade your essay and your score will be the average of the two humans’ scores. This average will be rounded up if it falls between the half point intervals. The graders (both human and computer) look for overall evidence of the following 4 qualities in your essays: Critique of the argument or analysis of the issue Ideas developed in a rational, persuasive manner, with relevant examples supporting them Organization Proper grammar and syntax Due to the economics involved in grading this test, graders are not given much time to spend on each essay. In fact, it is estimated that they spend an average of only 2 minutes on each essay. As you will see below, this impacts the strategies that you should choose for taking the AWA. The Overall Importance of the Writing Assessment Admissions committees simply do not give AWA scores the same importance that they do to GMAT verbal and quantitative scores. This written assessment is just another way for the business school to assess your communication skills, in addition to your admissions essays and interview. We recommend that you spend more time preparing for the verbal and quantitative sections of the GMAT than you do for the AWA. Managing Your Time You will have 30 minutes for each section. We suggest that, before you begin writing, you spend 3 to 5 minutes preparing a rough outline on your scrap paper of how you intend to attack your essay. Consider this your “brainstorming” time. Just throw down as many ideas on the paper as you can. At the end of this 3 to 5 minutes, look at what you have written. Scratch out anything you know you do not want to include. Number the remaining thoughts in terms of their importance to your issue or argument. Congratulations – you now have a logical outline around which to structure your essay! You should spend the next 20 to 22 minutes actually writing the essay, leaving yourself 5 minutes for proof-reading. Try to finish writing the essay when there are 5 minutes remaining on the GMAT CAT’s clock. Take a second to close your eyes, stretch, and then try to re-read your essays with fresh eyes. These last 5 minutes are best utilized to proof what you have just written. Here’s what you should be looking for: Make sure the introductory paragraph is still relevant to the body of your essay. Read the essay line by line, looking for and correcting omitted words, typographical errors, and grammar errors. Make sure your thoughts come across clearly. Check for use of appropriate transition words. Do not, however, attempt to begin a drastic overhaul of your essay. Giving Your Essays the Proper Structure You will only use approximately 20 of the allotted 30 minutes to actually write each essay. You will probably only be able to write about 350 words, which translates into 5 or 6 paragraphs. Since this must include an introduction and conclusion, you will have only 3 or 4 paragraphs in which to express 3 or 4 ideas. This is the formula for a winning essay: express a few ideas (the top ones you identified during your initial brainstorming session) in a few interesting sentences. Keep the essay structure simple. Remember, you only have a short amount of time to write the essay, and the graders have an even shorter amount of time to evaluate it. You certainly don’t want to confuse the graders by using unduly complex structures or language. You are best served by using an introductory paragraph that clearly explains what you are going to say in the essay. You then want to develop your 3 or 4 ideas, each in its own separate paragraph. Make sure your opinions are clearly stated. (Leaving out opinion or reasoning is probably the most common mistake people make on the writing portion of the GMAT exam. Do not worry about offending a grader with your opinions or analysis. AWA topics are not that controversial.) Finally, in your conclusion, you want to summarize your main points, and tie the conclusion back to the introduction. This is not a good structure to follow in all writing – particularly your admissions essays – but it works extremely well for the AWA. Other General Tips for the GMAT’s AWA Your grader will spend an average of 2 minutes reading and grading your essay. Clever metaphors and the like will be neither noticed nor appreciated. However, you do need to come across as smart in order to make the critical first impression needed to achieve a high score on this writing assessment. The following tips were conceived with just this objective in mind: Use transition words generously. Phrases like “for example”, “consequently”, or “first, second, … lastly” will help the reader follow your essay’s structure more easily. Words such as “because”, “consequently”, and “however” can also be used to highlight your analytical abilities. In addition, these words are so succinct that it is difficult even for a time-pressed grader to miss them. Be specific. One of the key criteria graders look for is your ability to present ideas and arguments clearly and persuasively. Many writers grow vague when pressed for time. Do not let this happen to you. However, do not let yourself slip into dogmatism, either. It is appropriate, even helpful, to acknowledge the limitations of your arguments and to concede the validity of opposing points of view. Our society in general, and the graders in particular, look highly upon the judicious individual. Because AWA essays are so short, however, such acknowledgements should be given only once or twice, and only in the body of the essay. Do not use big words just for the sake of using them. Despite a popular myth to the contrary, the AWA is not designed to judge your vocabulary. Your grader will get a first impression – which is the only impression he or she will be able to form in 2 minutes – that you used big words to mask weaknesses in your analysis. Grammar is important. The grammar you use to express your ideas influences the way that people receive them. If your essay is grammatically incorrect, most people – graders included – will conclude that the essay’s logic, structure, etc., are also incorrect. Do not allow this natural bias to harm your essay grade. Vary the length of your sentences. This will make your essay easier for the grader to read. It also signals that you are a smart and effective writer. The Analysis of an Argument Essay You will be given a one-paragraph argument to critique. You are not asked to present or discuss your own opinion on the subject. Instead, you are supposed to find fault with the argument’s reasoning. Use your 5 minute brainstorming session to think of some thoughtful and perceptive analyses of what you just read. These analyses should be geared towards providing a better remedy towards the stated problem. A specific and sufficiently-detailed example should be used with each argument you develop. As stated above, you should have 3 to 4 paragraphs in the body of the essay. Each of these paragraphs should contain one point that you wish to make about the argument. Graders like to see you use specifics in your essay. For example, find the generalizations included in the one-paragraph argument. (We guarantee this will not be difficult to do.) The Analysis of an Issues Essay You will be given a one-paragraph text discussing the pros and cons of some issue. You will be asked to select the position with which you agree. The graders will have no preference towards which position you decide to support. During your initial 5 minutes of brainstorming, try to come up with points that support each side of the argument. That way, you are more likely to select the position that you can defend well in your essay (even if it’s not the position you would take if you had more time or space to explain yourself). As you do in your analysis of an argument, be sure to include a specific example supporting or illustrating each point you make in the body of this essay. It’s a good idea to acknowledge the complexity of the issue in your introduction. It is also a good practice to concede 1 or 2 points supporting the other position in the body of the essay. Do not worry that this might make you appear indecisive to the graders. Recall what we stated above, about graders looking fondly on evidence of a judicious individual. Be careful with your choice of language and tone on this essay. You are being asked to write an issues analysis, not a campaign ad. Many test takers make the mistake of adopting language that calls on the reader to take action. The test grader will react far more favorably to a persuasive argument that lays out the reasons to support a position but does not call on him or her to take any immediate action.

GMAT Test Preparation Tips

krishkumar22 — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:01:55 +0000

You Can Easily Increase Your GMAT CAT Score by 50 to 100 Points

Despite the official statements of ETS (Educational Testing Service), you can improve your GMAT score dramatically simply by taking the time to become “streetwise” about the GMAT CAT. Quite simply, this is the easiest step in your test preparation, and should not be ignored under any circumstances.

Keep in mind that the GMAT is a game. Just as in chess, baseball, tennis, or any other sport, those who know how the game is played have a huge advantage over those who are ignorant of the game’s idiosyncratic rules.

As a test taker, you should understand:

The computer-adaptive structure of the GMAT
The types of exam questions asked and their common fallacies
How to manage your time wisely

The computer-adaptive structure of the GMAT

The computer-adaptive test (CAT) version of the GMAT is designed to get a more accurate assessment of your skills while asking you fewer questions than its paper-based predecessor did. Here is how it works: the first question you see in any given section will be of average difficulty. If you get the answer right, your next question will be slightly more difficult. If you get the answer wrong, your next question will be slightly easier. The software will also ask you different types of questions in a rather unpredictable order, as determined by its algorithm, rather than clustering question types as the written GMAT did.

You can not skip a question or go back to an earlier question. Unlike the paper version, once you click the ‘answer confirm’ box, your answer can not be changed.

The types of exam questions asked and their common fallacies

Examples and explanations of these can be found in the pages describing the individual component sections of the GMAT posted on this website. We strongly encourage our clients to spend time learning these question types before brushing up on their verbal and math skills.

How to manage your time wisely

Practice

The main way to develop GMAT time management skills is to practice taking the test. You will repeatedly see us return to the theme of practice throughout this website. It is very hard to overstate its importance. Therefore you are strongly encouraged to take at least a few mock GMAT exams, in the computer-adaptive format and to try to simulate the actual testing environment. (That means refraining from taking food breaks, engaging in telephone conversations, etc. until you have completed a section.)

Spend adequate time on the first 5 questions

Earlier, we discussed how the GMAT CAT’s underlying algorithm determines the difficulty of questions you are asked, based on your performance in answering previous questions. Difficult questions are weighted more heavily in scoring than easier questions. The first couple questions in any GMAT CAT section are used to determine the range of questions that the program ‘thinks’ you are able to handle. After you have answered these first few questions, the testing software will give you questions to fine tune your score within that rather narrowly predetermined range. Thus, your answers to the first 5 questions will make a HUGE difference in your final section score.

It is imperative that you answer these pivotal questions with extra care. Always double check your answers to these questions. Verify that the answer choices that you judged to be incorrect are indeed incorrect. If you are unsure of the answer to one of these first questions, at the very least, take a very good educated guess using process of elimination.

Prepare yourself to finish the test – at all costs!

There is a huge scoring penalty for failing to finish any section of the GMAT. For example, say you’re in line to get a score that will put you in the 70 percentile of test takers, based on your test performance so far – but then run out of time and fail to answer the last five questions in the section. That failure will lower your score to about the 55 percentile. The lesson to take away from this is to prepare yourself to finish the test at all costs. Answering a question incorrectly will hurt you, but not as much as leaving the question unanswered will. Train yourself to work your best within the time limits of the exam. But train yourself, too, to be able to recognize when only a minute or so remains on the clock, and at that point to just answer “C” (or whatever your lucky letter is) for any remaining questions. As the GMAT’s Chief Psychometrician put it to us, random guessing is like shooting yourself in the foot – but leaving answers blank is like shooting yourself in both feet.

Don’t waste time

This advice probably sounds self evident. However, we mention it because we’ve had clients tell us how they inadvertently wasted test time by revisiting the help screen or requesting extra scrap paper after they began their test. These activities, if undertaken once the section has begun, will take time away from working on the questions.

Read the Questions Carefully

As silly as this advice may seem, it’s worth remembering. An undisciplined test taker will feel the stress of the clock during the timed sections and will try to cut corners to save time, wherever and whenever possible. As a result, he or she often misinterprets questions. GMAT test writers are well aware of this dynamic, and happy to capitalize on it. We guarantee that you will encounter questions on the GMAT that include incorrect answer choices that were deliberately designed to exploit likely misinterpretations of what the question is really asking.

Avoid Random Guessing

The GMAT CAT does not allow you to skip questions and come back to them later, as you can on a written test. You must answer each question on the GMAT CAT before it will allow you to move on to the next question. Consequently, even if you don’t know the answer to a particular question, you have to answer it. It is always in your best interest to take an educated guess rather than resorting to random guessing – even if you are running out of time on the section. Usually you will be able to identify at least one answer choice that is clearly wrong. Eliminating even one incorrect choice will improve your odds of answering the question correctly.

Eliminate the Deliberately Deceptive Wrong Choices

With practice, you will begin to learn how to recognize answer choices that are deliberately deceptive – and wrong. There are a few common patterns here that will become apparent as you proceed with your test preparation.

One recognizable pattern is commonly found in the Problem Solving section. It involves an erroneous answer choice giving a value that would result from following a common computational error. You can avoid these deceptive choices by using scrap paper, checking your answers and using estimation to at least judge the general range of the correct choice.

Practice, Practice, Practice

As we stated at the top of this page, there are a number of tips and techniques to taking the GMAT that will significantly raise your overall score. This is a test that you can prepare for, despite anything the test-makers state. We strongly encourage you to use actual questions from previous exams as you practice, as we have noticed a material difference in the nature and quality of test questions prepared by ETS versus those written by GMAT prep companies. We also strongly encourage you to practice taking the exam in its computer-adaptive format.

Finally, we encourage you to spend most of your preparation time studying and practicing questions in your weakest subject area. While we believe every test taker benefits by reviewing each GMAT exam section, focusing on your weakest areas will make the most efficient use of your test-prep time.

Don’t Wait Too Long to Take the GMAT

Don’t count on taking the GMAT at the last minute. Should you need to retake the exam, you will need time both to register for the test again and to have the new scores submitted to schools in time for the application deadlines. Scheduling the GMAT well into the admissions season is also bound to cause most test takers undue stress. With proper planning and insight, you can spare yourself these negative energies and instead focus on maximizing your GMAT score.

GMAT CAT Test Structure

krishkumar22 — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 08:52:59 +0000

The Random Nature of the GMAT CAT Test

By its very nature, the GMAT test is inherently random. It selects questions for you to answer from a large database, based on whether or not you answered the previous questions correctly. It does this to determine the degree of difficulty within which you will be most challenged.

The GMAT test also relies on a complex algorithm to determine which type of question to ask next. For example, on the quantitative section of the test, you might be asked a problem solving question, followed by a data sufficiency problem, followed by two more problem solving questions. You can count on seeing groups of questions randomly interspersed within each test section.

The Structure of the GMAT Test

Here is what you can expect to see when you take the test.

The Introductory Computer Tutorial (untimed – you go through it at your own pace)
Analytical Writing Assessment (60 minutes)
1. Analysis of an Argument (30 minutes)
2. Analysis of an Issue (30 minutes)
Optional 5 Minute Break
Quantitative Section (75 minutes)
1. Problem Solving (23 to 24 questions)
2. Data Sufficiency (13 to 14 questions)
Optional 5 Minute Break
Verbal Section (75 minutes)
1. Critical Reasoning (14 to 15 questions)
2. Reading Comprehension (4 passages with 12 to 14 questions)
3. Sentence Correction (14 to 15 questions)

The total maximum testing time allowed for the GMAT is 3 hours and 40 minutes.

The two Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) analyses are presented to test takers in random order. You might see either the analysis of an argument or the analysis of an issue question first.

As we mentioned above, you can also expect the types of questions asked in the quantitative and verbal sections of the GMAT test to show up in a random order. That said, these questions do tend to appear on the exams in short bunches – you are not likely to find yourself bounced back and forth between them. Reading comprehension questions in particular will be grouped together, in bunches immediately following the relevant passages.

Because the test makers claim the right to change the format at any time, we cannot tell you with certainty the order in which the AWA, quantitative and verbal sections will appear on your test. That said, there is a very strong chance, based on the GMAT CAT’s history, that you will see the AWA first, followed by either the quantitative or verbal section.

GMAT MATH STUDY GUIDE

krishkumar22 — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:02:30 +0000

The Score-GMAT Math Study Guide is different in that it focuses on fundamentals along with the standard tips and techniques which work for some questions and not for others. Moreover there can’t be shortcuts and techniques for all different types of GMAT questions, so it’s better not to rely totally on any techniques, but focus on the fundamentals as well. We understand that the learning needs of all students are different. With this study guide you could be making your own shortcuts and tips – we believe you can. The Score-GMAT Math Study Guide make the concepts easy to understand and builds upon fundamentals. The study guide has loads of practice questions and practice tests, to prepare you well before you take the GMAT.

Features

Comprehensive Preparation :

   »   Concepts explained in simple language
   »   Practice Questions on all topics
   »   Tests to monitor your progress
   »   Solved examples with each topic
   »   GMAT specific strategies

Special chapters (with practice tests) for specific question types like – races, mixtures, time and work, time and speed etc. which appear frequently in the GMAT.

Special chapters on important topics which have recently started appearing in the GMAT:

Probability
Mean, Median, Mode

CONTENTS OF GMAT MATH STUDY GUIDE

Arithmetic

Numbers Practice Test
Fractions
Exponents Practice Test
Ratios Practice Test
Percentage Practice Test
Profit & Loss Practice Test
Simple & Compound Interest Practice Test
Speed & Time Problems Practice Test
Work & Time Problems Practice Test
Mixtures Practice Test

Algebra

Introduction to Algebra
Linear Equations Practice Test
Factorisation of Algebraic Equations
Simultaneous Equations Practice Test
Quadratic Equations Practice Test
Inequalities Practice Test

Geometry

Lines & Angles
Practice Test
Triangles
Quadilaterals
Circles
Areas & Volumes
Geometry – Solved Examples
Practice Test

Miscellaneous

Venn Diagrams
Practice Test
Probability
Practice Test
Data Sufficiency
Three Practice Tests

GMAT Verbal Tutorial

krishkumar22 — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 09:13:10 +0000

GMAT VERBAL STUDY GUIDE

The 75-minutes in which you will attempt the verbal section on the GMAT can literally make or break your chances of admission to a B-school of your choice, as it is this section which often proves to be the difference between a low score and a high score on the GMAT. To help you with this section, and also with the tedious AWA section, we offer our state-of-the-art SCORE-GMAT study guides.

About SCORE-GMAT Verbal Study Guide

The objective of the SCORE-GMAT Verbal Study Guide is to help you to not only perform to your potential in the GMAT, but also develop a healthier, more friendly attitude towards English Grammar, a subject you may have dreaded at school.

What’s there to learn in English? – We all can speak, read and write English. Remember, you may use the vernacular English at a casual, conversational level (even at your work place), but to use it at an official, formal platform like the GMAT, you need to know the rules.

The SCORE-GMAT Verbal Study Guide is different in that it focuses on fundamentals along with the standard tips and techniques. But since there can’t be shortcuts and techniques for all different types of GMAT questions, it’s better not to rely entirely on techniques, but focus on the fundamentals as well. We understand that the learning needs of all students are different. With this study guide you could be making your own shortcuts and tips – we believe you can. The Crack-GMAT Verbal Study Guide makes the concepts easy to understand and builds upon fundamentals. The study guide has loads of practice questions and practice tests to prepare you well before you take the GMAT.

The Unique Features of the GMAT Verbal Study Guide are:

Comprehensive Preparation :

»   Concepts explained in simple language
»   Over Hundred Practice Questions
»   Tests to monitor your progress
»   Solved examples with each topic
»   GMAT specific strategies

CONTENTS OF GMAT VERBAL STUDY GUIDE

Subject-Verb Agreement
Practice Exercise 1

Modifiers
Strategies for Tackling GMAT Sentence Correction
Practice Exercise 2

Tenses
The Time Line
Practice Exercise 3

Critical Reasoning
CR Question Types
Practice Exercise 4

Parallelism
Practice Exercise 5

Reading Comprehension
Types of RC Questions
Practice Exercise 6

Pronouns
Rules on Pronouns
Practice Exercise 7

Prepositions
Practice Exercise 8

How To Score in Gmat

krishkumar22 — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:26:15 +0000

How to score in gmat :

Before you subscribe to the Test Series, we recommend that you take our FREE diagnostic
test. This would give you an idea of our Test Series.
As soon as we receive your subscription fee for the Test Series, you will receive a mail
indicating that you have been enrolled as a subscriber. You can then download the test
series on your computer.
You can then proceed to take the first of the Five tests, which you can do off-line,
without being connected to the Internet. You even have the option of “pausing” a
test and resuming it later from where you left, though our advice is to take a test at one
go.
Once you complete Test One, you can get to know your scores and the solutions to the
questions in Test One.
After you’ve reviewed your performance in the Test, you have access to Test Two.
Again, take the test off-line at your convenience, view your scores and the solutions, and
access Test Three. This process continues till you have completed all the Five Tests of
the Test Series.

Advantages of GMAT Test

krishkumar22 — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:10:37 +0000

Advantages of SCORE GMAT Test Series

ADAPTABILITY : Just like the
actual tests, the Crack-GMAT test series adapts to your ability level. There are different
levels of questions, and just as in the actual GMAT, the level of your next question will
depend on your response to the previous questions.
COMPREHENSIVENESS : The GMAT
test series consists of a comprehensive set of questions prepared to cover a large
variety and type of questions. It also consists of a detailed explanation of each question
to help you understand your mistakes and improve your scores.
CONVENIENCE : Once you have the
tests with you, you can set your own pace depending on the time you have for preparation.
You can take these tests in simulated settings on your own home or office PC.
FULL-LENGTH : The Crack-GMAT
tests are full-length tests. It is important to maintain your concentration and focus for
the entire duration of the test. Most students fail to develop that level of
concentration. The three ways to develop the concentration are practice, practice
and practice.
INTERACTIVITY : At any point
after subscribing to the test, you can e-mail us with any problems that you might face at
any stage of the testing process. Rest assured that you will get a reply within 24 hours.

Best GMAT resources

krishkumar22 — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:30:36 +0000

There are thousands of GMAT resources you can find online. But all of them may not be up to the mark. Some of them might even be misleading! I have added a few resources that I feel are best for a GMAT test-taker and many of them are free downloads !

Please note : There are a few links and mention of commercial products. I do not, in any way, endorse any of these products. I am mentioning them here because they are of International repute among the test-takers and these must be bought at your sole discretion.

All the links below were working at the time of writing this page. Please let me know if any link is broken or dead.

Free GMAT Resources:

The GMAT Information Bulletin 2009 : This is where you find the official information on the GMAT exam.

GMATPrep Software : This is the best ever GMAT test simulator. You can take two full length tests. And you can re-install it to get almost all new questions (except the AWA). Practice with this is a complete must. This is the closest indicator of your GMAT performance.

Analysis of an Argument essays : Official list of Analysis of an Argument essays.

Analysis of an Issue essays: Official list of Analysis of an Issue essays.

Free Online GMAT Practice Tests:

These are tests provided for free by the commercial test-prep companies. Take the test results with a pinch of a salt because none of these are close to the real GMAT (GMATPrep is the best indicator and is closest to the real GMAT). But these tests make great practice. These are in no particular order.

Best GMAT Books :

These are the books you MUST buy if you intend to take the GMAT seriously.These are the ONLY books in the market that feature real (but retired) GMAT questions. If you have to buy only one book then buy the “The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 11th Edition”.

The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 11th Edition
The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review
The Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review

Best GMAT Discussion Forums :

Discussion forums are a great place to learn. There are hundreds of test-takers discussing questions, strategies and GMAT experiences. Active participation on these forums will help you learn things that you would not learn from books or tutors. The best part is, participation on these forums is totally free !

Good GMAT resources :

There are many other GMAT books that are worth a try. These books are products from commercial companies and must be bought at your sole discretion.

Manhattan GMAT Sentence Correction Guide – This is supposed to be the best book on GMAT Sentence Correction.
Princeton Review’s Cracking the GMAT with DVD – This is a good book to start your GMAT prep. But the questions in this book are a lot simpler than the real GMAT.
Kaplan GMAT Premier Program (with CD-ROM) – This is a good book for practice.
Powerscore GMAT Critical Reasoning Bible – This is the best CR book. Read and work through this book. This helped me increase my CR accuracy.
Manhattan Review Sentence Correction guide – This is a good e-book to kick-start your sentence correction preparation.

Please suggest any books/resources that are worth a mention. Please do not include ANY affiliate links.

What is GMAT ?

krishkumar22 — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 08:42:56 +0000

What is GMAT ?

The Graduate Management Aptitude Test or more simply GMAT (pronounced as G-MAT) is one of the most popular standardized tests around. If you plan to attend a business school, you would most likely have to take the GMAT. So, what exactly is the exam all about and do you need to take it? Lets see …

What is the GMAT ?

It is a standardized test conducted by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). This test tries to assess and predict your academic capability to undergo the MBA (Master in Business Administration) programs.

The GMAT exam is a standardized assessment, delivered in English, that helps business schools assess the qualifications of applicants for advanced study in business and management. -

This test is delivered as a Computer Adaptive Test (CAT). It is only administered via computer on many pre-determined locations around the world.

Who uses the GMAT scores ?

The scores are used as one of the criteria for selection in graduate business schools. More than 1500 business schools around the world use the score as a predictor of an applicant’s academic capabilities.

What is the history of this test ?

In the early 1950s, a small group of schools got together and started an assessment test (now GMAT) to select candidates for its business programs. In the first year, the assessment test was taken by hardly 2000 times. Now it is taken at least 200,000 times annually and that number is set to grow. It used to be a paper-based test. From January 1 2006 GMAT became computerized and the paper-based test is no longer offered. Despite the change in the way the test is offered, the format of the test remained the same.

What exactly is GMAT out to test?

This exam measures basic verbal, mathematical, and analytical writing skills that you have developed in your education and work. – GMAC

The GMAT is not a pass/fail test. As the name clearly shows, it is a management aptitude test for graduates. It tests on the following 3 broad areas.

Analytical Writing Assessment (two 30-minute essay sections)
Quantitative Ability (one 75-minute multiple choice section)
Verbal Ability (one 75-minute multiple choice section)

A separate score is awarded for each of the three abilities listed above. A combined quantitative/Verbal score (scale of 200-800) is also awarded.

More importantly, GMAT is an endurance test. This test can be a grueling experience if the test-taker is not mentally trained for the test.

How long is the test?

It consists of 150 minutes of multiple-choice testing(quantitative and verbal) and 60 minutes of 2 analytical essays (30 min each). The test taker is allowed to take two 10 minute breaks(optional). Add all this and the time taken for administrative procedures, the test-taker spends around 4-hours at the test center.

So apart from the academic side of preparation for the test, one needs to be prepared for the mental pressure that the format of the exam poses.

How much does the test cost?

The cost to take the GMAT exam is US$250 globally.

How long is the GMAT score valid?

The score is valid for 5 years from the day you take the test. You can take the test as many times as you like. But, your score card will show all your attempts for the last five years. Graduate Business schools take only the latest score on the score card.

Do you need to take the GMAT?

If you plan to apply to a business school, chances are that you will be required to take the GMAT. Around 1800 business programs in over 1500 business schools require the applicant to take this exam. Almost all top (or best) schools mandate the GMAT.

Format of the GMAT exam

krishkumar22 — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 08:41:20 +0000

Now that we will go forward with the format of the exam.

There are 3 parts of the GMAT exam.

Analytical Writing Assessment (60 minutes, 2 essays)
Quantitative Ability ( 75 minutes, 37 questions )
Verbal Ability (75 minutes, 41 questions)

Analytical Writing Assessment: The GMAT begins with Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA). The test-taker is required to write 2 short essays. The GMAT provides a simple word-processing program for this purpose. Each essay has to be completed in exactly 30 minutes.

The first is the Analysis of an Issue, in which you need to analyze the issue presented and explain your views on it. The second essay is Analysis of an Argument, in which a given argument has to be critically analyzed and evaluated. For both the essays, the emphasis is on the “Analytical” part, and not on the “Writing” part.

Quantitative Section: As the name suggests, this section contains questions on mathematics. This section begins after an optional (in my opinion,recommended) 10-minute break. The 37 questions in this section comprise two kinds of questions : Problem Solving (PS) and Data Sufficiency (DS). These two types are intermingled, with no fixed number for each type.

Verbal Section: After another optional (again, recommended) 10-minute break, the verbal section begins. The verbal section in GMAT tests basic English skills coupled with reasoning and analysis. The 41 questions consist of three types : Sentence Correction (SC), Critical Reasoning (CR), and Reading Comprehension (RC). The three types are intermingled, with no fixed number for each type.

Computer-Adaptive format

The GMAT is a Computer Adaptive Test (CAT). The essays are not adaptive. The quantitative and verbal sections, however, are adaptive. By adaptive it means the difficulty level of every question (barring a few experimental questions) apart from the first question depends on whether you got the previous question right or wrong. In other words, if you answer a question right, the next question presented will be of higher difficulty and if you get a question wrong, the next question will be from easier levels.

Few points to remember (in no particular order):

Reading from a book and paper is different from reading from a computer screen. Get used to reading questions from a computer screen.
Pacing is extrememly important. There is heavy penalty for questions left unanswered.
Due to the adaptive format of GMAT, your score will reduce drastically if you have a string of wrong answers.
Practice at least one full length test from the two free GMATPrep tests provided by www.mba.com. Of course, the more you practice, the more equipped you are to sit through the four hour grueling session.
Time is the most expensive resource even on GMAT. If I say every second counts, I am not exaggerating.