“Our goals can only be reached through the vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” ~Pablo Picasso
So, if you are determined to crack GMAT and get into a reputed B-school, you must have a focussed study plan and strategy in place. In this article, we present a stepwise guide for your GMAT preparation, along with the requisite information about the exam.
GMAT 2024
GMAT (Graduation Management Admission Test) is a computer-adaptive test used to evaluate the writing, reading, analytical, and quantitative skills of the candidates. With lakhs of management aspirants appearing for the exam, it poses a high level of competition for the limited number of admission seats at reputed B-schools globally. Not surprisingly, 9 out of 10 new MBA enrolments in top-ranked B-schools are carried out using GMAT scores. Besides, you can schedule the exam at your convenience and take five attempts in one year only. All these facts entail that you must prepare well in order to get a good score in GMAT.
GMAT Preparation 2024: Stepwise Guide to ace GMAT
Edwin Louis Cole once remarked, “There are dreamers and there are planners; the planners make their dreams come true.” Now, you know which side you want to be at! So, to help you achieve your dreams and fulfil your destiny, our experts have come up with these smart step-by-step practices for GMAT preparation 2024:
1. Learn about the GMAT Exam Structure
Before starting your GMAT preparation, you must be fully aware of the exam’s pattern, format, and marking criteria. This will guide you in developing different strategies for different sections.
GMAT consists of 80 questions spread across four sections. The total time duration of the exam is 3.5 hours.The following table gives an overview of GMAT exam structure:
|
Sections
|
No. of Questions
|
Duration(minutes)
|
Marks
|
|
Analytical Writing Assessment
|
1
|
30
|
0-6 (in 0.5 – point increments)
|
|
Integrated Reasoning
|
12
|
30
|
1-8 (in 1 – point increments)
|
|
Quantitative Reasoning
|
31
|
62
|
6-51 (in 1 – point increments)
|
|
Verbal Reasoning
|
36
|
65
|
6-51 (in 1 – point increments)
|
Although there is no negative marking in the exam and the difficulty level of questions keeps modifying as per your performance, you must remember that the tougher questions hold higher weightage. GMAT is scored in the range of 200-800.
2. Know the GMAT Syllabus
Once you are well-informed of the complete exam structure, you need to know about the important topics and types of questions that are frequently asked. Here, we have summed up the critical topics for each section of GMAT:
Analytical Writing Assessment: This section emphasises on an opinion-based or argument-based essay. You will be asked to either write a passage or answer questions related to a given passage.
Integrated Reasoning: Here, certain sets of data are presented in the form of a graph, table, or similar other formats, and you are required to draw inferences from the same.
Quantitative Reasoning: This section features two types of questions – data sufficiency and problem solving. These require the knowledge of logical reasoning and mathematical concepts.
Verbal Reasoning: This area includes questions from Reading Comprehension, Sentence Correction, and Critical Reasoning.
NOTE: The mathematics and reasoning part of GMAT is comparatively less difficult than in CAT, whereas the verbal part of GMAT is slightly tougher than that of CAT.
3. Develop a Timeline
During GMAT preparation, it is essential that you stay motivated and follow a disciplined study plan. At the same time, you must fix a timeline for different stages of your preparation. For instance, you may want to be ready for GMAT in 3-6 months, depending upon your work/college schedule. The important thing is to stick to the timeline and track your performance periodically.
- Understand the Basics
If you are absolutely clear with the fundamental concepts, you will be able to take on even the most complex of all questions. So, spend the first 1.5-2 months of your preparation in developing a strong foundation of the basic topics of reasoning, grammar, mathematics, and data interpretation. This should ideally be coupled with topic-wise practice tests. Simultaneously, keep up with daily practices like reading newspapers, books, as well as writing passages.
- Check your Preparation Level
Once you have gained knowledge about the crucial topics of GMAT, it’s time to move to the next stage of preparation. After around 2 months, you should start practicing the sectional tests. This will help you determine your grasp over individual sections and areas. Keep in mind to solve the questions within a time restraint.
Did you know: Before 1976, GMAT was called the ‘Admission Test for Graduate Study in Business (ATGSB)’
4. Analyse and Monitor your Progress
In the last stage of your GMAT preparation, test yourself with the help of full-length mock tests. Ideally, you should take one mock test every week in the last few months. After each test, you must go through its detailed analysis to examine your strong and weak areas. Accordingly, you can work on your exam strategy and devise ways to maximise your score.
Now that you have a comprehensive guide for GMAT preparation, make no delays and kickstart your studies soon! Alongside, you can utilize the free resources and tests available at the
official site.
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