– Total GMAT scores range from 200 to 800.
– A 590 GMAT score is a 52 percentile ranking.
– A 5 on the Analytical Writing is a 53 percentile ranking. Essays are graded on zero to six scale.
The GMAT is an exam that is used for those who wish to enroll in a graduate business program. It provides schools with information about your knowledge of skill level of graduate-level work to see if you’re ready to take an MBA program.
While taking the GMAT can be stressful, here are a few tips that you need to know about in order to successfully ace the GMAT and get into the graduate business program of your dreams!
1.Learn the Exam Format
You’ll need to learn and understand that format of the GMAT exam. This means taking the time to look over an actual exam to learn more about the formatting of the questions, how many questions as well as what type of questions you need to expect. Taking time to understand the format of the exam can help you understand more of the in-depth details of the exam itself.
Here are a few things to know about the GMAT exam:
• The GMAT exam takes just under 3.5 hours to complete.
• The GMAT is a computer adaptive exam.
2. The Test is Computer Adaptive
An exam being computer-adaptive means that the test is taken completely on a computer, no paper and pencil required. And because the GMAT is taken on a computer, the difficulty level of the exam depends on you and your answers to previous questions. The better you do, the more difficult the questions will be. However, the more difficult the question is, the lowest possible score you can receive also increases.
3. GMAT Study Guide
Using a study guide that is geared towards the GMAT exam might just be your best friend when it comes to studying. Using a study guide can help you to brush up on key concepts that you will need to know as well as digging deeper into the details of those concepts. When you need to brush up on your basic skills such as geometry or algebra, a GMAT study guide will come in very handy.
4. The First 10 Questions are Important
The GMAT exam is computer adaptive meaning that your questions are based off of the answers to the previous questions. Your score and the difficulty of the GMAT exam greatly depend on how well you do on the first 10 questions of the exam. It’s important that you make sure to take your time and focus on these questions. Although the first 10 questions are important, the rest of the questions are just as important, so make sure you take your time and focus on those questions as well.
5. Pace Yourself
You will have just under 3.5 hours to complete the GMAT exam. Keep in mind that there will be many questions that you will need to take some time on to come up with an answer. You may need to allow yourself more time on the quantitative reasoning section than you did on the verbal reasoning section and because of this, you’ll want to adjust your time so that you can correctly answer each question. A good way to work on your timing is through taking practice questions. You’ll want to practice not only finishing questions on the exam, but also answering them correctly.
6. GMAT Practice Test
With GMAT prep, it’s important to take practice tests. Taking practice tests can help you gauge your progress of becoming prepared for the exam. When you take a practice test, you’ll get the same style of questions, the same formatting, and the same content as you will when you take the actual exam. You’ll be able to see which areas you are weak in and possibly patterns in your errors. Taking a practice test is also a great way to learn to pace yourself and learn how to manage your timing with each question. When you’re ready to get started with a practice test, take advantage of our free GMAT Practice Test on our Academy website.
7. Go Back to Basics
The GMAT exam tests your fundamental skills in math, reading comprehension, and grammar. Many of these concepts you learned while in high school. It’s important that you not only brush up on the fundamentals within these areas, but also address any weaknesses in these areas that you may have.
8. GMAT Flashcards
You probably used flashcards in college and now would be a great time to use flashcards again as you’re preparing to go into business school. Flashcards help you remember things for a longer amount of time and let you focus on one key concept at a time. Using flashcards will be a great way for you to study when it comes to math concepts.
9. Practice Writing
Part of taking the GMAT exam is that you’ll be required to write an essay over a given question. This helps business schools analyze your writing skills prior to entering the program. You’ll be presented with an argument and you will be required to critique the author’s argument while analyzing that argument. This is where a practice test or two will come in handy when you’re doing GMAT test prep.
If you need more information about the GMAT exam, visit MBA.org: https://www.mba.com/exams/gmat/about-the-gmat-exam/gmat-exam-structure
