Admission to many competitive business schools requires a high GMAT score.
The Graduate Management Admission Test, GMAT, is the standardized test used by Business Schools throughout the country when selecting between applicants. The test is taken on a computer and is made up of three parts: verbal, quantitative and analytical writing. Although a score of 700 on the GMAT is higher than that scored by 90 percent of all GMAT takers, many of the top business schools have median GMAT scores at or above 700. While there is no way to guarantee a high GMAT score, there are a number of different ways to improve on the GMAT so that a score of 700 or higher is a realistic possibility.
Instructions
1. Enroll in a GMAT prep course to prepare for the GMAT. Prep courses are available at an actual test prep location or via live video streamed over the Internet. In addition to professional instruction, a whole host of prep materials are included that can help raise a GMAT score. Further, many test prep courses include simulated exams which can help reduce anxiety on the actual exam day.
2. Obtain GMAT test prep books in order to gain a better understanding of what information is needed for the exam as well as to develop a successful test taking strategy. In order to perform well on the GMAT, it is necessary to have a mastery of the materials as well as strategy for actually taking the exam. Test prep books can help with test taking strategy and timing issues.
3. Take advantage of the free GMAT practice materials offered by many of the top test prep companies. Practice questions and even full practice exams are available free of charge directly on the test prep company websites. While these free materials on their own will probably not be enough to get a 700, they will fine tune to the skills needed to obtain a high GMAT score.
4. Focus on the first five questions of each section as the exam uses the responses to these five questions to determine the difficulty level of questions asked later. It is essential to receive and answer difficult questions as they have the potential to raise the overall GMAT score. Because it is impossible to obtain a high score on the exam without doing well on the first five questions in each section, carefully consider and double check any answers for these questions.
5. Spend time taking practice tests under test like conditions. Because the actual exam can last up to three hours, take several full practice tests prior to the exam under exam conditions so that endurance will not be an issue on the exam day.
6. Dedicate as much time as possible to studying. While allocating several months for full time study will probably lead to burn out before the exam, several weeks of moderate study followed by a couple of weeks of intense study are necessary to adequately prepare for the exam. When trying to determine how much to study, a study plan that involves over a hundred hours of study spread out over a month or more is considered to be a very serious and demanding study plan.
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