Study guides and computerized practice tests are useful GMAT tools.
The Graduate Management Admission Test is a computerized exam comprised of mathematics, verbal, and writing sections used to measure the ability of the test taker to succeed academically in a graduate business program. There are many strategies for both studying for and taking the GMAT, including different approaches to each question type and basic test day tactics.
Test Structure and Timing
The GMAT is structured such that your answer to a question determines the difficulty of the following question. This computerized system places more emphasis on the first group of questions as opposed to the last, so test takers should not rush through the early questions. Timing and reaching the end of each section is also important, as you will be penalized for unanswered questions.
Test Day Instructions
Many test takers, nervous and anxious to begin the exam, do not pay close enough attention to the test-taking instructions. In order to remain relaxed and focused on the exam content, students should listen attentively to the basic instructions so as to not waste time figuring these out during the test. These instructions include enter responses, where to see the time, accessing the Help function, and when the section breaks occur.
Computerized Practice tests
In order to get comfortable with the test structure and schematics, taking practice tests that are computerized is important. While practice paper tests can help you become familiar with the content, they are sometimes separated into sections by difficulty. Such separation is not ideal as the questions during the exam can become easier or more difficult, depending on the answer to the preceding questions.
Reading Comprehension Section
Reading the first question before reading the passage will help the test taker to know what to look for in the reading comprehension passages. After finding a sentence believed to answer the question, it is helpful to also read the preceding and following sentences to ensure full understanding of the sentence and better answer the question. Having scrap paper to take notes from the passage can be useful during this section of the test.
Critical Reasoning Section
As with the reading comprehension section, reading the question before reading the passage will help the test taker to pinpoint what answer they are looking for. Furthermore, these questions will often have multiple correct statements to choose from. A true statement is not necessarily be the correct answer as it may be infused with too much emotion. Test takers should look for answers of a neutral tone and opinion.
Sentence Correction Section
Questions in this section will have multiple errors and test takers must be sure to select the answer which corrects all of the errors without altering the meaning. Closely reading each choice will help deter test takers from prematurely selecting an answer which does not fully correct the sentence. It is often helpful to read the sentences to yourself silently as it is sometimes easier to hear errors and what sounds wrong than to read them on paper.
Quantitative Mathematics Section
The math section on the GMAT is similar to that on the SAT, testing you on the first year of basic high school algebra and geometry. This section is not just about finding the solution, but the means by which the test taker arrives at the answer. Those unable to find the simple solution to the problem and instead solve the problems through long equations may not have time to complete the section.
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