Helpful for: GMAT Test Takers, MBA Applicants

Read Time: 5 minutes

Quick Facts:

  • The GMAT is required by roughly 6,500 graduate business programs.
  • A perfect score is 800, but about only 50 people achieve it per year. The average score is 540-550.
  • The format of the GMAT exam is computer-adaptive, which means that the questions will vary in difficulty depending on your skill level. This is why you should start preparing as early as possible, and take as many practice tests as possible.
  • Try to use both guide books and online resources while studying. Wolinsky comments:

Selected Quote:

Use all the resources available online to study and prepare. You’ll want to re-familiarize yourself with statistics and economics and learn to think conceptually, rather than memorizing facts and figures. The GMAT isn’t interested in what you memorized in high school—it’s designed to figure out how you think.

  • You should practice thinking conceptually. This means that during the GMAT you should be able to confidently apply your knowledge, rather than act on memorized information. You should be able to approach solving a problem through several variations, opposed to applying a rule.
  • In order to get into the testing mindset, you can go over some warm-up questions about 30 minutes before the exam. Don’t go overboard though, otherwise you will just become anxious.
  • Timing is important to achieve a high score on the GMAT. The exam has four sections: AWA, Quantitative Reasoning, Integrated Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning. You have 30 minutes for the essay prompt, for the quantitative— give yourself 2 minutes per questions, in order to solve the 37 questions in the 75 minute limit. For Integrated Reasoning, give yourself 2.5 minutes per question, in order to solve the 12 sections for the 30 minute time limit. Finally, you should give yourself 1.5 minutes for the 41 questions in the Verbal Reasoning section to finish within its 75-minute time limit.

Useful Information:

  • Don’t underestimate the power of staying positive. By sticking to an optimistic attitude on test day, you beat anxiety and you significantly increase your chances of achieving a high score.

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Source: ValueWalk