What You Need to Know about GMAT and What to Expect on Test Day So you made the choice to enter the graduate business school and you are committed to passing the Graduate Management Admission Test or GMAT. But before you get excited and register, here are the things that you need to know – and to expect – about this standardized test:
Test Structure
To come up with an effective review of the exam, make sure that it all covers the sections given at GMAT: 1. Analytical Writing Assessment (comprises 30-minute analysis of an issue and 30-minute analysis of an argument); 2. Verbal Assessment (composed of three sections consisting of 41 multiple-choice questions that should be answered in 75 minutes – reading comprehension, critical reasoning, and sentence correction); 3. Quantitative Assessment (covers problem solving and data sufficiency, all composed of 37 multiple choice questions and should be completed in 75 minutes).
What You Can and What You Can’t Do
During the test, you cannot eat or drink; you can only do so on the scheduled breaks. You cannot use your mobile phone or any communication device or anything that can help you in thetest like calculator. You cannot leave the testing room unless permitted by the test administrator. The assigned person will take note of the time(s) you leave the testing room.
Practice Tests are Necessary
The number of preparation books you have cannot guarantee your success in taking GMAT. What can truly help you is taking practice tests. It can make you familiar in answering difficult questions and subsequently in learning tactics. It can also help you improve your pacing skills. With the exam under time pressure, it is important that you are able to complete the test on time. Any incomplete section will hurt you with considerable penalty.
Role of TOEFL in GMAT
As you prepare for GMAT, you may also want to consider getting ready for Test of English as a Foreign Language or TOEFL, if you are a non-native speaker. The capability to comprehend, speak, and write in English is part of the evaluation of international graduate schools because it is the language used in the universities.
GMAT, like GRE, IELTS, SAT and TOEFL, is a standardized exam that require sufficient preparations and practice tests to become used to the test formats, difficult questions, and pacing skills to ensure success. Likewise, it is important to know what you should and shouldn’t do during the test.