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.

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.

The post GMAT Fees: How Much Does the Exam Cost? appeared first on Online GMAT Prep Blog by PrepScholar.

If you’re planning to take the GMAT, you’ve probably started to think about when you’ll take the test and how you’re going to prepare. But one thing that you might not have thought too much about is where to take the GMAT.

Why does this matter? Well, where you take the exam can have a bigger impact than you might think on your test performance. After putting in the time and effort to prepare for the test, you want to make sure that the logistics of test day go as smoothly as possible.

In this guide, I’ll be talking about what GMAT test center options you have, how to find a GMAT location near you, and some general tips about what to expect on test day.

Where Can I Take the GMAT?

The GMAT is offered throughout the year at test centers in over 100 countries around the world. In fact, GMAC, which owns and administers the GMAT, guarantees that you will be able to find an appointment within 30 days at any test center around the world. Because of this, many test takers have flexibility in choosing when and where they take the test.

The GMAT is administered by Pearson VUE in partnership with GMAC. You’ll take the exam at a Pearson VUE test center, which are independent testing sites that administer a number of computerized tests. The employees there are responsible for enforcing the GMAC’s rules and regulations for each test-taker. We’ll talk more about what the testing rooms look like later on!

How Can I Find a GMAT Location Near Me?

As I mentioned before, the GMAT is available around the world on most days of the year. That means you may have a lot of flexibility in choosing the day, time and place that works best for you.

Let’s walk through the steps for finding a GMAT location near you.

Step 1: Visit Mba.com to Find a Test Center

Follow this link to the official GMAC website to search for GMAT test centers. Once there, click on the bright green “FIND A TEST CENTER” button to be taken to the next screen.

Step 2: Search for a Test Center Near You

You can search for a test center near you by inputting your address, zip code, or city and state. Using an address or zip code will pull up just those test centers that are closest to you, while searching for something more general, like your city, will give you a wider range of choices.

Step 3: Select GMAT Test Centers You Want to Compare

After you input your location, a map of the nearest test center locations will be pulled up. You can see the general location of the test centers on the map, as well as more specific test center information like name, address, and distance from the address you provided in the left hand column.

If you click on “Details,” you will be taken to a new window that offers directions to the center, as well as detailed information about where to park and how to find the center itself. This is useful because many GMAT test centers are located in larger buildings that may be hard to navigate.

Going back to the map of GMAT test centers, select up to three locations that you want to compare and hit “Next.”

Step 4: Browse Available Appointments

Once you’ve selected the testing centers you want to compare, you can see open appointments. Days with available appointments will be highlighted in green on the calendar. If you select a specific day, the window will expand to show you available start times.

It’s worthwhile to check the available dates and start times for all the GMAT locations you’ve selected, since the options can vary widely. For example, some centers may only have early morning start times, while others could offer primarily evening times. Think about what makes the most sense for your schedule and strengths.

Also make sure that you also take into account when your scores are due, as well as whether or not you will have enough time to prepare, when picking your test date.

If you have a GMAT account, you can also register for the exam from this page. Select the date and time you would like and click on “Register Now” to complete the registration process. Check out our article on how to register for the GMAT for more info on this process.

What Should I Do If There Are No GMAT Locations Near Me?

If you live a long way from even the nearest GMAT testing center, you have several options.

First, consider whether or not you actually need to take the GMAT. While most business schools do require a GMAT score, some don’t and a growing number (including some of the top-ranked MBA programs) will accept GRE scores instead. You may have more options for taking the GRE than the GMAT, since it’s administered at different locations. 

But if you do need or want to take the GMAT, you’ll have to travel to a test center. Before registering, think carefully about when you’ll have enough time (and money) to do so. Will you need to drive? Take a bus or train? Fly? The good news is that because the exam is offered on many days throughout the year, you’ll likely have some flexibility in picking a date that gives you enough time to travel.

How I Can Pick the Best GMAT Test Center for Me?

If you do have more options to choose from when it comes to where to take the GMAT, how can you make sure you’ve picked the right one? Making the best choice for you means thinking about a number of factors, including location, size, reviews, and availability.

Let’s learn a little bit more about each of these.

Test Center Tip 1: Location Matters!

If there’s only one test center near you, you’ll almost certainly want to take the test there. You probably don’t want to drive four hours (or fly!) to get to the test if you can help it.

However, if you have multiple options, think about what will be most convenient for you. Which of the centers are close to your home? Close to your school? Close to your job? Think about the time of day you will be taking the test. Are you going to go before work? After school? On a weekend? You don’t want to be driving across town in rush hour traffic if you have a test center within walking distance of your front door.

It’s also a good idea to test out the route you will be taking before test day to make sure you don’t get lost. A lot of GMAT test centers are in office parks or buildings, so testing out the route beforehand will help you find the center itself, too. (I’ve actually driven around for half an hour in an office park looking for the entrance to a Pearson testing center before.) The fewer things that can go wrong and stress you out, the better!

Test Center Tip 2: Consider What Size Will Be Comfortable for You

Test centers can range in size from small (only two test stations) to large (up to 15 test stations). Most centers offer a number of different exams in addition to the GMAT that all have different start times and test lengths.

At a larger test center, there will likely be other test takers coming and going as you take your exam. Are you easily distracted when you take tests? If so, you may want to factor that in when deciding where to take the GMAT.

A small testing center may have less opportunity for distraction because there are fewer test takers. However, a small center may also have less availability. If scheduling flexibility is important to you, a larger test center is probably the way to go. Along the same lines, if there is a malfunction with your computer (which would be rare) at a small center, you might not be able to use a different machine and may have to come back another day.

Test Center Tip 3: Read Test Center Reviews

If you rely on Yelp reviews to tell you where to find the best tacos, then good news! Many GMAT test centers are also reviewed on Yelp. You can input the name of your test center and see if there are any reviews. You definitely don’t want to be at a place with a weird smell and shaky computer screens if you can help it.

You can also look for reviews of GMAT locations on forums like Beat the GMAT or GMAT Club. Know before you go!

Test Center Tip 4: Check Availability

Finally, it doesn’t matter if the location offers custom climate controlled testing stations and a warm cookie at the end of your session if you can’t take the test on the date you want.

Look for test center that has a date, time and location that works for you and your schedule. Plan to be at the GMAT testing location for up to four hours and give yourself plenty of leeway before and after the test. You definitely don’t want to be rushing to or from the exam. Make sure the date also works with your GMAT prep schedule — don’t rush to sign up for a date just because the center you want has an availability. Give yourself time to adequately prepare. You’ll be glad you did.

What to Expect at Your GMAT Test Center

Plan to arrive to your GMAT location at least 30 minutes before your scheduled test-taking appointment. You will have some paperwork and other administrative work to see to before the test begins, so it’s a good idea to get there early so you don’t feel rushed filling it out.

If you arrive more than 15 minutes after your test time, you might not be admitted and will lose your $250 test fee. If a friend or family member takes you to the test, they can’t wait at the test center. Make sure they have somewhere to wait while you are testing.

When you arrive, the test administrator will check your ID, take your digital photograph and/or signature, and take a digital scan of your palm. These security measures help prevent cheating by ensuring you are who you say you are. Your ID must be an original (not copied), government-issued photo ID. It has to include your name in Roman alphabet, a recognizable photo, your signature, and your date of birth.

You can’t bring any personal items into the testing room. Each test center has lockers that you can use to store your personal belongings. The test administrator will provide you with up to five noteboards to use as an aid during the exam. You can access snacks and medications during your break but you cannot use any technology until after the test is over.

The testing room will be completely silent. If you need help or have a question, raise your hand and the administrator will come to help you. If you need to leave the testing room at any time other than the scheduled breaks, the time will come out of your testing time. Know that frequent or lengthy breaks may be recorded and reported by the test administrator.

Want to see what it’s like inside an actual GMAT test center? Take a look at this video published by GMAC to get a sneak peek.

What’s Next?

Looking to learn more about when to register for the GMAT? Check out our full guide to GMAT test dates here.

Not sure when you need to take the GMAT? We explain how to make sure you get everything done before your deadlines and still have plenty of time to study with our guide on when to take the GMAT.

Deciding whether to retake the exam? Check out our guides to retaking the GMAT and determining what a good score is for you.

The post GMAT Test Centers: Where to Take the Exam appeared first on Online GMAT Prep Blog by PrepScholar.

Do you want to know what’s on the GMAT? Do you have a general idea of the sections, but want to get a better idea of what to expect on test day? Are you confused about this whole ‘adaptive testing’ thing?

In this article, I’ll go over the GMAT structure and timing, the fundamentals of CAT (computerized adaptive testing),  and a breakdown of the question types in each section of the test. Finally, I’ll discuss what the GMAT format means for you and offer tips on how to prepare for exam day.

Article Roadmap

• What is On the GMAT?: The Basics
• The GMAT is a Computerized Adaptive Test
• Breaking it Down: GMAT Sections and Question Types
  • Analytical Writing Assessment
  • Integrated Reasoning
  • Quantitative Section
  • Verbal Section
• Tips: How to Make the GMAT Format Work for You
• Review: GMAT Format

What Is on the GMAT? The Basics

The GMAT has four timed sections, with two optional eight-minute breaks. Here’s a breakdown of the sections.

As you can see from the chart, the actual GMAT is just over three hours long. With breaks and sign-in time, ‘exam day’ usually takes about 3.5 to 4 hours.

As of July 2017, you can choose the order in which you complete the GMAT sections. Find out more about this change to the GMAT here.

What Is a Computerized Adaptive Test?

The GMAT is a CAT (Computerized Adaptive Test). This means that all parts of the GMAT are computerized, including the writing assessment. However, you only need basic computer know-how to take the GMAT. The exam is not technologically complicated.

You don’t need to learn any new skills if you can use a basic word processor/text editor (for the writing assessment), a standard calculator, and basic computer software. Essentially, you only need to know how to point, click, type, cut, and paste to successfully take the GMAT.

Note that there is no paper version of the GMAT. The GMAT is only delivered at Pearson VUE testing centers in a computerized adaptive format.

Computerized GMAT Exam Format: What to Expect

As I noted above, the computerized GMAT format is pretty straightforward overall: you type up your essay and then use drop down menus and simple multiple choice forms to select your answers for the other sections. Nonetheless, there are a couple of unique features and quirks you should be aware of.

A timer at the top righthand corner of your screen will keep track of how much time you have left in each section. You won’t get any other notifications about the time as you go along.

You will need to confirm each of your answers before you move on to the next question. When you’re satisfied with an answer, you’ll click ‘Next’ at the bottom righthand corner of your screen. A screen popup will ask if you are OK with your answer; you’ll click ‘yes’ or ‘no’ before moving on. This can throw some test-takers off at first, so it’s a good idea to practice with computer simulated tests to get the hang of it.

You can’t go back to previous questions once you’ve answered them. Even within the same section, you cannot go back to a previous question once you’ve confirmed your answer. This means you’ll have to be especially aware of the time as you complete each question.

Adaptive Testing: The Fundamentals

Adaptive testing is one of the major points of confusion for the average GMAT test-taker, but it’s not as complicated as it sounds. In a nutshell, ‘adaptive testing’ means that each test is individualized based on an algorithm that calculates a student’s ‘level’ as they answer questions of varying difficulty.

The GMAT begins each section by ‘assuming’ that the student is of average skill level and able to answer questions of medium difficulty. If the student answers most easy and medium questions correctly, the test adjusts to offer more difficult questions to place the student in his/her appropriate score range. If the student answers medium-level questions incorrectly, the test will adjust to offer the student easier questions.

This algorithm ultimately determines the student’s GMAT score for all the multiple-choice sections (Integrated Reasoning, Verbal, and Quantitative). The Analytical Writing Assessment is scored by live graders after the day of the test, so it’s not adaptive.

It is nearly impossible to determine how you’re doing as you go along and strategize accordingly, so it’s better not to try. It’s much harder than you might think to guess the difficulty of any given test question, especially under exam pressure and a time crunch. Even if you could tell whether a question is hard or easy, that knowledge is unlikely to make much difference in your ability to answer the question correctly.

The bottom line: It’s good to understand the basics of adaptive testing so you know the fundamentals of how your scores are calculated, but don’t obsess over it. It’s better to prepare well and do your best on every single question, no matter how easy or difficult it seems.

Breaking Down the GMAT Format: Sections and Question Types

Now let’s get into the details about each section and the question types in each one. Remember that there are four GMAT sections: Analytical Writing Assessment, Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, and Verbal.

Analytical Writing Assessment

You’ll receive one essay prompt in the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) and will have thirty minutes to complete it. The prompt will present an argument and ask you to critique it. This section assesses your critical reasoning and writing skills and your ability to communicate effectively in the English language.

Analysis of Argument Prompt

Each AWA prompt will begin with an argument, as in this example from a previous GMAT:

Arguments will be related to advertising, marketing, management, and other areas that are relevant to a business student, but no prior knowledge of the topic is necessary to succeed on the essay. You won’t be asked to provide your own opinion, but to critique the underlying assumptions and the evidence presented by the argument in the prompt.

After the argument, you’ll see this prompt, asking you to critically analyze the argument you’ve been provided:

Tips for Succeeding on the Analytical Writing Assessment

1. Below the prompt will be a basic text editor that allows you to type, cut, and paste. You will write and submit your essay here.
2. You can and should use your erasable notepad (provided by the testing center) to write an outline of your critique as you read the prompt and before you start writing. Don’t include notes or outlines in the provided text editor; they will be read as part of your essay.
3. You can’t indent paragraphs using the text editor, but you can hit ‘enter’ between paragraphs to separate them. This will help you organize your ideas.
4. When you’re finished, click ‘Finish’ and you’ll be asked to confirm your answer. If you click ‘Yes,’ you’ll move on to the Integrated Reasoning section without a break.
5. You can find more sample AWA prompts here to help you prepare here.

Integrated Reasoning

Integrated Reasoning (IR) is the second section of the GMAT. You will have 30 minutes to complete 12 questions. This section tests your ability to integrate and analyze data from various sources and to make sound inferences and come to logical conclusions based on that data. There are four question types in the IR section, and they may appear in any order.

Multi-Source Reasoning

In Multi-Source Reasoning questions, you will be asked questions about a set of information organized by tabs. Here’s an example:

Information may include historical background, statistics, or charts. Note that in this example, you could find out more about ‘Techniques,’ ‘Artifacts,’ or ‘Budget.’ Clicking each tab will display a different set of information.

For these question types, remember that you will be asked more than one question about the same set of data.

In Multi-Source Reasoning, you are being tested not only on your ability to integrate different kinds of information, but also to discern which information is relevant to a given question. Choose wisely. Not all the tabs will be important for every question, and some questions will require you to refer to multiple tabs to synthesize information from different sources.

Graphics Interpretation

Graphics Interpretation questions will require you to answer questions about a table, graph, or chart, like this one:

In these questions, you’ll see incomplete statements about the information presented in the graphic. You will use a drop down menu like the one above to make the statements complete and accurate. Choose an answer from each drop down menu. There is no partial credit if you choose only one of the drop-down items correctly.

Two-Part Analysis

Two-Part Analysis questions will ask you to read a passage and solve a two-part ‘word problem’ using two multiple-choice columns:

Here, you would choose one option from the ‘Must not happen in the location’ column and one option from the ‘Must happen in the location’ column.

Read two-part analysis questions carefully; while they may appear simpler than the other question types, they often require you to make inferences based on subtle details in the passage.

Choose only one answer in each column. You cannot choose the same answer for each column. Both must be correct to receive credit.

Table Analysis

In Table Analysis questions, you’ll be asked questions based on tables with a variety of data, like this one:

Each Table Analysis question will ask you if certain statements are True/False or Inferrable/Not Inferrable based on the information available in the table. Choose one answer for each statement.

All of your answers must be correct to get credit for a Table Analysis question. As in the rest of the IR section, there is no partial credit.

Take advantage of the ‘Sort By’ button. This button allows you to organize the table horizontally or vertically based on whatever piece of information you want to highlight. This is a great tool to give you a quick visual shorthand and will help you zero in on the relevant information for the question at hand.

On-Screen Calculator

An onscreen calculator with basic functions is provided for you in the IR section. You can access it by clicking “Calculator” on the upper lefthand corner of your screen.

The calculator will then appear in the center of your screen:

Besides standard arithmetic and square root operations, the IR calculator also includes four memory buttons on the lefthand side:

1. MC, Memory Clear, which clears and resets the memory.
2. MR, Memory Recall, which ‘remembers’ and displays whatever is in recent memory.
3. M+, Memory Addition, which adds the current entry to the current stored memory.
4. MS, Memory Store, which stores in the current memory whatever is displayed on the screen.

The top row has three buttons: Backspace, CE (Clear Entry), and C (Clear All).

The IR calculator doesn’t follow order of operations.

Tips for Succeeding on the Integrated Reasoning Section

1. You must answer all parts of IR questions correctly to get credit for them. This can’t be reiterated enough. There is no partial credit for any IR question. If there’s a three-part question and you only get one part incorrect, the question as a whole is marked ‘wrong.’ So, if you’re trying to hurry, don’t guess on the last part of a question just to move on.
2. Don’t be tempted to use the calculator too often. It may save you time for basic calculations, but you really don’t need to use it for most of the IR section. Integrated Reasoning doesn’t test your math skills; it tests your ability to make sound decisions and think logically, and you have to do so in quite a time crunch. Don’t let the calculator distract you.

Quantitative Section

The Quantitative (Quant) section of the GMAT test format is 62 minutes long and consists of 31 questions. This section tests your ability to use basic math and quantitative reasoning skills to draw conclusions from given data. There are two question types in the Quant section: Data Sufficiency and Problem Solving.

Data Sufficiency

Like the other sections of the GMAT, the Quant section contains a strong logic component. In that vein, Data Sufficiency questions ask you to consider an initial question and two statements, labeled (1) and (2), and decide whether the statements are sufficient to answer the question asked. Take a look at this example:

Note that the five choices listed under the question and two statements in this example will be the same for every Data Sufficiency question, so they’re easy to spot.

You should memorize the five Data Sufficiency answer choices before you take the GMAT. This will save you a great deal of time so you only have to consider the given question and two statements, instead of wrestling with the answer choices on top of those, too.

In this context, ‘sufficient’ means ‘I could answer this question fully with ONLY the information in this statement or these statements.’ That means, for example, that the first two choices ask you if, given each statement separately, you could answer the question correctly.

Problem Solving

Problem Solving questions will ask you to choose one multiple choice answer to complete an equation or solve a word problem. Here’s an example:

Problem Solving questions draw from basic knowledge (such as the number of days in a month) and common secondary-level education math skills. In contrast to Data Sufficiency questions, Problem Solving questions are similar to the kinds of questions you might see in the Quantitative section of the GRE, SAT, or ACT.

Tips for Succeeding on the Quantitative Section

1. There is no calculator on the Quantitative section. Only the Integrated Reasoning section allows you access to a standard calculator. You can use your erasable notepad to do calculations, but if you review number properties in your preparation for the GMAT, you shouldn’t need to use it much.
2. You have about two minutes for each question in the Quant section. Keep track of the time as you go along, and don’t spend too long on any one question.
3. The Quant section draws from secondary level math skills like arithmetic, geometry, and algebra. They’re not overly difficult, but you may have forgotten some of the details. A review of these skills will be helpful to you in your exam preparation.

Verbal Section

The GMAT Verbal Section takes 65 minutes and consists of 36 questions. The Verbal section tests your ability to read critically, to make sound inferences and draw accurate conclusions from those readings, and to correct errors in grammar and sentence structure. There are three question types in the Verbal section: Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning, and Sentence Correction.

Reading Comprehension

Reading Comprehension questions will present you with a brief passage and questions that ask you about its tone, main idea, details, or structure. Questions may also ask you to draw inferences from the information in the passage. Here’s a sample Reading Comprehension passage:

Reading Comprehension passages are always nonfiction; there is never a fiction/literature passage in the bunch. They might draw from humanities, business-related topics, or the natural or social sciences. However, the exact subject doesn’t that much since you don’t need any outside knowledge to be successful on Reading Comprehension questions.

Generally speaking, there will be one or two longer Reading Comprehension passages (around 350 words) and around three shorter passages (around 250 words). Each Reading Comprehension passage is accompanied by a series of several questions. You will be shown the same passage alongside each one (usually around four).

Critical Reasoning

Critical Reasoning questions ask you to evaluate, unpack (break down), or draw conclusions from a given argument or short passage, like this one:

Pay close attention to what you’re being asked. Are you being asked to make an inference, for example, or to discern the main idea? Knowing will help you choose what to focus on and select a strategy.

Read each answer choice fully before you choose one of the five. There could be subtle missteps that you’ll overlook if you don’t read every answer choice.

Sentence Correction

Sentence Correction questions present a sentence with an underlined portion. Your job is to choose, out of five answer choices, the choice that would best replace the underlined portion of the given sentence:

As in this example, the first answer choice is always a direct repetition of the original underlined portion. The other four answer choices all differ from the original in some way.

In Sentence Correction, you’ll be tested on grammar concepts like punctuation, adjectives and adverbs, phrases and clauses, run-ons and fragments, dangling and misplaced modifiers, and the like. But if you don’t know what some of those are, it’s OK! You need to know about the concepts, not the terms.

Incorrect answers might be grammatically incorrect, redundant, ambiguous, illogical, or otherwise awkwardly written or ineffective. You won’t be tested on spelling.

Tips on Succeeding in the Verbal Section

1. You have about a little over a minute and a half for each question in the Verbal Section. Move as quickly as you can without sacrificing accuracy.
2. Every question type in the Verbal section requires only one multiple choice answer.
3. Read each sentence all the way to the end, particularly in Sentence Correction questions. Sometimes an answer choice will seem fine at the start, but the ending is what’s incorrect. It can be tempting to skim, but if there’s one section where you don’t want to do this, it’s the Verbal section.

Tips: How to Make the GMAT Format Work for You

Whew! Now that we’ve gone through a breakdown of each section, you should have a much better idea of what the GMAT test format will look like onscreen. Familiarity with the question types is a great start on your road to GMAT prep. Here are some other ways to make the GMAT exam format work for you rather than overwhelm you:

1. Take a simulated computerized adaptive test. For this kind of a test, doing practice questions on your own probably won’t be enough. Instead, you’ll want to be more familiar with test day conditions so you feel more relaxed the day of the test. You can simulate the real GMAT exam format using the free GMATPrep software, offered by the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC) to everyone with an account at mba.com (also free).
2. Familiarize yourself with the format of each section and question type. Recognizing each question type quickly will empower you to approach each question with more confidence and a more effective strategy.
3. Don’t be afraid of guessing. There are no penalties for incorrect answers on the GMAT, so don’t be afraid to take a guess and move on to the next question if you’re taking too long. However, if you prepare sufficiently, you will almost always be able to eliminate one or more of the answer choices, which increases your chances of getting the question correct.
4. You should always take the optional breaks on exam day. This will refresh your mind and help you mentally ‘reset’ before the next section.

Review: GMAT Format

In this article, we’ve covered the GMAT structure and format, some logistics for test day, the fundamentals of computerized adaptive testing, and a few tips on how to make the most of the GMAT test format. Let’s recap some of the main takeaways:

• There are four sections of the GMAT: Analytical Writing Assessment, Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, and Verbal. Each one has a different set of question types. You’ll encounter the same question types in each section no matter when you take the test or how well you do on each question.

• You can choose the order in which you want to take the GMAT sections.

• The GMAT is a computerized adaptive test, which means that the test adapts to your skill level as you go along in order to compute your score.

• But on test day, you shouldn’t worry about figuring out whether each question is difficult or easy. Instead, you should focus on answering every question to the best of your abilities.

• Reread this article whenever you need to and take an official computerized test to make sure you’re fully prepared for the GMAT exam format. Familiarity is power!

What’s Next?

Ready to sign up for the GMAT? Read our step-by-step guide on how to register for the GMAT.

Worried about the GMAT section will be too difficult for you? We break down how hard the GMAT actually is.

Curious about how to prepare? Check out our sample GMAT study schedules and tips on building your own prep plan.

The post GMAT Format: What to Expect On The Test appeared first on Online GMAT Prep Blog by PrepScholar.

No one ever said the GMAT was easy. In fact, it’s considered so tricky (and so important) that most would-be MBAs spend two to three months preparing for it. The majority of students spend over 50 hours studying, and the highest scorers average 121 hours of study time! What exactly are they doing all this time to get ready?

This guide will walk you through exactly how to prepare for the GMAT, with 23 essential steps that will take you from registering for the exam to drilling practice questions to sitting down at the computer on test day.

First, let’s consider what you need to do before you start hitting the books.

How to Prepare for the GMAT: First Steps

Before you start reviewing the rules of exponents for GMAT math or parallel structure for GMAT verbal, you need to do some preliminary prep work. At this stage, you’re getting ready to study by researching business schools, gathering materials, and devising a plan.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of how to study for the GMAT, let’s look at the first steps you need to take, starting with research on business schools.

#1: Research Business Schools and Deadlines

It’s a pretty safe bet that you’re taking the GMAT to apply to business school and not just for the love of taking timed, computer-adaptive tests. Because the GMAT has a very specific purpose, you should start your preparation by doing some research on business schools.

Find some schools of interest, and write down their application deadlines. Do you have at least three months before the deadline to study? Ideally, you’ll have even more time than that, so that you have the opportunity to retake the GMAT if you’re not satisfied with your scores.

Not only do you need a clear sense of application deadlines, but you should also research the average scores of accepted students. Do most students get in with a 650, or is the school looking for a stellar score of 730?

By finding the average total GMAT score of accepted students, you’ll gain a clear sense of what score you need to be a competitive applicant.

#2: Set a Target GMAT Score

Once you’ve done some research on schools, you can set your own target GMAT scores. As you study, you can work towards these target scores. You may be far from this scoring level starting out, but you’ll get closer to it as the months go by.

In addition to setting clear goals, it’s also important to know your target score for test day. After you finish the GMAT, you’ll see your Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, Verbal, and total scores. At this point, you’ll be asked whether you want to keep or cancel your GMAT scores.

By having a specific target in mind, you’ll know right away whether or not you’ve achieved the GMAT scores you need to apply to your business schools of choice.

#3: Gather Practice Materials

With the abundance of GMAT practice materials out there, how can you choose the ones that will best help you meet your goals? First off, you should look for official GMAT practice tests. The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) offers two full-length GMAT practice tests for free as part of their GMAT Prep Software.

You can actually take these tests multiple times, but you might see a few repeat questions after the first time. Beyond these two free tests, you can also purchase additional practice tests or question packs from GMAC, as well as buy prep books that review the concepts and skills you need for the test.

If you’re looking for more practice tests, you can find a bunch of high-quality options online. Some of the best are offered by Veritas Prep, Kaplan, and Manhattan Prep. These third-party tests can never be as high-quality as those from the test makers, but they are still excellent resources.

Many students take a practice test every two to three weeks to gauge their progress. If you start studying about three months out from your test date, then you should collect four to six practice tests to spread out over the months.

Beyond practice tests, you might be interested in a prep course or one-on-one tutoring. You should think about how you learn best and what degree of accountability you need to stick to your studying goals. If you feel like a teacher, tutor, or peer group would help motivate you, then a GMAT prep program from a third party like Veritas or Manhattan Prep could be worth the cost.

By thinking about how you learn best, you can choose the materials and method of prep that will best help you reach your goals.

#4: Take a Diagnostic Practice Test

Even before you start figuring out how to prepare for GMAT studying, you should take a GMAT practice test to establish your baseline scoring level. Don’t have high hopes for this test; in fact, you should keep your expectations low.

This test is not about doing well, but rather about gaining a clear sense of your starting point. You’ll see areas where you’re relatively strong, as well as those sections and question types that need a lot of work. This will show you how to prepare for the GMAT in the most time-efficient way possible. Also, by taking the test under realistic conditions, you’ll start to get a feel for the timing pressures of the test to keep with you as you prep.

Once you know your starting point, you can see how many points you need to improve to achieve your target score. If you have a longer way to go than you thought, then you may consider applying for a later business school deadline and choosing a test date that gives you lots of study time.

#5: Figure Out Your GMAT Study Schedule

Lots of people preparing for the GMAT are either in school or have full-time jobs. It’s tough to fit in study time between all your other commitments, especially if you’ve been out of school for a few years and your study skills have grown rusty. Regardless, you’ll need to commit hours per week to have a chance at improving your score significantly.

To make sure you hit your study hour goals, you should take a close look at your schedule and identify times when you can definitely study. Ideally, you can set aside the same amount of time on the same days each week so that studying becomes a routine. This is how to prepare for the GMAT reliably.

#6: Identify a Good Study Environment

Just as you need to devote chunks of time to studying, you also need to find an environment that’s conducive to studying. Find a quiet place free of distraction where you can really focus in and make the most of your time.

Hundreds of hours of study time won’t add up to much if you can’t concentrate. Knowing how to prepare for the GMAT won’t matter if you can’t actually learn and concentrate. Don’t spend more time on GMAT prep than you need to. The quality of your study time is just as important as the quantity.

Find an environment that you can access easily, and minimize distractions by turning off your phone or using a website blocker so you can’t check Facebook. Use earplugs or play white noise to help you concentrate on the difficult subject matter. Take control of your surroundings so you’re able to fully focus on the tasks at hand.

#7: Write Down a Detailed Study Plan

Once you’ve collected your materials and figured out when and where you can study, you should take some time to write down specifically how to study for the GMAT. Don’t just think to yourself that you’ll study every Tuesday afternoon. Actually put it on paper or your Google calendar.

In your study plan, you should include these aspects:

• your target number of study hours per week
• your study sessions each week, fully scheduled as actual calendar events
• what GMAT prep materials you’ll use, and how long it’ll take to work through them
• when you’ll take your practice tests, and what your target score for each one is
• contingency plans in case your practice test scores are lower than expected (for example, you might increase your study hours)

Writing down your schedule will feel like you’re setting a contract with yourself. It will be harder to procrastinate once you’ve recorded your plan.

As you plan your studying, think about areas where you need to put the most effort. If you were a humanities major, then you should probably spend the majority of your time reviewing math concepts. If you’re constantly working with numbers, then you may want to focus on reading comprehension and other verbal skills.

Refer back to the results of your diagnostic practice test to inform your study plan. Tackle your weak areas first, and devote the largest amount of time to the skills and question types that confuse you the most.

#8: Choose a GMAT Test Date and Register

Once you’ve figured out how long you need to study for the GMAT, you should choose a test date and register for the test. The GMAT is administered on an on-demand basis almost every day of the year. As long as you register a few months in advance, you should have no trouble getting your preferred test date and location.

Be thoughtful about the day of the week, time of day, and location you choose. You might have more energy at the beginning of the week than at the end, in the morning or the afternoon. If you have a choice, go for a location that you can easily access, and be aware of variables like rush hour traffic.

By choosing your test date early, you’ll ensure that your GMAT test date is available, plus you’ll be setting a deadline for your GMAT prep. It’s a lot easier to put off studying if you don’t have an end date in sight. If your test is looming on the horizon, then you’ll have no choice but to put your nose to the grindstone.

Once you’ve registered for the exam and designed your study plan, it’s time to put it into action! Consider the advice below on how to prepare for the GMAT once you’ve registered for the test and started to study.

How to Prepare for the GMAT: 7 Key Study Tips

There are lots of concepts and skills you need for each section of the GMAT. We have a bunch of prep guides that go into depth about exactly what you need to know for AWA, Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, and Verbal.

This guide, though, is more concerned with meta-strategies. What overarching guidelines should shape your approach? Read the following seven tips to find out how to study for the GMAT.

#9: Learn All About the GMAT

Now that you’ve made your plan, it’s time to learn all about the GMAT. Learn about the format of the test, the timing of each section, and what the instructions say.

Figure out what concepts are tested in math, and read over the rubric that graders use to score the AWA essay. Learn about the four question types in Integrated Reasoning, and the rules of grammar you need to know for sentence corrections in Verbal.

Finally, read about how each GMAT section is scored and how adaptive testing works. You should also look over the official GMAT handbook to learn about test center policies.

Learn everything you can about the GMAT, and write down any questions that come up. When test day arrives, you won’t have to waste time reading instructions. Instead, you’ll have a clear sense of the tasks at hand.

#10: Focus on Your Weak Areas

As mentioned above, the best study plans are customized to the individual. Rather than spending the same amount of time studying for each section, you should prioritize your weak areas. You need to figure out how to study for the GMAT in a way that’s right for you, not your friend and not any other GMAT test taker.

If you have a lot of educational or work experience related to math, then you may focus more on the verbal section, and vice versa. To further uncover your weak areas, look carefully at the results of your diagnostic practice test.

Check out your GMAT section scores, and search for patterns on question types. Maybe you aced sentence corrections in the Verbal section, but you had trouble with reading comprehension problems. Maybe you thought algebra problems were a breeze, but you couldn’t remember any geometry formulas.

Find any sources of confusion and target those areas first to see the greatest score improvement.

#11: Prioritize the Quantitative and Verbal Sections

In addition to targeting your weak areas, you should also spend more time preparing for the Quantitative and Verbal sections than for AWA and Integrated Reasoning. AWA and IR still matter, but they aren’t as significant as Quantitative, Verbal, and total scores during the admissions process.

You especially want to prioritize a section if you majored in an unrelated subject. Admissions officers want to see that former humanities majors have a strong Quantitative score and that former math majors have sufficient verbal skills.

#12: Review Important Math and Verbal Concepts

While the GMAT is more about reasoning and problem-solving skills than memorization of facts and figures, it does still require some foundational knowledge.

In math, for instance, you need to know how to solve for a variable or calculate the area of basic shapes. In verbal, you need to understand terms like tone and thesis, as well as understand grammar rules, like subject-verb agreement and parallel structure.

Many of the concepts are ones that you learned in high school, but that doesn’t mean they’re easy. Most people taking the GMAT have been out of high school for seven to 10 years, and some haven’t worked with these concepts since then.

Don’t feel discouraged if you forgot how to calculate area of a right triangle or how to fix parallel structure in a complex sentence. Just make sure that your study materials review these concepts and have plenty of practice questions with which to drill these skills. Based on your specific style of learning throughout school, you’ll have to figure out how to study for GMAT subjects in the way that is most effective for you.

#13: Try Out Test-Taking Strategies

You don’t have to be uniquely brilliant to earn a high score on a standardized test like the GMAT. Doing well on these tests is less about your academic prowess and more about how good of a test taker you are.

Becoming a good test taker is a skill like any other, meaning that you can develop and improve with practice. To do well on the GMAT, you need to work strategically to improve efficiency, guess when it would benefit you to do so, and divide your time so that you answer every single question.

There are specific strategies for answering certain question types. To tackle sentence corrections, for instance, you should mentally cross out all of the “junk,” or superfluous clauses thrown into the sentence to distract you. For reading comprehension, you should develop skills of speed reading and your ability to extract transitional ideas and the main point without getting caught up in the weeds.

On Integrated Reasoning questions, you’ll benefit from looking at the questions and answers first. By knowing what you’re looking for, you can more efficiently pick out important information from all of the extraneous data.

As you study, find strategies that will help you tackle specific question types and improve your time management. Try them out on practice tests, and decide which ones boosted your performance and will be useful on test day.

#14: Peer Grade AWA Essays

Unless you enroll in a GMAT prep course, you probably won’t have any official sources scoring your AWA practice essays. That doesn’t mean you should skip this step.

Take time to familiarize yourself with the AWA rubric, and try grading your own practice essays. If you have any friends also studying for the GMAT, or who have strong verbal skills and are open to doing you a favor, then you should peer grade each other’s essays.

Just as reviewing your scores for IR, math, and verbal is useful for your prep, so too is writing practice essays from official GMAT AWA prompts and scoring your results. You’ll start to see patterns in your writing and figure out how you can improve.

#15: Take a Timed GMAT Practice Test Every Two to Three Weeks

Your practice testing shouldn’t stop after the initial diagnostic practice test. Instead, practice tests are a great way to get better at taking the GMAT and measure your score improvement.

Many students who know how to prepare for the GMAT take a test every few weeks. Just as with the first practice test, you should simulate testing conditions by following the time limits and testing in a quiet space.

After you finish testing, take time to look over your results and see how you did on certain question types. Your performance can help you evaluate how your studying is going and see whether you need to make adjustments as you go along.

As you study, you should continuously reflect on how things are going and make changes as needed. While these tips will help guide your approach to GMAT studying, how can you prepare for the GMAT once test day is upon you?

Consider these tips as you get ready in the days before your test.

How to Prepare for the GMAT: 8 Last-Minute Tips

What final steps should you take in the days leading up to your test? These last-minute tips will help you feel ready once test day is upon you.

#16: Finalize Your List of Score Recipients

When you take the GMAT, you can enter up to five score recipients for free. These schools will get your official score report about 20 days after you test as long as you don’t cancel your scores.

If you do cancel your scores, then the schools won’t see anything. They won’t even know that you took the GMAT at all.

To take advantage of these free score reports, you should finalize your list of up to five schools before test day.

#17: Review Test Center Policies

Before heading to the test center, take a few minutes to look for any test center-specific policies. Some only accept certain forms of ID, and others may have special instructions on how to get into the building.

You want everything to go smoothly on test day so that all of your energy is focused on the GMAT. Make sure you know what to expect.

#18: Map Your Route to the Test Center

Along similar lines, take a few minutes the night before to map your route to the test center. Make sure you know exactly how to get there and whether you plan to drive, use the subway, take a bus, or call an Uber.

Consider variables like traffic, surge pricing, or an often delayed subway line. Make sure you know where you’re going so you don’t get lost, feel stressed, or, worst case scenario, miss your testing appointment completely!

You should plan to arrive 30 minutes early to allow time for checking in and storing your belongings. Plus, it’s good to arrive early just to get your bearings and feel settled in the new location before the exam starts.

#19: Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Try your best to get a good night’s sleep before the exam. Don’t spend the night frantically cramming for the test. At that point, you’ve done all you can to prepare and should focus on your mental and physical health.

Go to bed early, make yourself comfy, and make your environment as relaxing as possible. You should probably also set two alarms for the morning wake-up call, just in case.

#20: Wear Comfortable Clothes

Along with mapping your route, you should plan out what you’ll wear to the test. Wear comfortable clothes so you’re not distracted by feeling too cold, too hot, too itchy, or any other physical irritation that could mess with your head.

#21: Bring Snacks and Water

You can’t bring snacks into the test room, but you can leave them in a locker or whatever area that the test center has designated for personal belongings. The GMAT is a long and demanding test, and you’ll be burning through plenty of calories to fuel all that brainpower.

Bring snacks to boost energy and water to stay hydrated during the two breaks after the Integrated Reasoning and Quantitative sections.

#22: Don’t Forget Your ID

There’s a lot of security around the GMAT, and there’s no way you’ll be allowed to enter the testing room without an acceptable form of ID. Check out GMAT policies around proper identification, and make sure you’re bringing the right document on test day.

Note that in addition to showing your ID, you’ll also verify your identity by holding your palm for a few seconds over a palm vein reader biometric ID. Apparently, our palm veins are as unique as our fingerprints.

#23: Breathe

Once you’ve reached the end of your GMAT prep journey, take a deep breath. Then take another one. And then 10 more.

The GMAT is a stressful test for most people, and it represents the culmination of months of hard work and the hurdle you must leap to go to business school. You started off not even sure how to prepare for the GMAT, and now you’ve come to the final test day – it’s natural to be nervous.

Try to find ways to manage test-taking anxiety so you can think clearly. If you’re feeling anxious, try methods to self-soothe, like breathing techniques, meditation, and exercise.

Try to recognize unhelpful thoughts, let them float past, and replace them with positive thinking. You’ve done everything you can to prepare up to this point. Now, it’s time to focus on the test and do your best!

As we finish up, let’s go over some final thoughts about preparing for the GMAT.

How to Prepare for the GMAT: Final Thoughts

The GMAT is a tough exam, and a lot of the questions aren’t very intuitive. To do well on it, most people spend several months and over 100 hours preparing. 

As you study, you’ll find the GMAT becoming more and more manageable. Questions that seemed bewildering at first will start to reveal their secrets. Instead of rushing through sections, you’ll develop a steady test-taking rhythm that will let you answer all of the questions in each section.

The best study plans involve plenty of self-reflection. You should think about your weaknesses and mistakes, as well as your strengths and successes, and use them to make adjustments as you go. 

Most people preparing for the GMAT have the extra challenge of working or going to school full time. If this describes you, try to start months before your test date, find a good study environment, and incorporate your GMAT prep into your routine.

By setting a target score and steadily working toward it, you’ll see significant progress over time. When test day finally arrives, you’ll be well prepared and know exactly what to expect.

What’s Next?

As you read above, one of your first steps in preparing for the GMAT should be learning all about the test. Check out this guide to learn the full GMAT exam pattern and see examples of every question type.

What math concepts do you need to know for the GMAT? Check out this comprehensive guide to the GMAT Quantitative section. (coming soon)

What’s tested on the newest section of the GMAT, Integrated Reasoning? This guide breaks down the Integrated Reasoning and gives you key tips on how to prepare. (coming soon)

The post How to Prepare for the GMAT: 23 Expert Study Tips appeared first on Online GMAT Prep Blog by PrepScholar.

If you’re an aspiring MBA student, you’ll have to leap the hurdle of the GMAT to get into business school. Prospective students spend months training for the challenge. What is the GMAT test, exactly?

This guide will go over everything you need to know about the GMAT, its use in business school admissions, and how to register. To get you acquainted with the exam, let’s start by going over the purpose of the GMAT.

What Is the Purpose of the GMAT Exam?

The Graduate Management Admission Test, or GMAT, is a standardized, computer-based test that students across the world take to get into business school. The exam is meant to measure your writing, reasoning, quantitative, and verbal skills and predict your success in a business school classroom.

While it’s not the only piece of your application, the GMAT is an important part of gaining admission. Admissions committees often look at GMAT scores to gain an initial sense of whether or not you’re a competitive candidate. If your scores are too low, like below 550 out of 800, then the officers might not be particularly interested in the rest of your application.

Today, most business schools require either the GMAT or the GRE for admission. The vast majority of students applying for an MBA, Master’s of Finance, or other business school degree still choose to take the GMAT over the GRE.

If you decide to take the GMAT exam, you’ll be joining the ranks of hundreds of thousands of prospective students across the world. Read on to learn more about who takes the GMAT.

Who Takes the GMAT?

Students across the world take the GMAT test to get into an MBA, Master of Finance, Master of Accountancy, or other business school graduate program. The test is meant to provide a standardized way to assess students’ skills.

Last year, a total of 247,432 people took the GMAT, 84,600 of which took the test in the U.S. The average age of GMAT test-takers was 26 worldwide and 27 in the U.S. population.

If you’re curious to learn even more about GMAT test-takers, like their citizenship, gender, age, and total scores, you can find lots of information in GMAC’s research report. You’ll see that more and more people are taking the GMAT each year.

How Did the GMAT Start? A Brief History

In 1953, nine business schools formed the Graduate Management Admission Council to develop a standardized test for business school applicants. Around 2,000 people took the GMAT its first year, and 54 schools used it as selection criteria in their admissions decisions. Today, over 5,900 programs offered by more than 2,100 schools use the GMAT.

The GMAT exam has undergone some changes over time. One major one happened in 2012, when the test-makers introduced the Integrated Reasoning section and reduced the number of essay questions from two to one.

What is GMAT testing like today? Nowadays, you’ll only write one essay for the Analytical Writing Assessment and answer questions about data interpretation and evaluation in the 12-question, 30-minute Integrated Reasoning section. Neither AWA nor Integrated Reasoning factors into your total score, which is based on your Quantitative and Verbal scores.

Let’s take a closer look at the structure of the GMAT today, starting with key logistics about the test-taking experience that you need to know.

What Is the GMAT Exam Like? Key Logistics

There are a few key facts you need to know before taking the GMAT. The first is that it’s a computer-based test. You’ll get one question at a time, and you can’t skip or return to any questions. In fact, you’re responsible for getting to all of the questions in each section before you reach the time limit. If you don’t get to all of the questions in a section, then you’ll suffer a score penalty.

The GMAT exam tests your math, verbal, data interpretation, and reasoning skills, plus you’ll have to write an essay in which you evaluate an argument. The Quantitative (math) and Verbal sections are adaptive, meaning that the difficulty level of the questions changes as you go along based on your answers to previous questions. This format is meant to give you questions that match your ability.

At the end of this over three hour exam, you’ll see an unofficial score report that tells you your Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, and Verbal scores. At this point, you can choose whether to keep your scores and send them to business schools or to cancel them. If you cancel, you can still reinstate them at a later date for a fee of $50. Canceled scores won’t be sent to business schools, and you’ll have to re-register for the GMAT and try again.

You can register for the GMAT online at various locations throughout the world. It’s administered almost every day in some countries, and you can choose whether to take it in the morning or afternoon. The cost of the GMAT is $250, though some schools and scholarship organizations offer vouchers that cover part or all of the exam for eligible students.

Now you have a general sense of the answer to “what is the GMAT test?” So let’s break down its structure and what’s actually on the test next.

What Is the GMAT Test Structure?

The GMAT exam has four sections: the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA), Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, and Verbal. AWA and Integrated Reasoning are 30 minutes, Quantitative is 62 minutes, and Verbal is 65 minutes. There are also two optional eight-minute breaks.

You’ll get a choice of three possible section orders for the GMAT:

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

This chart shows the length of each section, as well as the number of questions it contains and how much time you get to answer each question. Remember, it’s up to you to answer all of the questions before time runs out!

Now that you have a sense of the overall structure of the GMAT, let’s take a closer look at each section and the skills you need to do well.

GMAT Section 1: Analytical Writing Assessment

At the beginning of the Analytical Writing Assessment, you’ll get a tutorial screen with instructions for typing your response and navigating the text box (don’t worry, it’s pretty standard). Once you start the section, you’ll have 30 minutes to read the prompt and write your essay.

While the excerpts change, your instructions will always be the same. Here are the AWA directions you’ll get:

You’ll also be reminded that your assignment is to “write a critique of the argument presented. You are NOT being asked to present your own views on the subject.”

Here’s a sample prompt for the AWA essay:

If this were your prompt, you’d have to critique this argument about minimizing costs and maximizing profits. You’ll get your AWA score about 20 days after you take the GMAT, as your essay will be scored at least twice, by a person and by a machine. Scoring is based on the AWA rubric. A strong essay is clear, insightful, and well-organized.

Reading sample essays will help you prepare for this section, as will practicing writing your own. You should also look over this comprehensive list of GMAT AWA prompts that are used on the GMAT.

GMAT Section 2: Integrated Reasoning Section

The IR section is a bit different and still relatively new, as it was introduced to the GMAT exam in 2012. The IR section asks 12 questions in 30 minutes, and unlike math and verbal, it’s not adaptive.

The Integrated Reasoning section seeks to measure your ability to evaluate information presented in multiple formats. You might have to read a passage, chart, or graph from multiple sources, synthesize the information, and answer questions that compare the graphics to one another.

Here’s an example of an IR sample question from the GMAT Prep software. The actual test won’t let you bookmark a question or indicate, “This is a guess.” It will have the calculator tool, though, as this sample question does in the upper right-hand corner. IR is the only section on the GMAT during which you can use a calculator.

As you can see, you’ll need to click through three tabs, Techniques, Artifacts, and Budget, to get all of the information for this set of questions.

While this sample question shows a passage, other questions may contain a chart or graph. You’ll typically be able to manipulate data in different ways. For instance, a chart might have a drop-down menu that allows you to organize the information by various columns. If you have to answer several questions about the same group of passages or graphics, then you may have to keep re-organizing the data to figure out your answers.

Some questions are multi-part, but you won’t get any partial credit. You have to answer all parts of a question correctly to get points.

Again, the 12 questions in the Integrated Reasoning section ask you to interpret data and synthesize information from a variety of graphics, text, and numbers. It’s a challenging and unusual section, so preparation is key!

GMAT Section 3: Quantitative Section

The Quantitative section is the scary section of the GMAT exam to test-takers who haven’t taken a math class in years. If you’re one of them, perhaps you’ll rest a little easier knowing that it doesn’t test particularly advanced math. The questions mainly focus on arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and logic.

Even if you haven’t studied math in years, you can easily review the concepts and formulas. To answer the quantitative questions on the GMAT, you’ll need to have a working knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and word problems.

There are two question types in this section, problem solving and data sufficiency. Problem-solving questions are straightforward math problems for which there is only one correct answer. Here’s an example of a problem-solving question in the GMAT Quantitative section:

Data sufficiency questions are a little more unusual. They present a formula followed by two descriptive statements. You have to indicate whether the first statement, second statement, neither, or both give you sufficient information to solve the original formula. Here’s an example of a data sufficiency question. Note that all data sufficiency questions will have the same answer choices.

You don’t actually have to solve data sufficiency problems. In fact, solving them would probably be a waste of your valuable test-taking time. Rather, you need to figure out whether or not you have enough information to solve them. In effect, you need to know if you could solve them if you wanted to, but you have better things to do with your time.

Problem solving and data sufficiency questions are interspersed throughout the Quantitative section, so you’ll have to switch back and forth between them.

GMAT Section 4: Verbal Section

Last but not least, we have the Verbal section. You’ll get 36 questions of three types: reading comprehension, critical reasoning, and sentence correction. Reading comprehension questions ask you to read and understand passages, critical reasoning questions want you to evaluate arguments, and sentence corrections ask you to identify and fix grammatical errors in stand-alone sentences.

For reading comprehension questions, you’ll read a passage and answer multiple questions about its meaning, logic, and what kind of evidence would strengthen or weaken its central premise. Here’s an example of a reading comprehension question. A passage like this one might be followed by seven to 10 questions. Just the first two are shown below.

Critical reasoning questions similarly ask you to examine an argument critically, as well as to root out any assumptions in a brief scenario. It calls on similar skills as the AWA essay at the beginning of the GMAT. The following is a sample critical reasoning question.

Finally, sentence correction questions present a stand-alone sentence with a certain word or phrase underlined. You’ll have to figure out whether there’s an error. If there is, then you’ll have to choose the answer that provides a correction.

On sentence corrections, your first answer choice will always be the same as the original (ie, no error). As the instructions remind you, your “answer should be clear and exact, without awkwardness, ambiguity, redundancy, or grammatical error.”

The following is an example of a sentence correction question.

You can find practice questions on MBA.com, as well as on the helpful and free GMAT PrepSoftware. After you finish the GMAT exam, you’ll get an unofficial score report with your scores for Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, and verbal, as well as your total scores. Each section will have a different scoring range, as you’ll see below.

How Is the GMAT Scored?

Your total scores on the GMAT test will fall somewhere in the range of 200 to 800. Your total scores are based on your Quantitative and Verbal scores. Neither the AWA essay nor the Integrated Reasoning section counts toward your total scores.

Here are the score ranges, score intervals, and average scores for each section of the GMAT:

You’ll get your official GMAT score report about 20 days after your test. If you feel something is off with your essay score, you can request a rescore for a fee of $45. Whatever score you get after your essay is regraded will be your final AWA score, even if it ends up being lower than the original one.

You’ll also get percentile rankings for your total and section scores. Your percentiles tell you the percentage of test-takers that you performed better than. For instance, scoring in the 80th percentile means that you got higher scores than 80% of other test-takers.

Percentile ranges vary by section. For instance, you can score in the 99th percentile in the verbal section, but a perfect score in Integrated Reasoning is only 92nd percentile. That’s because about 8% of test-takers get a perfect IR score.

You don’t need 99th percentile scores to get into a top business school. What scores do you need to gain admission?

What GMAT Scores Do You Need for Business School?

Average GMAT scores clock in at around 552. If you score above 700 on the GMAT, then you’ll be a competitive candidate for any business school. Accepted students at top business schools, like Harvard Business School, the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and the Wharton School at UPenn, average a GMAT score of 720 to 730.

This is an average score, meaning that some students score higher and some got in with lower scores. The rest of your business school application is also very important. Admissions committees take a holistic approach when evaluating your candidacy and look at your work experience, undergraduate record, recommendations, and essays.

If business school is in your plans, how can you sign up to take the GMAT?

How Do You Sign Up for the GMAT?

Most people register for the GMAT online at MBA.com. You set up an account and select a testing center, date, and time of day. You can register anywhere from six months to 24 hours before your selected date. Testing centers can fill up, though, so it’s recommended that you register at least two to three months ahead of time.

You can also register by phone for a $10 fee or by mail, as long as you make sure your payment arrives at least 10 days ahead of your selected test date.

The cost of the GMAT exam is $250. Some schools and organizations have vouchers that cover all or some of this cost. To get one, you’d have to reach out to a business school of interest to see if it has any vouchers available. Since the school may require some supporting documentation to demonstrate your financial need, you should make sure to start this process months before you plan to register for the GMAT.

Once you’ve chosen your test date, you can start to gather prep materials and design a personalized study plan that will help you achieve your target scores.

Preparing for the GMAT: Next Steps

The GMAT is a challenging test, and preparation is key for doing well. Students who scored above a 700 spent an average of 121 hours studying. Prep is especially important if you’ve been out of school for a few years and your test-taking skills have grown rusty.

One of your first steps should be downloading the free GMAT PrepSoftware. It has practice questions and two full-length practice GMAT exams that emulate the real test. You might start by taking a diagnostic test to get a sense of your current scoring level. Based on your results, you can figure out where you need to focus your attention so you can see the biggest improvement.

You should also think about how you learn best. Can you make progress studying on your own from a book or online materials? Would it benefit you to get in a classroom and take a GMAT test? Would it be helpful to splurge on a private GMAT tutor?

The most expensive prep option isn’t necessarily the best one for your learning style. Think about how you’ve learned most successfully in the past and take a personalized approach to getting ready for the GMAT exam. You should especially look for materials that have a computerized component, as the GMAT is a computer-based test.

As you study, take timed practice tests so you can get used to the rhythm of the test and measure your progress. Practice tests will help you figure out where you’re excelling and where you’re struggling. By identifying your weaknesses, you can make sure to address them before test day.

The amount you study depends on how big a score improvement you’re looking to make and how much time you have before your test date. As long as you incorporate GMAT studying into your routine by setting aside a certain amount of time each week, you should be able to significantly improve by the time your test date rolls around.

In closing, let’s consider the key points you need to remember about what the GMAT exam is and why you need to take it to get into business school.

What Is the GMAT Exam? Key Takeaways

If you’ve made it to the end of this guide, then you now know that the GMAT is a three and a half hour, computer-based, at times computer adaptive test that people all over the world take to get into graduate school for business.

Your GMAT scores are an important selection criterion for admissions committees. Admissions officers want to make sure you have the skills to succeed in a business school classroom, and the GMAT offers a standardized way to assess and compare applicants.

While the four sections of the GMAT focus on different content and feature different question types, all of them test your ability to distill complex information, analyze the logic and effectiveness of an argument, interpret and solve problems, and showcase your reasoning capabilities.

You’ll need to show up to the exam equipped with certain knowledge, like how to calculate the area of a triangle and rules of commas, but you’ll also have to exercise your reasoning and problem-solving skills on the spot.

The GMAT is a challenging test, both in terms of its content and its fast pace. With a serious and intentional approach to preparing in the months leading up to your test date, you can achieve your goals and get the scores you seek to get into business school.

What’s Next?

Now that you know the answer to “what is the GMAT exam?”, how can you start preparing? This comprehensive GMAT syllabus also includes tips for designing a personalized GMAT study plan.

Have you registered for the GMAT yet? This guide leads you through the GMAT registration process, step by step.

How do percentiles work on the GMAT? Check out the complete GMAT percentile charts for every section, plus analysis of what they mean for you.

The post What Is the GMAT? 8 Key Questions, Answered appeared first on Online GMAT Prep Blog by PrepScholar.

When it comes to taking the GMAT, preparation is key. On average, students who scored a 700 or above prepared for an impressive 121 hours before taking the exam.

This full GMAT syllabus will help you join that group of well-prepared high scorers. You’ll learn everything you need to know about the GMAT, plus get some key tips on how to design an effective study plan.

Let’s start with a general introduction to the GMAT.

Meet the GMAT: What You Need to Know

Before getting to the complete GMAT exam syllabus, there are a few things you should know about the test. The GMAT is a computer-based test administered at test centers throughout the world. It doesn’t have set test dates, but rather is given on an on-demand basis almost every day of the year.

The entire test is multiple choice, with the exception of the first section, which asks you to write a 30-minute essay. You’ll get one question at a time and can never skip or return to questions.

Each section is strictly timed, and you’ll see a timer counting down how many minutes and seconds you have left. You’re responsible for getting to all of the questions in time, or you’ll face a severe score penalty.

Two of the four GMAT sections are adaptive, meaning that the questions you get are tailored to your ability level. You’ll start out with some medium level questions, and subsequent ones will get easier or harder depending on how you’re doing. Because of this adaptive format, everyone gets a slightly different version of the GMAT.

Before you start the GMAT on test day, you’ll agree to a nondisclosure agreement and choose up to five score recipients. After you take the test, you’ll get to see most of your scores and can decide whether to keep or cancel them. If you decide to cancel them, they won’t show up on any score reports.

Now that you have a general sense of GMAT logistics and what to expect on test day, let’s take a closer look at the structure of the exam itself.

GMAT Syllabus: Full Structure of the Test

The GMAT has four sections: Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA), Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, and Verbal. The AWA and Integrated Reasoning sections are 30 minutes each, Quantitative is 62 minutes, and Verbal is 65 minutes.

In total, the GMAT is just over three hours, plus you have the option of two eight-minute breaks. To break it down for you, the chart below shows the length of each GMAT section, how many questions it contains, and how much time you have, on average, to answer each question.

This average time per question is just an estimate for your benefit. You’re responsible for getting to all of the questions in time and can divide your time however you see fit. That being said, you don’t want to waste too much time on a single question and then find yourself rushing through the remaining ones.

You get to choose one of three orders for the GMAT sections:

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

We’ve covered the overall structure of the GMAT, but what do you need to know about each section? Let’s delve into the skills, content, and question types of each section. We’ll use the standard GMAT section order (option 1 above), starting with the syllabus for GMAT AWA.

GMAT Section 1: Analytical Writing Assessment

Your first section on the GMAT exam syllabus is the Analytical Writing Assessment, or essay. First, you’ll get a tutorial with a 10-minute limit that gives you instructions for writing your essay and using the text box.

You can click through at any time to start the essay, at which point the 30-minute timer will start ticking. You’ll get a short prompt that features an argument. Here’s one example of an AWA prompt, but you can find the full list of AWA prompts here.

After the prompt, you’ll get the following instructions:

As you can see, your job is not to present your own opinions, but rather to evaluate critically a given argument. What else should you keep in mind as you prepare for the AWA section of the GMAT?

Tips for the AWA section

As with all sections of the GMAT, time management on the AWA section is crucial. You’ll have just 30 minutes to produce a well-structured essay. It can help to divide your time up among planning, drafting, and revising.

For instance, you might spend three to five minutes reading the prompt and outlining your essay. Then, you could spend between 20 and 24 minutes drafting the essay. At the end, leave three to five minutes for editing and revising.

Rather than starting to write immediately, you should take a few minutes to write down your two to three main points and supporting examples. Writing a well-structured, well-organized essay is essential for getting a high score, so taking some time to plan before you start drafting is an important first step.

Before the test, you should also learn the 10-minute tutorial so you don’t have to read it too closely on test day. The tutorial gives you useful tips about writing your essay, as it reminds you to,

• Evaluate the argument and plan a response before you begin writing
• Organize your ideas and develop them fully
• Provide relevant supporting reasons and examples
• Remember that you’re not providing your own opinion, but rather evaluating the strength of an argument and what evidence could strengthen or weaken it

You should further familiarize yourself with the rubric that graders (one human, one machine) use to score your essay between 1 and 6. Plus, you can read sample essays to see which ones are successful and which ones fall flat.

Finally, writing your own practice essays under 30-minute time limits will help you sharpen your skills. You can practice with official GMAT prompts and get better at writing well-reasoned, clearly structured essays in just 30 minutes.

Next up is the syllabus for GMAT Integrated Reasoning.

GMAT Section 2: Integrated Reasoning Section

The Integrated Reasoning (IR) section is the most recent addition to the GMAT. It was introduced in 2012 as a way to bring skills of data interpretation into the test.

This 30-minute section asks 12 questions, and it’s not adaptive like the Quantitative and Verbal sections. Each question is multi-part, but there’s no partial credit for IR questions. You must get all parts of a problem correct to get credit.

There are four types of questions in the IR section: table analysis, graphics interpretation, multi-source reasoning, and two-part analysis. You’ll find a variety of graphs, charts, tables, and other graphics throughout the section, as well as short to medium-length passages.

Many of the questions call on you to sort and organize information. You’ll get a variety of drop-down menus that let you rearrange data.

Some questions require you to crunch some numbers, so you’ll have use of an on-screen calculator in this section. IR is the only section on the GMAT where you can use a calculator.

Let’s look at a few sample questions of each of the four types of IR questions.

Integrated Reasoning Sample Questions

As you just read, there are four types of questions in the IR section. Here’s an official sample of each one. Note that the examples below are screenshots of official practice questions. On the real test, you’ll be able to click through tabs, use drop-down menus, and reorganize data to answer the questions.

As you can see, each question type has several parts, and you’ll need to be comfortable interpreting and comparing data from a variety of sources and graphics. What else can you do to prepare for the IR section?

Tips for Integrated Reasoning Section

The IR section is all about data interpretation. You need to be able to read tables, charts, graphs, and passages, to pick out relevant points, and to synthesize data from multiple sources.

To get ready, you should first review how to analyze different types of graphics, like bar graphs, scatter plots, and pie charts. You should become comfortable with these graphics and sharpen your speed-reading skills.

You should also try sample IR questions and take practice tests to familiarize yourself with the unique format of this section. You’ll have to learn how to click through tabs, organize data, and use the on-screen calculator.

These questions ask you to look at multiple sources, analyze evidence, discern main points, and make inferences. The more you practice with realistic IR practice questions, the more prepared you’ll be to tackle this tricky section.

Now that you know the basics of the IR section, let’s move on to the GMAT quant syllabus.

GMAT Section 3: Quantitative Section

The Quantitative section asks 31 math questions in 62 minutes. It’s your first adaptive section, so the difficulty levels of the questions will go up and down along with your performance.

GMAT math questions mainly ask about arithmetic, algebra, and geometry. You’ll also get some word problems. Unlike the IR section, you can’t use a calculator here. You will get note boards and markers to write out your work.

There are two types of questions in the Quantitative section, problem solving questions and data sufficiency questions. Problem solving questions are typical math problems that you’ve probably seen on dozens of math tests in or after high school. Here’s one example of a problem solving question that involves fractions and percentages.

Data sufficiency questions are a bit more unusual, as they ask you whether or not you have enough information to solve a problem. You don’t actually have to come up with an answer, but rather have to determine whether you have “sufficient data” to answer a problem.

The following example is a typical data sufficiency question.

All data sufficiency questions will have these same exact five answer choices, so you should go into the test already knowing what your task is. What else should be on your GMAT maths syllabus?

Tips for the Quantitative Section

The GMAT math section is daunting to a lot of people, especially those who haven’t taken a math class in years. If you’re one of those people, you should rest assured that GMAT math doesn’t test very advanced concepts. In fact, you probably learned most of these topics in high school.

The first step in your GMAT maths syllabus, then, is to review the fundamentals of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and word problems. You should review concepts and reinforce your understanding with lots of GMAT practice problems. Official practice problems are the best ones, and they will teach you how to apply your knowledge specifically to GMAT questions.

You should prioritize practice tests as part of your GMAT Quant syllabus, as working quickly and efficiently is half the battle. The more you practice, the more skilled you’ll become at managing your time.

As you take the test, try not to worry about the adaptive format. You can’t really game the system or get a handle on how you’re doing as you go along. If questions feel like they’re getting easier, don’t freak out!

Just keep working on the problem in front of you, and forget about ones that have already gone past. You’ll see your scores at the end of the test, so you should waste mental energy trying to evaluate your performance as you go along.

Finally, let’s go over the syllabus for GMAT Verbal.

GMAT Section 4: Verbal Section

The Verbal section is your final section on the GMAT, and like the Quantitative section, it’s also adaptive. You’ll get 36 questions in 65 minutes.

There are three types of Verbal questions, reading comprehension, critical reasoning, and sentence corrections. They all call on your understanding of English language and grammar and ability to evaluate arguments.

Reading comprehension questions ask you to read a passage and answer several questions about its meaning, logic, and argument. They may also ask you what kind of evidence would strengthen or weaken its central point. Here’s one example of a reading comprehension passage and sample question.

Critical reasoning questions are similar, except instead of a passage, they just present a brief argument. You’ll have to analyze the argument, as well as look closely at its logic, premise, conclusion, and assumptions. The following is an example of a critical reasoning question.

Finally, sentence corrections are grammar questions. You’ll get a wordy sentence that has a certain word or phrase underlined. Your job is to decide whether it has an error and if so, what it should say instead.

As in the sample question below, the first answer choice will always match the underlined portion of the sentence. You would choose the first answer if there’s no error and the sentence is correct as is.

Besides reviewing grammar rules, what else can you do to get ready for the GMAT Verbal section?

Tips for the Verbal Section

The Verbal section tests your ability to interpret and simplify complex information. You’ll need to have solid reading skills. Since you have a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it in, you should strengthen your speed reading skills. You might do better looking for big picture issues, like main point, tone, and structure, rather than paying close attention to each and every word in a passage.

For critical reasoning questions, you may find that process of elimination is helpful. Look for answer choices that are unrelated to the line of reasoning in the excerpt. All of the answer choices may be true in some way, but only the right one will be relevant to the line of reasoning that the author uses in her argument.

For sentence corrections, you should try decluttering the wordy sentence. Try to mentally cross out extra phrases and words that are only there to distract you from the task at hand.

You may also find process of elimination a useful strategy here. If two answer choices serve the same exact grammatical purpose, then neither can be the correct answer.

As you get ready for the Verbal section, review grammar rules, read widely, answer sample questions, and take timed practice tests. Develop your verbal skills and practice applying them to GMAT questions.

Beyond these study tips specific to GMAT section, what do you need to know about designing your full GMAT syllabus? Read on to find out.

GMAT Exam Syllabus: How to Design a Personalized Study Plan

The GMAT is a challenging test, and preparation is key for achieving your goals. There’s no one size fits all study plan. Instead, the best study plan is customized to your individual strengths and weaknesses.

People who struggle in math will benefit from focusing most on math review and sample questions. The same goes for those who need to grow their verbal skills.

Your study plan also depends on your particular goals for business school, as well as the amount of time you have to study. As you design a customized GMAT syllabus, keep the following 10 tips in mind.

#1: Do Some Research on Business Schools

First and foremost, you’re taking the GMAT to get into business school. Knowing where you want to apply, then, is a key factor in designing your GMAT study plan.

Write down your application deadlines, and determine whether you’re applying for Round 1, Round 2, or Round 3 admissions. Round 1 is usually best, unless you feel that waiting will significantly strengthen your application.

Once you know your deadline, you can choose a test date that ensures your scores will arrive in time. You want to take the GMAT at least a month before your first application deadline. If you think you might need to retake the GMAT, then you should leave yourself even more time.

Once you’ve chosen a date, you’ll know how much time you have to study. Try to set aside a certain amount of time each week for GMAT studying and make a routine of it. If you’re aiming to study a total of 120 hours, then you could do 10 hours a week for three months.

In addition to figuring out your deadlines, you should also look for the average scores of accepted students. Most business schools don’t set a GMAT score cutoff, but they do share data on the average GMAT score of students who they accept into their programs. Once you have this information, you know what GMAT scores you’re working towards.

#2: Set a Goal Score

Once you’ve found the average scores of accepted students at business schools you’re interested in, you can set your own target scores. What would make you a competitive candidate? What do you need to score to send off a strong application?

Setting a goal score is also important when you eventually take the test. You’ll see your Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, Verbal, and total scores right in the testing center, and then you have a couple of minutes to decide whether you want to keep or cancel your scores. By going in with a set goal, you’ll know right away whether or not you’re satisfied with your results.

#3: Collect Study Materials

What are the best GMAT study materials? The best ones come from the test makers themselves. GMAC offers a useful and free GMAT Prep Software with a bunch of sample questions and two full-length practice tests.

Since the practice tests are adaptive and draw from a big pool of questions, you can actually take each one more than once. However, you might start to see some repeat problems, so the first time you take a practice test will be your most realistic experience of the GMAT.

GMAC also sells GMAT prep books that are useful for content review. Some high-quality third party companies are Kaplan and Manhattan Prep, though third party questions can never be quite as realistic as official ones.

As you prep, look for full length practice tests that you can take on the computer and have the same timing and format as the real test. You should also think carefully about how you learn best to decide whether self-study, an online prep program, a class, or a private tutor would be the best approach for you.

#4: Take a Diagnostic Practice Test

Before you can figure out your study plan, you need to know your current scoring level. You should set aside three hours to take a GMAT practice test, perhaps one of the tests offered for free by the GMAT Prep Software.

Head to a quiet place and follow the time limits, perhaps even giving yourself two eight-minute breaks as you would on test day. Once you’ve finished the test, you’ll see your IR, Quantitative, Verbal, and total scores.

Since you’ve already set your target score, this initial practice test will tell you how many points you need to improve and how long you should study.

#5: Write Down Your Study Schedule

If you don’t find a way to make yourself accountable, you might find yourself doing more procrastinating than studying. One way to motivate yourself is to actually write down your GMAT exam syllabus.

Whether you use a calendar or a planner, set aside the amount of time on the same day each week. Think about when you have time, when you’re most alert, and how much time you need to study each week to meet your target number of study hours.

Not only will writing down your study schedule help you develop a routine and stick to it, but you can also look back on it to see all the progress you’ve already made.

#6: Review Fundamental Concepts

While the GMAT is largely a reasoning and problem-solving test, you still need to have certain base knowledge. For instance, you need to understand fundamental concepts in algebra, geometry, and arithmetic. You have to know parallel structure, subject-verb agreement, and other rules of grammar, and you must be able to read a bar graph or scatter plot.

The best GMAT prep materials will present lessons in fundamental concepts for each section of the GMAT. You should spend time reviewing all of these lessons, especially any ones that you haven’t encountered in a long time.

Many test takers take the GMAT a few years after graduating college, and their academic skills have gotten rusty. Take time to review core concepts to make sure you can apply them to solving GMAT problems.

#7: Keep an Error Log

One of the best ways to improve your skills is to pay close attention to what you’re getting wrong. You should take notes on any concepts that confuse you or any practice questions you get wrong.

Once you’ve logged your error, think about the source of your confusion. Are you unclear on a certain concept? Did you make a careless mistake? Did you run out of time in a section?

Once you understand why you made an error, you can take specific steps to fix it.

#8: Try Out Test-Taking Strategies

Doing well on the GMAT isn’t just about having great verbal, math, and critical thinking skills. You also need to be a strategic and efficient test-taker. With only two minutes per question, you’ll need to show up on test day with seriously sharpened test-taking skills.

One of the best ways to improve your skills is to take practice tests. You should also try out various strategies, like speed-reading and process of elimination, to boost your efficiency. With enough practice, you’ll be able to train your laser focus and work both quickly and carefully throughout the test.

#9: Assess Your Progress As You Go Along

While you should write down your GMAT syllabus and stick to it, you also shouldn’t be afraid to adjust your approach as time goes on. You may have initially thought you needed mostly math review but then found that the verbal section is also quite challenging.

As you go along, you should reflect on your progress. Pay most attention to your weak areas, even if they’re not where you expected they’d be.

One good way to gauge your progress is to take a GMAT practice test every few weeks. You can see your score improvement (or lack thereof) and figure out what to do next. If progress has stalled, try to identify what’s going on.

You can keep altering your approach to make it most effective for you in the months leading up to your test.

#10: Get Ready for Test Day

Once you’ve reached the finish line and test day is almost upon you, hopefully you feel confident that you’ve done all of the studying you can to this point. Don’t spend the night before the GMAT cramming. Instead, take a break, relax, and get a good night’s sleep.

Head to the test center early, and make sure you know the route. Showing up late or getting lost would just add more anxiety to an already stressful day!

Try to eat a nutritious breakfast, avoid excessive caffeine, and wear comfy clothes. You might also bring healthy snacks and water to reenergize during the breaks.

Finally, you should go in with clear target scores in mind. That way, you’ll know right away whether you want to keep or cancel them at the end of the test. If you do end up disappointed, you can figure out where you fell short this time around and design a more effective study plan for next time.

As long as you spend time getting ready, you’re fully capable of meeting your GMAT goals. As we finish up, let’s go over some of the key takeaways you should remember about your GMAT syllabus.

GMAT Syllabus: Key Takeaways

The GMAT is a three hour computer-based exam that measures your math, verbal, and critical reasoning skills. You’re responsible for managing your time so that you answer all of the questions in each section.

The GMAT a challenging test, and many students spend months getting ready for it. If you have time before your test date, then just a few hours each week can add up to a significant amount of study time.

Before you get going, you should take time to think about your strengths and weaknesses and design a personalized GMAT syllabus. Set specific goals and figure out what steps you can take to achieve them.

By sticking to your study plan and using high-quality practice materials, you can make progress toward your target scores. By the time test day rolls around, you’ll be well acquainted with the structure, concepts, and question types on this challenging exam.

What’s Next?

Have you chosen a GMAT test date yet? Before you register, check out this guide on choosing the best test date and time of day to take the GMAT. Once you’ve decided on a date, check out our article on how to register for the GMAT.

Do you know how the GMAT is scored? Check out our guide to the GMAT scoring system and our article on percentiles to learn all about how your score is calculated and what it means.

The post Best GMAT Syllabus 2018: What’s On the Test and How to Prepare appeared first on Online GMAT Prep Blog by PrepScholar.

While you might spend months preparing for and obsessing over the GMAT, how much time will you actually spend taking it? This guide will discuss total GMAT length, as well as how much time you can expect to spend in the testing center.

We’ll also take a look at how many minutes you have per question, a key piece of intel since you’ll be responsible for getting to all of the questions in each section. Read on to learn everything you need to know about GMAT time, plus some tips on how to prep for this long exam.

First, how long is the GMAT overall?

How Long Is the GMAT? Total Time

The total testing time of the GMAT is three hours and seven minutes, including two 30-minute sections, a 62-minute section, and a 65-minute section. Each section is strictly timed, so you can’t get any additional time unless you set up accommodations due to a documented disability.

During the GMAT, you have the option of taking two breaks for up to eight minutes. You can take each break after about an hour of testing. The first comes after the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) and Integrated Reasoning, and the second comes after the Quantitative section.

If you take advantage of both eight-minute breaks, then your total testing time will be 3 hours and 23 minutes. This chart shows the full GMAT length broken down into its four sections. You’ll have a choice about the order of the sections, but the test length and the spacing of the breaks are always the same.

Your actual time in the GMAT testing room will be a bit longer, since you’ll take some time reading through additional screens that give instructions or ask you whether or not you want to keep your scores. Just like with each section of the test, each of these additional screens has a time limit.

How Long Does the GMAT Take With Additional Screens?

As you take the GMAT, you’ll read through a few additional screens. First, you’ll have the option of choosing five schools to receive your GMAT scores. These score reports are free, but any additional ones that you add after the test cost $25 each. You should take advantage of these free score reports, since you have the option of canceling your scores at the end of the test if you’re not satisfied with them.

After you select score recipients, you’ll be prompted to agree to a non-disclosure agreement. Following your electronic signature, you’ll have two minutes to pick the section order you want.

You’ll be given brief instructions before each of the four GMAT sections. The Analytical Writing tutorial is the most extensive: it tells you how to write your essay in the response box and offers some tips for navigating the next screen. You have a 10-minute time limit, after which the AWA section will automatically start. You can also click ahead at any point to start your essay. You’ll also see brief instruction screens before the Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, and Verbal sections that have just one-minute time limits.

However, you should familiarize yourself with these instructions before you take the GMAT, so you don’t have to spend time worrying about them on test day. You can find these screens in the two practice tests on the free GMATPrep Software.

After you finish the GMAT, you’ll get your unofficial score report, which tells you how you did on the Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, and Verbal sections, along with your total scores (AWA has no effect on your total scores).

At this point, you can decide whether to keep or cancel your scores. You have just two minutes to decide. If you don’t select an option, your GMAT scores will be automatically canceled!

To prevent this from happening, you should go into the test with a clear idea of which scores you would keep and which ones you would cancel. Luckily, you can change your mind and cancel or reinstate your scores later, but you’ll have to pay a fee of $25 to $50 to do so.

Given all of these extra screens for instructions and agreements, how long does the GMAT take? You’ll likely be sitting at the computer in the testing room for close to four hours.

The GMAT is a long and demanding test, and you’re responsible for managing your time through each of the four sections. Read on to learn how many questions you have in each section and how to manage your pacing.

How Long Is the GMAT by Section?

When you take the GMAT, you’ll get just one question at a time. You can’t skip or go back to any questions, and you’re responsible for getting to all of the questions in a section before time is up.

To help you do this, you’ll see a timer with a tracker that tells you what question you’re on and how many you have left. If you don’t answer all of the questions in each section, your score will take a serious hit.

This chart shows you how many questions you have in each section to give you a sense of how much time you have per question. Keep in mind that it might not be the best strategy to divide your time equally among every different type of question, but this estimate gives you a good starting point for thinking about time management.

On average, you’ll have about two minutes per question. In the Integrated Reasoning section, you get a little more time per question, and in verbal you get a little less.

Obviously, the GMAT is a fast-paced test, and you need to manage your time and keep up your focus over several hours in order to do well on it. What can you do to sharpen your time management skills and prepare for the GMAT length? Read on for nine essential tips for time management before and during the GMAT.

How to Manage GMAT Time: 9 Key Tips

Not only does the GMAT ask tough questions, but it also challenges you to get to all of the questions in time. This kind of test is difficult for anyone, but it poses an extra challenge for people who have been out of school for a few years and haven’t taken a test in a while.

How can you polish your rusty test-taking skills? And what can you do as you take the test to work efficiently? Below are nine essential tips for time management on the GMAT. First, consider what you can to prepare for the test, followed by some advice for managing your time as you take the test itself.

Before the GMAT…

Consider these five tips for sharpening your time management skills as you get ready for the GMAT.

Time Tip #1: Take Timed Practice Tests

The best way to get a sense of the rhythm of the GMAT is to take timed practice tests. The free GMAT PrepSoftware has two practice exams that emulate the real test, and you can find additional ones with other GMAT prep materials.

When you take a practice test, find a quiet space, use a stopwatch if you don’t have a computer-based timer, and try your best to simulate actual testing conditions. Being an efficient test-taker is a skill that you can develop with practice.

A lot of people have trouble getting to all of the questions in the GMAT, but a few actually have the opposite problem. If you find yourself rushing through and making careless mistakes, try to slow down, pay attention to details, and use the full amount of time you have to answer all of the questions.

There’s no need to finish with ten minutes still left in a section, since you can’t go back and revisit any questions that you’ve already answered. The only exception is the AWA section, when you should save a few minutes at the end to read over your essay, edit for grammar and organization, and revise any sentences that are unclear.

The more you practice with an eye on the timer, the better you’ll get at balancing time on the GMAT. Plus, practice tests are useful for gauging your score improvement, measuring your progress, and readjusting your study plan in the months before the GMAT.

Time Tip #2: Find Test-Taking Strategies That Work For You

People who do well on the GMAT don’t just have a solid understanding of content. They’re also working strategically. Each section of the GMAT calls for its own skills and strategies to work efficiently and avoid careless errors.

In the verbal section, for instance, you could try the Veritas STOP method of reading the passages. Rather than focusing on every word, try to read with an eye for the passage’s structure, tone, organization, and purpose. By focusing on these main elements, you can read more quickly while still picking up the information you need to answer the questions.

In the quantitative section, you usually don’t have to solve “data sufficiency” problems. Solving a problem would be a waste of time if you can assess whether or not you have enough information without actually going through all of the steps.

Simple process of elimination can also be a useful strategy for many of the multiple choice questions, as well. If you can eliminate any answers as definitely wrong, then you might be able to focus in on the right one more quickly.

For instance, sentence correction questions in the verbal section ask you to fix a grammar error. If two answer choices serve the same function, then neither can be the right choice. Using process of elimination, especially when you’re unsure on a question, can help you zero in on the right answer, or at least help you make a more educated guess.

As you prepare to handle GMAT time, try out your own time-saving strategies and figure out which ones work best for you.

Time Tip #3: Practice Using the GMAT Calculator

You can only use a calculator on the Integrated Reasoning section of the GMAT, and you can’t bring your own. Instead, you’ll use the provided on-screen calculator to solve any problems. If you’re not used to using a computerized version of a calculator, then you could lose valuable time here.

To make sure you can use it efficiently, you should practice before the test with the GMAT PrepSoftware or an online calculator, like the Google calculator. Using a hand calculator as you answer Integrated Reasoning practice questions won’t help you get ready for the real testing experience.

Practice first so you can make sure you don’t waste any time trying to use the calculator in the Integrated Reasoning section.

Time Tip #4: Schedule Your Test at the Right Time of Day

Do you wake up ready and eager to take on the day? Or does your brain need a few hours (and a few coffees) to really get going? Fortunately, you have a lot of choice when you schedule your GMAT, and you can choose to take it either in the morning of the afternoon.

To make sure you can maintain focus and work efficiently over this three and a half hour test, you should register for the time of day when you’re most alert. Will you be able to think most clearly in the AM? Or do you focus better when you can sleep in and take your time getting to the test center?

Be intentional about when you take the GMAT to suit your schedule and choose the best time of day for you to focus and do well on this demanding test.

Time Tip #5: Prepare for Test Day

Finally, you’ll also benefit from preparing for the test fully the night before. Get a good night’s sleep so you can focus the next day. Take the night to relax rather than doing any last-minute cramming. At that point, you’ve done all you can to prepare.

Try to eat a healthy breakfast with protein, and avoid sugar and caffeine that cause your energy levels and focus to fluctuate. You should also plan your arrival carefully, so that you’re not rushing in late and feeling frazzled.

Nutrition and stress have a big impact on our ability to concentrate. By preparing for the logistics of test day, you’ll set the conditions to feel confident, clear-headed, and ready to focus in on a challenging, long exam.

During the GMAT…

What can you do as you take the GMAT to work efficiently and avoid wasting time? Consider the following four tips.

Time Tip #6: Aim to Answer All of the Questions

As you know, you’re responsible for answering all of the questions in each section. You’ll just see one question at a time, and you can’t skip or go back to any questions.

As you take the test, you’ll see what question you’re on. For instance, on the first question in the math section, you’ll see that you’re working on 1/37. You have an average of two minutes per question on the GMAT. However, it might not always make sense to divide your time equally.

In the verbal section, you might spend proportionally more time reading a passage than you do answering the relevant questions. These reading comprehension questions, furthermore, might take you longer than sentence corrections, especially if you’re fast when it comes to identifying and fixing errors of grammar.

As you take practice tests, you should take notes on how much time you tend to spend on each type of question. The more you practice and self-reflect on the test, the clearer sense you’ll have of how to divide your time.

If you find yourself wasting too much time on a question when you’re taking the GMAT, just take your best guess and move on. It’s better to guess on a question than to run out of time and not get to all of the questions in a section.

Time Tip #7: Don’t Worry About How You’re Doing

The Quantitative and Verbal sections are adaptive, meaning that subsequent questions are chosen based on your performance. One common mistake test-takers make is trying to gauge how they’re doing in these sections. They assume that a question that feels easier means that they got the previous one wrong.

Don’t do this! First, it’s a waste of time trying to figure out the difficulty level of questions. Difficulty level can be subjective. A question may feel easier to you because you have a strong grasp of a particular concept, not because it’s actually an easier question according to the test-makers.

If you start to worry about doing poorly, then you can get in your head and end up worsening your performance. Besides, even if a question is easier, that doesn’t necessarily mean you got other questions wrong. There are experimental questions scattered throughout the test that are meant to test out material for future tests and won’t count toward your scores.

You should also ignore the rumor that the first ten questions in the quantitative and verbal sections are the most important (and if you’ve never heard it, then never mind!). All of the questions are equally important. Don’t spend more time on the first ten than any others.

As you’re taking the GMAT, try not to think about how well you’re doing at all. If you have to guess on a question that stumps you, don’t let it get in your head. Save all your mental energy for answering the question in front of you and forget about the ones that have already gone by. You’ll find out your scores soon enough.

Time Tip #8: Make the Most of the Timer

As you take the GMAT, you’ll see a timer counting down how much time you have left in each section. The timer turns to a blinking display when you have five minutes left.

Use the timer to help you keep track and make sure you’re not wasting too much time on a question. If, on the other hand, you have ten minutes and just two questions left in a section, you know you can take your time answering both.

If the timer is too distracting, you can hide it. Most people find the timer useful so they can keep the same test-taking rhythm they developed on GMAT practice tests.

Time Tip #9: Take Advantage of Your Breaks

While you might be tempted to power through each section one after another, you shouldn’t underestimate the usefulness of taking a break. The breaks are a great opportunity to clear your head, regroup, and shift focus to a new section.

Get up, move around, and give your eyes a break from staring at the computer screen. You can also drink water or eat food during breaks to help keep you going. The breaks help you reenergize after about every hour of testing.

If you don’t take a break, furthermore, you could end up getting distracted by people coming and going from the testing room. In these strictly timed sections, eight minutes of distracted test-taking could be a major drawback.

Show up to the testing center prepared with water and healthy snacks and make the most of your eight-minute breaks. Having the chance to move around and feel refreshed will help you keep up your stamina over this long test.

Now that you have a sense of what you can do before and after the test to improve your time management, let’s go over the key takeaways you should remember about the structure and length of the GMAT.

How Long Is the GMAT Test? Key Points

When your long-awaited GMAT test day finally arrives, you’ll spend over three hours in front of a computer taking the test. The Analytical Writing and Integrated Reasoning sections are half an hour long, and the Quantitative and Verbal sections are both just over an hour long.

To give yourself a break, you have the option of leaving the test room (but probably not the test center) for a maximum of eight minutes after about each hour of testing.

The GMAT puts a lot of responsibility on test-takers. Because it’s a computer-based, and in some sections, computer-adaptive test, you’re responsible for getting to all of the questions before you reach the time limit. You can’t skip or return to questions, but instead have to keep pushing forward until you answer all of them.

While an average of two minutes per question may sound like a tall order, you can hone your skills by taking timed practice tests as you prepare. By practicing and reflecting on your experience, you can become a more and more efficient test-taker.

If you’ve made it until the end of this guide, then you’ve already taken an important step in your GMAT prep. Understanding how timing works on the test is key. By understanding how the sections are timed and developing a test-taking rhythm, you’ll set up the best possible conditions for yourself as you take the GMAT and get ready for business school.

What’s Next?

What’s on each section of the GMAT? This GMAT format guide breaks down the skills and content of each section, plus you’ll find examples of every question type on the GMAT.

How should you study for the GMAT? Check out this comprehensive guide for a full GMAT syllabus, along with important tips for designing your personalized GMAT study plan.

What’s the total cost of the GMAT? Find out about registration cost and additional fees, along with advice on how to keep your total GMAT costs down.

The post 9 Tips for Making It Through the Full GMAT Length appeared first on Online GMAT Prep Blog by PrepScholar.

Over 247,000 students around the world take the GMAT every year as they prepare to apply to business school. If you’re planning to be one of those students, how do you register for this important test?

This guide will lead you through the full GMAT registration process, step by step, so you don’t make any mistakes for this important test.

When Should You Register for the GMAT?

You can register for the GMAT anywhere from six months to 24 hours before your selected test date if you’re signing up online or by phone. If you prefer to register by mail, then your scheduling form and check must arrive at least 10 days before your chosen test date.

The earlier you register for the GMAT the better. Spots can fill up fast, so you should sign up early so you get your preferred test date, location, and time of day. A general rule of thumb is to sign up at least two to three months before your test date.

Not only will you find greater availability, but you’ll also benefit from setting a hard deadline for your prep. When you know your test is around the corner, you’ll feel a boost in your commitment to studying.

What information will you provide when you register for the GMAT?

What Do You Need to Register for the GMAT?

The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) collects certain data when you sign up for the GMAT. Some of this information is required, while some of it is optional.

The data required to sign up for the GMAT includes your

• Full legal name
• Address
• Telephone
• Email
• Gender
• Date of birth
• Country of citizenship (U.S. test-takers must also indicate their ethnicity)
• Payment data

If you’re signing up online or by phone, then this payment data will come from your credit card or debit card. If you’re paying by mail, then you can use a credit card, debit card, cashier’s check, personal check, or money order. The registration fee for the GMAT is $250.

In addition to this required data, GMAC also asks you for some optional information. It’s completely up to you whether you want to provide this data. It can help you get in touch with business schools, but a lot of it is for the benefit of GMAC. With this data, they gain a clearer sense of who is taking their business school test.

The optional GMAT registration information includes your

• Fax number
• Native language
• Education history
• Work history
• Opt-in information, like surveys and other services

Before you start registering for the test, you should make sure that you have all of the required information on hand. As long as you have everything you need, you can complete the registration process in just about 20 minutes.

There are three ways you can sign up for the GMAT. Read on to see what they are.

How Do You Register for the GMAT? 3 Options

There are three ways you can sign up for the GMAT: online, by phone, or by mail. The vast majority of students sign up online, as it’s a fast and free way of going through the process. Plus, you’ll be able to sign into your GMAT account about 20 days after you take the test to see your official score report.

It’s also possible to register by phone, but GMAC seems to discourage this. How do they do that? They issue a $10 service charge for every transaction made over the phone. Those same transactions have no service charge when you make them online.

Finally, you can register by mail by sending the official GMAT scheduling form and payment method of your choice. Your registration request must arrive at least 10 days before your selected test date so GMAC has time to process your request.

Given that most people register online, let’s start there. Read on for the full online GMAT sign up process, step by step.

How to Register for the GMAT Online

The online GMAT sign up is a relatively straightforward process that you can complete in about 20 minutes on MBA.com. We have screenshots of the website so you can see exactly what to expect. Check out the full GMAT registration process below in eight steps.

Step 1: Create an Account With MBA.com

First, you should head to MBA.com. The website will automatically adjust to your location. For instance, when I go to MBA.com, it automatically takes me to MBA.com/us, because I’m based in the United States.

If you already have an account, you can login with your email and password. Otherwise, you should create an account. All you need to do is enter your first and last name, email, and a password.

You can also choose whether or not you want to be put on email lists for business schools and communication from GMAC. The boxes will be checked automatically, so you’ll have to uncheck them if you want to remain absent from these email lists.

Once you’ve filled out this form, you should write down your password to make sure you can log back in in the future (without having to go through the tedious “Forgot my password” rigmarole). Once you’ve recorded your login info, you’re ready to create your MBA account.

Step 2: Begin the Registration Process

Once you’ve created your MBA account, you should click on “Register Today,” as in the image below.

The next screen will show you options to schedule your exam, find a test center, cancel your exam, etc. You can click on “Find a test center” to familiarize yourself with the location options of test centers in your area if you wish. You’ll also be able to do this later in the registration process.

For now, let’s assume you go straight to “Schedule a GMAT Exam.”

Step 3: Complete Your Personal Profile

The next screen will ask you to fill in personal details, like your name, address, phone number, date of birth, sex, and country of citizenship.

At this point, you’ll be asked again if you want to receive emails, calls, or texts from graduate business schools, scholarship organizations, or other partners of GMAC. Note that you can always change your preferences later by logging into your account.

After filling out your required personal details, you’ll move onto a screen that asks for optional information.

Step 4: Move On to Optional Information

This next screen is entirely optional, so you can skip it if you want. It asks for your educational information, like where you went to college, when you graduated, and your work experience. You’ll also be asked about your future plans, like when and where you plan to apply for graduate business school.

This page will mainly be useful if you want to put yourself on email lists for graduate programs and scholarship organizations. It can help personalize your account so you get more relevant communications. It also helps GMAC learn more about the people who are taking the GMAT.

Step 5: Verify Your Profile

After you fill everything out, you’ll see a summary of your profile. You’ll be asked to verify that all of the information is accurate. This step is very important, as your name, date of birth, and citizenship must match your ID exactly.

There’s a lot of security around the GMAT, and you’ll only be able to take the test as long as everything matches up on test day. Look over everything carefully and make sure there are no errors before you hit “Save Profile.”

Step 6: Choose a Test Center

Once you’ve saved your profile, you’ll choose a place to take the test. The website will show you test centers near the address that you entered on the previous page. If you’re taking the test elsewhere, you can also put in a new address to see your options.

You’ll see all the test centers in the surrounding area with a list of their address and their locations on a handy map. First, you’ll select a test center. Then, you’ll pick a date.

Step 7: Pick a Date

Once you’ve chosen your test center, you’ll go on to select a date. You can either search for availability around a specific date, or if you’re registering last minute, you can look for the next available test.

After you make your choice, you’ll see a calendar featuring two months. Available dates show up in green. You can also navigate ahead to see future available test dates.

Once you choose your date, you will choose the time of day, morning or afternoon, that you want to take the test. A date will show up as available as long as it has at least one time available.

Let’s say you pick November 10, but it only has space in the morning. If you know that you’ll do a better job taking the test in the afternoon, then you could click on November 14 or search in December to find a test date with an available afternoon option.

Once you’ve chosen your location, date, and time, you’ll head to the final screen of the GMAT registration process.

Step 8: Check Out

To finalize your GMAT registration, you need to pay the $250 registration free. You’ll be asked again at this point to verify all of your information — GMAC really wants to make sure everything is accurate.

You’ll see your test in your checkout cart, as well as GMAC’s free GMAT PrepSoftware. You can remove this software if you’re not ready to download it quite yet. You’ll also see some optional add-ons for GMAT prep books and products.

You’ll have to check one last box before paying. This box says that you agree to the GMAT policies as described in the official handbook. You can find all of the policies in the GMAT handbook here.

Finally, it’s time to pay. Make sure to have your credit or debit card handy! GMAC accepts Visa, MasterCard, JCB, or American Express.

Once you’ve entered your payment info and hit submit, you’re all set! You’ll get an email confirming your GMAT registration, and you can also see the confirmation in your MBA account.

As you can see, the process of registering is pretty straightforward, but it does require you to keep a careful eye on your information to make sure all is accurate. Is there anything else you can do to make sure the GMAT registration process goes as smoothly as possible?

Tips for Registering for the GMAT Online

There are a few ways you can prepare before you start the online GMAT sign up process. Consider these five tips to make your registration successful.

#1: Read the GMAT Handbook

A useful first step is reading through the official GMAT handbook so you have a clear sense of all of the rules and regulations. You’ll have to agree to the handbook’s policies before you complete your registration, so it’s good to know what you’re agreeing to. Plus, you’ll learn some useful details about test day and what the test-taking experience will be like.

#2: Think Carefully About Testing Location and Time

Think carefully about the best location, date, and time of day for you to take the GMAT. Do you have transportation to the test center? Will you have to sit through rush hour traffic and show up feeling stressed out? Do you have any competing commitments in your schedule? Are you able to focus better in the morning or afternoon?

Ask yourself all of these questions before committing to a test center, date, and time of day. Making changes to your GMAT registration is costly, so you want to get it right the first time and set yourself up for success.

#3: Have Your Credit Card Handy

When you’re ready to register, you should set aside about half an hour to complete the process. Make sure you have your credit card or debit card handy and that your mode of payment will be accepted (remember — MasterCard, Visa, American Express, or JCB).

#4: Record Your Login Info

When you create your MBA account, you should write down the email and password you use and store this record in a safe place. That way, you’ll be able to easily log back into your account in the future. You’ll need to use this account to see your official score report, make any changes to your registration, or schedule a retake test.

#5: Proofread Your Profile

Finally, you should make sure to look over all of your information to make sure it’s accurate. As you saw above, the website has a couple of checks where you’ll have to pause and verify your info.

It should match your ID exactly. If you do end up making a mistake or need to make a change, you can only do so by calling customer service. GMAC may charge $10 for this phone call.

Now that you know how to register online for the GMAT, let’s take a look at the other two options, registering by phone or by mail.

How to Register for the GMAT by Phone

If you choose to register for the GMAT by phone, you’ll go through a similar process as you would registering online. The difference will be that you’ll tell the customer service representative your information, rather than type it into your online profile.

You’ll still be asked for all of the same details – like your name, address, email, and date of birth – as well as optional information about your educational history and future plans.

To start the process, you should call the phone number for your region. Here are the phone numbers for each region, along with their hours of operation.

Typically, GMAC charges a service fee of $10 for every phone call. It will tack this on to the $250 GMAT registration fee. If you choose to register this way, you’ll choose a test center, test date, and time of day, and then provide your credit card information over the phone.

Read on for a few tips for anyone choosing to register for the GMAT by phone.

Tips for GMAT Registration by Phone

When registering for the GMAT by phone, you should heed all of the advice mentioned above — look over the GMAT handbook, choose your test center and date carefully, and have your credit card handy. You should also write down your test center, date, and time of day, so that you remember exactly where and when you’ll be taking the GMAT.

Since your information must match your ID, make sure to check that the person you’re speaking to has entered your name, citizenship, and date of birth correctly. If you have any other questions about the GMAT, try to ask them all during this phone call. Otherwise, you may have to pay the $10 service fee for all additional phone calls.

Now let’s take a look at the last option for GMAT registration, sending your scheduling form in by mail.

How to Register for GMAT by Mail

When you register for the GMAT by mail, you’ll have to fill out and send in the GMAT Appointment Scheduling Form. You’ll fill in your personal details and indicate two test center choices and five test dates, in order of first choice to last choice.

You’ll also fill in your credit card information or enclose a cashier’s check, money order, or personal check made out to Pearson VUE-GMAT. If you pay by check, it must be payable in U.S. dollars and draw on a U.S. bank. If for any reason your check doesn’t clear, GMAC will charge an additional $20 fee.

You’ll send all of your materials to this address:

Pearson VUE
Attention: GMAT Program
PO Box 581907
Minneapolis, MN 55458-1907
USA

If you plan to mail your registration, is there anything else you need to know?

Tips for Registering for the GMAT by Mail

If you register for the GMAT by mail, then your materials need to arrive at least 10 days before your preferred test date. Since test centers and dates fill up months in advance, you should probably mail your registration at least three or four months in advance. Keep in mind that mail from some countries takes a long time to arrive in Minnesota — as many as eight weeks from some places!

You should also be thoughtful about all of your five listed test dates and two test centers. You might not get your first choice, so you should only list options that work for you.

Students from all over the world take the GMAT, and most sign up for this MBA test online. Given that the GMAT is an international test, are there any differences for registrants in certain countries?

Registering for the GMAT: Country-Specific Regulations

By and large, the process of registering for the GMAT is the same for students across the world. Everyone can register online at MBA.com, and everyone has to pay the same registration fee of $250. Additional taxes will vary by country.

The GMAT handbook notes one potential difficulty for registrants in India around payment. They say that some banks in India don’t allow debit cards to be used online without a pin number. GMAC doesn’t participate in this program, so anyone that runs into this issue should contact her bank for assistance. These registrants may get a one-time use card or have the pin restriction lifted for the GMAC website.

Apart from this issue with payment, most people sign up for the GMAT in pretty much the same way. The main differences in country-specific regulations have to do with test center rules. Some countries, for instance, require that your ID document is a passport, while other places allow more options.

You can look up the specific regulations for your country at MBA.com. There, you can find any particular rules for your testing center or the GMAT privacy policy.

As you read a few times in this guide, you should be careful that you enter your information accurately and that it matches the details on your ID. Once you submit everything, can you make any changes to your GMAT registration?

Can You Make Changes to Your GMAT Registration?

When you sign up for the GMAT online, you’ll get three reminders to double check that your data is accurate. If you do make an error or need to make a change, you can do so by calling customer service at one of the phone numbers on the chart above. Again, the fee for each phone call is $10 — not an unbearable amount, but enough to make you want to get everything right the first time.

If you need to reschedule or cancel your test, you can do so for a fee. If you reschedule your test more than seven days before your test date, you can do so for an additional $50. If you wait until seven or fewer days before, then you won’t get any discount and will have to pay the entire $250 registration fee again.

As for canceling, you can do so more than seven days out and get a refund of $80 (or $150 if you’re in South Korea). If you cancel seven or fewer days before your date, then you’re out of luck. You won’t get any money back.

You can reschedule or cancel the test through your MBA account or over the phone. You can also retake the GMAT if you’re not happy with your scores.

What If You Want to Retake the GMAT?

If you want to retake the GMAT, you can easily reschedule a new exam through your MBA account. Basically, you can skip steps #1 through #3 and go straight to choosing a location and date and paying for the test. You’ll go straight to the “Schedule Your Exam” tab.

You’ll go through the same screens as you did the first time and will choose a test center, date, and time of day. Then you’ll check out and pay the $250 registration fee.

However you choose to register, the steps are pretty similar. Through it all, you should keep the following four tips in mind.

Registering for the GMAT: 4 Key Tips

The GMAT is a very important step on the path to business school, and you want to set yourself up for success. With its relatively steep fee of $250, you want to do all you can to get your GMAT registration right the first time. Consider these four pieces of advice as you prepare to sign up for the exam.

#1: Register Early

First off, you shouldn’t wait until the last minute to sign up for the GMAT. Spots fill up quickly, especially in metropolitan areas. Try to sign up at least two to three months before your selected test date.

As you choose a date, be mindful of your business school application deadlines. You should also leave yourself extra time in case you need to take the test again.

Not only will signing up early ensure that you have your choice of test dates, but it will also help you overcome any test prep procrastination. Having a date set in stone makes the GMAT real. Rather than putting off your prep until the next day, you’ll know you need to spring into action and start studying.

#2: Gather All Necessary Information Before You Register

Before you register, make sure you have everything you need. Required information includes your phone number, email, address, and payment details.

Don’t stress about optional information. There’s no problem if you leave those sections blank. The main benefit would be getting more personalized emails from specific business schools or scholarship organizations.

Gather everything you need ahead of time so you can complete the process efficiently.

#3: Be Thoughtful About the Date, Time of Day, and Location

As you read above, rescheduling or canceling your GMAT test can get expensive. Before you lock yourself in to a test date, think carefully about where and when you should take the test.

Consider any other commitments you have, your work schedule, how you’ll get to the test center, and what days and times you function best. For instance, you might have more energy at the beginning of a work week than you do at the end. Perhaps you’re someone who would handle the GMAT a lot better on a Monday or Tuesday than you would on a Friday afternoon.

By considering all of these factors before you sign up, you can reduce the chance that you’ll have to make any changes and pay the accompanying fees.

#4: Make Any Changes More Than 7 Days Ahead of Time

If anything comes up that interferes with your test date, try to make any changes more than seven days ahead of time. If you wait until seven days or fewer before your date, then you won’t get any money back or any discount for rescheduling your test.

In closing, let’s go over the key points you need to know about GMAT registration.

How to Register for the GMAT: Final Points

Hundreds of thousands of people across the world register for the GMAT every year. Most people sign up online through their MBA.com accounts.

The GMAT sign up process doesn’t take long. The main challenge is choosing a test date, location, and time of day that optimizes your performance. Be thoughtful about when and where you take the test so you can do your best.

As you register, make sure to proofread all of your information for accuracy. Security is high around this important exam, and you’ll need your registration information to match up exactly with your ID document.

As long as you register months in advance, you should be able to get your first choice of test center and date. Once you’ve locked in your test date, you can spend the rest of your time preparing to leap this hurdle along the track to graduate business school.

What’s Next?

You know that GMAT registration costs $250, but are there any other fees you need to pay? Check out this full list of GMAT fees, including score cancellation and sending score reports to business schools.

Are you looking to learn more about the test itself? This full GMAT syllabus breaks down the skills and question types in each section, plus you’ll find important tips for your GMAT prep.

How is the GMAT scored? This article breaks down how each section of the GMAT is scored in full detail.

The post How to Register for the GMAT: Complete 8-Step Guide appeared first on Online GMAT Prep Blog by PrepScholar.

If you’re planning to apply to business school, you’ve likely started to think about when to take the GMAT. Should you take the exam as soon as possible? Or wait until right before your deadlines?

In this guide, I’ll help you answer the question “when should I take the GMAT?” We’ll cover the rules about when you can take the exam and go through how to decide the best time for you to take the GMAT.

When Can You Take the GMAT?

Unlike standardized tests like the SAT or ACT, the GMAT is offered on many days throughout the year. Especially if you live in a larger metropolitan area, you can usually find the GMAT given on almost every day of the week.

You can register for GMAT appointments anytime between six months and 24 hours before you’re desired date, depending on availability. In practice, you’ll likely need to sign up at least a few weeks in advance to secure a spot.

However, there are a few restrictions on how often you can take the exam: you can only take the GMAT once in any 16-day period, five times in a year, and eight times in your lifetime.

When Should You Take the GMAT?

As a general rule of thumb, you should aim to take the GMAT at least two months before your application deadline, so that you leave enough time for your scores to be reported to schools. For example, if your first application is due January 1, you’ll want to take the GMAT by November 1 in order to make sure your scores are sent in time to make that deadline.

Nonetheless, deciding exactly when to take the GMAT is a personal decision for every test taker. In the next section, I’ll talk more about the factors that go into deciding the perfect date and time for your GMAT exam.

Deciding When to Take the GMAT: 6 Considerations

Still asking yourself “when should I take the GMAT”? Consider these six questions to help you pick the best time to take the exam.

#1: When Is Your First Application Deadline?

Remember, you’ll want to have taken the GMAT at least two months before your first application deadline. Having the test completed a few months before your first deadline helps ensure that your scores will be ready to go out to all of your target programs on or before their application deadlines.

You can find the application deadlines for each of your programs by visiting the schools’ websites. Keep in mind that many MBA programs accept applications in rounds, so if you don’t think you have enough time to prep for and take the GMAT before the first deadline, consider pushing your application to a later round.

#2: How Many Hours of Prep Do You Need?

You’ll also want to consider how many hours of GMAT prep you need, based on how much you are hoping to improve your score. The more hours of prep you need, the more you’ll want to push back your GMAT test date (keeping in mind your application deadlines) so that you have enough time to improve.

For instance, if you need to prep for 100 hours, you’ll probably want to give yourself at least three months of solid prep time. Condensing many prep hours into a short period of time will leave you burnt out and stressed. Spread out your test prep so that you’re spending quality time truly learning the material.

As part of this process, consider how many hours per week you can truly devote to studying for the GMAT. You’ll want to think about how much test prep you can build in between other activities you’re involved in. Make sure you give yourself enough weeks of prep time so that you’re building a solid foundation of skills.

#3: Do You Want to Build in Time to Retake the Test?

Many test-takers end up retaking the GMAT at least once. Remember, though, that you can only take the GMAT once every sixteen days. You need to leave at least four weeks of extra time in your schedule if you think that you’ll want to retake the test, which will give you time to study the parts of the exam that you struggled with during your previous test.

#4: What Dates Are Available to Take the GMAT Near You?

While test-takers in large metropolitan areas likely have a wide range of test dates available to them, those who live in less urban locales may not have as many dates to choose from. Make sure you view and register for available dates well ahead of your application due dates, so that you’re not stuck traveling a great distance to take the GMAT at the last minute.

#5: What Times Are Convenient With Your Schedule?

Make sure that you’re picking a test time that is convenient with your schedule. If you work everyday until 4 pm, don’t schedule a 4:30 pm test unless you can get off of work early, because you’ll likely be rushing to get from one place to another. Pick a time where you have at least five hours to arrive at the testing location early, take the test, and leave comfortably.

#6: Are You a Morning or Afternoon Person?

When it comes to picking a test time, you want to decide when you’ll be most focused. If you can barely open your eyes by 9 AM, don’t pick a test time that starts at 7:30 AM. Likewise, if you find yourself falling asleep at your desk at 2 PM everyday, afternoon testing is probably not for you. Set yourself up for success by taking the test a time that works for you.

3 Common Questions About When to Take the GMAT

In this section, I’ll discuss some of the most common questions test-takers have about when to take the GMAT.

#1: Should You Take the GMAT While You’re Still an Undergrad?

There are several pros to taking the GMAT when you’re still an undergrad. For one thing, undergrad students often have more freedom over their schedules if they’re not yet working full-time. Having more freedom over your schedule will give you more time to study and more flexibility in picking a test date.

Taking the test as an undergrad means that you’ve likely spent time recently reviewing the concepts tested on the GMAT, such as skills you’ll need for the quantitative section. Taking the GMAT as an undergrad means these concepts are fresher in your memory.

However, if you don’t plan to apply to business school right away, taking the GMAT may not be necessary and you can spend your time on applications for jobs or other programs, rather than on studying for the test.

#2: Should You Take the GMAT If You’re Not Sure When You’re Applying to Business School?

GMAT scores are valid for five years, so you do have a pretty long window of time to use your scores, even if you don’t know exactly when you’re applying to business school.

If you find yourself with a solid amount of time to study (generally 2-3 months) leading up to the exam, taking the GMAT before you actually apply to business school can be a good way to ensure that you have plenty of time to prep, your scores will be complete by your application due dates, and you won’t be feeling any stress to complete the test by a certain date or time.

You can also retake the GMAT at a later date. While programs will see all the times you’ve taken the test, generally, only your highest score truly matters on your application. Still you shouldn’t spend time studying for and taking the GMAT unless you’re fairly certain you want to go to business school, since it’s a big time investment that’s really only useful for MBA applications.

#3: When Should You Register to Take the GMAT?

It’s a good idea to register for the GMAT as soon as you’ve decided on the date and time which will work best for you. Testing centers can often be quite small, with only a few open seats at each. Registering when you’ve picked a working test date will help ensure that you get the test date and time that works best for you.

What’s Next?

Ready to sign up for the GMAT? Learn the ins and outs of GMAT registration with our complete guide.

How do you send your GMAT scores to schools? We walk you through the whole process.

Craft a personalized GMAT study plan with our in-depth article and sample study schedules.

The post 6 Steps for Deciding When to Take the GMAT appeared first on Online GMAT Prep Blog by PrepScholar.