Are you aiming to take the GMAT this year and are in need of important preparation tips? Look no further—we have them for you here. After all, taking the GMAT is a time-consuming experience that requires a lot of mental concentration and a real ardent focus. Elite business schools around the world value high GMAT scores, with many of them accepting only the cream of the crop. While preparing for this important exam can be a very personal and customized experience, there are some very useful tips to follow along the way.
By harnessing these five pieces of GMAT advice, you’re structuring your course of study in a way that is insightful, but also results-driven. These tips have been collected from esteemed tutoring companies like Manhattan GMAT and Manhattan Review Dilsukhnagar, both of which with a real knowledge and inside scoop into efficient test day approaches. Turn your mind on and get your notebook ready, as these preparation tidbits you won’t want to overlook or miss!
- Take mock exams.
The value of scheduling in diagnostic GMAT tests cannot be more important when aiming for a high, impressive score. How else will you track your hard-earned progress than by checking in through a full-length mock exam every few weeks? Scattering these throughout your course of study is a great strategy for preparatory success. Furthermore, these give you “the test day experience,” which is invaluable when it comes to being prepared for the real exam. Luckily, free diagnostic exams are widely available in a variety of reputable online resources.
- Read dense, complicated texts.
In order to be fully prepared for the dense and sometimes complicated GMAT reading articles you’re sure to encounter on the exam, it’s useful to prep yourself by exposing yourself to such texts and articles. Since the GMAT requires you to read short articles anywhere from 200-250 words as well as long ones that range from 300-400 words, finding outside material that mimics this type of reading can be really useful for you. Of course, Stephen King mystery novels aren’t terrible on point here, as you need to focus instead on academic texts spanning the various possible subjects covered on the actual GMAT. Academic journals, newspapers and magazines are a great supplementary resource.
- Practice doing GMAT math in your head without a calculator.
Unfortunately, you don’t have access to a calculator on test day, so practicing this type of GMAT math in your head without that luxury is of great value for the test day experience. Thankfully, you can do so in your everyday life, whether it’s calculating an invoice or adding up the bill at a restaurant. Do your best to work through everyday math without outside help, as this will benefit you greatly on the GMAT Quant portion.
- Work on your pacing.
“Timing is everything,” or so the famous saying goes. Well, timing is particularly important on the GMAT. Unfortunately, there aren’t hours upon hours to muddle through all the required test sections, meaning you must place an emphasis on timing in your everyday study. Work with a stopwatch, a timer—either on your phone or computer when you take mock exams or work through problems. Set timing goals so that you’re able to meet them. After all, no one wants any clock-related surprises when it’s time to sit for the actual GMAT, right?
- Enroll in a preparatory class.
Enrolling in an online or in-person GMAT preparatory class is of great importance when getting ready for this exam. Through the expert guidance of a teacher or coach, you can get through challenging hurdles and rough points. The camaraderie of other classmates can give you that extra push to form study groups and really reach for the stars, as they say, so begin exploring your options right away as you prepare for the GMAT this year. With all the in-person and online options there are available, you should have no shortage of opportunities.
Hopefully, these five tips have helped bring to the surface some concrete and important steps you can make towards attaining your elite score. Be a diligent and conscious student as you approach the hurdles of this test, and remind yourself you’re doing something many people don’t have the courage to do. In the end, its feeling prepared that gives you that sense of satisfaction.