Those who dream of entering the hallowed portals of a Harvard or an MIT, the first hurdle is notching up a good GMAT or GRE score, respectively. The Graduate Research Examination (GRE) is the general aptitude test for admission to all post graduate and doctoral programmes and Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT) is a specialised test for MBA admissions. Though both are aptitude tests, the nature and content of tests vary. Accordingly, so do the cracking strategies. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to crack both tests.
Step1 You should learn about the layout of the exam. The GRE is divided into 3 sections:a 30-question verbal section, a 28-question quantitative section and a 2-part analytical writing section. There may also be additional non-graded sections that are used for research and do not affect the score.
Step2 Keep a tab on the directions for each section of the exam. The GRE is a timed test and any extra time spent reading directions for individual exam sections is not advisable. Memorising the directions beforehand will give you an advantage over the clock.
Step3 Become familiar with the different question formats for each section of the GRE. Again this can help you take best advantage of your time. Knowing at a glance the type of question asked will help you quickly make sense of the question.
Step4 Practice is the key. Take online practice exams to help you get a feel for taking the computer-based exam. Use GRE study guides to get used to question styles.
Preparing for the GRE Verbal Reasoning Section
Step1 You are advised to learn about the layout of this section, which consists of 30 questions divided into antonym, analogy, sentence completion and reading comprehension questions.
Step2 Focus on a list of GRE vocabulary words. In GRE, the vocabulary is very important in terms of understanding and scoring well in the verbal reasoning section. Lists of high-frequency words can be found in GRE study books and online resources. Go through the list and add words you cannot easily define to your study list. Memorising high-frequency GRE words will help you solve the antonym and analogy questions.
Step3 Learn to effectively recognise the logic and style of the sentence completion questions. You don't need to fully understand the sentence meaning or vocabulary to score well on these questions.
Step4 Understanding the style of writing is very important for the reading comprehension questions. Test-takers need to understand the subject covered and interpret the information.
You need to learn about the layout of the quantitative section. The GRE quantitative section consists of 28 questions divided into quantitative comparison, discrete quantitative and data interpretation questions.
Step2 Review your basic arithmetic, algebra and geometry skills. None of these GRE questions require advanced maths. You just need an understanding of basic mathematics skills and the ability to reason.
Step3 Review your chart and graph interpretation skills for the data interpretation questions. Most of these questions will provide a chart or graph with percentages.
Step1 Learn about the layout of the analytical writing section. The GRE analytical writing section requires writing a point-of-view essay and writing an analytical argumentative essay.
Step2 Review the GRE's list of topics for the point-of-view essay. These can be found on the GRE website.
Step3 On test day, plan your time for choosing between the two given issues for the point-of-view essay well. You only have 45 minutes for this task and spending time upfront to choose the best topic will save you from struggling to write on a poorly chosen topic.
Step4 Practice looking for questionable underlying assumptions and evaluating evidence provided as it relates to the argument provided. Don't bring personal views to the analytical argument essay.
9 Tips for preparing for the GMAT
Preparing for the GRE Analytical Writing Section
Keep in mind that the GMAT is like a game. As a test-taker, you should understand a) the computer-adaptive structure of the GMAT b) the types of exam questions asked and c) How to manage time wisely
This version of the GMAT is designed to get an accurate assessment of your skills while asking fewer questions than its paper-based predecessor did. Here is how it works: the first question you see in any given section will be of average difficulty. If you get the answer right, your next question will be slightly more difficult. If you get the answer wrong, your next question will be slightly easier. The software will also ask you different types of questions in a rather unpredictable order, as determined by its algorithm, rather than clustering question types as the written GMAT did. You cannot skip a question or go back to an earlier question. Unlike the paper version, once you click the 'answer confirm' box, your answer cannot be changed. Practice
How to manage your time wisely
Tip 1
The most prudent way to develop GMAT time management skills is to practise taking the mock tests online. This practice is also very important in terms of acquainting oneself with the test format. Therefore you are strongly encouraged to take at least a few mock GMAT exams in the computer-adaptive (CAT) format and try to simulate the actual testing environment. That means refraining from taking food breaks, engaging in telephone conversations, etc, until you have completed a section.
Tip 2 Spend adequate time on the first 5 to 10 questions
Difficult questions are weighted more heavily than easier questions in the scoring. The first couple of questions in any GMAT CAT section are used to determine the range of questions that the programme 'thinks' you are able to handle. After you have answered these first few questions, the testing software will provide questions to fine tune the score within that rather narrowly predetermined range. Thus, your answers to the first 5 questions will make a HUGE difference in your final section score.
It is imperative that you answer these pivotal questions with extra care. Always double check your answers to these questions. Verify that the answer choices that you judged to be incorrect are indeed incorrect. If you are unsure of the answer to one of these first questions, at the very least, take a very good educated guess using the process of elimination.
Tip 3 Finish the test - at all costs!
there is a huge scoring penalty for failing to finish any section of the GMAT. That failure will lower your score to about 55%. The lesson to take away from this is to prepare to finish the test at all costs. Train yourself to work within the time limits of the exam. Random guessing is like shooting yourself in the foot - but leaving answers blank is like shooting yourself in both feet.
Tip 4 Don't waste time
This advice seems self-evident. However, we mention it because we've had clients tell us how they inadvertently wasted test time by revisiting the help screen or requesting extra scrap paper after they began their test.
Tip 5 Read the questions carefully
This advice may seem very silly, but it's worth remembering. An undisciplined test-taker will feel the stress of the clock during the timed sections and will try to cut corners to save time, wherever and whenever possible. As a result, he or she often misinterprets questions. GMAT test writers are well aware of this dynamic and are happy to capitalise on it.
Tip 6 Avoid random guessing
The GMAT CAT does not allow you to skip questions and come back to them later. You must answer each question on the GMAT CAT before it allows you to move on to the next question. Consequently, even if you don't know the answer to a particular question, you have to answer it. Usually you will be able to identify at least one answer choice that is clearly wrong. Eliminating even one incorrect choice will improve your odds of answering the question correctly.
Tip7 Eliminate the deliberately deceptive wrong choices
With practice, you will begin to learn how to recognise answer choices that are deliberately deceptive, and wrong. There are a few common patterns here that will become apparent as you prepare.
One particular recognisable pattern is commonly found in the Problem Solving section. It involves an erroneous answer choice giving a value that would result from following a common computational error. You can avoid these deceptive choices by using scrap paper, checking your answers and using estimation to judge the general range of the correct choice.
Tip 8 Practice, Practice, Practice
We encourage you to use actual questions from previous exams as you practise, as we have noticed a material difference in the nature and quality of test questions prepared by Graduate Management Council versus those written by GMAT prep companies. Also, practice taking the exam in its CAT format. Finally, spend most of your preparation time studying and practising questions in the subject you are weakest in. While we believe every test-taker benefits by reviewing each GMAT exam section, focusing on your weakest areas will make the most efficient use of your test-prep time.
Tip 9 Don't wait too long to take the GMAT
Don't count on taking the GMAT at the last minute. Should you need to retake the exam, you will need time both to register for the test again and to have the new scores submitted to schools in time for application deadlines. Scheduling the GMAT well into the admissions season is also bound to cause undue stress. With proper planning and insight, you can spare yourself these negative energies and instead focus on maximising your GMAT score.
The computer-adaptive structure of the GMAT
