Taking timed practice tests is an integral part of preparing for the GMAT. Fortunately, there’s a lot of free material online that will give you the full test-taking experience.

This guide features the top 12 resources for free GMAT practice tests, along with a full review of each test’s strengths and weaknesses. Plus, you’ll find some tips on how to use GMAT practice tests in the most effective way possible.

Before getting to the free GMAT practice tests, let’s consider what you should look for in a practice test.

What Makes a Good GMAT Practice Test?

The best GMAT practice tests look the same as the real GMAT. They are computer-based and adaptive. They share the same structure, instructions, and question types as the real test. They are also timed in the same way, with two 30-minute sections and two 75-minute sections.

The best GMAT practice tests come directly from the test makers, the Graduate Management Admission Council, or GMAC. Official practice tests are the most realistic version of the real test, plus they’re the only ones that use GMAC’s top secret algorithm for scoring and adaptive testing.

Makers of unofficial GMAT practice tests can only guess at the algorithm, so none can give you a perfect sense of your current scoring level. That being said, there are several realistic unofficial practice tests that can be very useful for your prep (click here to go straight to them!). A few even come with video explanations, an online tutor, or the option to attend a live event with other prospective students at a university.

You should note that no free GMAT test offers essay-scoring. You can get a prompt and write the 30-minute essay, but you’ll have to evaluate it on your own using the AWA rubric.

When you take a practice test, make sure that it has the same computerized format, structure, and question types as the real GMAT. Below you’ll find suggestions for the top 11 unofficial free GMAT practice tests, but first, let’s look at the official GMAT practice tests that you can access for free at MBA.com.

Official Free GMAT Practice Tests

GMAC offers two full-length GMAT practice tests on its free GMAT Prep Software. After creating an account and downloading the software, you can access the two tests. You’ll also get 90 free GMAT practice questions — 30 Quantitative, 45 Verbal, and 15 Integrated Reasoning.

The two free GMAT practice tests are almost identical to what you’ll see on test day. They feature all four sections of the test — Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA), Integrated Reasoning (IR), Quantitative, and Verbal — and have realistic instruction screens between each section.

Because the questions are made by the test makers themselves, they are the most realistic representation of GMAT questions. Your exam will also be scored in the same way that the real GMAT will be.

Just keep in mind that there’s a certain margin of error. Total scores within 30 to 40 points of each other are considered to fall in the same range.

There are a few differences between the free GMAT practice tests and the real exam. The practice tests allow you to pause time and take as much time as you want reading instructions. On the real GMAT, you’ll have 10 minutes to read the AWA tutorial and only one minute for all of the other instruction screens.

You can also pause the practice tests at any time, flag questions that you’re not sure about, and reveal a question’s answer whenever you like. None of these options, of course, will be available to you when you take the real test, but they’re helpful study tools.

There’s one other useful feature of these two official GMAT practice tests. Because they draw on a huge pool of practice questions, you can actually take each one more than once. You might see a few repeat questions, but most will be new the second and even third time. In essence, you have four to six free practice tests at your disposal thanks to the GMAT Prep Software.

So, how can you use these practice tests in the most effective way to get ready for the GMAT? Read on for some tips for taking official GMAT practice tests.

Tips for Taking Official GMAT Practice Tests

How can you use the official GMAT practice tests in the most effective way? When should you take them, and how can they inform your study plan? Consider the following five tips as you move forward.

#1: Take One Near the Beginning, One Near the End

Since there are just two free official practice tests, you should be strategic about when you take them. We recommend taking the first near the beginning of your prep and the second near the end. You can take some time to familiarize yourself with the format and structure of the GMAT and then review key concepts.

After learning about the test, you could take the first official free GMAT practice test to get a sense of the testing experience and establish your baseline scoring level. This practice test helps you diagnose your current scoring level and identify your strengths and weaknesses.

You can retake this test as you continue to study, but you’ll likely see some repeat questions, so it won’t be as realistic as the actual GMAT. We recommend saving the second official practice test for somewhere near the end of your prep. Once you’ve done a lot of review and answered sample questions, you can take this test to measure all the progress you’ve made.

In between these official GMAT practice tests, you can also take unofficial practice tests to measure your progress. Since the official ones are the most realistic version of the GMAT, it can be useful to use one as a diagnostic practice test and the second after you’ve spent a significant amount of time studying.

#2: Simulate Real Testing Conditions

Official practice tests give you a very realistic experience of taking the GMAT. The only thing you’re missing is the test center.

To make the experience as real as possible, you should find a quiet space free of distractions. Follow the same timing as the test, and take the optional eight-minute breaks after the Integrated Reasoning (IR) and Quantitative sections. Don’t use your own calculator, but rather get used to using the on-screen calculator (this only applies to the Integrated Reasoning section).

Essentially, you should do everything you can to make the testing experience as close to the real thing as possible.

#3: Use Them to Practice Test Taking, Not to Learn Concepts

Practice tests help you become a better test taker. You can practice your time management, develop a rhythm, and apply your understanding to practice problems.

Full-length practice tests are not so useful for concept review. You shouldn’t rely just on practice tests to learn all of the math, grammar, or data interpretation skills you need for the GMAT.

Instead, you can use the tests to figure out what you don’t know, and then consult other prep materials to fill in any gaps in knowledge.

#4: Keep an Error Log

To help you figure out what you don’t know, you should keep an error log and write down any questions that you got wrong or felt confused about. Go over the answer explanations, and figure out what it was that tripped you up.

Did you read the question wrong? Do you not understand the concept? Did you run out of time? By rooting out the source of your mistake, you can take specific steps to fix it. Practice tests help you discover your weak spots, so you can build them up for next time.

#5: Set Goals for Where to Go Next

Once you’ve taken a practice test, reviewed your performance, and uncovered your weak areas, you should set specific goals for what to do next. The GMAT practice test gives insight into your current scoring level. It’s up to you to take this feedback and use it to inform a targeted, customized study plan that will help you improve.

Most of these tips are useful as you take unofficial practice tests, as well. Just keep in mind that these tests won’t be the best experience of the GMAT, and the scores don’t come from GMAC’s secret scoring algorithm.

Now that we’ve covered the official tests, read on for a full evaluation of the best unofficial free GMAT practice tests, ranked from best to worst.

11 Free GMAT Practice Tests, Ranked

Below are the 11 best free GMAT tests available online, ranked from most realistic to least.

#1: Kaplan

Kaplan’s free GMAT practice test tops the list for its realistic format and high-quality practice questions. Not only does the test closely resemble the real GMAT, but it also comes with detailed video answer explanations.

You can take the test online at any time, or you can sign up for a live, instructor-proctored test. If you go the proctored route, then you’ll see live explanations from Kaplan faculty, a mini lesson from an instructor, and a live chat window where you can ask questions.

Like the real GMAT, the Quantitative and Verbal sections are adaptive. You can also opt for 50% or 100% additional time if you’ll be getting accommodations. Just make sure that you don’t accidentally hit “End Test,” or you will exit the exam and won’t be able to restart it!

You can access the Kaplan practice test by creating an account on its website and then choosing the self-proctored or instructor-proctored practice test. If you don’t want promotional emails from Kaplan, then make sure to uncheck the appropriate box.

#2: Veritas

Veritas is a close second for best free GMAT practice test. The exam is realistic and presents high-quality practice questions. You can take the exam in full or just choose certain sections.

Like the official GMAT practice tests, you can pause the test at any time. It’s recommended, however, that you take the test in full and follow the real GMAT timing to build up your stamina for test day.

You can also choose 50% or 100% extra time if you need accommodations. To access the test, head to VeritasPrep.com and create an account. The company also offers six additional computer-adaptive GMAT practice tests for $49.

#3: Manhattan Prep

For your third unofficial free GMAT practice test, head to ManhattanPrep.com. You’ll just need to create an account to access the test.

The questions on the Manhattan Prep test are high quality, but the visuals of the test don’t match the real GMAT. While it’s recommended that you follow the same timing as the GMAT, you do have the option here of manually adjusting time settings.

You could extend the time limits by section, or take the test completely untimed. You also have the option of setting a time limit on yourself for each question. If you go with this option, then you’ll have to move on to the next question when time runs out whether you’ve answered the question or not.

Unanswered GMAT questions can really drag down your score, but this option can be useful as you develop a test taking rhythm. At the same time, it’s not always the best practice to spend the exact same amount of time on every question in a section.

For instance, problem solving questions may take longer than data sufficiency questions in math, and reading comprehension questions may take longer than sentence corrections in verbal. This option can be useful to solidify your time management skills, but it’s also not the most realistic experience of taking the GMAT.

#4: Princeton Review

When you create an account with Princeton Review, you can access one free GMAT practice test. You can either self-proctor the exam and take it online, or you can sign up for a practice test event.

The events in the Boston area, for example, take place at local colleges, like Northeastern and Brandeis University. These events give you a realistic, testing center experience, but they’re mostly offered to promote Princeton Review classes and tutoring.

The questions are realistic and match the format of the GMAT. Some users may have trouble accessing the practice test without the right version of Java. You also must make sure that any ad-blocking software is turned off.

#5: 800 Score Test

To take the 800 Score free GMAT test, all you have to do is enter a username and password and start testing. You’ll see five practice tests, but just the first one is free. The remaining four tests are available for $24.95.

The format and visuals of these practice tests don’t closely mirror the actual GMAT exam. That being said, the questions are relatively realistic and both the math and verbal sections have the adaptive format.

At the end of your 800 Score free GMAT test, you can look over your answers, read answer explanations, and see how much time you spent on each question. If you choose not to take the test all at once, you can also save your results, return to it later, and pick up where you left off.

#6: McGraw-Hill

Head to McGraw Hill Education for six free GMAT tests, each with three of the four GMAT sections. The tests are missing the AWA section, but otherwise include all of the question types you’ll get on the GMAT.

The visuals don’t closely resemble the real GMAT exam, but the questions are decent. The Verbal and Integrated Reasoning questions are especially strong, while the Quantitative questions seem easier than what you’ll get on the real test.

You can take McGraw-Hill’s free GMAT tests timed or untimed, and you can log out and save your progress at any time. The score reports will tell you how many questions you got right in each section, and you’ll be able to review answer explanations.

Since the score reports show you your percentage of correct answers, the tests are most useful as extra practice, rather than for getting a realistic sense of your GMAT scoring level.

#7: Prep Adviser Test

The Prep Adviser test includes the Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, and Verbal sections. Since it added the IR section recently, you’ll need to take this section separately and then navigate to the Quantitative and Verbal sections, rather than getting all sections together.

The test features decent free GMAT practice questions, but they are easier overall than what you’ll get on the real GMAT. As you take the test, you’ll see a timer and question tracker. You can also exit the test and return back to it at a later time.

The Prep Adviser free GMAT exam does not include the AWA section. You would have to add this in on your own, which you could easily do by choosing one of the official AWA prompts and giving yourself 30 minutes to write an essay.

#8: Babson (or London Business School) Practice Test

Both Babson’s FW Olin Graduate School of Business and London Business School offer the same GMAT practice resources on their websites. The tests include realistic, timed math and verbal sections. However, they are missing AWA and Integrated Reasoning.

You can also take a micro test and a mini test for shorter experiences of GMAT testing. To access the test, you’ll need to create an account.

You should note a discrepancy in the LBS instructions. It says you’re entitled to a 10-minute break between the Quantitative and Verbal sections, but on the actual GMAT, your break can only go up to eight minutes.

#9: GMAT Club Test Practice

GMAT Club offers two GMAT sections, one computer-adaptive Quantitative section and one computer-adaptive Verbal section. Both are 75 minutes long and feature realistic questions and visuals. You’ll also have access to independent sets of critical reasoning, reading comprehension, sentence correction, and math questions.

To access these free GMAT practice questions, you need to sign up for an account and respond to the activation email. When you sign up, you’ll also get to choose a few nice perks, like access to two free practice tests from Veritas Prep or one month of free trial access to a Magoosh GMAT lesson.

#10: Manhattan Review Practice Test

After you sign up for an account with Manhattan Review, check your email for your account password. Once you’ve signed in, you can access a free diagnostic practice GMAT test.

The test is timed and features AWA, Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, and Verbal sections. The AWA section is outdated, featuring two prompts instead of one.

The questions aren’t especially high-quality, with many appearing easier than what you’ll get on the actual test. While this test is OK if you need some extra free practice, it won’t do as much to help you prepare or get an accurate understanding of your scoring level.

#11: Test Prep Practice

Your final option for free GMAT practice tests comes from Test Prep Practice. Rather than full practice tests, it offers practice sections by question type for the Quantitative and Verbal section.

You’ll find sample GMAT questions for reading comprehension, sentence correction, critical reasoning, data sufficiency, and problem solving questions. None of these sections appear to be adaptive, and they don’t resemble the format of the test.

These questions are most useful for drilling skills and getting extra practice answering GMAT-type questions. However, they won’t help much in the way of pacing or getting a realistic experience of the test.

As you can see, there are some great full-length, computer-adaptive GMAT practice tests available for free, and then there are some that, while still useful, are not quite as high quality.

While you read some tips for using official GMAT practice tests above, what do you need to know about making the most of these unofficial GMAT practice tests?

How to Make the Most of Unofficial Free GMAT Practice Tests

How can you use these practice tests effectively to get ready for the GMAT? When should you take them, and how can they inform your study plan? Consider these five tips below as you design your approach to GMAT prep.

#1: Use Practice Tests to Measure Progress

Practice tests are a great way to check in and measure your progress. After you use an official GMAT test to diagnose your beginning scoring level, you can stagger unofficial practice tests throughout the weeks to gauge your score improvement.

You’ll see whether you’re meeting your goals and if not, what you can do to make your studying more effective. If you’ve stalled in a particular section, then you know you need to pay more attention there.

There’s no magic number of practice tests to take before the real exam, but many test takers swear by taking a practice test every two to three weeks. You don’t want to take so many that you burn out, but they can be very useful to see how you’re improving and gain experience taking the test.

Maybe you’ll get so familiar with the exam that the actual GMAT will seem like just one more practice test!

#2: Take Time to Reflect on Your Performance

You won’t get a ton out of a practice test if you just take it and move on. As discussed above, you should take time to note any mistakes, figure out the source of your mistakes, and figure out what you need to do to fix them.

Think carefully about your performance in each section and on each question type. Consider your pacing and whether you need to speed up or slow down. Be thoughtful about your strengths and weaknesses, and use this feedback to adjust your study plan as needed.

#3: If Missing, Add and Score Your Own AWA Section

As you saw, some of the free GMAT tests don’t include the AWA section. None of the practice tests score this section. To get the most realistic experience of the test, you should add in your own AWA section before Integrated Reasoning.

Choose a prompt from the full list, and give yourself 30 minutes to plan and type your response. You may also try to grade your essay with the AWA rubric, or perhaps you can swap essays with a fellow test taker and grade each other’s.

#4: Focus on Pacing and Time Management

Practice tests can help reinforce skills and concepts, but they’re also hugely useful for improving your time management. To do well on the GMAT, you need to get to all of the questions before time is up. On average, you have just two minutes per question.

Some of the practice GMAT exams allow you to set a time limit per question if you need to get really strict with your timing. Many also show you how much time you spent per question at the end.

You might set certain benchmarks, like you’ll have a little over half of the questions answered in a section when you’re halfway through the time. As you take practice tests, see if you’re meeting those benchmarks throughout the section, not just when you reach the end.

#5: Consider Supplementing Tests With Purchased Material

Finally, you might consider supplementing these free GMAT practice tests with purchased material. You can buy two more full-length practice tests from GMAC for $49.99, as well as 404 additional GMAT questions and answer explanations for $29.99.

As you know, official tests and questions are the most realistic, plus they get scored in the same way as the GMAT. Above any other free practice test, official GMAT questions most closely resemble what you’ll see on test day.

Many of the test prep companies mentioned above also offer additional computer-adaptive practice tests for a fee. If you want to stick to a certain format, rather than jumping between websites, you might consider purchasing these practice tests.

Overall, you want to make sure you get enough testing experience to drill skills, find a test taking rhythm, and feel confident for test day. As we close up, let’s go over some final thoughts about free GMAT practice tests.

Free GMAT Practice Tests: Final Thoughts

The GMAT is expensive, but GMAT practice tests don’t have to be. In fact, there are a bunch of high-quality, free options for computer-adaptive free GMAT practice tests scattered around the internet.

Your first stop should be GMAC’s free GMAT Prep Software, which features two practice tests and 90 practice questions. You can even take these tests several times, though you may see a few repeat questions.

To measure your progress as you study, you should take unofficial GMAT practice tests every few weeks. These tests can give you useful feedback, but just remember that they’re not using the same scoring algorithm as the official GMAT test. The scores can give you a sense of your current scoring range, but they’re not 100% accurate.

Taking practice GMAT tests is a great way to have the GMAT experience before you sit for the official test. By timing yourself and analyzing your results, you can work toward mastery of this challenging business school exam.

What’s Next?

What’s the best way to study for the GMAT? Check out these tips for designing your GMAT study plan on this full GMAT syllabus.

Are you familiar with the format and question types on the GMAT? This guide goes over the full GMAT exam pattern and has samples of each and every question type.

How is each section of the GMAT scored, and where do your section scores come from? Check out this guide to GMAT scoring for everything you need to know.

The post The 12 Best Free GMAT Practice Tests appeared first on Online GMAT Prep Blog by PrepScholar.

With everything going on in your busy life, when should you schedule the GMAT? Should you take the test months before your application deadlines or give yourself as much time to study as possible? Would you do better bright and early in the morning, or should you opt for an appointment in the afternoon?

Selecting the right date and time for your GMAT is an important step along the path to business school. To help you choose, this guide will tell you everything you need to know about GMAT test dates, how to pick one, and when to register.

First, when is the GMAT administered?

When Is the GMAT Administered?

The GMAT is administered on an on-demand basis most days of the year. There are no set GMAT test dates. Instead, you can pick out almost any date and time that works for you. Many GMAT test centers offer the test nearly every day of the year.

Some test centers aren’t open on Sundays or holidays, so you’ll have to check with test centers in your area to see their exact GMAT schedule. University-based test centers, for instance, might be closed for extended periods around holidays or other campus breaks.

Wherever you are in the world, most test centers offer morning, midday, and evening appointments. Appointment times vary by test center. At one of the Pearson VUE centers in Boston, to give one example, the GMAT is administered Monday through Saturday at 8 AM, 12 PM, and 4:30 PM.

You can look for GMAT exam dates and availability online at MBA.com. At MBA.com, you can explore test locations, GMAT dates, and times before committing to one. When I look up the Pearson VUE Test Center in Boston, for instance, I see three available time slots on February 18 —

You’ll see a similar feature when you explore test dates. GMAT test dates with availability show up in green, while dates that are all filled up appear in gray. A date will be green as long as it has at least one open time slot.

Once you’ve taken some time to explore your options, when should you choose a GMAT exam date and time and officially register?

When Should You Register for the GMAT?

You can register for the GMAT online or by phone (for $10 extra) anywhere from six months to 24 hours before a test date. If you decide to register by mail, then your request must arrive at least 10 days before your preferred test date.

Hundreds of thousands of students across the world take the GMAT every year, and spots at testing centers can fill up fast. To make sure you get your preferred test date and time, a good rule of thumb is to register at least two to three months in advance.

You may want to register even earlier if you’re looking for an appointment during peak times. The months right before application deadlines are popular, like August, November, and February, as are Saturday GMAT test dates.

It’s also been my experience that afternoon time slots fill up faster than morning ones. If you’re looking to take the GMAT on a Saturday afternoon in November, then you should make sure to complete your registration well in advance.

That being said, what if you’re reading this article and panicking that you waited too long to sign up. Can you still register for the GMAT at the last minute?

Can You Register for the GMAT Last Minute?

As mentioned above, you can technically register for the GMAT online or over the phone up to 24 hours in advance of a test date, assuming that date is available. If you wait until just 24 hours before, though, you may find there are no available dates left, especially if you’ve only got one or two test centers in your area.

The Graduate Management Admission Council and Pearson VUE state their commitment to ensuring that you can find a testing appointment within 30 days, wherever you are in the world. Try your best not to wait any longer than 30 days before a test date, especially if your application deadline is just around the corner.

Whenever you decide to register, how can you zero in on the GMAT exam date and time that will work best for you? You should start by asking yourself five key questions.

How to Choose the Best GMAT Test Date: 5 Key Questions

Just as you should be strategic about how you take the GMAT, you should also be strategic about choosing your GMAT exam date and time. First and foremost, you need to make sure you take the test in time for your application deadlines.

Beyond deadlines, you also want to think about ways to optimize your performance. If you choose a date in the midst of a big work project or right around a holiday, then you might find yourself distracted. If you choose an 8 AM time slot but are useless before your late morning latte, then you won’t be able to give it your all.

The right exam date and time for your GMAT vary by individual. To do some digging into your personal preferences, you should ask yourself these five questions.

#1: When Are My Business School Application Deadlines?

No matter how much you enjoy strictly-timed, computer-adaptive exams, you’re probably not taking the GMAT just for fun. People take the GMAT to get into business school, and they need to make sure that schools receive their scores before an application deadline.

Most business schools have three rounds of admissions deadlines. Round one deadlines tend to land in September or October, round two is in early January, and round three is in March or April. A general rule of thumb for applying to business school is to apply as early as you can as long as you can send off the strongest application possible.

Ideally, you can apply by a round one deadline when the largest number of spots are open. If you’re frantically rushing to meet this deadline, though, then you might wait for a later round or plan instead for the following year.

Official score reports are sent to schools about 20 days after you take the GMAT. You should schedule your test at least a month before your first deadline, or even further out if you think you might retake the test. So for example, if you’re applying to Harvard Business School by its 2017 deadline, September 7, then you should take the GMAT by August 7 at the latest.

You also need to consider all of the other work you have to do on your graduate school application, like writing essays and gathering letters of recommendation from former professors and managers. Taking the GMAT in time for your application deadlines is just one piece of the puzzle. You should also think about your other commitments and application requirements.

#2: Is There a Possibility I’ll Retake the GMAT?

When you finish up the last section of the GMAT, you’ll get a preview of your scores. This unofficial score report will tell you how you did on the Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, and Verbal scores, plus you’ll get to see your total scores. The only score you won’t see yet is your Analytical Writing Assessment, or essay, since it needs to be assessed by two graders.

At this point, you’ll be asked whether you want to keep or cancel your scores. If you fall short of your target scores, then you may choose to cancel the scores completely. They won’t be sent to any schools, and it will be like you never took the GMAT — except that your bank account will be $250 lighter.

If you’re not satisfied with your scores, you can retake the GMAT after waiting a couple of weeks. You can schedule a retake up to five times per year, but your next test date must be at least 16 days after the first one.

Ideally, you’ll be satisfied with your scores and won’t have to take the test again or pay another registration fee. If you want to leave yourself the option, though, then you should register for your first test at least two months before your application deadline. That way, you will have time to retake the test and make sure your retake scores arrive at schools before the deadlines.

#3: How Much Time Do I Have to Study?

According to GMAC, students who scored above a 700 on the GMAT studied for an average of 121 hours. The GMAT is a challenging test, and many test takers prepare for months. When you choose a date, you should leave yourself plenty of time to prepare.

Let’s say you set aside ten hours a week to get ready for the GMAT. After 12 weeks, you’d have accumulated 120 hours of studying. If this sounds like a study plan that would work for you, then you should choose a test date that’s at least three months from the time you start preparing.

Of course, you can start preparing even before you register so that you have a sense of your current scoring level and how much you need to study. Setting a date in stone, though, can help you get motivated. You’re more likely to commit to studying if you know your test date is swiftly approaching.

#4: What Else Is Going On in My Schedule?

Changing your GMAT registration can incur some pretty hefty fees, so you want to make sure you don’t have any competing commitments before you pick a date. Check your schedule for upcoming work events, social obligations, vacations, or holidays.

You may want to get the exam done before a holiday break so you’re not studying while, say, everyone else is eating Thanksgiving turkey. Perhaps you’d do better taking the test on a Monday or Tuesday, rather than waiting until Thursday or Friday when you’re tired from the work week or thinking about a professional project.

If it were me, I’d prefer to take off a Tuesday for the GMAT after a three-day weekend, so I had a full three days beforehand to get ready and focus entirely on taking the exam. If you can’t take any time off work, then you may have to search for the best weekend date.

When you start thinking about a GMAT date, consider any competing commitments and the day of the week that would optimize your testing performance.

#5: Am I a Morning or Afternoon Person?

Just as you should be thoughtful about the day of the week you choose — I would be useless on a Friday afternoon, for instance — you should also think carefully about the best time of day. As long as you register early, you should have choices for taking the exam in the morning or the afternoon.

At this point in your educational and professional career, you probably know when you’re most alert, in the morning or the afternoon. If you heavily favor one time of day over the other, then the time slot you choose for the GMAT could have a big effect on how you do. Choose the time when you’ll be most focused and motivated to take on a three and a half-hour test.

Finalizing Your GMAT Schedule

Taken together, all of these questions prompt you to think about the date and time that would optimize your testing performance and chances of getting into business school. On the practical side, you need to leave yourself time to meet application deadlines and log some serious studying hours.

On the personal level, you should consider whether you’re most productive in the morning or afternoon, in the beginning of the week or at the end. By registering several months in advance, you can ensure that you have plenty of choices when it comes to taking the GMAT.

Let’s say you’re applying for a round one admission deadline in early September. You’d like to log about 100 hours of studying in total and can commit 10 hours a week to GMAT prep. As a peppy sunrise jogger, you’re at your peak energy in the morning and prefer to take the test early in the work week.

You also want to leave yourself one extra chance to take the GMAT, just in case you’re not satisfied with your scores. When should you register?

In the ideal scenario, you’re asking yourself this question in May. You schedule your GMAT in early July, leaving yourself three months to study. If you’re not satisfied with your scores, then you could take the GMAT again in August. Since you’re such a morning person, you opt to take the test on a Monday at 8 AM.

By considering your deadlines, study time, and personal preferences, you registered early for the GMAT and found your ideal testing time. Well done!

While everything’s looking rosy at this point, what if an emergency arises that forces you to change your GMAT date? Despite all your careful planning, what do you do if you need to reschedule your test?

What If You Need to Change Your GMAT Registration?

It is possible to make changes to your GMAT schedule. If you need to alter your test date, then you should try your best to do so more than seven days before your test date.

You can reschedule your test more than seven days in advance for a $50 fee. If you wait until the appointment is seven or fewer days away, then you won’t get any discount and will have to pay the entire $250 registration fee again.

If you need to cancel your GMAT, you can do so and get a refund of $80 if you cancel more than seven days prior to your test date. Again, if you wait until last minute, then you won’t get any money back.

If you’ve asked yourself the five questions above and thoughtfully chosen a GMAT test date, then you most likely won’t have to make any changes to your registration. If something unexpected does come up, though, then hopefully you can cancel or reschedule more than seven days in advance of your test date and get a bit of a financial break.

As we finish up this guide on choosing a date for your GMAT registration, let’s go over some key takeaways you should remember about when to take the test.

Choosing a GMAT Test Date: Final Thoughts

The GMAT is given continuously throughout the year, so you can take it on almost any day that works with your schedule and application deadlines. While you have a lot of choice of GMAT test dates, you should know that spots fill up fast. To make sure you get your preferred date and time, try your best to register two to three months in advance.

When you choose a test date, make sure to leave enough time for your official score report to reach business schools. Score reports usually arrive about 20 days after you take the test. If you want to leave yourself the option of retaking the GMAT, then you need at least an additional 16 days of buffer time.

You should also try to be strategic about taking the GMAT on a day and time when you can perform your best. That might mean signing up early in the week, like a Monday or Tuesday, before you’re tired from the work week. It might also mean choosing a morning or afternoon slot to take advantage of the time of day when you’re most energized and productive.

Once you’ve signed up for the GMAT, you’ll likely feel a boost in how motivated you are to study. Having that test date set in stone means you only have a limited amount of time to prepare and work toward your target scores. Register early so that you can score your preferred test date and start getting ready for this important business school exam.

What’s Next?

Once you’ve chosen your GMAT test date, how do you sign up? Check out this full guide on registering for the GMAT, step by step.

Did you know that the math and verbal sections of the GMAT are adaptive, or that the Integrated Reasoning section always presents the same four question types? Check out this guide on the GMAT exam pattern to learn all about the format, structure, and question types of the GMAT.

Are you ready to start preparing? This complete GMAT study guide (coming soon) will help you design your personalized study plan and achieve your target scores.

The post GMAT Test Dates: Full Guide to Choosing (2018, 2019) appeared first on Online GMAT Prep Blog by PrepScholar.

With all of the options for GMAT prep, which ones are the most effective? Which GMAT study material will help you master the test and achieve your target score?

To help you prepare for this important exam, we’ve compiled all of the best GMAT study materials in one guide. You’ll find official and unofficial resources, prep books and online programs, free GMAT study materials and ones you can purchase.

Before diving into the full list, let’s go over what you should look for in the best GMAT study material.

What Makes for Excellent GMAT Study Material? 5 Features

There are a lot of GMAT prep resources out there, but not all of them are up to scratch. Not only should you stick to the highest quality materials, but you should also choose the ones that best match your learning style. For instance, you might prefer to self-study with books than to take a full prep course, or vice versa.

Whatever you choose, you should make sure your GMAT study materials include at least some of the following five components.

#1: Thorough Content Review

You don’t need to memorize a lot of facts and figures to do well on the GMAT, but you do need to have a certain amount of core knowledge. You must be able to interpret various types of graphs and to apply properties of geometry to solve problems, to give a couple of examples.

Many people taking the GMAT haven’t worked with the concepts it tests in years, maybe even since they left high school. If you haven’t calculated the area of a right triangle in a while, don’t worry – you’re not alone. To help you brush up on rusty skills, your study materials should go over all of the concepts that will come into play on GMAT problems.

#2: Effective Test-Taking Strategies

Doing well on the GMAT isn’t just about having great math, verbal, and reasoning skills. It’s also about being a strategic test-taker. You need to learn strategies to manage time and approach specific question types. The best study materials will offer various strategies to boost your performance.

You should try these strategies out as you study to figure out which ones work best for you. Even with a solid foundation in math concepts and verbal skills, you need to develop an effective approach to challenges like managing your time and knowing when to guess on a question.

#3: Realistic Practice Questions

As you review key concepts, you should drill skills into your memory by answering lots of practice questions. GMAT questions are tricky and challenging, and you need plenty of practice with them before the real test. 

The best GMAT study materials generally come from the test makers themselves, and you’ll see below that GMAC offers a good amount of free material, along with additional questions and tests available for purchase. Unfortunately, unofficial practice questions are less reliable: some prep companies rush to put out material and offer shoddy practice problems that don’t resemble real GMAT questions. Unrealistic practice questions aren’t going to help you on test day.

At the start of your prep, you should work with official practice questions, so that you can gain a clear sense of what GMAT questions look like. Once you’ve become familiar with the format, you’ll be able to spot and avoid low-quality imitators. Regardless, if you stick to the study resources on this list, you’ll ensure that you’re working with realistic practice questions.

#4: Computer-Adaptive Practice Tests

The Quantitative and Verbal sections of the GMAT are adaptive, meaning that the selection of questions changes as you go along to match your ability and get an accurate measure of your skills.

To gain practice with this adaptive format and get insight into your scoring level, you should use materials with realistic, computer-adaptive practice tests. They should also be timed in the same way as the GMAT and offer a testing experience as close as possible to the real thing.

#5: Clear Answer Explanations

Finally, your practice materials should give clear, thorough answer explanations that help you understand your mistakes. They should walk you through problems step by step so you know how to solve them and how to approach a similar question next time.

The least helpful study materials only give the answer and offer no explanation. Some are even filled with errors! Make sure that your study materials offer extensive answer explanations so you can learn from your mistakes.

You may not find that a single study material contains every single one of these components, but you should make sure that your materials, on the whole, include them. You might rely on one source for content review and another for practice tests and sample questions. Altogether, your materials should cover all of these important parts of effective GMAT prep.

Now let’s take a look at the best GMAT prep materials, starting with official materials that come directly from the test makers themselves.

Official GMAT Prep Materials From the Test Makers

There’s one free GMAT study material that should be part of everybody’s study plan. That’s the free GMATPrep software offered by the Graduate Management Admission Council, or GMAC.

Beyond this free software, GMAC also sells practice tests, sample questions, prep books, and online study tools. Let’s take a look at the official free GMAT study material, followed by the ones that you can purchase.

Free GMAT Prep Software

You can download GMAT Prep Software for free at MBA.com. This prep software includes two realistic, computer-adaptive, full-length practice tests, as well as 90 sample questions — 30 Quantitative, 45 Verbal, and 15 Integrated Reasoning.

The software also contains a guide explaining how to get ready for the GMAT, as well as a useful review of all of the algebra, geometry, and arithmetic concepts and word problem types that will appear on the Quantitative section.

The tests have thorough answer explanations, and they will give you an accurate sense of your scoring level, as they use the official GMAT scoring algorithm. You can actually take each test more than once, but you may see a few repeat questions after the first time.

The free GMAT Prep Software is a great way to start your GMAT prep, and it’s most useful for realistic practice tests and sample questions. It’s not as useful for a comprehensive review of content beyond the Quantitative section, nor will it tell you much about time management or other test-taking strategies.

Official GMAT Prep Books You Can Buy

GMAC offers three books for the GMAT. One is a comprehensive guide, while the other two are section-specific and help you prepare for the math and verbal sections. Read on to learn about the details of each book, along with the pros and cons of preparing for the GMAT from these books.

Note that all of the prices below come from the official GMAC site, but you should be able to find the books much cheaper on Amazon.

The Official Guide for GMAT Review, $45.95  

• 900 practice questions with answers and explanations
• Diagnostic practice test
• Six months’ access to 50 online Integrated Reasoning questions
• Comprehensive math review for the Quantitative section
• Grammar review for the Verbal section
• Chapter with details on Integrated Reasoning
• Study tips to help you get ready

The Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review, $19.95

• 300 math questions from past GMAT tests
• Questions organized in order of difficulty
• Access to an online question bank where you can create your own question sets
• Access to videos from test takers and GMAC staff who share tips on GMAT prep

The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review, $19.95

• 300 verbal questions from past GMAT tests
• Questions organized in order of difficulty
• Access to an online question bank where you can make your own question sets
• Access to videos from real test takers and GMAC staff with tips on GMAT prep

All three books together cost $85.85 on MBA.com, or you can order them for a total of $49.21 on Amazon.

Pros and Cons of Official GMAT Prep Books

Should you study for the GMAT from books and their accompanying online study tools? As with any study material, there are pros and cons to these books.

Pros

• Most realistic practice questions and practice tests available
• Diagnostic test will give the most accurate measure of your scoring level
• Excellent Integrated Reasoning practice questions accompany official study guide
• Comprehensive math and verbal review

Cons

• Not a ton of concept review apart from math and grammar rules
• Not useful for test taking strategies
• Only one additional practice test
• Books may not be as convenient as online resources, plus you’re solely responsible for sticking to your study plan and recording your progress.

The official GMAT prep books are excellent for practice questions and practice tests, and they offer great math and grammar review. For a more thorough content review and test-taking strategies, though, you’d benefit from supplementing these books with other materials.

Now that you have a sense of the official GMAT prep books, let’s take a look at the online study tools that GMAC offers.

Official Online Study Tools From GMAC

Each of the following study tools integrates with the free GMAT Prep Software. Basically, they add practice tests or practice questions to the software you already have.

We’ll break down each option, and then list out the packages that offer various combos of these resources.

GMAT Prep Exam Pack 1, $49.99

• 2 full-length computer adaptive practice tests with answer explanations
• 90 additional practice questions
• Enhanced score reporting. You’ll see your math and verbal results by question type, and your IR report will tell you about your time management. You’ll get enhanced score reports on both the exam pack practice tests and the free ones already on the GMAT Prep Software.

GMAT Prep Exam Pack 2, $49.99

• Two more full length computer adaptive practice tests with answers (no answer explanations)
• Enhanced score reporting as in Exam Pack 1 for included practice tests and the free tests that come with the GMAT Prep Software.

GMAT Prep Question Pack 1, $29.99

• 404 GMAT questions and answer explanations — 200 Quantitative, 180 Verbal, and 24 Integrated Reasoning
• Integrates with the GMAT Prep software, so you can create your own question sets and answer questions individually or as part of a full-length practice test

GMAT Focus Online Quantitative Diagnostic Tool, $29.99 – $79.99

• Can be purchased as individual exam or set of three exams
• Quantitative exam with a detailed, diagnostic score report and comprehensive answer explanations
• Can purchase the Focus exam more than once, but after the fourth time will start to see repeat questions

Integrated Reasoning Prep Tool, $19.99

• 48 Integrated Reasoning questions and answer explanations
• Create your own question sets by type or difficulty level
• Score your results and track your time management

GMAT Write, $29.99

• Writing tool for the AWA section
• Up to four practice essays scored in real time using the same automated essay-scoring engine used by the official GMAT exam
• You’ll get a score, suggestions for improvement, and detailed feedback on your analysis, supporting examples, essay structure, and use of language.

Combo Packs

The resources above are the main online study tools offered by GMAC, and all of them integrate with the free GMAT Prep Software. In addition to buying them individually, you can also purchase them in two combinations at a slightly reduced price. Below are the two combo packages from GMAC.

The Premium GMAT Study Collection, $405.77

• Includes the following books, online tools, and paper-based GMAT tests:
• The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 2017
• The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review, 2017
• The Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review, 2017
• GMATPrep Exam Pack 1
• GMATPrep Exam Pack 2
• GMATPrep Question Pack 1
• GMAT Paper Tests Set I, II, and III (9 past, paper-based GMAT exams with an answer sheet and instructions for calculating your score)
• GMAT Focus Online Quantitative Diagnostic Tool, set of 3
• IR Prep Tool

The On Demand GMAT Study Collection, $319.92

• GMAT Paper Tests I, II, and III
• GMAT Focus Online Quantitative Diagnostic Tool
• IR Prep Tool
• GMAT Prep Question Pack 1
• GMAT Prep Exam Pack I
• GMAT Prep Exam Pack 2
• Including both the paper-based and online practice tests, this package includes 13 complete GMAT exams and more than 1,100 practice questions

As you saw, both combos include GMAT paper tests, which you can download as a pdf separately for $29.99. You’ll get nine full-length tests, but all of them are paper-based, so they don’t offer a very realistic experience of the exam.

Given all of these options, how can you decide which, if any, are most useful to you?

Which Official GMAT Prep Materials Are Best for You?

At this point, you may be feeling overwhelmed by all of the options — and these are just the official GMAT study materials from GMAC! Given all of these choices, which one should you buy? Should you splurge on a combo? Should you stick to the free software and forget about the add-ons?

Everyone’s needs are a little different, but for most students I recommend the exam packs and question packs over any of the other online tools. These official practice tests and questions are the best ones out there, since they come from the test makers themselves. Plus, they get scored by the official GMAT scoring algorithm, so they’ll give you the most realistic assessment of your score.

Many people take a practice test every two to three weeks to measure their progress. If this practice is part of your study plan, then you should probably buy one or both of the exam packs. If the price is too steep, then you can find other free or inexpensive practice tests online, but they won’t be as realistic as these official ones.

The other study tools could be useful if you have a specific weakness you need to shore up, but most people should buy an exam pack and/or question pack and not worry about the rest. While official GMAT materials are excellent for practice tests and practice questions, they’re somewhat lacking in content review (the books prioritize math and grammar concepts) and won’t tell you much in the way of test-taking strategy.

Third-party prep materials and programs are more helpful for strategy and content review. Let’s take a look at the best unofficial GMAT study materials.

Best Unofficial GMAT Study Materials

Below you’ll find the best GMAT study materials produced by third-party test prep companies, not by the Graduate Management Admission Council. As we did above, let’s start with the best books and then look at the best online resources.

Best GMAT Prep Books

These books rise to the top for GMAT prep books, both because of their comprehensive review of content and their accompanying online components with practice tests and practice questions.

Read on to learn more about each book or set of books.

Manhattan Prep Strategy Guide Set, $133.64

Manhattan Prep offers a bundle of 10 GMAT guides full of strategy and content review. Along with the books, you’ll get access to six full-length, computer-adaptive practice tests and over 200 additional practice questions. The questions come with detailed answer explanations.

The Manhattan Prep books do an excellent job of teaching strategy and subject material, plus they have thorough question sets to help you drill skills and improve as a test taker. They are geared toward highly motivated students looking to score in top percentiles.

Each guide delves into a specific area or question type, like algebra, word problems, number properties, sentence corrections, and reading comprehension. You can buy the guides individually for between $15 and $20 each.

The main downside is the hefty cost of the books, plus the sheer amount of material means you’ll need to work hard to get through it all. Some students also feel that the Quantitative questions are more difficult than the actual GMAT, meaning that the questions are not as realistic as they could be.

Kaplan GMAT Premier, $25.86

Kaplan’s prep book is a popular one among students getting ready to take the GMAT. It offers extensive review for all sections of the test, plus five computer-adaptive tests online and an additional paper-based one in the book. Beyond the practice tests, you can answer 200 questions online, and those looking for an extra math challenge can try 40 advanced math questions with detailed answer explanations.

Unfortunately, because access to online tests and questions expires after a year, you should probably buy a new, rather than used, copy of the Kaplan book. You’ll also be able to watch video lessons recorded by Kaplan faculty.

The main downside of this book is that it lacks the specialization of books like the Manhattan Prep strategy guides. While its 600+ pages contain thorough review, they don’t break down each concept and question type in the same level of detail as a more specialized guide.That being said, Kaplan does offer math and verbal-specific workbooks for just about $13 apiece.

Some students also say that the Kaplan guide is not the best resource for breaking into the 700s. While it will improve your score, it’s not the best book for scoring in the very top percentiles.

PowerScore Verbal Guides, $24.99 each

PowerScore offers four guides for the Verbal section: the PowerScore Reading Comprehension Bible, the PowerScore Sentence Correction Bible, the PowerScore Critical Reasoning Bible, and the PowerScore GMAT Verbal Workbook. Each guide costs $24.99 on Powerscore.com, but you can purchase the three bibles all together for $69.99. (Unfortunately, PowerScore doesn’t yet offer guides for the Quantitative sections.)

These guides offer great, in-depth reviews and practice for those looking to improve their Verbal performance and boost their time management skills. They break down each question type, teaches specific strategies, and shows you how to avoid common pitfalls and errors. If you find yourself repeating the same mistakes in the Verbal section, then the PowerScore Verbal Trilogy could be an excellent resource for breaking through and making real improvement.

These guides are best for drilling skills, answering practice questions, and learning strategies. However, they don’t go over the fundamentals. You’ll need a solid foundation in Verbal concepts before studying from these books. 

Beyond paper books, prep companies also offer some helpful online resources. Below are the best unofficial online materials.

Best Online GMAT Study Materials

These are the best online GMAT practice resources. The free GMAT study materials aren’t always very reliable, but most of the options below include at least one free practice test, plus additional practice tests available for purchase. Some also offer online GMAT prep courses or other study materials.

Veritas Prep

Veritas Prep offers realistic, excellent GMAT practice tests, one for free and six additional for $48. The tests are computer-adaptive and look very similar to the real GMAT.

If you need accommodations, you can adjust time settings to get 50% or 100% extra time. At the end of the test, you’ll be able to review your performance and read over detailed answer explanations.

These practice tests are great for supplementing your other GMAT study materials and getting extra test-taking practice.

Manhattan Prep  

Manhattan Prep offers one free computer-adaptive practice test online and six more for $49. You can follow the typical time limits or set a time limit per question to give yourself an efficiency boost. The questions look like the real thing, but the visuals of the exam don’t match what you’ll see on test day.

These tests are a decent option for getting additional test taking practice and answering all the GMAT question types at various difficulty levels. Just remember that the actual GMAT will look different from the Manhattan Prep tests in terms of visuals and formatting.

Kaplan

Kaplan offers high-quality, computer adaptive practice tests that include every question type on the GMAT. Each question comes with both written and video answer explanations. You can take one practice test for free, buy four more for $149, or eight more for $199. The questions accurately resemble real GMAT questions, as do the visuals of the tests.

The main downside of Kaplan’s practice tests is the high price point. However, the price includes access to over 1,500 practice questions and the Kaplan GMAT prep app that lets you study from anywhere on your phone.

While practice tests, question banks, and prep books are your main options for GMAT study materials, you may also be interested in supplemental study tools, like apps and flashcards. Let’s look at a few supplemental GMAT study materials that can help you get ready for the test.

Supplemental GMAT Study Materials

There are some supplemental GMAT study materials that help you insert a little bit of prep into your daily routine. Check out the best apps and other supplemental GMAT study tools.

The Official Guide for GMAT Review 2015 Mobile App, $4.99

This app links with the GMAT Prep Software to track your progress, plus it includes 50 practice questions of all types. You can create question sets and answer them casually or under time limits.

The app also comes with a six-month subscription to the above-mentioned Integrated Reasoning tool. If you’re looking for extra GMAT practice through your phone, then the official app has the best practice questions.

Prep4GMAT, Free

This app has about 1,000 practice questions and 100 flash cards to help you get ready. A scoring tool tells you what you got right and wrong and whether or not you need to improve your speed.

This free tool is a useful way to insert a little extra prep into your day, but by no means should it be your only source of GMAT prep. Note that users have noticed a few spelling errors in the questions.

Magoosh GMAT Math Flashcards, Free

Anyone looking to brush up on math formulas and concepts may appreciate the Magoosh app, which contains 425 flashcards testing a range of GMAT math concepts. The app has an easy to use interface and is good for people who want extra math practice on the go.

While this app won’t give you thorough math lessons, it’s a good way to remind yourself of key math formulas while you’re on your lunch break or taking the subway to and from work.

GMAT Question of the Day, Free

GMAT Question of the Day is a great free study tool offered by a variety of GMAT prep companies. You can find them online or sign up for a daily email.

As the name indicates, GMAT Question of the Day is a study tool that simply gives you one GMAT question to answer every day. Some study tools actually provide two questions, one math and one quantitative.

These study tools don’t tend to include AWA or Integrated Reasoning, instead sticking to math and verbal (usually critical reasoning or sentence correction questions, not reading comprehension) problems.

The top Question of the Day tools come from Kaplan, Ready 4 GMAT, Beat the GMAT, Atlantic GMAT, and GMAT Club. You can read more about the pros and cons of each one in this full guide. (coming soon)

Again, these supplemental study tools are a good way to insert a little extra GMAT prep into your day, particularly those days when you don’t have time for more comprehensive study. They’re not sufficient as your only GMAT study materials, but they will help you learn, uncover weak spots, and stay engaged with the exam on a daily basis.

Once you’ve decided on and collected all your GMAT study materials, how can you use them in an effective way? Consider these five tips for designing your GMAT study plan.

How to Create Your GMAT Study Plan: 5 Key Tips

There’s no one-size-fits-all GMAT study plan, as the most effective study plans are customized to your unique profile as a test taker. You need to reflect on your strengths and weaknesses and put effort toward the areas where you can improve the most.

A person with excellent verbal skills will likely need to focus more on prepping for the Quantitative section, while someone who uses math and graphs in their daily life may want to hone in on Verbal prep. The step no one should skip is writing down a clear study plan with specific steps to meet their goals.

As you design your study plan, consider these five tips.

#1: Make Studying a Routine

It’s tough to make time for studying, especially if you’re simultaneously working a full-time job or juggling other professional and personal commitments. To meet your studying goals, try to make a routine of studying.

Rather than trying to squeeze in studying time at random, set aside a specific time on the same days each week. Then, stick to your plan! By turning studying into a routine, you’ll optimize your ability to develop skills while ensuring that you don’t fall short of your goals.

#2: Take a Diagnostic Practice Test

Before you get going with studying, you should set aside three and a half hours to take a GMAT practice test. Nothing will get you familiar with the exam like taking an entire practice test.

You’ll learn about the test and realize questions about it you didn’t know you had. Beyond familiarizing yourself with the test, you’ll get a sense of your initial scoring level.

Don’t have high expectations for this first test. Rather, you’re using it to identify your weaknesses and all of the areas where you can improve. Then, you can use your results to inform your plan going forward.

#3: Target Your Weak Areas

Don’t waste valuable study time going over and over question types and concepts that you already know. Instead, you’ll see the most progress if you focus your efforts on your weak areas.

Find out where you’re lacking and what confuses you, and work extensively there. By targeting your weak areas, you’ll see the biggest score improvements.

Your diagnostic practice test will help you identify these areas of confusion so that you can direct your attention toward them.

#4: Take a Practice Test Every Few Weeks

As mentioned earlier, many students take a practice test every few weeks to become better test takers and to gauge their progress. You can see whether your scores are getting better and reassess your strengths and weaknesses.

Doing well on the GMAT doesn’t have much to do with memorizing facts and figures. Instead, you need to be a skilled test taker. Taking practice tests will help you develop your test taking skills, as well as learn how to answer certain question types, practice managing your time, and try out different strategies.

#5: Don’t Be Afraid to Make Changes

While you should write out a specific study plan before you start, you shouldn’t be afraid to make changes to it. Consider the study plan a living document that you can revise as you go along.

If you find your progress has stalled, you should reflect on what you’ve been doing and what you need to alter. By taking practice tests as you go along, you can measure your improvement, or lack thereof, and use these reports to amend your approach.

In closing, let’s go over what you need to remember about the best GMAT prep materials and how to use them to get ready for this important exam.

Best GMAT Study Materials: Final Thoughts

Before you can start studying for the GMAT, you need to collect GMAT prep materials.

Official materials will always contain the best practice questions and offer the most accurate assessment of your scoring level, so everyone’s first step should be downloading the free GMATPrep Software from MBA.com. This excellent resource features two full-length practice tests, 90 practice questions, and a full math review. Because the software is made by the test makers, it has the most realistic practice questions, plus it uses the official scoring algorithm.

While official materials should definitely be a part of your GMAT arsenal, you may also supplement with unofficial books and practice tests. Third parties like Veritas Prep, Manhattan Prep, and Kaplan offer excellent resources. Beyond practice tests, they give thorough content review and test-taking strategies. But remember that as tempting as those free GMAT study materials you find online might be, you should make sure that they are really worth using, with practice questions of various difficulty levels, computer-adaptive practice tests, and a realistic experience of the test.

By taking time to study in the months leading up to your test date, you’ll be able to tackle all of the material and make significant progress toward your target GMAT scores.

What’s Next?

Did you know that you can find a lot of GMAT material online for free? Check out this full list of free GMAT practice tests available around the web.

Once you’ve collected your GMAT study materials, what do you do next? This guide has 23 key tips for preparing for the GMAT.

The GMAT is a scary test, but how hard is it, really? Check out this guide to learn just how difficult the GMAT is and how you can tackle the challenge.

The post GMAT Study Material: 20 Best Prep Resources to Raise Your Score appeared first on Online GMAT Prep Blog by PrepScholar.

Unlike a diamond, a GMAT score isn’t forever. But how long do GMAT scores last, exactly? After five years, GMAT scores are no longer valid for business school admission. After 10 years, you can’t even see them!

If you’re applying to a business program, you’ll need to send scores that are five or fewer years old. Read on to find out the exact policies around how long GMAT scores last and how these policies affect your test-taking schedule.

First, let’s take a closer look at the rules for GMAT score validity.

How Long Are GMAT Scores Valid?

GMAT scores are valid for five years from the date you took the test. You can sign into your account at MBA.com to see any GMAT scores that you accepted in the past five years.

If you want to see scores from a GMAT that you took more than five but fewer than 10 years ago, then you can gain access to them via a special score report request. You’d have to call customer service and pay a fee of $28. This hard copy score report is mostly available for your own benefit, since business schools won’t accept GMAT scores that are older than five years.

If you took the GMAT over a decade ago and want to see your scores just for old time’s sake, then hopefully, you wrote them down. Any GMAT scores that are 10 years or older scores are long gone. You wouldn’t be able to get ahold of them unless you kept your own personal record.

As you just read, you can access scores that are older than five years (but younger than 10), but business schools probably won’t accept them. How long are GMAT scores valid for business schools?

Will Business Schools Accept Old GMAT Scores?

Business schools consider GMAT scores to be valid for five years. This five-year mark typically starts five years prior to a school’s application deadline. Any scores older than that don’t fulfill application requirements.

Harvard Business School, for example, had a Round 1 admissions deadline of September 7 in 2016. To apply, students had to send scores from a GMAT taken after September 7, 2011.

Stanford Business School has a similar policy. To apply for its Round 1 September 21, 2016 deadline, students had to have taken the GMAT on or after September 21, 2011.

Most schools set the cutoff five years prior to their application deadline. If you’re not sure if your scores make the cut, you should contact the admissions office to learn more. They should be able to tell you the exact date from which GMAT scores are considered valid.

While most schools will accept GMAT scores that are five years old, a few only want scores from the “Next Generation GMAT,” the redesigned version that was introduced in 2012.

Columbia Business School, for example, says that scores are valid for five years, but then it adds this caveat: “Both the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) and Integrated Reasoning (IR) sections are required if you take the GMAT.”

Since the IR section was introduced in 2012, GMAT scores from 2011 wouldn’t be valid. Old GMAT scores only count if they come from a test taken in or after June 2012, as that was the first month that the GMAT contained Integrated Reasoning.

If you’re solely concerned with accessing your GMAT scores, then all you need to know is that they’ll stay in your MBA.com account for five years. If you’re using them to apply to business school, though, then you should contact admissions offices to make sure you know any school-specific policies.

In other words, don’t assume that there’s a one size fits all rule when it comes to GMAT score validity in business school admissions. Each school is different, and each can set its own rules. Make sure you know what they are before applying.

Now let’s say that you took the GMAT more than once in the past few years to improve your scores. Will business schools see all your scores from every time you sat for the GMAT?

Do Business Schools See All Your GMAT Scores?

When you take the GMAT, you have the option of keeping or canceling your scores. Right after you finish taking the exam, you’ll see your unofficial score report with your IR, Quantitative, Verbal, and total scores (everything but Analytical Writing Assessment). Based on these scores, you can decide whether to keep or cancel the test.

In past years, business schools could see that you canceled scores from a test sitting. As of 2015, though, canceled scores are no longer indicated on score reports. Even canceled scores from tests taken prior to 2015 will no longer appear on score reports.

You don’t have to worry about schools knowing how many times you took the GMAT. If you crashed and burned during your first try, no one has to know but you.

You also now have the option to reinstate canceled scores from any test taken on or after January 1, 2014 for a fee of $50. You can reinstate scores up to four years and 11 months from your test date. This reinstatement period is a month shy of five years to allow time for processing your request.

Now that you have a sense of the rules around GMAT scores, let’s consider what they mean for your planning. How do these policies around score validity, cancellation, and reinstatement affect your test taking schedule?  

How Do GMAT Score Policies Affect Your Schedule?

The five-year rule for GMAT scores doesn’t affect most people’s test taking schedule a great deal. Generally speaking, people start preparing for the GMAT when they decide to go to business school, so they don’t have to worry about their scores being too old.

There are three main scenarios when GMAT score policies might affect your plans. Read on to see if any of them apply to you.

Scenario #1: You’re Worried Your Scores Are Too Old

If you took the GMAT years ago and are unsure if your scores are still valid, then you should check with each business school that you’re applying to. That way, you can confirm that you’re meeting individual, school-specific application requirements.

Most schools will accept scores that you took five years prior to their Round 1, Round 2, or Round 3 application deadline. Others only want scores from the most recent version of the GMAT, which was first administered in June of 2012.

You could start by looking for this information on each school’s admission website. If you can’t find it there, then you should email or call up the admissions office and ask about its GMAT policy.

Scenario #2: You Want to Take the GMAT as an Undergraduate

If you’re an undergraduate thinking about taking the GMAT, you should consider whether you’ll be applying to business school within five years. Most applicants have at least two to three years of work experience on their resume before applying, so you might be cutting it close.

As long as you meet the five-year cutoff, taking the GMAT during or right after college can be beneficial. Since you’ll still be in academic mode, you may not have to study as much as you would if you waited until several years after graduation. Your math, verbal, and test-taking skills might be as sharp as they’ll ever be.

If your plans change in subsequent years, you can always take the GMAT again, as long as you are able to pay the $250 registration fee again or get a voucher that covers all or part of the cost.

Scenario #3: You Need to Reapply to Business Schools

Finally, this five-year rule for GMAT validity is useful if you don’t get into business schools the first time around and decide to try again the following year. You won’t have to take the test over again, because you can send the same results along with your new applications.

The only reason you would take the GMAT again is if you seek higher scores. Otherwise, your scores will be just as valid for the following year’s admissions as they were for the current year’s, as long as they haven’t passed the five-year mark.

Unless any of the above three scenarios apply to you, the five-year rule of GMAT score validity probably won’t affect your test taking plans all that much. As we finish up, let’s go over some key points you should remember regarding our original query, How long are GMAT scores valid?

How Long Do GMAT Scores Last? Final Thoughts

When asking ourselves, “how long do GMAT scores last?”, it’s useful to come at the question from two angles.

First, we can think about how long the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) holds onto GMAT scores. GMAC keeps GMAT scores for five years, and you can access them online or over the phone. The organization also allows you to request a special score report for GMAT scores between five and 10 years old.

The second angle we should consider is how long GMAT scores are valid for business schools. Like GMAC, most business schools accept scores up to five years old. This five-year cutoff typically starts five years from the application deadline.

Because each school sets its own rules, you need to check requirements on a school by school basis, especially if you’re worried about your scores being too old.

What about if you’re interested in taking the GMAT, but don’t have any concrete plans to apply to business school yet? In this case, you may opt to take the exam if you feel you could get an especially strong score.

As long as you apply within five years, your scores will meet the application requirement. There doesn’t seem to be any advantage to sending scores that are a year old compared to scores that are three years old.

This five-year rule can be useful for anyone who wants to take the GMAT early and then be free to focus on the rest of their business school applications. As long as you fulfill business school requirements, then you can feel confident sending off your GMAT score reports.

What’s Next?

When you take the GMAT, you’ll have to decide whether to keep or cancel your scores. But what makes a good GMAT score? Check out this guide to find out.

What’s a competitive GMAT percentile for business school? Consult this guide to see how GMAT section scores and total scores match up with percentiles.

Are you scoring at or above average on your practice tests? This article on average GMAT scores explains what scores you need to stand out from the pack.

The post How Long Do GMAT Scores Last? appeared first on Online GMAT Prep Blog by PrepScholar.

While it’s impossible to know exactly what questions you’ll get on the GMAT, you can predict the structure of the test. Everybody gets a slightly different version, but each test taker sees the same GMAT pattern.

This guide will go over the GMAT exam pattern so you know exactly what to expect. After reading this article, you won’t have any surprises when it comes to format.

To start, let’s go over what you need to know about the GMAT before taking this unique test.

GMAT Logistics: What You Need to Know

The GMAT is always a computer-based test with four sections, Analytical Writing Assessment, Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, and Verbal, in that order. Each section is strictly timed, and you’re responsible for answering all of the questions in a section before time runs out.

If you don’t get to all of the questions in a section, then your score will take a serious hit. You can only answer one question at a time, and you can’t skip or return to any questions.

The Quantitative and Verbal sections of the GMAT are adaptive, meaning that questions are selected based on your performance as you go along. The adaptive sections rely on an algorithm that matches questions to your ability level.

This adaptive format is meant to gain an accurate measure of your skills. It also allows GMAT scores to be comparable to one another across different versions of the test.

There are experimental questions scattered throughout the Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative and Verbal sections. These experimental questions test out material for future tests, and they don’t count toward your final scores. You won’t have any idea which questions are experimental, though, so you should treat all tasks as equally important.

Now that you have a general sense of how the GMAT works, let’s look more closely at the GMAT exam pattern and format of each section.

What Is the GMAT Exam Pattern? Overall Structure

The GMAT is a three hour exam, plus you can take two optional eight-minute breaks. You’ll also spend between 15 and 20 additional minutes entering score recipients, confirming your personal information, reading instructions, and deciding whether you want to keep or cancel your scores.

The AWA and Integrated Reasoning sections are 30 minutes each, while the Quantitative and Verbal sections are 62 minutes and 65 minutes, respectively.

You can choose one of three orders for the GMAT sections:

• Option 1: Analytical Writing Assessment, Integrated Reasoning, Break, Quantitative, Break, Verbal
• Option 2: Verbal, Break, Quantitative, Break, Integrated Reasoning, Analytical Writing Assessment
• Option 3: Quantitative, Break, Verbal, Break, Integrated Reasoning, Analytical Writing Assessment

This chart shows how many questions you get in each section, along with an estimate of how much time you have per question. Remember that each estimate is just an average. It’s often a better practice to spend more time on certain question types than to divide your time up equally.

Again, you’re responsible to getting to all of the questions in each section. Developing an efficient test-taking rhythm is essential for doing well on the GMAT. Now let’s take a closer look at the GMAT test pattern within each section, starting with AWA.

GMAT Pattern: Analytical Writing Assessment Section

The Analytical Writing Assessment is 30 minutes long and asks you to respond to an essay question.

Before you get to your essay, you’ll have 10 minutes to read a tutorial with instructions on the essay and how to navigate the text box. You can find this same tutorial on GMAT practice tests, so you should go into the test already familiar with what it says.

Once you start the section, you’ll see an essay prompt in the form of a short excerpt of an argument. You can actually find the full list of GMAT AWA prompts here. Here’s just one example:

After the prompt, the instructions will say the following:

In your essay, your job is to critique the argument, not to talk about your own opinion or views on a subject. You can find sample essays online, as well as look over the rubric that graders use to score your essay. Your AWA score will fall between 1 and 6, and you’ll get it about 20 days after you take the GMAT.

How to Prepare for the AWA Format

In the AWA section, you need to write a well-structured and well-organized essay in 30 minutes. To prepare, you should read plenty of highly scored sample essays, as well as the rubric that graders will use to score your essay.

You should also set aside time to write your own practice essays. You might use the first three to five minutes to plan your response, the next 20 to draft, and save three to five minutes at the end to edit and revise.

By dividing your time among planning, drafting, and revising, you can take a structured approach to the AWA section and ensure that you produce a solid response before time is called.

GMAT Pattern: Integrated Reasoning Section

After you write your essay, you’ll move onto a screen with instructions for the Integrated Reasoning (IR) section. Again, you should already be familiar with these instructions. You’ll only get one minute to read them on test day, or you can click through before the minute is up to start working.

The IR section was introduced to the GMAT in 2012. You’ll answer 12 questions in 30 minutes. Unlike the Quantitative and Verbal sections, IR is not adaptive. The questions don’t change based on your performance. This section is scored between 1 and 12.

IR is the only section on the GMAT where you can use a calculator. You can’t bring your own, but rather will use the on-screen calculator tool. You’ll also use drop-down menus to manipulate data. For instance, you might reorganize a chart by its different columns.

So, what’s tested in the IR section? This relatively new GMAT section asks you to evaluate data in multiple formats. This data may be presented in a passage, chart, graph, or other graphic. Your job is to interpret and synthesize information and evaluate statements.

While IR questions are multi-part, you can’t get partial credit. You must answer all parts of an IR question correctly to get points.

There are four question types in the IR section. Read on for a description and sample of each question type.

Integrated Reasoning: 4 Question Types

The four question types in the IR section are table analysis, graphics interpretation, multi-source reasoning, and two-part analysis. Let’s take a closer look at each type, starting with table analysis questions.

Table Analysis Questions

These questions will present you with a table of data. You’ll sort the data to help you evaluate the accuracy of four to five statements. Each statement will have opposing answers, like yes/no, true/false, inferable/not inferable, and you’ll have to select one answer.

Here’s a screenshot of a table analysis question. If you download the GMAT Prep Software, you can practice answering sample questions that are sortable, just like you’ll get on the real exam.

Graphics Interpretation Questions

These questions ask you to interpret a graph or image and then use drop-down menus to complete various response statements. Your job is to choose the answer that makes the answer statements accurate.

Check out this official sample question to get a clearer sense of what graphics interpretation questions are all about.

Multi-Source Reasoning Questions

With these questions, you’ll get a set of tabs that you can click through. Each tab will have information on a certain topic. This information might be presented in the form of a passage, graphic, or chart. You’ll have to use all data from all three tabs to determine the accuracy of various statements.

Here’s a screenshot of a multi-source reasoning question from the GMAT Prep Software.

Two-Part Analysis Questions

Finally, two-part analysis questions present you with a table of answer choices. You have to select one answer from each column to solve a problem. Check out this sample question to see how two-part analysis questions work.

Tips to Prepare for Integrated Reasoning Format

There are a couple of features unique to the Integrated Reasoning section. One is the various drop-down menus that let you reorganize data. You’ll need to practice with GMAT Prep Software to become adept at sorting data in a useful way.

The second feature you should practice using is the on-screen calculator. You won’t be able to bring your own calculator, so you should make sure you can use the computer-based one. There aren’t any special tricks to it, but you may want to practice so you don’t lose time here.

Finally, you’ll need to develop your skills of reading graphs, charts, and other graphics. You’ll find information presented in a huge variety of formats, so you’ll want to be comfortable interpreting and evaluating data in different forms and switching quickly from one to the next.

GMAT Pattern: Quantitative Section

The Quantitative section is one of two adaptive sections on the GMAT. Questions are selected depending on your performance. Basically, adaptive testing works like this — if you get a question right, then your next question will be more difficult. If you get a question wrong, then you will move on to an easier question. It’s not always as straightforward as this, but you get the idea.

The Quantitative section asks you 31 math questions in 62 minutes and is scored between 0 and 60. Even if you haven’t taken math for years, you should be able to do well in this section, because the tested concepts aren’t particularly advanced.

You don’t need to know advanced calculus or statistical analysis. The Quantitative section mainly focuses on arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and logic.

There are two main question types, problem solving and data sufficiency, and they are interspersed throughout. Read on for a description and sample question of each type.

Problem Solving Questions

Problem solving questions are straightforward math problems. You’ll solve these questions and come up with one answer. All of them are multiple choice and feature five answer choices.

Here are a few sample problem solving questions that you could see in this section.

Data Sufficiency Questions

Data sufficiency questions are a bit more unusual. They present you with a formula or graphic, followed by a problem and two statements. It’s your job to figure out whether the statements, alone or together, give you enough information to solve the original problem.

You don’t actually have to solve the problem. You just have to indicate whether one of the statements, both, or neither gives you “sufficient data.”

Check out the example problem below. All data sufficiency questions will feature these same five answer choices.

Quantitative Section Format: How to Prepare

The Quantitative section is adaptive, but you shouldn’t worry about that. Some people get in their heads and think that easy-seeming questions mean they’re doing poorly.

However, there’s really no way of understanding the progression of questions as you go, and trying to do so will only sap your precious mental energy. Focus on solving the problems, and you’ll get your scores soon enough.

There isn’t anything particularly unusual about the problem-solving question types in the GMAT Quantitative section. They probably resemble problems on most other math tests you’ve taken. Your main mode of getting ready for these should be reviewing relevant concepts.

The data sufficiency questions are a little more unusual, and you should go into the test familiar with your answer choices. They will always look the same on every data sufficiency question, but they can be confusing if you’re reading them for the first time on test day.

Finally, you should make the most of the note boards and markers you’ll get at the testing center. These are entirely for your own use, and you should fill them up during the Quantitative section as you work out the problems. The note boards won’t be graded, and you’ll return them at the end of the test.

GMAT Pattern: Verbal Section

The Verbal section is 65 minutes long, asks 36 questions, and is adaptive. Like the Quantitative section, it’s scored between 0 and 60. As its name implies, this section tests your verbal skills, including your reading comprehension, understanding of grammar, and critical reasoning.

As in the other three sections of the GMAT, your critical reasoning skills come into play here. You’ll have to evaluate arguments and pinpoint their strengths and weaknesses.

There are three main question types in the Verbal section: reading comprehension, critical reasoning, and sentence correction. Read on to learn more about each type, as well as to see a sample question.

Reading Comprehension Questions

You should get about four passages in the Verbal section. You’ll read through the passages and then answer three or four questions about each one. These questions might ask about meaning, logic, or central premise. You might interpret the passage’s main idea, supporting details, structure, or tone.

Here’s an example of a reading comprehension passage and question on the GMAT.

Critical Reasoning Questions

About one-third of the questions on the Verbal section will be critical reasoning questions. These questions are reminiscent of your AWA essay, since they present a short argument and ask you to evaluate it.

Rather than writing an entire 30-minute essay about each prompt, though, you’ll answer a multiple choice question. These questions often present statements and ask you which one would weaken, strengthen, or complete the argument. They might also ask you to evaluate structure, find an assumption, make an inference, or evaluate a conclusion.

To see what critical reasoning questions look like, check out this sample question.

Sentence Correction Questions

Here’s where your understanding of English grammar comes into play. Sentence correction questions present a sentence, often long and wordy, with a certain word or phrase underlined. Your job is to figure out whether the underlined portion has an error, and if it does, how it should read instead.

You’ll get five answer choices with suggested revisions. The first answer choice will always be the same as the underlined portion. You’ll choose this first version if there’s no error in the original sentence.

The instructions will remind you that your answer “should be clear and exact, without awkwardness, ambiguity, redundancy, or grammatical error.” Here’s an example of a sentence correction question on the GMAT.

How to Prepare for the Verbal Section Format

With 36 questions and several long passages, the Verbal section demands that you work fast. You should develop your speed reading skills as you get ready for the GMAT.

You might focus on big picture issues, like organization, tone, and main point, rather than spending too much time reading each and every word. Time-saving strategies like this one will help you do well in this section.

As you can see, there’s a lot that you can learn about the GMAT exam pattern before actually taking the test. While you won’t know exactly what questions you’ll get, you can know how many questions you’ll get, what they’ll look like, and how much time you have per section.

As you get ready for the GMAT, what can you do to specifically prepare yourself for the format of the test?

Getting Ready for the GMAT Exam Pattern: 6 Essential Study Tips

To do well on the GMAT, you definitely need to immerse yourself in reviewing content and developing your skills in math, reading, grammar, critical reasoning, and data interpretation. These study tips, however, are focused specifically on how to prepare for the GMAT pattern and structure.

What can you do to get ready for the format of this strictly timed test? Check out the six tips below to find out!

#1: Familiarize Yourself With the Format

First and foremost, you should take time to learn all about the GMAT test pattern. If you’ve made it to the end of this guide, then that mission is already accomplished!

While there’s a lot you can’t know about the exam, you should minimize surprises as much as possible. That way, you can focus all of your energy on solving problems, and you won’t have to waste time reading through instructions screens or trying to figure out how those tricky data sufficiency questions work.

Understanding the format will also help you start to develop a sense of timing. You know how many questions and how much time you have per section, so you can start to divide up your time in a way that will maximize your efficiency.

#2: Memorize the Instructions

When you take the real GMAT, you’ll get instruction screens between each section. Apart from the AWA tutorial, you’ll only have a minute to glance over these instructions.

Rather than rushing through these screens on test day, take the time to learn all the instructions before test day. You can see them all on practice tests on the GMAT Prep Software.

When you actually take the GMAT, you can use these screens to take a deep breath and switch focus between subject matter, confident that you already know what you need to do know next.

#3: Develop a Test-Taking Rhythm

Unlike a lot of other tests, the GMAT doesn’t let you skip or return to any questions. Plus, it requires you to get to all of the questions in a section before time runs out.

To deal with this format, you should take timed practice tests to develop a rhythm. You’ll find yourself getting more efficient and improving with practice.

As you work on pacing, you should try your best to focus solely on the question in front of you at any given time. If the previous question stumped you, just try to forget about it. You can’t return to it, so continuing to think about it will only make it harder to do well on the next one.

To excel on the GMAT, you need to develop a mindset that focuses only on the question at hand and forgets about questions that have already gone past.

#4: Strive to Answer All of the Questions

Again, you’re responsible for answering all of the questions in each section and will face a severe score penalty if you don’t. On average, you should only spend about two minutes per question. However, you might find yourself spending longer on some question types than on others.

For instance, you’ll probably devote more time to reading a passage and relatively less time to answering the questions that follow. Similarly, you might spend more time on reading comprehension questions overall than on sentence corrections.

As you practice and take the real test, keep an eye on the timer and make sure that you’re working at a pace that will help you get to all of the questions in time. If, conversely, you find yourself rushing, then you might want to slow down to prevent careless errors. You can’t return to any questions, so there’s no point finishing a section with 10 minutes left to spare.

#5: Forget About the Adaptive GMAT Pattern

As you learned above, the Quantitative and Verbal sections are adaptive. An algorithm selects questions for you that match your ability.

If you get one or more questions wrong, then the subsequent questions should become easier. If you’re acing all the questions, then the difficulty level should increase.

The algorithm that selects these questions is a complex one, and there’s no advantage to trying to gauge your performance as you go along. For one, it’s difficult to evaluate the difficulty level of a question accurately. A question may feel easy just because you recently studied the concept, not because it’s actually easier than others.

Second, there are several experimental questions thrown into the mix. These won’t be scored, but you have no way of telling which ones they are.

Some people take the GMAT and freak out when they feel like the questions are getting easier. They assume this means they’re doing badly. There’s really no way of knowing how you’re doing until the end, so trying to crack the code would just distract you.

Use your mental energy on solving problems, and wait until the end to see your scores.

#6: Make the Most of Your Breaks

Finally, you should take advantage of your optional breaks to get up, move around, and stretch. You can also drink water and eat snacks. The GMAT is a long and demanding test, and these breaks will help you get reenergized between sections.

Plus, if you don’t take them, people could be moving in and out of the test room while you’re trying to concentrate. All of this movement could get distracting and make you lose precious time.

If you follow all of these tips, then you’ll be familiar with the GMAT exam pattern and ready to handle the format of this important exam. In closing, let’s go over the key takeaways you should remember about GMAT structure.

GMAT Exam Pattern: Final Thoughts

Whatever version of the GMAT you take, you’ll get a test with the same format as everyone else. You’ll have four sections – Analytical Writing Assessment, Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, and Verbal – and each will be strictly timed.

You’ll be taking a computer-based test, and the Quantitative and Verbal sections will be adaptive, meaning questions change to match your ability level.

Besides studying content, you should prepare for the GMAT test pattern by developing time management skills and reading all of the instructions before test day.

By familiarizing yourself with the GMAT exam pattern and question types, you can make sure you don’t get any surprises on test day.

What’s Next?

Have you drawn up a study plan for the GMAT yet? Whether or not you’ve started preparing, you should check out this full GMAT syllabus for tips on how to design a personalized study plan that will help you achieve your goals.

Do you know exactly how the GMAT is scored? This guide will tell you everything you need to know about scoring on the GMAT.

Have you chosen a date to take the test? Check out this article on GMAT test dates and how to choose the best one for you.

The post GMAT Exam Pattern: Learn the Test Format appeared first on Online GMAT Prep Blog by PrepScholar.

Every year, the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) takes a close look at everyone’s GMAT scores. They find the average GMAT score for all test takers, plus they calculate mean scores by different demographics, like gender and region of citizenship. All of this number crunching helps GMAC see trends in scores over time and ensure that the GMAT is a valid test for people across the world.

Read on to learn how everyone does on the GMAT and to see whether your scores are competitive. You’ll also find data on the average GMAT scores of accepted students at almost 50 business schools!

Let’s start with the most recent data we have on GMAT scores for all test takers. What is the average GMAT score?

Average GMAT Score for All Test Takers

In 2016, the average GMAT score was 558. This average was taken across all 261,248 test-takers worldwide, as reported in GMAC’s 2016 Data to Go Report Series.

The average GMAT scores by section are based on a sample of over 750,000 individuals who took the GMAT between 2013 and 2015. 

You might be surprised to see that average Quantitative scores are a lot higher than average Verbal scores. Math scores have gone up over time, perhaps as more and more student from math-proficient countries across the world take the GMAT.

As the test becomes more international, students have especially strong math skills but weaker verbal skills, since English may not be their native language. As a result of this trend, you’ll find that it’s now harder to rank in a high percentile for Quantitative than it is for Verbal.

We’ll discuss trends in average GMAT scores over time in more detail below, but first, let’s take a look at the GMAT average score by gender and region of citizenship.

Average GMAT Score by Gender

The most recent data we have on average GMAT scores by gender also comes from GMAC’s 2013 Profile of GMAT Candidates Executive Summary. This chart shows the GMAT average scores for men and women for testing year 2013. 

Overall, more men take the GMAT than women, and they also average higher total scores.

In addition to finding mean scores by gender, GMAC also analyzes data by region of citizenship. The chart below shows GMAT average scores by region for 2016.

Average GMAT Scores by Citizenship Region

To give you a sense of testing trends in your region of citizenship, GMAC crunched the numbers for Africa, East and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and other regions across the world. This chart shows the GMAT average scores by region for testing year 2016.

Some regions average higher than the worldwide mean of 558, while some fall lower. The Australia & Pacific Islands area takes the prize for highest GMAT score averages, with a whopping 610! (Note it also had the lowest number of exams taken, so the students coming from this region may be especially well prepared.)

If you’re interested in average GMAT scores by each individual country, you can find this data in GMAC’s official report.

Have average GMAT scores always looked like this? Read on to see how scores have shifted over the years.

How Have Average GMAT Scores Changed Over Time?

Has the GMAT average score increased, decreased, or stayed the same over time? To answer this question, consider the chart below showing the average total scores worldwide from 2012 to 2016.

For the most part, average GMAT scores have increased over time. This increase in average total scores likely reflects the overall increase in Quantitative scores.

As mentioned above, there are more excellent math scores on the GMAT than ever before. As a result, you need a higher score to rank in a high percentile for the Quantitative section today than you did in years past.

Besides making percentile rankings more competitive, does this trend in average scores affect what scores you need to get into business school?

What Is the Average GMAT Score for Business School?

For the most part, the average GMAT scores of students who are accepted to business school tend to be higher than the average scores across the world or by citizenship region. In fact, the average worldwide score of 558 is on the low side for many business schools.

So, what scores do you need to get in? That all depends on where you’re applying. Top schools tend to expect scores over 700, while less selective schools leave more wiggle room.

Let’s consider the GMAT average scores of accepted students at almost 50 business schools, some that are highly selective and others that are less so.

The most selective business schools have an average GMAT score of about 720, but less selective ones accept students with scores in the 500s or 600s. You can also find a few, like Nicholls State, that will accept students with GMAT scores in the 400s, but you may have to balance out a lower than average GMAT score with a higher than average undergraduate GPA.

Remember, all of these scores are just averages, meaning some students got in with lower scores and some students had higher. In addition to your GMAT scores, your essays, recommendation letters, academic records, and work experience are also important parts of your application.

When setting a goal for the GMAT, it’s more important to find the average scores of accepted students at business schools than average GMAT scores overall. If you’re applying to a school that’s not on this list, how can you find the average GMAT score of accepted students?

How to Find Average GMAT Scores for Business Schools

Most schools publish data on the GMAT average score of accepted students every year. You should be able to find this information in the admissions section of the school’s website. You can search around the school website or use a search engine to look for, “school name + average GMAT score.”

If you can’t find this information, then you should feel free to call up or email the admissions office of the school. While they probably won’t give you a score cutoff, they should be able to tell you the average GMAT scores of students who got in last year.

By doing this research, you can set specific goals for your own GMAT section and total scores. Then, you can start preparing to meet those goals and make your business school application the strongest it can be.

In closing, what can you take away from all this data on average GMAT scores? Let’s go over some final thoughts about average GMAT scores and how they can help you evaluate your own GMAT performance.

What Is the Average GMAT Score? Final Thoughts

GMAC analyzes the huge collection of GMAT data every year to calculate average scores for all test takers. By looking at average scores, you can gain a sense of how competitive your own scores are compared to those of other prospective business school students.

At the same time, you should be more concerned with the average scores of students who have been accepted to business schools that you’re interested in. For the most part, business programs want scores that are higher than the worldwide or national average.

In fact, the global average of 558 is quite low for many business school programs and would likely eliminate your application from consideration to the most selective business schools in the country and world.

When setting your own target GMAT scores, you should emphasize average scores from business schools, rather than the GMAT average score from the Graduate Management Admission Council. That way, you can figure out what you need to score and work towards achieving competitive GMAT scores.

What’s Next?

Now you know all about average GMAT scores, but do you know how the test is scored? Check out this GMAT scoring guide to learn everything you need to know.

In addition to section and total scores, you’ll also get a percentile ranking. Head over to our GMAT percentile guide to learn what this ranking means and how section and total GMAT scores correspond to percentiles.

Have you decided on a GMAT test date yet? Check out this full guide to choosing a GMAT test date and time that will help you do your best.

The post Average GMAT Scores: Where Do You Rank? appeared first on Online GMAT Prep Blog by PrepScholar.

Taking practice tests is an essential part of any GMAT study plan. There are a number of free GMAT practice tests online, as well as several high-quality resources available for purchase.

This guide will give you a comprehensive overview of all of your GMAT practice test options, along with some tips for making the most of these materials. First, let’s go over the general GMAT practice test landscape.

GMAT Practice Tests: What Are the Options?

There are plenty of official and unofficial GMAT examples out there that will help you prepare for the exam. You might take a practice test every two or three weeks to gauge your progress toward your target scores.

The best GMAT practice test comes from the test makers themselves, the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). There are two free practice tests on the GMAT Prep Software, and you can take each one multiple times. However, you might see a few repeat questions upon retake, so only your first takes will truly represent a realistic experience of the exam. GMAC also sells a couple of packages with two or four additional practice tests.

Beyond these official materials, there are unofficial practice tests from third party test prep companies. Some companies offer a free test online and sell additional tests for somewhere between $20 and $50. Others offer practice tests as part of a comprehensive GMAT prep course. These courses include classes, tutoring, access to question banks, and essay-scoring services, and they can cost $1,000 or more.

While an unofficial GMAT practice test can never be as realistic as an official one, some offer high-quality practice questions, a near-identical format to the GMAT, and realistic visuals that look the same as what you’ll see on test day.

What specific features should you look for in a GMAT practice test?

What Makes a Good Practice GMAT? 4 Features

Practice tests may be official or unofficial, free or purchased. The official GMAT practice tests are the best, since they come from the test makers themselves and use the real GMAT scoring algorithm.

Unofficial GMAT practice tests, though, can still be very high quality. The best ones share the following four features.

#1: They Have the Right Format and Timing

The best GMAT practice tests have the same format and timing as the real GMAT. They are computer-based, include all four sections, and have a timer counting down how much time you have left in each section.

A GMAT practice test should look the same as the real GMAT and show the same instruction pages. It should have the same visuals as the official GMAT and time each section accurately.

#2: They Use High-Quality Questions

The best GMAT practice tests also feature realistic, high-quality practice questions. There are certain question types in each section of the GMAT, and all of them should be represented on your practice test.

As you answer official sample questions from GMAC, you’ll get more and more familiar with what a GMAT question looks like. Eventually, you should be able to spot a question that is overly difficult, way too easy, or tests an unrelated concept.

#3: They Have Adaptive Math and Verbal Sections

The Quantitative and Verbal sections of the GMAT are adaptive, meaning that the difficulty levels of the questions change to match your ability. If you’re getting questions right, then the questions should get a little harder. If you’re making errors, then the questions should get a little easier.

The best practice tests will have a computer-adaptive format (often abbreviated as CAT, or computer-adaptive test) so that you can gain experience taking an adaptive test.

#4: They Give You a Detailed Score Report and Answer Explanations

Finally, GMAT test examples are useful for uncovering your weak areas. The best tests will give you detailed insight into your scoring level, plus they’ll deconstruct problems and go over how to solve them, step by step.

The best GMAT practice tests let you look back on your performance and learn how to solve questions you got wrong. There’s no point to taking GMAT test examples if you can’t learn from them.

With these four features in mind, we’ve selected the best resources for GMAT practice tests. We’ll start with the official ones from GMAT and then move onto the list of unofficial GMAT practice tests.

Official GMAT Practice Materials

The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) offers practice GMAT materials that are available both for free and for purchase. To access the free materials, you should download the GMAT Prep Software.

This software contains two full-length GMAT example tests, plus 90 additional sample questions. Since the practice tests draw from a large bank of questions, you can actually take each one more than once. However, you might see some repeat questions upon retake.

These free official GMAT practice tests are timed and look the same as the real GMAT. The main differences are the fact that you can pause the exam, stop it and resume at a later time, or review answers to questions as you go along. If you forgo those study tools, though, then you can get a highly realistic experience of taking the GMAT.

Beyond these free materials, you can also purchase additional tests and questions:

• Two additional full-length practice tests for $49.99
• Four additional practice tests for $99.98
• 13 full-length practice tests and 1,100 GMAT questions for $319.92
• 404 extra practice questions for $29.99

If you’re looking for lessons and content review, you can buy official GMAT prep books. GMAC offers three guides, one for the Quantitative section, one for the Verbal section, and one that goes over the test in full.

These books contain lessons on fundamental concepts, like the algebra you need to know for the math section and the grammar rules you need for Verbal. They also have an online component with more practice questions. The cost of all three books is $85.85. Individually, the section books cost $19.95 each and the comprehensive guide is $45.95.

Official GMAT questions and books can be very useful resources, as they’re the most realistic representations of the real test and they will give you the most accurate idea of your scoring level.

What you choose all depends on how you want to study and how much you want to spend. These materials don’t come along with tutoring or classes, which may be helpful depending on your learning style.

In addition to official practice tests, you could supplement your materials with unofficial tests. Let’s take a look at all the available unofficial GMAT practice tests, ranked from best to worst.

Every Unofficial GMAT Practice Test, From Best to Worst

Here’s the full list of test prep companies with GMAT practice tests, both free and available for purchase. They’re ranked from best to worst based on the realism and quality of the materials and overall costs.

Some companies offer tutoring services and classes, while others simply sell practice tests. Let’s consider each one, starting with the practice tests made by Veritas.

#1: Veritas Prep

Veritas Prep tops the list for its realistic, excellent GMAT practice tests. The format resembles the actual GMAT, and the test contains all of the question types and concepts you’ll see on the real exam.

You can access one GMAT online test for free and take it all at once or in sections. You can also choose 50% or 100% extra time if you need accommodations.

Not only are Veritas GMAT practice tests realistic, but they are also affordable. In addition to the free GMAT practice test, you can also purchase seven additional computer-adaptive practice tests for only $48.

Veritas Prep classes are much pricier, with its flagship 36-hour course priced at $1,650 and its in-person or online private tutoring priced between $2,450 and $7,450. Most students give excellent reviews of Veritas Prep’s GMAT programs.

#2: Kaplan

Kaplan offers some of the best unofficial practice GMAT tests. They have realistic formats and high-quality questions that represent every question type on the GMAT. The math and verbal sections are adaptive, and each question comes with both written and video answer explanations.  

You can take a free GMAT test online or sign up for a live, online instructor-proctored test. The online event includes live explanations from Kaplan faculty, a mini lesson from a teacher, and a live chat window where you can ask questions.

The main downside of Kaplan is that additional practice materials are relatively expensive. It costs $149 for four additional practice tests and $199 for eight practice tests. Included in both packages is access to over 1,500 practice questions, plus an accompanying mobile app that lets you practice from anywhere on your phone.

#3: Manhattan Prep

Manhattan Prep also offers realistic, high-quality GMAT questions of varying difficulty levels. The only downside is that the visuals of its GMAT practice exams don’t match what you’ll see on the real GMAT.

On Manhattan Prep tests, you can manually adjust time settings to give yourself more time in each section or set a time limit for each question. The latter feature can be a useful study tool if you’re trying to improve your efficiency.

You can take one free practice test and purchase six more full-length GMAT practice tests for $49.

#4: Princeton Review

Princeton Review offers solid practice tests, but you don’t have the option of purchasing just the materials. After taking their one free practice test, you can buy a course with 10 additional GMAT practice exams, hundreds of practice questions, video answers and explanations, and personalized feedback on your GMAT essay. This course costs $499.

The main downside of the free Princeton Review practice tests is that they can be kind of finicky. You need to have the right version of Java to access them, and you’ll have to turn off any ad-blocking software. Other than logistical issues, these practice tests offer solid preparation for the GMAT.

#5: 800 Score Test

You can find five practices tests at 800score.com, one available as a free GMAT online test, and the other four available for a total of $24.95. The questions are realistic in type, though they don’t resemble the visuals of the real test, and both the math and verbal sections are adaptive. All the tests also feature an AWA essay prompt.

At the end, you can look over your answers, review answer explanations, and learn how much time you spent on each question. If you don’t have time for a three and a half hour exam, then you can save your results, log in again later, and start from where you left off.

The main downside of these tests is that they don’t look much like the real GMAT exam. The content is decent, but the visuals are not representative of what you’ll see on test day.

#6: Manhattan Review Practice Test

Manhattan Review offers a free diagnostic practice test and online classes. The GMAT practice test is just OK, with many questions appearing easier than what you’ll get on the real test and an outdated AWA section that features two essay prompts instead of one.

The online courses appear to be updated for today’s version of the GMAT, and they include private tutors, hundreds of practice questions, and five CAT GMAT practice tests. For the most part, students give positive reviews of Manhattan Review, but it’s not as popular as other providers. Its comprehensive courses cost $990.

#7: The Economist

The Economist doesn’t offer any free practice tests. Instead, they have three packages for GMAT prep, Complete Prep, Premium Prep, and Ultimate Prep. Complete Prep costs $999 for three months, Premium costs $1,199 for three months, and Ultimate costs $1,399 for six months. The Complete plan includes three full-length GMAT practice tests, Premium plan has five, and the Ultimate plan has six.

All three plans also offer lessons, tutoring, one-on-one help, and essay scoring services to some extent, and they all offer access to over 5,000 practice questions. Overall, students speak highly of Economist Prep, with some saying that the math practice is higher quality than the verbal prep.

It has thorough answer explanations, an accurate scoring system, and an accompanying mobile app to prep anywhere from your phone. If you feel like you need one-on-one tutoring to meet your GMAT goals, then an Economist GMAT course could be worth the splurge.

#8: GMAT Pill

GMAT Pill offers one computer-adaptive practice test with its online course, which goes for $437 for a lifetime membership or $169 for the first month and $99 per month after that. In addition to the practice test, you’ll get over 80 hours of video instruction and explanations, a detailed study plan, a community discussion forum, and over a thousand practice questions.

According to reviews, most students had a positive experience with GMAT Pill. Most say that it’s best for a one-month study plan, and it’s more useful for test-taking strategy than thorough content review. GMAT Pill offers a 50-point guarantee or you’ll get your money back.

#9: McGraw-Hill

McGraw-Hill offers six free practice tests with three of the four GMAT sections; they’re missing the AWA essay. The tests are adaptive, and the questions represent all of the GMAT question types.

The visuals don’t match the GMAT, but the questions are decent, especially the Verbal and Integrated Reasoning problems. Overall, the math questions are easier than what you’ll get on the GMAT.

McGraw-Hill also sells a prep book with additional practice tests, but students say the materials are unrealistic and full of errors. While the free practice tests are a useful resource, the other materials don’t seem worth the cost.

#10: Peterson’s

For just $19.95, you can get 90 days of access to three of Peterson’s full-length GMAT practice tests. The tests are computer adaptive, but their positive features mainly end there. According to students, the tests don’t resemble the real GMAT, the difficulty levels of the questions are way off, and the answer explanations are ambiguous.

While these three tests are one of the most affordable options, it doesn’t seem like they’ll offer good practice or an accurate measure of your scoring level.

#11: Magoosh

To access Magoosh practice tests, you need to sign up for a premium account. You’ll get access to two full-length GMAT practice tests, along with 800 practice questions and 250 video lessons for a year.

Magoosh is not the most highly ranked GMAT prep provider, with students giving it mediocre reviews. It is more cost effective than some of the more popular companies, like Kaplan and Princeton Review, with its premium package going for just $99.

#12: Prep Adviser Test

Prep Adviser offers just one GMAT practice test, and you can take it for free. You’ll see an Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, and Verbal section; AWA is missing. Overall, the questions are a bit easier than real GMAT questions.

These can be useful if you’re in need of more free practice questions, but it shouldn’t be your only or main source of GMAT prep.

#13: Test Masters

Test Masters offers nine full-length practice tests in its online course, which costs $950. The course includes three hours of tutoring, interactive and video lessons, and thousands of practice questions, drills, and lessons.

The downside of the Test Masters practice tests is that they’re all on paper, not on the computer. Since the GMAT is computer-based with two adaptive sections, these tests won’t give you an accurate experience.

If you’re going to spend close to $1,000, you should be getting computer-based CAT practice tests.

Whichever option you choose, how can you make the most of GMAT practice tests?

How to Make the Most of GMAT Practice Tests: 5 Tips

As you can see, there are lots of options for GMAT practice tests, some of them higher quality than others. Once you’ve collected your GMAT practice materials, how can you plan to use them in the most effective way possible?

Consider these five tips for making the most of GMAT practice tests.

#1: Take a Diagnostic Practice Test

You should take your first practice near the beginning of your studying to establish your baseline scoring level. To get the most accurate measure, you should use one of GMAC’s official practice tests.

Don’t set your expectations high for this first test. Rather, you should use it as a jumping off point for figuring out your weak areas, learning from your mistakes, and seeing how many points you need to improve before test day.

This initial test will establish a benchmark. Review your performance, study answer explanations, and analyze your mistakes. By figuring out what you don’t know, you can design an informed study plan that targets your weak areas.

#2: Take a Practice Test Every Two to Three Weeks

GMAT practice tests are a great way to gain experience with the exam and measure your score improvement as you study. You might take a test every two to three works to make sure you’re still making progress toward your goals.

If you find that you’ve stalled, then you’ll need to change up your approach. Practice tests help reveal what you know and where you’re struggling. Once you’ve figured this out, you can consult other prep materials to strengthen your skills.

By checking in with practice tests, you can use your results to adjust your study plan as you go along. At the same time, you should note that unofficial practice tests don’t use GMAC’s official scoring algorithm, so your score reports from unofficial practice tests may not be very accurate. Beyond the score report, you should also rely on your experience to measure your progress.

#3: Simulate Testing Conditions

The best practice tests give you a realistic experience of the GMAT. To make this experience as representative as possible, you should find a quiet space free of distractions and follow the same time limits as the real test. While most practice tests let you press pause or manually adjust time settings, you’ll get the most out of tests if you simulate testing conditions.

#4: Keep an Error Log

When you take the tests, you should write down any questions that you made a mistake on or were unsure about. Figure out why you made an error, whether you were confused on a concept or ran out of time. By logging your mistakes, you can find patterns over time and take specific steps to address your weak spots.

#5: Develop a Test-Taking Rhythm

While practice tests aren’t going to teach you everything you need to know for the GMAT, they will help you develop a test-taking rhythm. You only have an average of two minutes per question, and you’re responsible for getting to all of the questions in each section or you’ll face a severe score penalty.

As you take the tests, pay attention to the timer and develop a sense of pacing. If you find yourself wasting time on a confusing question, then it may benefit you to make your best guess and move on.

The more you practice, the better you’ll get at time management. By keeping these tips in mind, you can use practice tests in the most beneficial way possible. As we finish up, let’s go over some final thoughts about taking practice tests as you get ready for the GMAT.

GMAT Practice Tests: Final Thoughts

If you’re on the hunt for practice tests, you’ll find quite a few options around the internet. There are some high-quality free practice tests, plus many others that you can purchase on their own or as part of a GMAT prep course.

The best GMAT example tests come from the test makers, and the official offerings may be sufficient for your prep. If you’re looking for even more prep material or want to take a class or get a tutor, then you may look at a well-regarded test prep company.

It’s best to take a practice test near the beginning of your prep to gain a sense of your baseline scoring level and help inform your test prep plan. You could also take a test every few weeks to measure your improvement and figure out where you need to practice more.

Practice tests are a great way to get the GMAT test taking experience before you enter the testing center on test day. With enough practice, the real exam will feel like familiar territory.

What’s Next?

Once you’ve collected your GMAT practice materials, what should you do next? This comprehensive guide tells you exactly how to prepare for the GMAT, step by step.

Are you familiar with the exact structure of the GMAT? Check out this guide for the full GMAT exam pattern, along with sample problems of every question type.

The GMAT is a scary test, but how hard is it, really? Learn just how challenging the GMAT is in this full guide.

The post 28 GMAT Practice Tests to Help You Prepare for the Exam appeared first on Online GMAT Prep Blog by PrepScholar.

To truly understand the GMAT, you need to break it into pieces. There are four sections in the exam, each with its own challenges and demands.

There are some shared themes throughout the GMAT sections, but each stands on its own and requires unique preparation. This guide will go over the four GMAT sections in full so you know exactly what to expect from each one and how to get ready for exam day.

To start, let’s go over a general overview of the four GMAT test sections.

What Are the 4 GMAT Sections?

The four sections of the GMAT are Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA), Integrated Reasoning (IR), Quantitative, and Verbal, always in that order. The AWA and Integrated Reasoning sections are 30 minutes each, and the Quantitative and Verbal sections are 75 minutes.

Altogether, the four GMAT sections take three and a half hours to work through. This chart shows the length of time, number of questions, and average time per question in the four sections of the GMAT.

The AWA section asks you to write an essay in response to a prompt, but the remaining GMAT sections are multiple choice. The Quantitative and Verbal sections are unique because they are both adaptive.

On an adaptive section, questions are selected as you go to match your ability level. If you’re getting questions wrong, then the subsequent ones should be a little easier. If you’re acing everything, then the questions should get progressively more difficult.

This adaptive format means that no two versions of the GMAT are exactly the same. It also means that it’s important to answer all of the questions in each section so that the scoring algorithm can get the most accurate measure of your skills.

The GMAT sections are unique, but they all draw on your critical reasoning and problem solving skills. As the GMAT is a test for business school, the exam often asks you to examine evidence, draw conclusions, and evaluate solutions. All in all, the GMAT tests the writing, math, verbal, and data interpretation skills you need to succeed in business school.

Now that you have a general sense of the GMAT test sections, let’s take a closer look at each one, starting with AWA.

GMAT Section #1: Analytical Writing Assessment

The Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section asks you to write an essay in response to a short prompt. You’ll get an excerpt featuring an argument and then be asked to evaluate the strength of that argument.

You will be given a set of instructions, followed by the short argument you need to assess. Your instructions will always say this:

You’ll also be reminded that your job is to evaluate the argument, not to present your own opinion on the topic.

Helpfully, GMAC published a comprehensive list of most of the AWA prompts it’s ever used. Below is one example, but you can practice writing essays from this full list of GMAT AWA prompts.

Your essay will be graded between 0 and 6 in half-point intervals, and you’ll get the score on your official GMAT score report about 20 days after you take the test. Your essay will be graded by one person and one machine. A third grader may offer input if the two scores differ by more than a point.

You can check out the rubric that graders use to score the essays. An essay with a top score of 6 “clearly identifies and insightfully analyzes important features of the argument” and “effectively supports the main points of the critique,” along with other requirements.

Beyond familiarizing yourself with the AWA rubric, what can you do to get ready for the AWA section of the GMAT?

Tips for the AWA Section

How can you write an essay that will earn you a high AWA score? There are several challenges in this GMAT section, not the least of which is time. Since you only have 30 minutes, you should be strategic about how you divide up your time.

You might spend three to five minutes at the beginning familiarizing yourself with the prompt and writing a quick outline of your essay. Then, you should spend the majority of your time, perhaps 20 to 24 minutes drafting and leave three to five minutes at the end to proofread and revise.

Structure is very important for the AWA essay. You don’t want to go off on a rambling narrative, but instead should stick to a four to five paragraph essay with a clear introduction, two to three supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Since the arguments are brief, most will have some assumptions and blind spots. It’s your job to pick out the two to three major flaws and describe them with specificity. You should also bring in effective supporting examples that support your analysis. As mentioned in the prompt, these may be counterexamples that would weaken the argument in the excerpt.

As you strengthen your AWA essay writing skills, you should read highly scored sample essays and familiarize yourself with the AWA rubric. Write timed practice essays from real AWA sample prompts and grade them yourself or with a friend. Above all, aim to write an essay with a clear structure and specific examples.

GMAT Section #2: Integrated Reasoning

Integrated Reasoning is the newest of the GMAT sections. It was introduced in 2012 to bring skills of data interpretation and evaluation into the GMAT.

This 30-minute section asks 12 questions, each of which integrates your verbal, math, and reasoning skills. The questions are multi-part, so in reality, you have quite a few more than 12 questions to answer in Integrated Reasoning.

There are four main question types in Integrated Reasoning. They are graphics interpretation, multi-source reasoning, two-part analysis, and table analysis questions.

Graphics interpretation questions feature a graph, chart, or other kind of graphic. Below the graphic, you’ll have two fill-in-the-blank statements. To choose your answer, you’ll use a drop down menu, as in the sample question below.

This sample question includes a rather unusual graphic. Other graphics interpretation questions might feature more typical graphics, like bar graphs, scatter plots, or pie charts.

Multi-source reasoning questions present three tabs of information, and you’ll need to click through each one to get the full picture. These tend to the be the most time-consuming question types, as they have several questions that accompany the same information.

This sample question shows a multi-source reasoning question and one of three accompanying questions. On the real test, you’ll be able to toggle between the three tabs.

Two-part analysis questions contain two columns, and you’ll choose one answer for each. The questions may be entirely math, entirely verbal, or a mix of both.

Finally, table analysis questions present a table of information that you must manipulate to find the answers to a series of questions. You can sort the table by column to answer the accompanying questions. When you sort a column, it will rearrange itself in alphabetical or numerical (low to high) order.

The question will include three statements, and each statement will appear next to a dichotomous answer choice, like true/false or yes/no. To find your answer, you’ll need to consider each statement in relation to the information in the table.

This sample question asks you to select “Yes” if the statement can be proved true with the information in the table. If it can’t, then you would select “No.

Throughout the Integrated Reasoning section, you’ll get information in a variety of formats, like passages, tables, charts, graphs, or other unusual graphics. Your job is to interpret the data, draw conclusions, and evaluate statements.

Beyond familiarizing yourself with the four question types in Integrated Reasoning, what else can you do to get ready for this challenging section?

Tips for the Integrated Reasoning Section

One of the biggest challenges of the GMAT Integrated Reasoning section is figuring out what a question is asking you. You should practice answering all four IR question types. The problems are not very intuitive, so having seen and solved these question types before will automatically help.

In most cases, you should read the question before spending much time looking at the graphs or passages. You might glance over a graph or passage to get your bearings, but then you should read the question to figure out what you’re looking for. Once you understand your assignment, then you can look more closely at the data to locate your answer.

The reason it usually helps to read a question first is because each graphic, table, or passage will have a lot of extraneous information. You don’t need to know everything about each information source. Instead, you need to sift through the data to find specific information.

As mentioned above, tables will have sorting functionality, so you can rearrange columns to help you answer a question. You could arrange a column in alphabetical or numerical order. If a question is asking you to compare a car with a high speed versus a car with a low speed, to give one example, then you could sort the chart by speed from lowest to highest. That way, you can make sure you’re looking just at the cars with the highest and lowest speeds.

As you look at the data, make sure to pay close attention to units. A graphic may show speed in hours while a question asks about speed in minutes, to give one example.

Not only do you need to be comfortable reading various types of graphs and charts, but you also need to be comfortable using the on-screen calculator.

Finally, keep in mind that the Integrated Reasoning section calls for an integration of your math and verbal skills. In addition to data interpretation, you’ll need the same reading comprehension and fundamental math skills in this section that you will in Verbal and Quantitative.

You’ll need to work efficiently, know when to guess and move on, and divide your time in a way that will allow you to answer all of the questions before the timer runs out.

GMAT Section #3: Quantitative

The Quantitative section is all about math. It’s your first adaptive section on the GMAT, and it asks 31 math questions in 62 minutes. There are two question types in the GMAT Quantitative section, problem solving and data sufficiency.

Problem solving questions are typical multiple choice math questions that you must solve for one correct answer. Here’s one example of a problem solving question involving algebra.

Data sufficiency questions are more unusual. They present a problem followed by two pieces of information. Then you need to decide whether the first statement, the second statement, both together, or neither give you enough information to solve the original problem.

Here’s an example of a data sufficiency problem involving geometry. All data sufficiency problems will have these same five answer choices.

Quantitative questions are challenging, but you might be relieved to hear that they don’t test especially advanced math. The main concepts tested are arithmetic, algebra, and geometry, plus you’ll get word problems that will call on one or more of these skill areas.

You won’t have to do particularly advanced calculations either, as you can’t use a calculator in this section. On average, you have about two minutes per question.

You’ll have to work quickly and efficiently to do well in the GMAT Quantitative section. What else can you do to meet your goals?

Tips for the GMAT Quantitative Section

To prepare for the GMAT Quantitative section, you should review fundamental math concepts in arithmetic, algebra, and geometry, as well as practice answering word problems. Once you’ve reviewed concepts, you should drill these skills by answering lots of practice questions and taking timed practice tests.

Timed practice tests will help you develop a test-taking rhythm, so you can get to all of the questions in time. You’ll also know when you’re wasting too much time on a question and would be better off guessing and moving on.

Beyond answering lots of practice questions, you should also memorize the answer choices for data sufficiency questions. These will always be the same, and you don’t want to waste time figuring out what they’re asking on test day.

You don’t have to write out a full solution to data sufficiency questions. Instead, you should do just enough to know whether you have enough information to solve a problem.

You won’t get a calculator here, but you can use provided note boards and markers. Take advantage of these materials to write out your work. Writing out problems will help you keep your thinking straight, plus there’s enough arithmetic in this section that mental math will only take you so far.

GMAT Section #4: Verbal

Like the Quantitative section, the Verbal section of the GMAT is adaptive. The difficulty levels of the questions fluctuate as you go along to match your ability level. The Verbal section tests your reading, reasoning, and grammar skills with 36 multiple-choice questions.

The GMAT Verbal section has three question types: reading comprehension, critical reasoning, and sentence corrections.

Reading comprehension questions are probably the most time-consuming, because you’ll have a passage to read along with three to five accompanying questions.The questions might ask about main point, specific details, tone, purpose, organization of ideas, or other features of the passage.

Here’s one example of a passage and two of its five accompanying reading comprehension questions.

The second question type, critical reasoning, is reminiscent of the essay prompt in the AWA section. It gives you a few factual statements or a short excerpt of an argument, followed by a multiple choice question. This question type asks you to consider evidence, draw a conclusion, or evaluate the statements in some way.

Here’s one example of a critical reasoning question in the GMAT Verbal section.

Finally, sentence corrections mainly ask about grammar. You’ll get a (typically wordy) sentence with a word or phrase underlined. If the underlined portion has a grammatical error, you’ll choose an answer that shows what it should say instead.

If the underlined portion is correct, then you’ll go with the first answer choice, which will always look identical to the underlined portion.

As you can see, the Verbal section tests your reading comprehension and grammar skills. What can you do to set yourself up for success in this GMAT section?

Tips for the GMAT Verbal Section

To prepare for Verbal, you should approach each question type separately.

For reading comprehension questions, you need to sharpen your speed reading skills. Rather than wasting time reading each and every word of a passage, skim the paragraphs with an eye on structure, tone, point of view, and purpose.

Critical reasoning questions require the same critical eye as the AWA prompt. You’ll want to practice evaluating and analyzing arguments with an eye on assumptions, flaws, and unfounded claims.

Finally, you should study rules of grammar to get ready for sentence corrections. You might get tested on parallel structure, subject-verb agreement, or other common rules.

The sentences in these questions are often extremely wordy, so it can help to break them up into their component clauses and mentally cross out the superfluous ones. On a sentence with a subject-verb agreement error, for instance, there may be a long clause between the subject and the verb to distract you. Try blocking out the extra clause so you can focus on the important parts of the sentence.

Now that you have a sense of all four sections of the GMAT and how to approach them, let’s consider how they function during the admissions process. Do admissions officers look at all four section scores equally, or do they care about some GMAT sections more than others?

How Important Are GMAT Section Scores in Business School Admissions?

While GMAT section scores are used in business school admissions, they actually take a backseat to the GMAT total score. As mentioned above, the total score is based on Quantitative and Verbal scores, and it ranges from 200 to 800. When applying to business school, your GMAT total score is the most important value on your score report.

While admissions officers remain relatively close-lipped about how they evaluate applications, it seems that they use the total score in their initial review of an application. If the score is up to scratch, then they move on to review section scores as a secondary factor.

Since the total score is based on Quantitative and Verbal scores, this means that the Quantitative and Verbal sections are more important in business school admissions than AWA or Integrated Reasoning.

That doesn’t mean you should ignore these other two sections, as an extremely low score could stand out as a red flag. However, they’re not your top priority when studying for the GMAT.

The one exception is for non-native English speakers taking the GMAT. The AWA score becomes more important when admissions officers are assessing your English level, particularly in writing. If an applicant sends a strong essay but a low AWA score, then this discrepancy could cause concern.

It’s also useful to note that Integrated Reasoning is new, but it’s been growing in importance from year to year. In 2012, only 22% of business schools said it was important, as opposed to 59% in 2015 according to a Kaplan survey. As time goes on, the IR score will likely continue to take on weight in the admissions process.

Essentially, your GMAT total score is more important than your individual section scores, and your Quantitative and Verbal scores are given more weight than AWA or IR scores. As for these two major sections of the GMAT, is one more important than the other?

Quantitative Vs. Verbal GMAT Scores: Which One’s More Important?

When it comes to Quantitative and Verbal scores, is one more important than the other? Some admissions officers suggest that section scores take on more weight depending on your educational background.

If you majored in the humanities, then officers may pay more attention to your Quantitative score to make sure you have the math chops to do well in business school. If you were a math major, then they may look at Verbal scores to ensure your reading comprehension skills are up to scratch.

Because of the math-heavy curriculum at many business schools, some officers have suggested that the Quantitative score is the more important section score.

In a Poets and Quants interview, Dee Leopold, the former managing director of admissions and financial aid at Harvard Business School, said, “people have to be able to do the analytics. Not everyone has to be an Excel monkey and build models, but you do have to be numerate and not phobic about numbers. When you don’t see evidence to do the guts of the work here, you realize you are putting this person at risk unnecessarily.”

The Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley similarly emphasizes the importance of math skills in its admission requirements, stating that, “the Admissions Committee looks carefully at quantitative proficiency when making its admissions decisions.”

Both Quantitative and Verbal scores are important, but some schools emphasize that they need to see evidence of proficiency in math to make sure that prospective students can handle a math-heavy business school curriculum.

This shouldn’t affect your test prep a great deal, as you should spend time getting ready for both the Quant and Verbal GMAT sections. However, it does mean that a high Verbal score may not be enough to balance out a low Quantitative score.

If you’re uneasy about your Quantitative performance, then it may be worth retaking the GMAT so you can send off an application that shows evidence of your proficiency in math. In closing, let’s go over some final thoughts about the GMAT sections and how to prepare for each of them.

GMAT Sections: Final Thoughts

There are four distinct GMAT test sections, each with its own demands and idiosyncrasies. What the sections have in common is an emphasis on problem solving and critical thinking.

Whether you’re writing an essay, interpreting a graph, solving a math problem, or reading a passage, you’ll need to keep a critical eye, evaluate information in front of you, and sift through a large amount of data to identify what’s most important and discard what’s not.

While each section calls for specific preparation, any studying you do will likely help you across the entire test. By developing your critical thinking skills and efficiency as a test-taker, you’ll be better prepared to tackle the challenging GMAT sections and to focus throughout a long, demanding test.

While you should study for all four sections, you should prioritize the Quantitative and Verbal sections, as they are most important in the business school admissions process. By achieving your target scores in these sections, along with solid AWA and IR section scores, you can show the admissions committee your commitment to joining the business school community.

What’s Next?

The GMAT is a tough test, but it’s definitely possible to achieve your target scores. Check out this guide to learn just how difficult the GMAT is and how to tackle the challenge.

Have you come up with your GMAT study plan? This guide gives you 23 essential tips for designing a customized GMAT study plan that will help you achieve your goals. (coming soon)

Taking GMAT practice tests is an essential part of any study plan. Check out this full list of free practice tests you can take online!

The post The 4 GMAT Sections: What to Expect on the Test appeared first on Online GMAT Prep Blog by PrepScholar.

We all have daily routines. What if answering a GMAT question every day became as natural as reading the news or brushing your teeth?

Answering a daily GMAT question is a quick and easy way to prep for the GMAT. Even if you don’t have time for hours of intensive studying, you can feel confident that you’ve taken a small step toward your GMAT goals every day.

This guide will share the best resources for GMAT Questions of the Day (QOTD). To start, let’s define exactly what a GMAT Question of the Day is.

What Is GMAT Question of the Day?

GMAT Question of the Day (QOTD) is a study tool that provides one GMAT question for you to answer every single day of the week. The easiest way to incorporate a daily question into your routine is to have the questions come to you.

There are a few prep companies that will email you a GMAT question every day. Other companies have GMAT apps that notify you at preset times to answer your GMAT QOTD.

Your other options include heading to a website for a GMAT Question of the Day or creating your own system from a large bank of practice questions. These options aren’t ideal, though, because it’s easy to forget to answer a daily question if it doesn’t come to you.

By taking all the effort of finding the question out of the equation, you can more easily incorporate GMAT practice into your daily routine. This guide will show you the best resources for all of the above options.

You should note that most GMAT Question of the Day resources only feature math and verbal questions. They don’t include Analytical Writing Assessment essay prompts or the multi-part Integrated Reasoning problems. As a result, GMAT QOTD is only useful for getting ready for the Quantitative and Verbal sections of the GMAT.

Before getting to the best sources for GMAT Question of the Day, let’s discuss what makes a good daily GMAT question. What do the best resources have in common?

What Makes a Good GMAT Question of the Day?

While there are plenty of free GMAT questions floating out there on the internet, not all of them were created equal. Some are a lot higher quality than others, and you only want the best ones as you prepare for this important exam.

So, what should you look for in a GMAT Question of the Day? It should offer the following four features.

#1: Realistic Problems and Format

The best GMAT questions are realistic representations of what you’ll see on the real test. Third-party questions can never be as true as those that come from the official test makers, but there are still some high-quality options out there.

They should represent the same question types — reading comprehension, critical reasoning, and sentence corrections in Verbal; problem-solving and data sufficiency in math — and come in a variety of levels, from easy to medium to difficult.

If the questions test irrelevant concepts or are way too easy, then they won’t help you get ready for the GMAT. As you practice with official prep materials, you’ll gain a clear sense of what’s tested on the GMAT and be able to spot unrealistic prep question from a mile away.

#2: Detailed Answer Explanations

You’ll understand some questions right off the bat. But what if you don’t understand a question, or you have no idea where to start?

Without detailed answer explanations, practice questions aren’t going to help you improve very much. The best GMAT QOTD come with clear, thorough explanations that walk you through the problem-solving process, step by step.

#3: Low Effort, i.e. Question Gets Sent to You

You could always take it upon yourself to answer at least one GMAT practice question every day. The best GMAT Question of the Day study tools, however, send the questions to you.

You don’t have to go searching for questions or set daily reminders. Instead, you’ll get an email or notification on your phone reminding you to answer the question.

At this point, the only effort you have to put forth is actually answering the question, reviewing the answer explanation, and reflecting on how you did.

#4: Record of Your Progress

Finally, the best GMAT Questions of the Day will keep a record of your progress. You should be able to look back on past questions.

If you miss any questions, you should be able to access an archive and answer them at a later date. Being able to look back on questions can also help you see patterns over time.

Now that you know what to look for in a GMAT Question of the Day, let’s go over where to find the best ones. Below are the top five resources for GMAT Question of the Day, ranked from best to worst.

Best Resources for GMAT Question of the Day, Ranked

Keeping the four features discussed above in mind, we’ve picked out and ranked the top five resources for GMAT Question of the Day. Remember that there’s one major drawback to all of these sources — they leave out the AWA and Integrated Reasoning section.

Read on to learn more about each one’s pros and cons.

#1: Kaplan

Kaplan tops the list with its excellent GMAT Question of the Day study tool. When you register an account with Kaplan, you can access a GMAT Question of the Day in one of two ways.

You can have the questions sent to you in an email, or you can access them by going to the website and signing into your account. Let’s take a look at the service’s pros and cons.

Pros

• Realistic math and verbal questions to help you get ready.
• Answer explanations are thorough and detailed.
• You can sign up for a GMAT Question of the Day email, so that the questions come to you.
• You can see your “longest streak” of questions you answered correctly and your “current streak” to make sure you’re keeping up with the questions every day.

Cons

• You can only access GMAT Questions of the Day going six days back on the website. You can’t browse questions earlier than that.
• There’s no built-in tracking system to help you look back on which questions you got right and which ones you got wrong.

#2: Ready 4 GMAT App

Prep 4 Test offers a GMAT Question of the Day app for Android and iPhones.

Pros

• Questions are realistic and come with detailed answer explanations.
• The app archives every Question of the Day from the day you download, so you can access previous questions.
• You can select a specific time of day to get notified about a new Question of the Day.
• The app also comes with flashcards and customizable practice tests.
• Since it’s on your phone, you can access it anywhere at any time.
• It’s free!

Cons

• Because you’re answering questions on your phone, you won’t get the realistic experience of taking the GMAT on a computer.

#3: Beat the GMAT

Beat the GMAT, like Kaplan, will send you a GMAT Question of the Day email. In fact, they’ll send you two, since they have separate lists for the math question of the day and the Verbal question of the day.

Pros

• The questions come to you every day via email.
• Math questions and sentence corrections are realistic and will help you prepare.
• You can join a chat forum where fellow test takers post questions, answers, and compare answers.

Cons

• There are no official answer explanations. Official posts only give you the answer, A, B, C, D, or E, but they don’t explain it.
• You could get misinformation from user comments and explanations.
• You’ll have to keep your own record of your progress.
• The majority of Verbal questions appear to be sentence corrections.
• You’ll have to alternate between math and verbal questions if you want to stick to just one GMAT question per day.

#4: Atlantic GMAT

Atlantic GMAT Questions of the Day don’t come to you, but rather are updated daily on the Atlantic GMAT blog. 

Pros

• Decent quality problem solving and data sufficiency questions.
• Some of the questions have detailed answer explanations written in a personable, easy to understand style.
• Since it’s a blog format, you can revisit all of the previous questions.

Cons

• It appears to only feature math questions and not verbal questions.
• The questions don’t come to you, so it’s lacking one of the major features of the best Question of the Day services.
• You’re on your own when it comes to tracking your progress.

#5: GMAT Club

Like Atlantic GMAT, GMAT Club has a blog with new GMAT questions every weekday. Every post includes both a math question and a verbal question. You’ll need to click through to the forum post for each question to see the answer explanations and use the timer to track your answers.

Pros

• Decent problem solving and sentence correction questions.
• You can look back on previous questions going back for months.
• The verbal answer explanations are very thorough.
• The popular forum allows users to discuss answers and other questions and concerns about the GMAT.

Cons

• The majority of questions are problem-solving math questions and sentence correction or critical reasoning verbal questions. You won’t see much of other question types, like data sufficiency and reading comprehension.
• The official answer explanations for math are very brief and may not be helpful if you’re struggling to understand a question. The verbal answer explanations can take up to 24 hours to appear on the site.
• Questions are not as high-quality as other sources. Some seem way too easy and some feature math that’s too advanced.

While the quality of the questions varies, all of these resources can be useful to insert some daily prep into your routine. At the same time, GMAT Question of the Day isn’t sufficient as your sole method of preparation. Where does GMAT Question of the Day fall short?

GMAT Question of the Day: 3 Limitations

One obvious limitation of answering one GMAT question a day is that it simply isn’t enough. Questions should only take an average of two minutes to answer.

Most people who score highly on the GMAT average over 100 hours of studying. If spent purely on taking and reviewing questions, this amounts to over 3000 questions! Needless to say, they don’t accumulate that amount of study time just by answering a daily GMAT question.

Besides its lack of thoroughness, how is GMAT Question of the Day limited?

#1: No Adaptive Format

The math and verbal sections of the GMAT are adaptive, meaning that the difficulty levels of questions change as you go. Questions should get harder if you’re doing well and easier if you’re making errors.

With GMAT Question of the Day, you don’t get to experience this adaptive testing. The difficulty levels may change, but you don’t get any practice going from an easier question to a harder one, or vice versa. Only computer-adaptive practice tests will give you this experience.

#2: Not Helpful for Time Management

One major challenge of the GMAT is time management. Each section is strictly timed, and you’ll only be able to answer one question at a time. You can’t skip or go back to any, but instead need to develop a test taking rhythm that allows you to get to all of the questions in time.

Practice tests help you work on your pacing. A GMAT Question of the Day does not.

#3: Missing AWA and Integrated Reasoning Questions

Finally, GMAT Questions of the Day only feature math and verbal questions. You’ll have to find your own AWA prompts, and rely on other practice materials for Integrated Reasoning questions.

Plus, you need to make sure you’re getting experience with all of the various questions types within the math and verbal sections. Not all GMAT Questions of the Day offer every question type.

While GMAT Question of the Day is just a starting point for your prep, it’s a great way to stay engaged with the GMAT and uncover your weak areas. How can you use GMAT Question of the Day in the most effective way possible?

How to Use GMAT Question of the Day

So, just how helpful is answering a GMAT question every day? How does it benefit you, and where does it fall short? Consider these three tips for making the most of the GMAT QOTD.

#1: Actually Answer a Question Every Day

First and foremost, GMAT Question of the Day is useful because it forces you to do some prep every day. A question only takes a couple of minutes, but this prep can add up over time.

If you start getting a backlog of questions that you skipped, chances are you won’t go back and answer them retroactively. The main benefit of QOTD is keeping you engaged with GMAT prep, if only in a small way, every single day.

#2: Review Answer Explanations

Since you’re only answering a single question with GMAT QOTD, you should take the time to really engage with answer explanations. Read through them, especially for the questions that confused you, and make sure you understand how to approach a similar question the next time.

To really reinforce the skill, you might find similar practice questions and drill with those. While GMAT QOTD aren’t the best way to learn concepts, they are useful for learning how to answer GMAT-style questions.

#3: Keep an Error Log

Answering single practice questions helps you familiarize yourself with GMAT-style questions and figure out your weak spots. You should write down any questions that you get wrong or that confuse you, and take time to go over the answer explanations thoroughly.

Getting questions wrong is a good thing early on in your prep, because you’ll be able to figure out what you need to learn and how you can improve. By finding your errors early, you can take steps to address them. Without making mistakes, you might never know what you don’t know until test day.

As we finish up, let’s go over some key takeaways you should remember about answering a GMAT question a day.

GMAT Question of the Day: Key Takeaways

Regardless of whatever else you’ve got going on in your busy schedule, you can stay engaged with the GMAT a little bit each day by signing up for a GMAT Question of the Day. The best GMAT QOTD come to you through email or an app on your phone, but you can also go to a GMAT Question of the Day blog and keep track of your own progress.

These daily questions are a great way to stay connected to the GMAT and reinforce skills even on the days when you’re not doing any other prep.

Keep an error log, track your progress, and use these questions to inform your GMAT study plan. Over time, you’ll have clear insight into what you know and where you can improve.

What’s Next?

What question types show up on the GMAT? Check out this guide for a sample of every GMAT question type, plus a description of the entire GMAT exam pattern.

How long should you study for the GMAT? Check out this guide to figure out how many hours you should commit to GMAT prep.

Is the GMAT really as scary as it seems? This article will tell you just how hard you can expect the GMAT to be.

The post The 5 Best GMAT Questions of the Day appeared first on Online GMAT Prep Blog by PrepScholar.

If you’re a future business student, then you know it’s important to think about the bottom line. Before you get into business school, how much will you need to spend on GMAT fees?

This guide will go over all the fees associated with the GMAT so you know what to expect as a test-taker. Plus, you’ll find some tips for keeping your total GMAT cost down.

To start, let’s answer the big question: how much does the GMAT cost?

How Much Is the GMAT?

Wherever in the world you’re taking the test, the GMAT exam fee will be the same: $250. Most people register for the GMAT online and pay this $250 registration fee with a credit card. The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or JCB. You can also pay with a debit card if it’s a Visa or MasterCard.

Besides signing up online, you can also register by mail or phone. By mail, you would send a cashier’s check, money order, or personal check that’s payable in U.S. dollars and draws on a U.S. bank, along with the GMAT Appointment Scheduling Form. Your check must arrive at least ten days before your selected test date so it has time to clear.

If you choose to register by phone, you should know that GMAC charges a $10 service fee per phone call. If you have multiple requests, therefore, you should try to address them all in one call so that these service charges don’t pile up. Apparently, GMAC employees aren’t especially interested in being phone buddies.

While everyone pays $250 to register for the GMAT, anyone who needs to cancel or reschedule will have to pay an additional fee. Read on to learn about the fees associated with canceling or rescheduling the GMAT.

How Much Does It Cost to Cancel or Reschedule the GMAT?

Let’s say you schedule the GMAT and then win a sweepstakes trip to see the Northern Lights in Iceland. Is it possible to cancel or reschedule your test?

Rest assured that you can still cancel or reschedule the GMAT after registering. Before you start packing your bags, though, you should know that you won’t get a full refund.

If you cancel your test more than seven days in advance of your test date, then you can get an $80 refund. If you cancel seven or fewer days out or miss your test completely, you won’t get any of the original $250 registration fee back.

Rescheduling the GMAT is a little more affordable. If you choose a new test date more than seven days out, then you only have to pay an additional $50. If you wait to act until your test is only a few days away, though, then you won’t get any discount. You’ll have to pay the entire $250 registration fee again.

In a nutshell:

• Cancel more than 7 days before test date: $80 refund
• Cancel 7 days or fewer before test date: no refund
• Reschedule more than 7 days before test date: $50
• Reschedule 7 days or fewer before test date: $250

Before you buy the best binoculars to see the Aurora Borealis, make sure you know how much of a financial hit you’ll take canceling or rescheduling the GMAT. If you figure out your plans more than seven days out from your test, then you can minimize additional GMAT fees. If you’re trying to make changes seven or fewer days before your selected test date, then you won’t get any refund.

Now that we’ve gone over fees for registering, canceling, and rescheduling the GMAT, let’s look at the costs associated with sending your GMAT score reports to business schools.

How Much Does It Cost to Send GMAT Score Reports?

If you’ve done your research and are applying to five schools or fewer, then you won’t have to pay anything to send your GMAT score reports. This is because you can list up to five schools as score recipients on your GMAT test date for free.

Any additional score reports cost $28 each, and you can order them online after you take the test. The score recipients you designate on test day will receive your official report about 20 days after you take the GMAT. Any additional schools may have to wait an extra five to seven days to see your scores.

You can also order an Enhanced Score Report, which provides more details about your performance on the exam, for $24.95.

How Much Does It Cost to Cancel Your GMAT Scores?

Right after you finish the last section, you’ll see a preview of your verbal, quantitative, and total scores. How’s that for immediate feedback! At this point, you have two minutes to decide whether to keep or cancel your scores. Scary fact – if you don’t make a selection after two minutes, then your GMAT scores will be automatically canceled! So, don’t be indecisive.

Cancelling your scores right after you take the GMAT is free. If you decide to keep your scores, but then go home and decide that they weren’t up to par, you still have 72 hours to cancel them. If you want to cancel your scores online at this point, then you can do so for an additional fee of $25. There’s one exception to this policy: if you add one or more score recipients during this 72-hour window, then you’ll no longer be able to cancel your scores.

If, on the flip side, you accidentally canceled great scores, then you can later reinstate them. To reinstate canceled scores, you have to pay a fee of $50. The only exception is that you can’t reinstate canceled scores from exams taken before January 1, 2014.

As you can see, there are a lot of potential GMAT fees, whether you’re registering for the test, adding score recipients, or reinstating cancelled scores. Consult the chart below for the full list of GMAT fees.

How Much Does the GMAT Cost? Full List of Fees

This chart shows all the fees associated with the GMAT. Beyond the costs you just read about, it also includes one more: the fee to rescore your essay from the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section.

If you think there was some mistake with your AWA score, then you can pay $45 to have your essay rescored up to six months after you take the test. Your regraded essay score will be final, even if it ends up being lower than the original one.

Here’s the full list of GMAT costs.

As you can see, there are quite a few additional GMAT fees. Hopefully, though, you won’t have to pay any of them beyond the initial $250 registration fee!

Even without any extra fees, the GMAT on its own is an expensive test. Is there any assistance for people with limited finances?

Are There GMAT Fee Waivers Available?

While GMAC, the administrators of the GMAT, don’t offer fee waivers, you may be able to get one from a business school or a scholarship organization, like the Fulbright Foundation or the Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program.

Business schools and other organizations purchase vouchers from GMAC and distribute them to qualifying candidates. Since schools and organizations are responsible for doling out the vouchers, each sets its own eligibility requirements.

Vouchers may cover all or part of the registration fee. They can cover $50, $100, $150, $200, or the entire GMAT cost. You would be responsible for paying any remainder. These waivers only cover the cost of GMAT registration. You can’t put the money toward any other additional fees.

To obtain a GMAT fee waiver, you need to contact the financial aid office of the school or organization directly. If you qualify, you’ll likely have to send relevant documents that support your financial need, like pay stubs or tax records. Since the process can be time-consuming, try to take the first step a couple months before you plan to register.

The final price you’ll have to pay to take the GMAT involves prep materials. Students who score the highest tend to study the greatest number of hours. Read on to get a sense of how much you’ll have to pay for GMAT prep materials.

Additional GMAT Costs: Getting Ready for the Test

According to GMAC, students who got a score of 700 or higher on the GMAT spent an average of 121 hours studying for the test. While GMAC’s free preparation software is very useful, it isn’t going to give you 121 hours of studying. You’ll need to invest in an additional book, online program, class, or tutor.

Self-studying with a GMAT prep book is probably your most affordable option. GMAC offers the official GMAT study collection of three books online (cost: $52.53 on Amazon). Other prep books, like those from the Princeton Review and Manhattan Prep, range between $10 and $30.

If you need more external accountability or a teacher to lead you through the material, then you might go with a GMAT prep class or a private tutor. To give you a sense of prices, let’s look at what Kaplan has to offer. It charges $800 for an online GMAT class, $1,449 for an in-person class, and $2,799 for private tutoring. In most cases, private tutoring will be your most expensive option for GMAT prep.

Before shelling out big bucks, you should think critically about how you learn best. Many students can achieve their goals through self-study, while others will thrive in a classroom or under the guidance of an instructor.

Based on your ideal learning style and budget, you can choose your best approach to GMAT prep. Besides being thoughtful about how you prep, what else can you do to keep down costs of the GMAT? Read on for five essential tips.

5 Tips for Keeping GMAT Costs Down

The GMAT is an expensive test, and many prospective students take it more than once to achieve their target scores. How can you keep your costs down as you prepare for the exam? Consider these five tips for minimizing your GMAT costs as much as possible.

#1: Plan Your Test Date Carefully

As you read above, you don’t have much wiggle room once you choose your GMAT test date. The fees for canceling or rescheduling are pretty steep, so you should do all you can to avoid changing your registration to keep costs low.

Before you register, consider your schedule carefully. When are your business school application deadlines? What other personal or professional commitments do you have in your schedule? What location and time of day work best for you to take a three and a half hour test?

Be thoughtful about the date and time of day you choose to take the GMAT so you can minimize the chance you’ll need to cancel or reschedule and pay a hefty fee.

#2: Make Any Changes More Than 7 Days Out

If you do suspect you need to cancel or reschedule the GMAT, try your best to do so more than seven days before your chosen test date. Wait any longer, and you’ll have to wave goodbye to your $250 registration fee. If you suspect you won’t be able to make the test, make sure to change your registration more than seven days ahead of time.

#3: Finalize Your Program List Before Test Day

You should take advantage of your five free GMAT score reports by finalizing your list of business schools before you take the exam. By doing your due diligence, you can confidently list up to five schools on the day you take the GMAT (assuming you’re keeping your scores).

If you don’t know your list, then you’ll have to pay $28 for any additional score reports. This extra fee is unnecessary unless you’re applying to move than five schools, plus your score reports might get delayed.

Finalizing your list of schools will help you keep down costs, plus you’ll have a better sense of what GMAT scores you need to be a competitive candidate. Speaking of scores…

#4: Know Your Target Scores

Just as you should go into the test prepared with your list of score recipients, you should also go in with a target score. Know which scores you will keep and which scores you will cancel.

You just have two minutes to decide at the end of the GMAT, and during this two minutes you can cancel your scores for free. If you make the wrong choice, then you’ll have to pay an additional fee of $25 to cancel your scores or $50 to reinstate your scores.

Rather than sitting before the computer screen wringing your hands in indecision, go into the test with a solid cutoff of an acceptable score. That way, you can keep costs down and ensure a smoother testing experience.

#5: Take Advantage of Free Prep Materials

GMAC offers free prep software that anyone taking the GMAT should download and use. The software gets you acquainted with the test and its instructions, plus it has lots of practice questions and two full-length practice tests that simulate the real exam. Since the software is made by the test-makers, it offers the most realistic practice questions possible.

While this software probably isn’t sufficient as your only source of test prep material, it is very useful and should definitely be part of your GMAT preparation. Plus, the software won’t wear out your wallet, as it’s completely free.

For additional materials, you should be thoughtful about how you study and learn best. The most expensive option isn’t necessarily the best one for getting where you want to go. Private tutors, for instance, can charge a lot, but they may not be the best teachers. Sometimes, tutors are just people who got excellent scores on the GMAT themselves, but they aren’t necessarily skilled at helping others do the same.

You can do extremely well on the GMAT without shelling out thousands of dollars for classes and tutors. Whether or not you’re on a strict budget, think about how you learn best and what approach would help you develop the skills and strategy to achieve your target GMAT scores.

In closing, let’s go over the key facts you need to remember about GMAT costs and fees.

Bottom Line: How Much Is the GMAT?

Hundreds of thousands of students all across the world take the GMAT every year, and their registration cost for the test is the same: $250. If this hefty fee presents a financial obstacle for you, then you should contact business schools or scholarship organizations to find out whether you can get a voucher that covers part or all of the GMAT cost of registration.

By choosing your test date and prep materials carefully, you can keep costs down. You’ll also limit additional expenses if you go into the GMAT knowing your list of score recipients and the minimum score you will keep, rather than cancel after you finish taking the test.

A lot of planning and preparation goes into doing well on the GMAT, and both are important for keeping down GMAT costs. The process of research, registering, and studying starts several months before your first test date. By starting early, you can prepare yourself, feel confident on test day, and reduce the costs of your entire test-taking experience.

What’s Next?

While you’ll spend months planning for the GMAT, how long will you spend actually taking it? Our complete guide to GMAT length goes over the structure and timing of each section of the GMAT, plus how to last the full four hours.

How important are percentiles on the GMAT? Check out our article on percentiles to learn exactly how scores correspond to percentiles in the AWA, Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, and Verbal sections.

What other questions do you have about the GMAT? Find all the answers you need in this comprehensive guide that goes over the structure of the test, how it’s scored, and what scores you need on the GMAT to get into business school.

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