Some GMAT basics you should know before starting prep

What is the GMAT?

GMAT, short for Graduate Management Admission Test, is a entrance exam conducted by GMAC, a testing body based in the United States. It was started way back in 1953, and has since been used by thousands of Business Schools as a criterion as part of their admission process for Graduate management programs such as Master of Business Administration (MBA), Masters in Management (MiM), etc. The GMAT assess verbal and quantitative ability of the test-takers by measuring their analytical writing and problem solving skills, as well as data sufficiency and critical reasoning abilities.?

When can you take the test?

The first thing that most test-takers are confused about is when the GMAT happens. The answer to that is that it depends on the taker. You have the option of scheduling the test as per your convenience, at the test centre which is most convenient for you. The only catch to this is that different test centres have different times on offer, for example the test centre in which I took it only offered the exam on Fridays and Saturdays, other centres might offer the exam on other days as well. The times on offer are also different, depending on the individual test centre. Basically, you have to choose the most convenient time and date according to your chosen test centre.

Alternatively, after the Covid-19 Pandemic, GMAC started offering the option of taking the GMAT online from your home. This option is still available, and you get enhanced control over the timing and date of your exam.

How much does the GMAT cost?

The GMAT is one expensive exam to take. The cost of taking this exam depends on the where your test centre is located and whether you take the exam online or at the centre. For our discussion here, I’m assuming that the test centre/online exam is based in India.

The cost of booking an appointment for the exam, regardless of online or at-centre, is $275 (Approx. ?21,804 in July, 2022). This can be paid through a wide variety of modes. Apart from this, the GMAC charges you a rescheduling fees ranging from $50 to $150 depending on the days to the exam. If you cancel the appointment, the refund amount will range from $100 to $50 depending on the days to the exam. You will also be charged $35 for getting the Enhanced Score Report.?

Where can you use the GMAT?

The GMAT is used by Business Schools as a criterion during their admission process. It is accepted by more than 2,000 schools worldwide for taking admission in more than 5,000 different programs. It is accepted for programs for almost all kinds of graduate management programs like MBA, MiM, Master of Financial Analysis (MFA), Master in Engineering Management (MEM), etc. Almost all top business schools worldwide accept the GMAT for intake in their programs.?

In India, the picture is very different than it is abroad. The GMAT is not that widely accepted here, but the acceptance and recognition is slowly growing. Most of the top business schools in India either accept the CAT or conduct their own examination. But some schools like Indian School of Business (ISB), Great Lakes, SP Jain, etc accept GMAT for their programs.?

Some basics about the GMAT

Let us get to the actual exam now, shall we? I’ve seen a lot of people starting the prep without fully understanding the exam in detail, which is a fatal mistake. The GMAT is very different compared to other entrance tests that we’re accustomed to. The GMAT is composed of four sections: Verbal, Quant, Integrated Reasoning (IR), Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA). We’ll talk about each section in detail later.

The exam in total is of 3 hours and 30 minutes, with 62 minutes for the Quant section, 65 minutes for Verbal, 30 minutes each for the AWA and IR sections, two breaks of 8 minutes each, and 7 minutes to read the instructions before the exam. You have the option for attempting the exam in various sequence of sections such as Quant-Verbal-IR-AWA, Verbal-Quant-IR-AWA, or IR-AWA-Quant-Verbal. The two breaks can be taken between the Quant and verbal section and in between the VQ and IR-AWA sections. The number of questions are also different for each section: Verbal has 36 questions, Quant has 31, IR has 12 questions, and AWA has you write 1 essay.?

The most confusing thing about GMAT is the adaptive nature of the exam, thus making it a Computer Adaptive Test (CAT). What this means is that the questions in the Verbal and Quant sections will vary adapt to your level as you progress, with questions in IR being static. The CAT nature means that the difficulty level of the next question will depend upon whether you correctly attempted the current question or not, with the difficulty level of each question being determined by a large pool of candidates. Thus, if you mark the current question correctly, the next question will be of a harder level, and vice-versa. This leads to the exam getting closer to your level as you proceed with it. This also means that a harder question would mean getting more masks if you get it right than a easier question, but getting a easier question wrong would mean a higher penalty than getting a harder question wrong.

Let’s discuss the Quant section now

The Quant is fairly simple when it comes to pattern. You have 31 questions and you get 62 minutes to solve them, 2 minutes per questions. The questions are on a level which is similar to those of CAT and other Indian exams. The questions are mostly upto Class 10th?level, thus you don’t have to take stress about Calculus or Trigonometry.?

The Quant section is divided into two main types of questions: Problem Solving and Data Sufficiency. Problem Solving questions basically are word problems, and you just need to find the answer from the options given. Data Sufficiency questions are a bit tricky as they’re not widespread in Indian math exams. In these questions, you are given a statement, which might be just an equation or a paragraph, which by itself doesn’t have complete meaning. You are then presented with two options, and you need to decide whether you need both of them to make the statement true, or if either one is sufficient, or if both together won’t work.

The Quant section can also be divided into overall 5 topics, namely Algebra, Arithmetic, Geometry, Co-ordinate Geometry, and Word Problems, with each section having multiple sub-topics. You will find that most of these topics overlap with the CAT and other Indian exams. The level of questions asked would be upto class 10th. But one thing to keep in mind here is that GMAT does twist the questions by using confusing english, especially in word problems, so there is need to be careful.

This section is pretty simple, and is also pretty similar to the Quant sections of Indian management tests. Most of the questions here test your understanding of the concepts rather than your knowledge of the formulae. So you need to know how to apply the concepts that you’ve learnt rather than just memorising the different formulae. You should also give focus on the pattern of the questions asked in each type. The GMAT tends to reuse similar questions with minor changes, so repetitive practice of questions might be beneficial.

Let’s discuss the Verbal section now

The pattern of this section gets somewhat complicated, with you getting 65 minutes to answer 36 questions, getting lesser time than the Quant section. The kind of questions asked in this section are a bit different compared to the other Indian exams. The english asked in this is mostly upto class 10th?level, though native level of understanding is required for some questions. The English used, for most of the test, is American English. You need to keep this in mind as there are substantial differences between British and American English.

Coming to the types of questions asked in this section, you get the Critical Reasoning, the Sentence Correction, and the Reading Comprehension. The division between the three is fairly equal, with each type getting 11-13 questions. Thus, all three sections carry equal importance, and you need to give give equal attention to them.?

The Sentence Correction is fairly simple, with you getting a sentence with a part or whole of it underlined. You just need to choose whether the underlined part is correct as written or has a problem and needs to be changed. You need to have an understanding not only of grammar but also of proper usage and idioms. One thing you need to keep in mind is that GMAT uses American English, hence some forms of usages might be different.

Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension are pretty similar, with the latter being basically a larger version of the former. Both of them have a passage/prompt followed by a question. The questions might be in one of many forms such as weaken or strengthen the argument, find the assumption, etc. But here people have to be careful that sometimes the answer which looks most promising might not be the correct answer.?

The Verbal section is the one where most people get confused during their prep. It is pretty different from the questions asked in other Indian exams. One area where I suggest most people to work is on finding patterns. For example, in CR you can find that most of the questions have a setup wherein the question has a statement (fact), an assumption, and a conclusion, one of which is usually missing or needs to be strengthened/weakened. In SC, you can look out for patterns amongst the option and group them using those, then eliminate the groups one by one.

What is the IR and AWA sections?

IR, or Integrated Reasoning, is basically a mixture of Verbal and Quant sections. Here you will be tested on the different Quant and Verbal concepts, as well as on graphs and decision making. The questions are presented over a series of tables and graphs on multiple pages in the question, and you need to choose the correct answer using the given information. This is basically to test how you deal with information from multiple sources and of different types. You will get 30 minutes to solve the 12 questions.

AWA, or Analytical Writing Assessment, has you writing an essay on the given prompt in 30 minutes. You have to type the essay using your keyboard in the computer within t`????????he stipulated time. One thing to keep in mind is that in the text box on the computer, you won’t have access to a spelling checker, so you need to be careful with the spellings.

Preparing for IR is not that difficult. You just need to keep in mind the different Verbal and Quant concepts that you would have studied. One thing you need to keep in mind is that this section mixes the other two, so you need to be careful about which concept to use where. In AWA, I usually suggest people to read the prompt a couple of times carefully before writing. Apart from this, write in a very crisp manner and don’t use superfluous language with excessive jargon. One thing which I usually suggest people is to negate the prompt, that is weaken the assumption. This shows the checker your analytical abilities in a better fashion.

What sources and material to use?

I suggest people to start their prep from any GMAT guide available. You may use the original GMAT Review by GMAC or any other guide which is comprehensive enough to cover the whole exam in detail. I started my prep using the Kaplan GMAT Prep Plus, shifting to the guides by GMAC afterwards. The set of books by Manhattan Prep is also good if you are starting from scratch.

I normally don’t suggest people to start their prep through a coaching or take classes. The GMAT is a very personal exam, for which you need to devise your own strategy. Classroom teaching is good to learn facts and concepts, but in the end only practice is required in this exam. You may subscribe to an online material bank after completing the guide to practice more questions.?

The most important part of the prep is practicing from mock tests. They not only test you question solving skills, but also how you manage yourself in the test environment. You can subscribe to any good mock series which is available, though I found those of Princeton Review and Manhattan to be the closest to the actual test. The test should be taken in an environment which is as close to the real test as possible. You should also time the two breaks that you get in-between the sections. Another important of the process is evaluating your performance in these mocks. You should formulate your strategy as per your changing performance in the mocks.

I think I've covered all the basics about the GMAT with this article. I will cover the different topics related to the exam and MBA applications in detail in my future articles, so stay tuned to my profile. If you have any doubts, you can always DM/email me your questions. All the best for your preparation.