Tips to score Well
Scoring lower than the school’s range does not necessarily mean an automatic rejection, but higher scores can only help your chances. Together with your previous GPA and academic record, the GMAT gives admissions committees an idea of the rigor you could withstand. Of course, it’s only one part of the application. Admissions staff members remind applicants that they look at the whole of the candidate’s application and never make a decision based on one metric.
Still, increasing that score is a priority. We get it. So, we asked GMAT experts to offer their best tips for test takers:
Be the elephantHaving a good memory comes in handy when taking the GMAT. After you’ve been studying for a while, redo questions you answered incorrectly at the start, to see if you have a new perspective, suggests Dennis Yim, Kaplan Test Prep’s director of academics. Just keep practicing.
Keep a steady pace“The GMAT is not a test you want to, or can cram for,” says Yim. “You need a long, realistic runway, and you need to make sure you have a game plan that focuses on learning strategies that you can take with you to test day.”
In addition, you have to work within a certain timeframe. Take timed practice tests as often as you can to get used to the process and reduce stress, says Mike McGarry, GMAT curriculum manager at
Magoosh.
Find your zenDiscover stress-reducing techniques. Slow, deep-belly breathing, mindfulness, meditation, and walks in nature are among the activities McGarry suggests. Unplugging from TV, movies, and devices can also be calming, he adds.
Just like math and verbal questions, stress-reducing activities require constant practice, says McGarry: “If you can cultivate an assiduous commitment to cultivating deep whole-body relaxation as a regular state of being, then you will be able to bring a level of focus and presence to the GMAT that eludes almost everyone else.”
Embrace errorsThe GMAT is an adaptive test. This means that the more questions you get correct, the more difficult the test will become. Some applicants become frustrated as the test goes on because it becomes more challenging to answer correctly, says Yim.
“Focus in your studies on building your experience of how the GMAT might challenge you, so you can be confident and comfortable by test day,” he adds. “Start your study sessions by stopping once you have five to seven things wrong to review and explore further. Use your mistakes to guide you.”
Work around the boredomOne of the biggest challenges for business school applicants is shifting gears to the verbal portion of the test. After all, many b-school applicants feel their strength lies in number crunching. In addition, the reading comprehension passages can be boring and laborious to get through, says Yim.
“You are not reading to learn content - don't obsess over details,” he adds. “Instead, focus on the author's purpose and never forget your primary goal in reading comp, which is to earn points. Most questions will ask you to consider the author's opinion and tone. This is the information you want to glean from the passage, through a variety of keywords. Don't skim, but quickly determine if you need the information or not.”