The advantages of a thorough preparation in GMAT

The Graduate Management Admission Test is a pre-requisite for admissions into majority of MBA programs and B-Schools. On behalf of the Graduate management Admission Council, The ETS or Educational Testing Service creates and administers GMAT in the form of a computerized test. The computerized test measures basic verbal, mathematical and analytical writing skills. In simple terms, GMAT tests measure the skills and abilities developed during one’s schooling, including logical reasoning and persuasive writing.
The GMAT test begins with the analytical writing section and ends with the verbal section. The scores secured by students in GMAT help the admission committee to rank them accordingly. An applicant who scores high in the verbal section is supposed to be a good performer in the class. The good score in the verbal section predicts the overall class performance of the student.
Since the purpose of GMAT is to test the analytical thinking skills and basic numerical skills, a thorough preparation needs to be undertaken to score between 400 and 600. While 65% of the test takers score between 400 and 600, applicants who have scored near 700 are considered the best students to get admission in top B-Schools.
One of the most difficult sections is the analytical writing section, as students should have flair in writing and should be able to write without any grammatical mistakes. The best thing is to read as many sample writings as possible as there are many such examples uploaded by websites. Improvement of grammar skills is of prime importance. Punctuation and spelling mistakes should be avoided consistently.
The quantitative part consists of objective type questions related with data sufficiency and problem solving. Buying a collection of objective questions related with quantitative section will help students to solve with confidence and ease. Practicing for the verbal section involves reading comprehension, expanding one’s vocabulary and doing some LSAT questions, especially in case of critical reasoning. Besides doing the obvious preparation of practicing with every single GMAT preparation book such as Kaplan, Princeton review, etc, one needs to practice with the CD provided by the test center.
The practice CD is the most accurate predictor of the actual score. Online GMAT practice tests are also proving to be a great option in scoring high. Many websites provide a package of simulated Computer Adaptive Test that helps applicants to have a right estimation on the time spent for each question. GMAT practice tests help prospective students to get mentally ready for the test day, have the ability to test one’s skills and get a rough approximation of the expected performance.
Students interested in pursuing graduate studies can register for graduate admissions test preparation programs that includes GMAT courses, such as private tutoring sessions, classroom courses and online programs. This ensures professional teaching and expert instructors, as well as self-directed lessons from the internet.
GMAT plays a key role in MBA admissions. An above average GMAT for MBA score can mean acceptance and perhaps a fellowship! A high GMAT MBA score correlates closely to success in the first year of business school.