You must have so many friends deciding on what they want to do next in their career. Some want to stay back in their academic institutions and get a higher degree, some want to sit for government exams while other might be thinking of a complete change of the field of education. You, however, dream big and fly solo. You want to see yourself in a reputed institution in the future somewhere in the middle of mountains or valleys or snow among foreign people. If you want to pursue masters in business administration but do not aspire to do it inside the country, look no more because GMAT is the exam that can give your dreams wings.
What is GMAT?
What is GMAT you ask? It is a computerized adaptive test taken by the aspirants to admit themselves into top business schools around the globe. It is a globally accepted entrance examination that is conducted in 112 countries and gives you an opportunity to be a part of more than 2100 different institutions. The application fees for GMAT is $250 which roughly comes down to ₹15000 to ₹16000. GMAT affiliated institutes offer more than 6000 various courses which may include innumerable management courses like masters in finance, masters in accountancy, MBA and the like.
How does this exam work or evaluate?
GMAT is a rather different kind of examination and stands out among all the other examinations for which you might have prepared. It is not a computer based examination like most others we are used to, it is a computer adaptive test. What that means is, the aspirant is given 1 question to solve at a time and the accuracy of the answer to the previously asked question, determines the difficulty of the following question that will be asked. Hence it almost is like a personalized set of question papers for each candidate. Best and widely acclaimed universities accept scores above 710 while average and above average institutions accept anything from 600.
Eligibility
GMAT does not require any strong validation from the aspirant. The aspirant, however, has to have completed his or her graduation from a recognized academic institution and must be an adult i.e. the person applying has to be 18 years or older.
Syllabus of the exam
GMAT is an examination that is conducted for three and a half hours with a maximum credit score of 800. The exam is bifurcated into 4 parts which are Analytical writing, the Quantitative section, Verbal skills and an integrated reasoning section.
Analytical Writing – as the heading might suggest, this part of the question paper tests your analytical skills and your imaginative skills at the same time. You are expected to justify situations or arguments that have been stated using your analysis behind the statement. You may either be asked to justify or to critically evaluate the same statement and you will be judged not only on your justification but also how well you are able to communicate your opinion.
Quantitative Section – This section basically challenges you to analyze given data and draw accurate meaningful conclusions from the same. The mathematics required to solve GMAT questions is typically nothing excess of what is taught in higher secondary schools. This section is further subdivided into data sufficiency and problem-solving. Basic mathematics like arithmetic ratio proportions, linear equations, elementary algebra, permutations, and combinations etc will be tested upon.
Verbal skills –This section contains multiple choice questions which evaluate you on your ability to read a written material and understand it, draw accurate conclusions and evaluate arguments for the same and even correct any written material to standard English writing. This section is also further subdivided into critical reasoning, comprehensive reading, and correction of written material. This section of the examination covers various aspects like critical reasoning, correction of statements either by identifying error and omission of it, constructing rhetorical sentences, subject-verb agreement, parallelism, reading unseen passages etc.
Integrated reasoning – in the fast data driven the world of today, one needs to be accurate and fast at drawing conclusions for a business to flourish and expand. This section of the exam evaluates your ability to interpret data that is put before you in multiple formats that have been taken from multiple sources. This section has graphic interpretation, multi source reasoning, analysis of data from tables and a 2 part analysis.
How to crack it?
Given that this examination is a global level entrance examination, it is no piece of cake to crack it. Just like any other competitive exams, you need to have a strong grasp on your subject, quick thinking and reasoning skills and a proper study plan to go with it.
˃basic structure of the exam needs to be known
˃Go through the official guide to be acquainted with the type of questions
˃Take multiple practice tests to evaluate yourself over and over and rectify places with errors
˃Challenge yourself to take up time challenges and keep an eye out for the accuracy
˃Refer to notes that you make while studying and highlight points to make it easier for you to check when going through the material in a hurry
˃Keep taking mock tests until you feel satisfied with your level of accuracy
˃Do not ignore the verbal section as it is what ends up baffling aspirants the most.