Gmat Info

Can you prepare for GMAT?

This is the question of the day.

Can you really get ready for a test that presumes the assay of your capability for the success in a business school rather then your skill in any particular subject? Ofcourse you can. GMAT is long and some of it's questions are hard, but still not that hard. There are many ways to get prepared and many tricks for an easier, but efficient learning. One of the most important things for learning is to think like those that make the tests, so you can find the answers that thay are wanting. Once you figured that out, it's going to be much easier to pick the best answer.

What's a GMAT study plan?

These site has a lot of information about GMAT that you are looking for, so you'll first need a plan to examine it. A proper study plan will help you to administrate your time in your favour, even if you have 5 weeks left or 3 months. You'll work more efficient and you'll see for sure the results.

Choose the right plan that is fit for you

To find the proper study plan, think at the time you have left until the test and at the hours you can give up studying, because it's all about your time and the sections that you want to cover. If you know these things, you can organize the best plans for you.

How can you know if your work really has a result?

The first think that you must do is the Diagnostic Test. After you finished it, you'll realise where you should focus your mind and your efforts. It doesn't matter what plan you choose, begin with this test. Next: see how do you handle with the exercises from the end of the chapters. Compare the results with the ones from the Diagnostic test. If things aren't quite good, find out where do you have to study more. After you're over with the Practice Test, make another comparison between the results from the chapters's exercises and from the Diagnostic Test, and you will see if your work really has a result.

What is GMAT?

Let's start with the first question: WHAT is GMAT? Graduate Management Admission Test, that's what these 4 characters mean: an exam, test given at many locations in the United States and Canada and all around the world. In North America and in many important international locations, GMAT is organized only by computer, while in other places, two times on year in January and October, GMAT is given on paper.

What is CAT?

CAT means Computer-Adaptive Test and it is the computered version of the GMAT, but it's different from this because of a computered program that picks the exercises based on the previous answers at the questions of the candidate. CAT chooses the questions in conformity with the ability of each candidate. While the program is working, the computer controls the order in which every problem item appears, basing his chooses on the previous answer of the applicant. The computer has access at an huge number of items clasified in conformity with the type of each question and arranged in function of the degree of difficulty. First the computer will show you one, or two "seed"questions (be carefull), items, with a medium level of difficulty. If you got the right answers at these, the program will choose for the next question an item with an larger difficulty; if don't have the right answers for the "seed" questions the program will make easier the level of difficulty. This process will repeat, with the program that continues to adjust his level of difficulty of the questions, until you have accumulate all the answers that the computer needs to calculate your score.

How can you get registered for GMAT?

At last, something easier. All the informations that you need about GMAT and the registering printed form can be found in the GMAT Bulletin, that is available at the Career Placement Office. If you want to schedule a test, you have to call at one of the testing centers and to make a programming. While is possible to make your programming even with a few days before the test, is better that you make your programming with some weeks before, so you can assure that you'll have a convenient programming.

What type of question has a test?

There are two types of questions: Verbal and Quantitative.
An then is the essay, named Analytical Writing Assessment or AWA. AWA contains two exercises of writing, of 30 minutes each: first one is a topic (theme) that asks you to analyze a problem, and the next one is a topic that gives you to analyze an argument.

The Verbal questions divide in three types:

"Sentence Correction", that checks up your grammar and your language. The items consist in a sentence that is all underlined or just a part, and you have to pick between 5 options of answering, to find the best way to interpret the underlined part. This type of question will show your ability to know Standard English.
"Critical Thinking" is a type of questions that checks up the way you logically thing. The items present you an argument that needs to be analyzed. The questions can ask you to bring up a conclusion, to show the presumptions or to recognize the weakness or the strength on an argument.
"Reading Comprehension" checks up if you are capable to understand a text that is given to you to read. The text can be about anything and you have to show through your answers that you understood it and the message or the information that it contains.

The Quantitative divide in two: Problem Solving and Data Sufficiency.

The first one is a test for your reasoning. You'll have to solve problems of arithmetic and problems of elementary algebra and geometry and to pick the right answer from the 5 options.
Data Sufficiency is type of test that checks up your ability to understand quantitative, using a set of instructions unusual. It will be a question with two affirmations associated, that gives you the information that could be useful for you in finding the right answer. Then you'll have to decide if each affirmation, alone, it's necessary to give an answer, or you need both to respond, or in the third case, you'll have to decide if it isn't enough information to give an answer.

How is structured a test?

The test begins with the Warm Up section that has no time.

The next step is AWA with the Topic Essay and the Topic Argument, each one during 30 minutes. After it, if you want, you can have a 5minutes break, and then you'll start the Quantitative section (75minutes) with the 37 questions; another break of 5minutes and then is the last section with the 41 Verbal questions, during 75 minutes.

The Warm Up is a section with some questions that aren't scored and it isn't timed. This section is more for the candidate, that in this time can get accustomed with the computer and with the program.

How is scored the test?

The computer makes your score depending on your way of working the questions. At the first time, the computer don't knows nothing about your Verbal or Quantitative skills, so, presuming that your level is a medium one, he will give you a question with a medium difficulty. Then, basing on your answer, the computer finds out if you are over the medium level or under and it gives you another question. After this, basing on your previous answers, the computer will give you another question, all depending on your level of preparation. This process will continue, until the computer will establish a score for you.

YOUR SCORE is not based only on your last question at which you have answered, the algorithm being more complicated than this. That means that even if you are wrong at the first question, your score will decrease somewhere lower than the half. So don't worry if you give a very stupid answer, because the computer will recognize that answer as an anomaly.