The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a computer- based standardized test which assesses you on writing, analytical, aptitude, and reading skills that help students to get admitted to graduate management programs such as MBA, or programs related to Masters in Finance.
The GMAT exam is not a computer based exam, it is a computer adaptive test which means that the questions appear in a graded order of difficulty. The next question's level of difficulty depends upon the previous question's right/wrong response status.
GMAT Preparation Strategy
The exam pattern is divided into four major sections i.e. Analytical Writing Assessment, Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, and Verbal.
GMAT: Analytical Writing Assessment
The AWA section analyzes the writing skills of the candidate. This section consists of a 30- minute writing task which includes analysis of an argument. The two independent ratings are provided in the essay and these ratings are averaged together to determine the AWA score.
Following are some tips which will help you make your essay effective:
- Spend 2-5 minutes to construct a rough outline of your ideas. Ensure that you have a general thesis for the essay and a topic statement for each paragraph.
- Be particular with your supporting incidences.
- Include an introduction and a conclusion.
- Draw from the viewpoint with your own knowledge.
- Spare a couple of minutes before concluding the essay in order to edit or proofread and correct it, if any error occurs.
This section analyzes your ability to:
- Scrutinize and evaluate the given argument.
- Think about different perspectives and work out an effective way to deal with your answer.
- Find out the reason behind the argument and compose the review on the same.
- Bolster your answer with suitable illustrations and clarification.
- Use grammar while composing your answer.
GMAT: Integrated Reasoning
The Integrated Reasoning section measures the ability of a candidate to analyze the information presented in various formats. There are mainly four types of questions asked in this section which analyze the ability of an aspirant to integrate the given data and solve the complex problems. The four different question types are:
- Table Analysis: In this area, the information is provided in a tabular form. You have to answer the questions by opting from true/false, yes/ no.
- Graphics Interpretation: In this type, questions are asked on graphical images and you have to choose the correct option from a given drop- down list.
- Multi – Source Reasoning: The questions are asked in this section are in the form of charts, tables, and text. The options can be in the form of yes/no, true/ false or multiple choice options.
- Two – Part Analysis: This section involves two components for a solution.
The skills which are to be measured in this section are:
- Analyzing data displayed in graphics, content, and numbers.
- Organizing information to see relationships, and to solve multiple interrelated problems.
- Combining information from various given sources to solve complex problems.
- Assimilating relevant information from various sources.
GMAT: Quantitative
It is a 37-questions section which is subdivided into two main areas that are Data Sufficiency (15 Questions) and Problem Solving (22 Questions).The questions are designed to measure the knowledge on basic arithmetic, algebra, and geometry.
Following are some pointers which are kept in mind:
- Recognize the information which is useful and relevant.
- Try to detect a point which is important to solve the given problem.
- Solve the given questions by using various mathematical concepts.
GMAT: Verbal
This section evaluates the skills of a candidate on comprehension, reasoning, and grammar.The candidate is evaluated on reading and understanding the provided information, and appraising the arguments. Verbal section is based on the following three types of questions:
- Reading Comprehension: This section covers passages from various content areas i.e. factual sciences, social sciences, and business related areas.
- Critical Reasoning: This area analyses the skills of making and evaluating arguments, and formulating conclusion.
- Sentence Correction: An underlined portion is given in a particular sentence, and five answer choices are provided. This section mainly focuses on the basic grammar rules.
Following are some tips which help to tackle the verbal section:
Reading Comprehension
- Read carefully the instructions given before you begin with the passage.
- The comprehension can be based on factual and straightforward questions.
- Passages which are dealing with business- related areas are tough and have difficult structures and questions can be asked on writer’s opinion.
- Questions can also be asked to describe the tone of the passage which is most likely to be positive, negative or neutral. In the factual or science passages, the tone is usually neutral.
Critical Reasoning
- In critical reasoning section, avoid choosing the answer which does not have any logical extension of the argument mentioned in the given passage.
- Eliminate the wrong choices and determine the correct choice from the remaining ones.
- In the questions related to strengthen or weaken the argument, try to identify the view point of the author in the given argument.
Sentence Correction
- Correct usage of grammar.
- Avoid diction errors.
- Try to look out the multiple errors in the given sentence rather than finding a single one.
- Try to compare the given choices and identify how the choices are different from one another.
Overall, you have to brace up to handle reasoning based questions. Strengthen your concept followed by an adequate number of practice tests. While attempting the paper, keep in mind the basics of time management, prioritization and striking a right balance between speed and accuracy!
