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Here is a step-by-step approach together with the main tips and mistakes-to-be-avoided for a structured and efficient approach for your GMAT preparation.
0. Take a full length mock test
However uncomfortable it may sound to start the preparation with a mock, this step has some great benefits. Taking a full length test will acquaint you with the format of the GMAT as well as the broad scope of the concepts being tested. Further, this step will give you the raw level from where you would be starting your prep. Hence, please overcome the inertia of taking the test and start with this necessary step. It is possible that you have been away from books for long and may not perform well. No worries! The more you sweat in academy, the less you bleed in war! Take the mock and even if you get a low score, relax. Bad news early is good news. Start with the prep!
1. Develop concepts
The next, logical step is to develop the concepts tested on GMAT. Remember, GMAT is a standardized test- the sections, number of questions in each section, type of questions in each section, and number of questions of each type are all predefined. Even the scope and syllabus is predefined. Hence, with an organized approach, you can develop the concepts in a limited time frame. What is important is to identify a good study resource and make good use of it in a structured way. Please do not start with the official guide- while it is a great resource, it does not delve into concepts; the rich bank of retired GMAT questions that it carries must be saved for a later point in preparation. To begin with, you need to develop concepts and then you shall solve tons of GMAT questions. Hence, find a good resource
1.1 Virtues to look for in a good course for developing concepts
Look for the spread of concepts in the study resource. Ensure that all four sections are covered (various programs ignore AWA and IR). Try to go for a program that covers a small concept at a time (through video or chapter) and follows it with an exercise- this will allow you to learn a concept and apply the same on GMAT-like questions. Try to refrain from sources which have very broad segregation of concepts; for example, some materials have chapter such as “Number Systems” or “Algebra”- such an approach means that the chances are rife that the resource has not done justice to the GMAT concepts at a granular level and even if it has, you will find it difficult to grasp such broad topics in one go. The smaller the topic pieces, the easier it is going to master them.
2. Practice a lot of questions
After developing the concepts, you must get into rigorous practice. For a few weeks, you must practice without worrying about the speed, with just accuracy in mind. Once you develop fine accuracy, start timing yourself and try to gain a balance between speed and accuracy. Practice all types of questions regularly
2.1 Pay special emphasis on reading comprehension practice
Reading comprehension questions are the most important questions to be practiced, often ignored by the aspirants. Remember, reading comprehensions contribute to more than a third of the verbal section and may take long to be mastered. Without proper preparation, you end up not only getting reading comprehension questions incorrect but also spending a lot more time than affordable on the exam. Being good at reading comprehensions means that you have the ability to read and comprehend quickly- a skill that will indirectly help you in all GMAT question types!
2.2 Virtues to look for in a good course for practice questions
Most importantly, look for sync in quality with the GMAT questions; GMAC spends serious time and resources in developing the questions and replicating that quality as well as essence is where many prep companies err. Solving questions that do not aptly represent GMAT can indefinitely increase the duration of the preparation and can also confuse you. Next, look for the number of questions of each type offered and ensure that your prep course is offering you adequate practice questions together with detailed explanations- if possible, video explanations as well.
3. Take one mock test every 7-10 days
A common challenge faced by GMAT aspirants is that the accuracy in full length tests is much lower than the accuracy in normal exercises. The reason is that performing in a full length test is very different from solving a small set of question in the form of an exercise- either under no time pressure or under a self-imposed flexible time limit. The pressure of the live clock in a full-length test is very different. No amount of practice can obviate the need for taking adequate number of mock tests. Hence, please take the mock tests regularly with a fresh mind and exam-like discipline- attempt all the four sections, honor the break timings, do not pause the tests unless absolutely necessary etc.
The following 1-minute video explains the benefits of taking one full-length test per week...
3.1 Virtues to look for in a good GMAT test series
Please ensure that the quality of questions on offer is in sync with the GMAT questions. Ensure that the tests are proper full length tests with four sections as several test series come with only quant and verbal sections. Look at the quality of explanations and the depth of analysis of performance given by the software. Crucially, look at how closely the scores in the mocks sync with the scores on GMAT Prep (the official mocks) in terms of number of mistakes per section, sectional scores, and overall scores. Of course, look at the number of mock tests being offered.
4. Periodically revise the concepts
That the newly attained knowledge will stick for months is an unreasonable expectation; you will need to keep getting back to the conceptual material that you used and the notes you took. Interestingly, every time you come back to a good conceptual resource, you will find a few concepts that you overlooked earlier- such is the beauty of GMAT.
5. Analyze your mistakes
Do not hate the questions you get incorrect- they are good friends and can help you lift your scores. After a certain stage in preparation, it is the incorrect attempts where the learning lies! Spend adequate time in analyzing why you (1) chose the incorrect answer choice and (2) eliminated the incorrect answer choice. If you take these two learning from each question you err at, you will soon improve!
6. Solve the official questions
A few weeks before the GMAT, you must solve the official guide. A major proportion of questions in official guide are of average difficulty and if you did the previous 5 steps right, you must fare very well in these questions. Back yourself to achieve high accuracy in these questions while timing yourself. As earlier, analyze your performance closely and ensure due learning from the questions that you get incorrect.
7. Take the GMAT Prep tests (official mocks)
Take one GMAT Prep test around the time when you want to schedule your GMAT appointment. GMAT Prep, the official mock, will give you the most accurate idea of your GMAT level and you can then schedule the test after estimating how much time you further need for hitting your target score. The second GMAT Prep exam must be taken around a week before the GMAT to get a realistic estimate of the score you should expect on GMAT; in case your score is significantly lower than the target score, you must consider rescheduling the exam. In case you feel the need for additional official practice tests, you can purchase Exam Pack 1 and 2 respectively- each pack contains two full length tests and costs $50 apiece- hence, $100 for total 4 tests.
8. Consolidate your preparation
The last two weeks should be about consolidating your preparation which means two main steps- (1) revising all the conceptual material thoroughly and (2) re-attempting all the questions that you got incorrect. Avoid doing anything fancy during this final stage of the preparation- do not opt for a completely new study material, do not change your decided section order, mind your routine and ensure being active around the hours of your GMAT exam, and stick to the test taking strategy that is working for you.
9. The GMAT day!
Take the evening before your GMAT off and relax, may be go for a movie or spend time with friends. Ensure proper sleep. Reach the exam center before time (remember, if you are more than 15 minutes late, it is considered no-show). Avoid doing anything new on the exam day- use the section order that worked for you in mocks, have the same exam strategy, similar time management etc. If the test appears to be different from the mocks, tell yourself that many students get this feeling but it’s just exam butterflies; hang in there and perform, the test will start sounding ‘normal’ soon. Avoid analyzing “how am I doing?”- just focus on the question in hand. Do not get stuck to one question for too long; beyond two minutes, just mark randomly and move forward; remember, you can get the 99th percentile on the test despite getting ~20% questions incorrect; hence, ensure that you are able to complete the test. Utilize the breaks but do not be late in resuming the test. Take the test as just another mock test and don’t let the exam pressure get the better of you!
10. Common mistakes to be avoided in the preparation
A. Starting with the official guide- as explained above, please save the official guide for a later part in your prep once you have attained a fair grasp over the concepts.
B. Not emphasizing enough of developing concepts- one of the most common mistakes is to get into the practice mode without duly developing the concepts. This way, you may end up doing a lot of material without much increase in accuracy and the duration for GMAT preparation becomes excruciatingly long. Please develop concepts before going all out into solving questions.
C. Ignoring reading comprehension preparation- reading comprehensions are the key to a good score; they cover ~40% of the verbal section and poor reading comprehension skills cannot only lead to incorrect attempts but also soak-up a lot of time. On the other hand, good reading comprehension skills help you read and analyze data fast- a skill that will help you in every section of GMAT!
D. Focusing on “tricks” rather than “concepts”- “tricks”, “techniques”, “short-cuts” can only take you so far. A good score on GMAT is a function of robust grasp over the concepts. Hence, focus on “concepts” rather than “tricks”.
E. Focusing on ‘rules’ rather than ‘meaning’ in sentence correction- ironically, most GMAT courses teach sentence correction in terms of “what is correct on GMAT” rather than teaching “how to ensure that correct meaning is conveyed effectively”. There is no end to “rules” and such an approach shall neither lead to confidence nor performance. Focus on “concepts” rather than “rules” for conveying the intended “meaning”.
F. Leaving the mocks for the end of preparation- knowing concepts is one thing, applying them on live questions is another thing, and performing on full length tests is a third thing- the three things are interrelated but significantly different and each is important. Getting a good score on GMAT is a function of being at the top of your concentration for 3.5 hours and solving a test with different question types testing different skills under stiff time pressure. The exam temperament and skill take a while to develop. Hence, please do not leave the mocks for the end of your preparation- include one mock every 7-10 days in your prep and increase the frequency as you get closer to the actual GMAT.
How Experts’ Global has taken care of the aforesaid factors
We have divided the entire preparation into three phases- Understand, Practice, and Master. In phase 1 – “Understand”, the emphasis is on developing concepts. We have broken the entire scope of GMAT into 100 small pieces and you get to watch a short video (5-10 minutes) to understand a specific concept and then solve an exercise; the detailed solutions as well as video explanations ensure that you duly absorb concepts in the first stage of preparation. Further, we provide a set of e-books for sentence correction that give the most elaborate treatment to each of the GMAT sentence correction concepts. In phase 2 – “Practice”, you solve thousands of practice questions on a GMAT-like interface and learn from the detailed solutions as well as video explanations. In phase 3 – “Master”, you solve almost one thousand 700+ level questions. Every question that you practice is on a truly GMAT-like interface with a timer that alerts you when you go above the time available per question on GMAT. The software gives sound analysis of you performance together with options to repeat complete exercise or just the incorrect attempts. There are detailed solutions as well as video explanations to ensure that you duly learn from your mistakes and apply the learning in your further practice.
Our program comes with 15 full length tests with video explanations, ensuring that the students can take mocks freely without the fear of running out of them. Till date, we have received feedback from more than 500 students worldwide and overwhelmingly strong sentiment in the feedback is that the tests are truly representative of GMAT in the quality of questions, scope of the syllabus, language as well as tonality, user interface, and most importantly- scoring. Hundreds of students have written to us, complimenting on the sync they saw between their sectional as well as total scores in our mocks and the official mock tests as well as the actual GMAT!
Further, we have developed several modern, innovative features in our software to aid your learning. One such powerful feature is a collection of ~200 GMAT Shots-- two-minute videos for learning/revising all the main concepts on GMAT and for test taking strategy. We suggest that whenever you have spare two-minutes, please watch these short videos to enhance your GMAT concepts. Then, our software has a “wall” on which you can put “stickies”- your notes for revision. As you use the software, you will realize dozens of interesting features that will make your preparation engaging and fun!
We invite you to take a free-trial of what is factually “the world’s most complete GMAT program” and take a well-informed decision-
https://expertsglobal.com/gmat-preparation-online
We hope that this post was helpful. Good luck with your GMAT preparation!
Here is a step-by-step approach together with the main tips and mistakes-to-be-avoided for a structured and efficient approach for your GMAT preparation.
0. Take a full length mock test
However uncomfortable it may sound to start the preparation with a mock, this step has some great benefits. Taking a full length test will acquaint you with the format of the GMAT as well as the broad scope of the concepts being tested. Further, this step will give you the raw level from where you would be starting your prep. Hence, please overcome the inertia of taking the test and start with this necessary step. It is possible that you have been away from books for long and may not perform well. No worries! The more you sweat in academy, the less you bleed in war! Take the mock and even if you get a low score, relax. Bad news early is good news. Start with the prep!
1. Develop concepts
The next, logical step is to develop the concepts tested on GMAT. Remember, GMAT is a standardized test- the sections, number of questions in each section, type of questions in each section, and number of questions of each type are all predefined. Even the scope and syllabus is predefined. Hence, with an organized approach, you can develop the concepts in a limited time frame. What is important is to identify a good study resource and make good use of it in a structured way. Please do not start with the official guide- while it is a great resource, it does not delve into concepts; the rich bank of retired GMAT questions that it carries must be saved for a later point in preparation. To begin with, you need to develop concepts and then you shall solve tons of GMAT questions. Hence, find a good resource
1.1 Virtues to look for in a good course for developing concepts
Look for the spread of concepts in the study resource. Ensure that all four sections are covered (various programs ignore AWA and IR). Try to go for a program that covers a small concept at a time (through video or chapter) and follows it with an exercise- this will allow you to learn a concept and apply the same on GMAT-like questions. Try to refrain from sources which have very broad segregation of concepts; for example, some materials have chapter such as “Number Systems” or “Algebra”- such an approach means that the chances are rife that the resource has not done justice to the GMAT concepts at a granular level and even if it has, you will find it difficult to grasp such broad topics in one go. The smaller the topic pieces, the easier it is going to master them.
2. Practice a lot of questions
After developing the concepts, you must get into rigorous practice. For a few weeks, you must practice without worrying about the speed, with just accuracy in mind. Once you develop fine accuracy, start timing yourself and try to gain a balance between speed and accuracy. Practice all types of questions regularly
2.1 Pay special emphasis on reading comprehension practice
Reading comprehension questions are the most important questions to be practiced, often ignored by the aspirants. Remember, reading comprehensions contribute to more than a third of the verbal section and may take long to be mastered. Without proper preparation, you end up not only getting reading comprehension questions incorrect but also spending a lot more time than affordable on the exam. Being good at reading comprehensions means that you have the ability to read and comprehend quickly- a skill that will indirectly help you in all GMAT question types!
2.2 Virtues to look for in a good course for practice questions
Most importantly, look for sync in quality with the GMAT questions; GMAC spends serious time and resources in developing the questions and replicating that quality as well as essence is where many prep companies err. Solving questions that do not aptly represent GMAT can indefinitely increase the duration of the preparation and can also confuse you. Next, look for the number of questions of each type offered and ensure that your prep course is offering you adequate practice questions together with detailed explanations- if possible, video explanations as well.
3. Take one mock test every 7-10 days
A common challenge faced by GMAT aspirants is that the accuracy in full length tests is much lower than the accuracy in normal exercises. The reason is that performing in a full length test is very different from solving a small set of question in the form of an exercise- either under no time pressure or under a self-imposed flexible time limit. The pressure of the live clock in a full-length test is very different. No amount of practice can obviate the need for taking adequate number of mock tests. Hence, please take the mock tests regularly with a fresh mind and exam-like discipline- attempt all the four sections, honor the break timings, do not pause the tests unless absolutely necessary etc.
The following 1-minute video explains the benefits of taking one full-length test per week...
3.1 Virtues to look for in a good GMAT test series
Please ensure that the quality of questions on offer is in sync with the GMAT questions. Ensure that the tests are proper full length tests with four sections as several test series come with only quant and verbal sections. Look at the quality of explanations and the depth of analysis of performance given by the software. Crucially, look at how closely the scores in the mocks sync with the scores on GMAT Prep (the official mocks) in terms of number of mistakes per section, sectional scores, and overall scores. Of course, look at the number of mock tests being offered.
4. Periodically revise the concepts
That the newly attained knowledge will stick for months is an unreasonable expectation; you will need to keep getting back to the conceptual material that you used and the notes you took. Interestingly, every time you come back to a good conceptual resource, you will find a few concepts that you overlooked earlier- such is the beauty of GMAT.
5. Analyze your mistakes
Do not hate the questions you get incorrect- they are good friends and can help you lift your scores. After a certain stage in preparation, it is the incorrect attempts where the learning lies! Spend adequate time in analyzing why you (1) chose the incorrect answer choice and (2) eliminated the incorrect answer choice. If you take these two learning from each question you err at, you will soon improve!
6. Solve the official questions
A few weeks before the GMAT, you must solve the official guide. A major proportion of questions in official guide are of average difficulty and if you did the previous 5 steps right, you must fare very well in these questions. Back yourself to achieve high accuracy in these questions while timing yourself. As earlier, analyze your performance closely and ensure due learning from the questions that you get incorrect.
7. Take the GMAT Prep tests (official mocks)
Take one GMAT Prep test around the time when you want to schedule your GMAT appointment. GMAT Prep, the official mock, will give you the most accurate idea of your GMAT level and you can then schedule the test after estimating how much time you further need for hitting your target score. The second GMAT Prep exam must be taken around a week before the GMAT to get a realistic estimate of the score you should expect on GMAT; in case your score is significantly lower than the target score, you must consider rescheduling the exam. In case you feel the need for additional official practice tests, you can purchase Exam Pack 1 and 2 respectively- each pack contains two full length tests and costs $50 apiece- hence, $100 for total 4 tests.
8. Consolidate your preparation
The last two weeks should be about consolidating your preparation which means two main steps- (1) revising all the conceptual material thoroughly and (2) re-attempting all the questions that you got incorrect. Avoid doing anything fancy during this final stage of the preparation- do not opt for a completely new study material, do not change your decided section order, mind your routine and ensure being active around the hours of your GMAT exam, and stick to the test taking strategy that is working for you.
9. The GMAT day!
Take the evening before your GMAT off and relax, may be go for a movie or spend time with friends. Ensure proper sleep. Reach the exam center before time (remember, if you are more than 15 minutes late, it is considered no-show). Avoid doing anything new on the exam day- use the section order that worked for you in mocks, have the same exam strategy, similar time management etc. If the test appears to be different from the mocks, tell yourself that many students get this feeling but it’s just exam butterflies; hang in there and perform, the test will start sounding ‘normal’ soon. Avoid analyzing “how am I doing?”- just focus on the question in hand. Do not get stuck to one question for too long; beyond two minutes, just mark randomly and move forward; remember, you can get the 99th percentile on the test despite getting ~20% questions incorrect; hence, ensure that you are able to complete the test. Utilize the breaks but do not be late in resuming the test. Take the test as just another mock test and don’t let the exam pressure get the better of you!
10. Common mistakes to be avoided in the preparation
A. Starting with the official guide- as explained above, please save the official guide for a later part in your prep once you have attained a fair grasp over the concepts.
B. Not emphasizing enough of developing concepts- one of the most common mistakes is to get into the practice mode without duly developing the concepts. This way, you may end up doing a lot of material without much increase in accuracy and the duration for GMAT preparation becomes excruciatingly long. Please develop concepts before going all out into solving questions.
C. Ignoring reading comprehension preparation- reading comprehensions are the key to a good score; they cover ~40% of the verbal section and poor reading comprehension skills cannot only lead to incorrect attempts but also soak-up a lot of time. On the other hand, good reading comprehension skills help you read and analyze data fast- a skill that will help you in every section of GMAT!
D. Focusing on “tricks” rather than “concepts”- “tricks”, “techniques”, “short-cuts” can only take you so far. A good score on GMAT is a function of robust grasp over the concepts. Hence, focus on “concepts” rather than “tricks”.
E. Focusing on ‘rules’ rather than ‘meaning’ in sentence correction- ironically, most GMAT courses teach sentence correction in terms of “what is correct on GMAT” rather than teaching “how to ensure that correct meaning is conveyed effectively”. There is no end to “rules” and such an approach shall neither lead to confidence nor performance. Focus on “concepts” rather than “rules” for conveying the intended “meaning”.
F. Leaving the mocks for the end of preparation- knowing concepts is one thing, applying them on live questions is another thing, and performing on full length tests is a third thing- the three things are interrelated but significantly different and each is important. Getting a good score on GMAT is a function of being at the top of your concentration for 3.5 hours and solving a test with different question types testing different skills under stiff time pressure. The exam temperament and skill take a while to develop. Hence, please do not leave the mocks for the end of your preparation- include one mock every 7-10 days in your prep and increase the frequency as you get closer to the actual GMAT.
How Experts’ Global has taken care of the aforesaid factors
We have divided the entire preparation into three phases- Understand, Practice, and Master. In phase 1 – “Understand”, the emphasis is on developing concepts. We have broken the entire scope of GMAT into 100 small pieces and you get to watch a short video (5-10 minutes) to understand a specific concept and then solve an exercise; the detailed solutions as well as video explanations ensure that you duly absorb concepts in the first stage of preparation. Further, we provide a set of e-books for sentence correction that give the most elaborate treatment to each of the GMAT sentence correction concepts. In phase 2 – “Practice”, you solve thousands of practice questions on a GMAT-like interface and learn from the detailed solutions as well as video explanations. In phase 3 – “Master”, you solve almost one thousand 700+ level questions. Every question that you practice is on a truly GMAT-like interface with a timer that alerts you when you go above the time available per question on GMAT. The software gives sound analysis of you performance together with options to repeat complete exercise or just the incorrect attempts. There are detailed solutions as well as video explanations to ensure that you duly learn from your mistakes and apply the learning in your further practice.
Our program comes with 15 full length tests with video explanations, ensuring that the students can take mocks freely without the fear of running out of them. Till date, we have received feedback from more than 500 students worldwide and overwhelmingly strong sentiment in the feedback is that the tests are truly representative of GMAT in the quality of questions, scope of the syllabus, language as well as tonality, user interface, and most importantly- scoring. Hundreds of students have written to us, complimenting on the sync they saw between their sectional as well as total scores in our mocks and the official mock tests as well as the actual GMAT!
Further, we have developed several modern, innovative features in our software to aid your learning. One such powerful feature is a collection of ~200 GMAT Shots-- two-minute videos for learning/revising all the main concepts on GMAT and for test taking strategy. We suggest that whenever you have spare two-minutes, please watch these short videos to enhance your GMAT concepts. Then, our software has a “wall” on which you can put “stickies”- your notes for revision. As you use the software, you will realize dozens of interesting features that will make your preparation engaging and fun!
We invite you to take a free-trial of what is factually “the world’s most complete GMAT program” and take a well-informed decision-
https://expertsglobal.com/gmat-preparation-online
We hope that this post was helpful. Good luck with your GMAT preparation!
