The GMAT online exam is a standardized exam required to enter any world’s best business schools. A high GMAT score reporting indicates that you have solid logical and thinking abilities.
You are mistaken if you believe that elite MBA programs only approve GMAT online exam ratings. GMAT is also available for early-career degrees. Some are Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master in Engineering Management (MEM), Master of Science of Business Analytics (MSBA), etc. In addition, the GMAT online exam is essential for the M.Fin program with a good quant score reporting to demonstrate your interest in finance.
GMAT Objective?
Applicants come from various backgrounds, including college, economies, languages, job paths, and degrees of work experience to universities. Business schools find it difficult to compare these diverse ranges of applicants because of so many differences.
As a result, the GMAT online exam is specifically structured to predict a candidate’s chances of succeeding in management school. It is widely regarded as the most reliable method for assisting initiatives and identifying tomorrow’s world leaders. The test provides schools with additional factual knowledge about their academic achievement prospects. It assesses your ability to logically think, reason numerically, evaluate claims, and communicate abstract multi source concepts.
GMAT Exam Pattern
The GMAT online exam takes 3.5 hours out of 24 hours of a day. It has four parts, each with different types of questions based:
- Analytical Writing Assessment, (30 Minutes)
- Integrated Reasoning, (65 Minutes)
- Quantitative (65 Minutes) ,and
- Verbal (65 Minutes)
The exam’s quantitative and verbal portions use a multi source question format that is computer adaptive. Candidates are evaluated by business schools based on a final score reporting of 800 points, which is valid for five years. The total score reporting is based solely on the Verbal and Quantitative portions. The two remaining portions have their ratings.
“Additional Information : Are you wondering what a computer adaptive test means?
In a computer adaptive test each question is chosen based on the test taker’s responses to the previous questions.
After each question is answered the score is updated. If the updated score is higher than the previous score the next question will usually be more difficult than the previous question, otherwise, an easier question will be asked.
It provides a more accurate picture of the candidate’s abilities.”
GMAT Centre and Dates
Candidates can take the GMAT at a vast and growing network of test centers almost any day of the year. The GMAT exam is registered online at MBA.com or by calling/contacting one of the test centers before the application deadline.
To schedule the exam on a specific day, one must make an appointment at the specified test centers. Candidates are allowed to take the GMAT exam five times a year. However, they must wait at least 16 days between each attempt. Therefore, you should keep track of application deadlines for successful submission.
Fee Structure and Mode of payments
The GMAT application deadline fee is $250, which loosely translates to INR15,000 – INR16,500. The payments can be made with a credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, etc.) or money order. However, your admission fees will be forfeited if you skip your planned exam period for some reason. Hence, ensure you prepare your GMAT with the correct time schedule nd keep track of the application deadlines.
How is the GMAT scored?
In order to get good grades in GMAT, here are some tips on how you can prepare for the test:
Build up a study plan
Maintain a development strategy and, at the very least, allow yourself a full year to prepare for the GMAT. Maintain the focus and make the most of this time by developing an appraisal strategy. When putting together a GMAT research strategy, enlisting the assistance of graduate school graduates or students will be extremely beneficial to your progress, as they have all been in your shoes. Also, think of the kind of programme you’re applying for and focus your efforts accordingly. If you’re pursuing a master’s degree in finance, devote more time and effort to enhancing your GMAT Quant ranking. The explanation for this is that the admissions committee would scrutinise that segment in comparison to others.
Avoid Procrastination by all means.
You’ve never seen this articulation before. It does, though, make sense. What is the point of thinking, “I don’t want to concentrate today, but from tomorrow, I’ll devote all of my attention to the planning.” Tomorrow, after all, never arrives. So it’s a case of now or never. The main challenge is getting started, which necessitates extra work. Thus, before beginning your planning, ensure you can beat the delay.
Choose a suitable exam date.
Set aside sometime when you’re about to see where you are in your preparation or your current GMAT ability to find out how long it will take you to reach your goal score. Select a suitable GMAT test date in the same way. As a result, ensure you have all the necessary details to make an educated decision about the date.
Go through the test sections.
It is best to go over the layout of the test/exam before making a study schedule. There are four parts of the GMAT exam:AWA Section (Analytical Writing Assessment): This section has critical reasoning types of questions and tests you on your thinking skills and ability to express your thoughts. Critical reasoning questions based are an important part of this section and have to be prepared well to score well.
– Integrated Reasoning (IR) Section: This section assesses the ability to evaluate and evaluate data and facts. You should also prepare for the multi source questions and choose the right answer choices.
– Quant Section (Quantitative Reasoning): This section assesses your table analysis as well as your ability to solve quantitative questions based and graphic interpretation. You must have a clear understanding of graphic interpretation if you want to score well in this section. Unfortunately, many students fail to prepare for this part and thus score badly on the graphic interpretation.
– Verbal Section (Verbal Reasoning): This section assesses your reading and editing abilities, as well as your ability to comprehend written sentences and claims.
Ensure you know how long the exam will last, how many types of questions there will be, and how much time you’ll have to prepare. Often, in each segment, look for the most commonly asked questions and extensively practise them.
Identify your weakness
Determine your skills on critical reasoning questions based and if they need special focus. Then, take many mock or rehearsal texts to identify the weak spots. From there, evaluate your results and devise a strategy for brushing up on places that you need to improve.
Set a target GMAT score
Even if you aren’t looking for a score reporting of 700 or higher, it is still a good idea to set high goals for yourself when studying. You should always shoot for a high score of 50 or more because that is what you need. We’ve seen a couple of cases where test-takers received 30-40 points more or less than they anticipated. This can be determined by the candidate’s mental or physical status on the exam day. But, in general, why not shoot for the stars?
Learn to tackle anxiety
Last but not least, tests are all that we all dread. Similarly, you can feel exhausted when preparing for the GMAT. Fear or anxiety causes many people to abandon their preparations. One thing to remember at this stage is to be cool and reflect on the positive. Overthinking isn’t going to get you anywhere. So, instead of worrying about the consequences, start planning.
GMAT Eligibility & Documents Requirement
The paperwork needed to confirm your identity is the only eligibility prerequisite for the GMAT. In addition, one must have a valid passport with your full name, portrait, and signature visible. You must carry it with you otherwise, you will not be allowed to take the exam. You should know about all the eligibility criteria, so you do not get rejection after 24 hours.
There are no formal qualifying requirements for taking the GMAT test, but candidates:
- Must be a graduate of a recognized board or university, and
- English language proficiency is required.
What is an Ideal time to start with your GMAT preparations?
The majority of candidates are unsure about when to begin studying for the GMAT. Unfortunately, this question has no correct answer choices. The best time to plan varies from person to person. First, one must determine how much time they may need to prepare. To begin your training, take a recent sample paper/mock test for the GMAT. It will assist you in table analysis and determining how much more progress is needed. You can prepare your schedule once you have a good sense of how much you need to work on your table analysis. According to recent figures, the average GMAT taker prepares for the exam for around four months. As a result, you are starting GMAT training at least six months before the application deadline.
What GMAT Score Do You Need for Business School?
When it comes to grades, it all depends on the schools to which you choose to apply. The average GMAT score would be 550 if all big B-schools in the world were included. However, if you want to apply to one of the Top 15 business schools, you need a GMAT score of at least 700. If your GMAT scores are below 650, you know that you won’t be admitted to the top business schools.
How to start with your GMAT preparation?
The easiest way to prepare for GMAT is to determine the kind of questions based that need to be prepared and choose the correct answer choices. Giving GMAT mock tests and looking for the official guide for GMAT feedback are two good ways to do so. Then, once you have a good understanding, you must determine which places you are weak in or need to improve.
Before taking the actual GMAT, it’s important to take practise tests regularly. It would give you an advantage over other candidates by giving you a head start. The following are some of the best online and offline tools for GMAT preparation:
- GMAT official guide,
- Economist GMAT,
- Prep 4 GMAT
- Gmatclub.com
The key factor in preparing for GMAT is being consistent in your approach and plan systematically. This will help you score a 700+ score.
GMAT vs GRE
If you want to apply to international business schools, you need to prepare for GRE or GMAT. However, some of you might be undecided about which one to choose. The main discrepancies and similarities between the two are mentioned below:
1) Schools you can target:
The GRE is used for a wide range of services, from vocational and business schools. While the GMAT is mainly used for business schools. So, if you’re still undecided about the program, the GMAT will narrow your options, while the GRE will open more.
2) Adaptive Nature :
Both the GMAT and the GRE are adaptive exams. This ensures that the difficulty level will be determined by how well you did on the previous ones. However, there is a distinction: the GMAT is an adaptive query test, while the GRE is a part adaptive test. Thus, if you have some free time, you can miss the difficult questions based and come back to them later in the GRE. GMAT, on the other hand, adapts between each question and prevents you from returning to it.
Apart from these, there are several variations, but the ones listed above are most likely to affect your performance. For more details, see our detailed comparison of the GRE and the GMAT.
Conclusion
The GMAT demands an organised, well-thought-out, and stress-free solution. Candidates can use a wealth of online tools, sample articles, and classes in both online and offline modes. The trick is to prepare for the exam by doing a lot of practice. Hence, now you are ready to give a great GMAT exam 24 hours around the clock.
We hope that this blog has answered all of your GMAT questions and has made your planning process a breeze. All the best!