The GMAT Test
Computer Adaptive Testing: The Gmat is a computer adaptive test, which means that the difficulty of most questions is a function of how you’ve done in the past few. And, over the test, everything averages out so no one can say they got an easy test, or a really hard one
Sections:
- Verbal: 41 questions that test how well you can comprehend simple, functional English, as used in the business world. Not a vocabulary test
- Quantitative: 37 questions that test how comfortable you are with manipulation of numbers. You do not need to be Albert Einstein; what you do need is to be quick at basic mathematical operations, use logical steps in time crunch situations, and make as few silly mistakes as possible
- Analytical Writing: You write a couple of essays (Analysis of Issue and Analysis of Argument). As long as you stick to a logical, non-controversial point of view, you should be good
- Scoring: 800 is the name of the game, though only about 20 people in the world achieve this Holy Grail every year. 7% of people score above 700; that’s what Jamboree’s intensive coaching prepares you for
- Question Pool: In their effort to have a huge pool of questions from which the final test questions are chosen for each candidate, the GMAT maintains a pool of hundreds of thousands of questions every year. So, asking your friend what questions she got might not work as well as it did in college
The Times
- 75 minutes: For verbal
- 75 minutes: For quantitative (with short breaks in between)
- 60 minutes: For analytical writing (30 for each essay)
- Any time: Is when you can take the GMAT; there’s no one day. However, we do recommend you reserve dates a few months in advance to be sure of getting the date you want; it’s just like a train journey in that respect!
The Test Takers
- Number of test takers: Approximately 300,000 in every one-year period
- Your score depends on: An average measure of what test takers all over the world in the past three years scored on similar tests
- Number of test centres: About 400 test centres across the world administer the GMAT. After you’ve given yours, you will appreciate the huge security that goes into administering a foolproof test every single time
The Trivia
- Not too many people prepare really well: According to one study, only 21% of test takers study for 100 hours or more. However, only 7% score 700 or more; this underscores the need for great preparation
- Correlation of average GMAT scores with school quality: Most big name rankings of Business Schools use average GMAT scores of applicants as a criterion e.g. US News. In addition, there’s a moderately strong (0.51) correlation of GMAT score with first year grades
You might come up with ten tips that optimize your GMAT preparation, but GMAT coaching experts know at least a hundred times that. If you reach out to people who’ve coached others – for example, our expert faculty at Jamboree – you stand a much much higher chance of learning from the vast repository of knowledge we have, and becoming even more than you were.
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