GMAT

GRADUATE MANAGEMENT ADMISSION TEST

What is GMAT?

GMAT is a computer adaptive test (CAT) which assesses a person's analytical, writing, quantitative, verbal, and reading skills in standard written English in preparation for being admitted into a graduate management program, such as an MBA.

About GMAT

GMAT™ is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admission Council™. More than 5,400 programs offered by more than 1,500 universities and institutions in 83 countries use the GMAT exam as part of the selection criteria for their programs site. Business schools use the test as a criterion for admission into a wide range of graduate management programs, including MBA, Master of Accountancy, and Master of Finance programs.

GMAT Features

• Over 1900 graduate business schools around the world use GMAT scores as a part of their admissions process

• Standardized test centers in more than 110 countries around the world

• The test is now used by more than 1,500 schools and 5,400 programs worldwide

Why the GMAT is important?

The GMAT is a vital component of the business school admission process, and without it you might not obtain your dream job. Most admission committees use it to determine whether or not they will be accepting a certain student or applicant. It is also a way to better understand your capabilities and polish your skills.

Secrets of the GMAT

• Time management is everything

• The last questions are as important as the first

• Rates and ratios are more important than combinations and permutations

• There are no ‘almost right’ verbal choices

• The GMAT prep courses aren’t designed to get you a 700

• You have plenty of scratch paper

• There are lots of experimental questions

• Science passages aren’t uniquely challenging

• You don’t need long division

GMAT Test Structure

The GMAT exam consists of four sections: • Analytical Writing Assessment

• Integrated Reasoning

• Quantitative Section

• Verbal Section

Test Structure – Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA)

consists of one 30-minute writing task—analysis of an argument. It is important to be able to analyze the reasoning behind a given argument and write a critique of that argument. The essay will be given two independent ratings and these ratings are averaged together to determine the test taker's AWA score.

The analytical writing assessment is graded on a scale of 1 (the minimum) to 6 (the maximum) in half-point intervals:

1. An essay that is deficient.2. An essay that is flawed.3. An essay that is limited.4. An essay that is adequate.5. An essay that is strong.6. An essay that is outstanding.

Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) Tips

• Make 3 or 4 points per essay

• Use well-developed and relevant examples to support major points

• Vary your diction

• Avoid unnecessarily long sentences

• Use transition words

• Include an introduction & conclusion

• Leave time to proof your essays thoroughly

• Acknowledge the complexity of the issue in the introduction

• Anticipate and rebut a counterpoint

• There is no "Right“ position, simply argue your position well

• Understand the structure of an argument

• Critique the premises before the conclusion

• Develop ideas in a rational, persuasive manner, with relevant examples supporting them

• Proper grammar and syntax

Common grammatical and structural mistakes

• Incorrect use of modifiers

• Misuse certain idiomatic phrases

• Do not list examples in a way that does not clearly set them apart from the rest of the argument

To perform better in essay writing you need to break your essay into easily digestible paragraphs that have a clear flow from one to the next. You must have an introductory paragraph, two or three main paragraphs where you make your case, and a concluding paragraph.

Over all importance of AWA

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.

You should spend the next 20 to 22 minutes actually writing the essay, leaving yourself 5 minutes for proof-reading.

Test Structure – Integrated Reasoning

Integrated Reasoning is a new section (introduced in June 2012) designed to measure a test taker’s ability to evaluate data presented in multiple formats from multiple sources. The integrated reasoning section consists of 12 questions (which often consists of multiple parts themselves) in four different formats: • Graphics Interpretation• Two-Part Analysis • Table Analysis• Multi-Source Reasoning

With the all so predictable ‘Analysis of an issue’ essay replaced by some unpredictable and new question types, there is no doubt about the fact that the IR has made the GMAT tougher. The section has been beautifully crafted with very interesting questions wherein aspirants have to use both quantitative and verbal reasoning in conjunction to solve problems.

Integrated Reasoning Tips

• Note down points

• Approximate calculations

• Do not try to skim through the text and try to make sense of the graphical information

• Refresh statistics concepts

• Understand trend lines and correlation in data sets

• Understand argument structures in passages

• Know your goal: to get a good enough score and to be prepared enough that IR doesn’t wipe you out mentally before you get to the more important later sections

• Build some flexibility into your timeframe and prep plan

• Your actual prep process will be very similar to what you have already been doing for quant and verbal “ same kinds of prep materials, same kinds of study activities, same kinds of analysis of your work, and so on. This will all just be happening with new question types, that’s all

Managing your time

there are 12 questions in the IR section, but most questions consist of two-three individual questions. The MSR traditional five-choice multiple choice questions are the only questions in which there is simply one task in the question. this format presents two possible choices and makes three statements: you have to decide the right choice for each statement. Because there’s no partial credit on the IR, you would have to choose the correct option for all three of those statements in order to get any credit for this question.

Well, if you are sure about the first two statements, it would probably be worth investing a little time to figure out the third statement. BUT, if the first two statements completely confused you, and you had to guess, it is not worth investing a ton of time in the third statement in an effort to figure it out.

Test Structure – Quantitative Section

The quantitative section of the GMAT measures the ability to reason quantitatively, solve quantitative problems, interpret graphic data, and analyze and use information given in a problem. The use of calculators is not allowed on the quantitative section of the GMAT. Test takers must do their math work out by hand using a dry erase pen and laminated graph paper which are given to them at the testing center. Questions require knowledge of topics such as arithmetic, algebra, and geometry. There are two types of quantitative questions: problem solving and data sufficiency.

Problem solving questions are designed to test the ability to reason quantitatively and solve quantitative problems. Data sufficiency is a unique question type that appears on the GMAT and is designed to measure the ability to understand and analyze a quantitative problem, recognize what information is relevant or irrelevant and determine at what point there is enough information to solve a problem or recognize the fact that there is insufficient information given to solve a particular problem.

Quantitative Section Tips

• Read the questions carefully

• Use your scrap paper for every question

• Do not get bogged down with complicated or lengthy calculations

• The ‘guesstimating’ technique is really useful in this exam

• Learn how to work backwards

• Convert quantities freely

• Use process of elimination as a last resort

• Practice, practice, practice

• Spend at least 30 seconds reviewing the diagrams, graphs and tables

• You can rely on visual estimates for bar graphs and line charts

• Build equations for word problems

• Don’t waste time looking for subtle meanings

• Make sure you are familiar with bar, circle and line graphs

Managing your time

Never try to "catch up" by rushing through questions. As you learned your first time, if you try to do questions too fast, you will end up just getting them wrong. On each question, decide early on: "Am I going to actually do this? Or am I going to give up and guess?" And after 2 minutes, if you haven't reached an answer, ask the same question again. Never rush: either do the question the right way, or don't do it at all.

Test Structure – Verbal Section

The verbal section of the GMAT Exam measures the test taker's ability to read and comprehend written material, reason and evaluate arguments and correct written material to express ideas effectively in standard written English. The question types are reading comprehension, critical reasoning, and sentence correction questions. Reading comprehension passages can be anywhere from just a few paragraphs or even one paragraph long to being several paragraphs long. Reading passages contain material from subject areas like social sciences, history, physical sciences, and business-related areas.

Reading comprehension passages are accompanied by interpretive, applied, and inference questions. Critical reasoning questions are designed to test the reasoning skills involved in making arguments, evaluating arguments, and formulating or evaluating a plan of action. Questions are based on materials from a variety of sources.

Verbal Section Tips

• Read articles online

• Analyze what you read. Reading with a critical eye will prepare you for the GMAT's reading comprehension questions

• Know the lingo. While the GMAT doesn't test on vocabulary terms like the SAT, you should know the most common words used in the GMAT

• Skim passages first in order to get a better sense of their structure and outline

• Go over basic grammar rules

• Make sure that the answer you choose does not change the meaning of the sentence

• Choose the answer that fixes all of the errors in a sentence

• Identify the assumptions and conclusions in each passage

• Know when to separate correlation from causation

• Know the most common types of reasoning used by the GMAT such as citing authorities, using analogies, noting ulterior motives, or demonstrating logical inconsistencies

Managing your time

you'll always see the same distribution of questions, the differences will eventually even out. Setting aside those differences, each question should average a little more than 105 seconds, which means each set of 4 questions should take 7+ minutes. In other words, when you hit the halfway point of question #21, you should be 35-37 minutes in, with 38-40 minutes remaining. In blocks of 8-10 questions, you can monitor your progress just as effectively as you can on the Math section.

The Test

SECTION DURATION (MINS) NO. OF QUESTIONS

Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA)

30 N/A

Integrated Reasoning

30 12

Quantitative Section

75 37

Verbal Section 75 41

The quantitative and verbal sections of the GMAT exam are both multiple-choice and are administered in the computer-adaptive format, adjusting to a test taker’s level of ability. At the start of the quantitative and verbal sections, test takers are presented with a question of average difficulty. As questions are answered correctly, the computer presents the test taker with increasingly difficult questions and as questions are answered incorrectly the computer presents the test taker with questions of decreasing difficulty. This process continues until test takers complete each section, at which point the computer will have an accurate assessment of their ability level in that subject area and come up with a raw score for each section.

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