GMAT Tips

Tips to Boost your Score

You can boost your GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) score by spending time familiarizing yourself with its format and style. There are many GMAT tips to help you prepare for the test. Think of the GMAT as a game of chess, football, even tennis. It is a game of strategy and knowledge, and those who know how to play the game have a distinct advantage over those who do not.

When taking the GMAT you need to understand:

• The computerized version of the test.

• What sorts of questions are asked and their traps.

• Time management.

Tips for the Computerized Version

The GMAT computerized version is different from the paper-based test in that it gives a more accurate measure of your skills through fewer questions.

The test is intuitive, based on your answers. It works by presenting you with a moderately easy question first in a section. If you answer correctly the next question will be harder. If your answer is incorrect, your next question will be slightly easier.The computer program asks the questions in a random order from all sections, rather than grouping them into sections.

There is no function in the program to skip questions and answer them later. You must answer them as they appear because once you confirm your answer, it cannot be changed.

Types of Questions and their Traps

When preparing for the GMAT one of the best GMAT tips you can find is to practice, practice, and practice. By practicing using sample GMATs, you learn very quickly what types of questions are asked. By doing this, you can access your scores and the answers so it is easy to analyze the traps some questions have. There are many GMAT practice tests so get started understanding what you are up against when taking the GMAT.

Time Management

The first tip is to practice. This may sound repetitive, but it is the truth. This is the primary tip for anyone taking the GMAT. When you do take mock tests make sure you simulate the test environment and complete it in the time allotted. No food breaks, phone calls, or disturbances. Take your practicing seriously and it will help you in the real exam.

The Most Important Questions

The most important questions are the first five in any section. Spend adequate time answering the first five questions as this will determine the question range the computer program judges you capable of answering.

Once you answer the first five questions, the program will give you more questions to narrow down your skills within the narrowly defined range.

Take your time, and double check your answers. If you are not sure of an answer, at least make a best guess using a process of elimination.

Answer all the Questions

The GMAT tip here is, no matter what, answer all the questions. There are point penalties for failure to finish any section. You may be doing really well and looking at a score in the 80 percentile range, but you ran out of time and missed five questions in a section. This lack of time management can bring you down as a low as the 65 percentile.

Take this lesson and make sure you prepare yourself well to work within your time limits. If you are running out of time, make sure you answer all the questions even if you just put in a random answer.

Eliminating Deceptive wrong Answers

If you are practicing, you soon learn to recognize choices that are there to deceive you. They are wrong and are there to deliberately confuse you.Have a scrap of paper so you can do quick calculation that at least gets you into the correct choice range.

Do not Guess at Random

You have to answer each question as it is presented to you and the computer program does not allow you to move on until you do. So, if you do not know the answer you have to answer it to get to the next question. Once you answer a question you cannot go back.When faced with a question you do not know the answer to make an educated guess based on the process of elimination. By eliminating incorrect choices it gives you a better chance of choosing the right one.