GMAT Strategies for Success in Top MBA Programs Worldwide

The GMAT exam (Graduate Management Admission Test) is one of the crucial determining factors of admission to MBA programs. Developed by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) in 1953, the GMAT is a computer adaptive test that you need to take to secure an admit into the top MBA program. This exam tests your critical reading, writing, quantitative, verbal, and analytical skills.

Admission decision to MBA programs encompasses a number of factors and although the GMAT score is definitely an important factor, it is not the only one. Nonetheless, having a competitive GMAT score can significantly boost your admission chances. This is because the GMAT score helps to set you apart during the admission process. However, this does not solely mean that you need to have a good GMAT score, even a low score but a compelling story addressing the low score can make for a strong application, highlighting your determination to tide over challenging situations and not bowing down to failures. Moreover, a good GMAT score can be a wonderful asset to your overall profile, if you have a low GPA. It also serves the role of the most recent and updated assessment of your academic abilities.

At the same time, you need to understand that you cannot approach a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to GMAT scores for MBA program. That is to say, while a GMAT score within the range of the 85 to 97th percentile is considered a good score, you need to also understand the program requirements – look into the type of the program and the average GMAT score of the cohort. This will give you an idea of the target score on your GMAT exam.

In this article, we will see what strategies can be employed to ensure a competitive GMAT score.

Familiarizing Yourself with the Exam Format

While GMAT used to be available in two formats, namely the GMAT Classic Edition (GCE) and the GMAT Focus Edition (GFE), it will now be available only in the GFE format (since February 1, 2024). Thus per the new format, the GMAT exam will be only of a duration of two hours and fifteen minutes with three sections and 64 questions. This new format excludes the writing assessment. The three sections are:

• Quantitative Reasoning: This section will allow you 45 minutes to answer 21 questions and test your problem-solving skills.
• Verbal Reasoning: This section will allow you 45 minutes to answer 23 questions and test your critical reasoning and reading comprehension skills.
• Data Insights: This section will allow you another 45 minutes to 20 questions and test your data literacy skills.

A full-proof strategy for your GMAT exam would be the following:

1. Take a mock test – Yes, start your preparations with a mock test. This will help familiarize you with the exam format and help you understand your weak points. Thus you will have a clear understanding of the broad scope of questions asked and the basic level of preparation that you need to address.
2. Develop concepts – Once you have overcome the inertia and taken the plunge, focus on developing the crucial concepts. Because the type and the number of questions in each section are pre-defined within the scope of the concepts. Find a good resource and focus on developing the concepts. 
3. Practice, practice, practice – Study the concepts and practice them. Solely studying all the concepts and then taking the mock test will lead you to nowhere. Get hold of good practice tests and concentrate on improving your accuracy. Once you reach accuracy, focus on improving your time efficiency. Once the same has been achieved, work on striking a balance between maintaining accuracy and speed.
4. Take mock tests at 10 days intervals – This is crucial. As you keep practicing, take the mock tests at regular intervals to see how you are performing and the effort you need to put in to improve upon specific areas.
5. Regularly revise the concepts – Just like taking mock tests at regular intervals, revise the concepts periodically as well. 
6. Focus on your errors – Do not be disheartened if you make errors. Rather use this opportunity as a learning moment and try to understand why you selected the incorrect choice and eliminated the correct answer choice. Answering these two questions will help you remarkably improve your performance.
7. Solve the Official Guides – In the last few weeks leading to your exam, solve the GMAT Official Guide. As these contain largely average to difficult level questions, you will have a good stronghold on your preparation level. Overall, try to solve the questions while maintaining speed and high accuracy.
8. Take the Official GMAT mocks – In the days leading to the exam, take the official mock. You can actually start your preparation for the GMAT exam by taking the official mock. This will help you realistically understand your need for preparation. Taking the second official mock just before taking the test can help you consolidate your learning and efforts, help you revise, and understand if you are prepared enough to achieve your target score. If you fail to achieve your target GMAT score, you may re-evaluate your plans and postpone your exam.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of your GMAT exam preparation plan

Starting Early and Setting a Study Schedule

Starting your preparation early for the GMAT exam is always recommended. This helps you to assess your skills and improve your weak points. However, how do you determine how early you need to start?

You can use the following two tricks to determine when to start your preparation:

1. Book your GMAT in advance and use the time as a motivation to get on with your prep. You can typically book your GMAT exam about 90 days in advance.
2. Start your preparations once you have decided to take the GMAT exam. Take the time to prepare until you feel confident enough and then book the exam about two or three days in advance. This will also ensure that you are utilizing the available time to prepare for the exam.

Make a rigorous study schedule. This is an important step in preparing for your GMAT exam. If you are getting back to academics after a considerable gap, you need to get into the habit of having a study schedule. Even if you are a working professional, you need to know how to divide your time efficiently between fulfilling your job commitments and preparing for your GMAT. A rigorous schedule will help you manage these commitments efficiently.

Here are a few study plans that you can take inspiration from while building your schedule for GMAT prep:

30-day study plan

• Week 1 – Take a mock test, focus on the mistakes and the weak points, revise the concepts and practice.
• Week 2 – Take at least 2 practice tests, analyse the mistakes, revise the concepts, and attempt to attain accuracy.
• Week 3 – Again take at least 2 practice tests, analyse the mistakes, revise the concepts, attempt to attain accuracy, and start to time yourself.
• Week 4 – In this penultimate week, take at least 3 practice tests, refer to the Official Guide, and focus on attaining accuracy and time efficiency.

60-day study plan

• Week 1 – Take a mock test, focus on the mistakes and the weak points, revise the concepts, and practice.
• Weeks 2 – 6 – Take at least 2 practice tests, analyse the mistakes, revise the concepts, and attempt to attain accuracy with a focus on developing your speed at solving the questions. 
• Weeks 7 – 8 – In these penultimate weeks, take at least 3 practice tests, refer to the Official Guide, and focus on attaining accuracy and time efficiency. Importantly, try to relax as you need to be stress free so that you can focus well on the tests!

90-day study plan

• Week 1 – Take a mock test, focus on the mistakes and the weak points, revise the concepts, and practice.
• Weeks 2 – 4 – Take at least 2 practice tests, analyse the mistakes, revise the concepts, and attempt to attain accuracy with a focus also on developing your speed at solving the questions. 
• Weeks 5 – 7 – Take at least 3 practice tests, analyse the mistakes, revise the concepts, and attempt to attain accuracy with a focus also on developing your speed at solving the questions. 
• Weeks 8 – 10 – Take at least 4 practice tests, analyse the mistakes, revise the concepts, and attempt to attain accuracy with a focus also on developing your speed at solving the questions. 
• Weeks 11 – 12 – In these penultimate weeks, take at least 3 practice tests, refer to the Official Guide, and focus on attaining accuracy and time efficiency. Importantly, try to relax as you need to be stress free so that you can focus well on the tests!

Tips and tricks for acing the GMAT exam:

• To determine the time spent on each question, you can use the following table as a guideline:

This is simple – after you complete the first five questions, check the time remaining. If you have more than 35 minutes remaining, you are on the right track. Next, check the time remaining after ten questions and again after fifteen minutes. If you happen to have less than 35 minutes remaining after solving the first five, you will know that you will have to act faster on completing the rest of the section.

• Do not fret if you see a difficult question – It only means that you are doing great! Do not spend more than three minutes on a question.
• Use the process of elimination – If you cannot answer or feel unsure about the answer choice, use the process of elimination to improve your chances of selecting the correct answer choice.
• Do not waste time on a question that you cannot solve – Move on or bookmark it only if you are certain that you can return to it and solve it. In the GMAT Focus Edition, you are allowed to bookmark up to three questions to be solved later. Try not to bookmark any questions in the Verbal Reasoning section as these typically take up more time.

Considering an MBA in India

If you are considering an MBA program, you may look into an MBA in India. One definite advantage of pursuing an MBA in India is the cost. Tuition fees, accommodation costs, and miscellaneous expenses can significantly add to the overall cost of doing an MBA. However, an MBA in India will help significantly cut down on these costs and improve your return on investment. Moreover, as the global job market continues to get more saturated, pursuing an MBA in India may seem beneficial. Oftentimes, companies offer sponsored MBA opportunities, provided you agree to join back the firm. Thus you can comfortably focus on your skill development while being assured of employment.

Interestingly, India houses some of the top MBA programs in the world. For instance, institutes such as the IIMs (Indian Institute of Management – Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Kozhikode), Department of Management Studies, IIT Delhi, Xavier School of Management, ISB and the like have an affordable fee structure while also being at par with the curriculum offered by MBA programs abroad. Additionally, these schools offer the much needed and crucial training in leadership development and global exposure, thereby enabling your overall growth.

If you are interested in exploring MBA programs in India and wish to take the GMAT exam, get in touch with the advisors at Manya- The Princeton Review.