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How To Take GMAT Practice Tests Effectively
If you have done any amount of GMAT preparation, you have likely heard that taking full-length practice tests is a critical part of your preparation. This is sage advice. Students who take the GMAT cold – without ever having taken GMAT practice tests ahead of time – can find the GMAT experience difficult. But, the flip side is that when students prepare properly, including taking a sufficient number of GMAT practice tests before the real GMAT, top GMAT scores are within reach.That being said, you want to be smart about when and how you use GMAT practice tests in your preparation strategy. In this article, we’ll show you how and when to use practice tests to help you reach your goal.
Let’s begin by discussing the importance of taking a practice GMAT at the onset of your GMAT prep.
Start Your Prep With a Full-Length Practice GMAT
At the beginning of your GMAT studies, you should take an initial GMAT practice exam. A great place to find full-length practice exams is https://www.mba.com, the official website of the GMAT.The full-length GMAT practice tests found at https://www.mba.com are created and offered by GMAC, the GMAT creators. GMAC exams use the same scoring algorithm that the actual GMAT uses and feature retired GMAT questions, making them a great resource for GMAT preparation.
GMAC offers six practice exams. Two of the six exams are available for free with the GMATPrep® Software, which you can download from this link at mba.com. The remaining practice tests are available for purchase from mba.com in two GMATPrep® Exam Packs containing two tests each.
After you download the GMAT Prep default Exam Pack from https://www.mba.com, take a full-length GMAT practice test. The results of this test will give you a baseline score and a reasonable assessment of your current GMAT-related knowledge and skills, as well as a sense of what to expect on test day.
Some students feel that they should do some rigorous prep prior to taking a practice test, but remember, the objective of this initial practice test is to help you better understand your starting level of preparedness and what the test is like. Thus, only minimal preparation is necessary before you take your first practice test.
To gain the most accurate sense of where you stand using your first practice test, beforehand, familiarize yourself with the sections of the test and the types of questions you will see. In doing so, you will ready yourself to attack the questions you encounter on the first practice test, as you will not have to figure out even what the questions are asking.
While you could use any quality resource to gain this familiarity, one high-quality resource is the information provided in the GMATPrep® Software itself. To get a general overview of the test and how it is structured, you could start at the home page of the GMATPrep® Software and click into the Prepare section. In the Prepare section, you will find information on the four sections of the test along with descriptions of and directions for answering the seven main types of questions that appear on the GMAT.
The default version of the GMATPrep® Software also includes 90 practice questions. These questions are broken into six categories within the Practice section. While answering all of these practice questions before you take a first test is not necessary, by answering at least a few from each of the six categories, you can familiarize yourself with the question formats and get a basic sense of how to go about answering each type of question.
Once you are familiar with the structures of and directions for each of the question formats and have gotten some experience answering questions of each type, you will be ready to take an initial practice test and get a sense of where you stand.
Now let’s discuss how to take a GMAT practice test.
How to Take a Full-Length GMAT Practice Test
It’s important that when you take a practice GMAT, you replicate test-day conditions to the greatest degree possible, so that you can accustom yourself to the testing experience and get an accurate picture of how close you are to your score goal. The following guidelines will help you achieve a realistic testing experience:- If you are taking the test at a test center, plan to go to the library and rent a private study room, or go to another quiet location to take the practice test. However, if you are taking the online GMAT, take the practice test in the same location that you’ll be taking your test.
- Do not skip any of the sections of the test. Yes, that means you must do the Integrated Reasoning section and the essay.
- Do not take any additional breaks or do anything that you could not do on test day (such as pause the exam and go for a walk). It’s extremely important that you simulate test day in every way possible. Turn your cell phone off.
- Do your scratch work with a wet-erase marker and pad similar to those provided at GMAT test centers. If you are taking the online GMAT, then use the exact same whiteboard that you plan to use while taking that test.
- Try to take your practice test on Saturday or Sunday morning, when your mind is fresh. It would not be a great idea to come home after working all day and sit down to take a practice GMAT.
The baseline score that you achieve on your first practice test will tell you how far you are from your target GMAT score, thus helping you to determine the length and intensity of GMAT preparation necessary to reach your goal. Remember, the practice test will not be an accurate gauge of your current GMAT skills unless you adhere closely to actual GMAT testing conditions when taking it. If you allow yourself to pause repeatedly, go over the allotted time for a section, or use a calculator during the quant section (one won’t be available on the real GMAT), your score will not be accurate, and your results will not be optimal for devising an effective study strategy.
Seasoned test-takers will tell you that it is a great idea to duplicate the test-day experience any time you take a practice exam. For the same reason that a band rehearses on the stage where it will perform and a wedding rehearsal is held before the ceremony, GMAT test-takers should practice for the GMAT in a realistic way in a realistic test environment.
Let’s discuss how to effectively analyze the results of your initial GMAT practice test.
Analyzing the Results of Your Initial Practice GMAT Practice Test
OK, so you took your first practice GMAT. You’re off to a good start. Your goal now is to do a high-level analysis of where you stand. For example, are you 50 points from your target GMAT score? 100 points? More?The score gap will give you a sense of how much time and energy you’ll likely need to invest to reach your goal. Although you’ll carefully review all of the questions you answered on future practice tests, now is not the time to review each question. It’s difficult to draw useful conclusions about specific areas of strength and weakness from the results of one practice test. Instead, lay out your comprehensive study strategy.
Some students need as many as 300+ hours to prepare for the GMAT; however, your preparation time will depend on how far your baseline score is from your score goal, your learning style, and your other daily commitments. A person with a full-time job may have to spread his or her study over a greater number of weeks than will someone who has those hours free to devote to GMAT prep. Similarly, someone who is 50 points from his or her score goal likely will need far less time to prepare than someone striving for a 200-point increase. In determining how much time you should set aside for GMAT prep, you should carefully consider your unique needs, strengths, and weaknesses. Remember, every person is different, and you should not assume that you can follow someone else’s study plan and achieve that person’s score.
Remember also to keep your application deadlines in mind when creating your GMAT study schedule. You want to allow time at the end of your initial prep to take and analyze the remaining five GMAC practice exams, and to revisit any weak areas you uncover. Ideally, you also want a time cushion for retaking your real GMAT, in case your first GMAT score does not match your goal.
Let’s discuss the importance of mastering the material prior to taking more practice tests.
Master the Material Before You Take More GMAT Practice Tests
After your initial diagnostic exam, it will be time to get to work on the targeted study and focused practice that is fundamental to GMAT success.At this point, your job is to master the material that appears on the GMAT. Forget about taking additional practice tests until your GMAT prep is nearly complete. Taking further practice tests before you master the material is a poor use of your time. For example, if you have not mastered functions, sequences, probability, and geometry, you can predict–without spending four hours on a full-length practice GMAT–that you probably won’t fare well answering questions involving those concepts. Instead of using up precious practice exams when they aren’t of the greatest use to you, spend your time training. Continuing to take practice exams without having mastered answering the many types of questions that appear on the GMAT yields little improvement and probably isn’t an effective use of your valuable preparation time.
With that in mind, let’s discuss how to use practice tests to dial in your GMAT score.
To read the full article, view my full article on Target Test Prep’s blog.
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