If you want to get a great career with lots of job opportunities, you should go for post-graduation management or training courses. MBA is a good option as your post-graduation course. To get admission to a good business school for MBA, you have to appear in the GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) exam.
You have to prepare well to score well and get a good rank on GMAT, which will decide your college for MBA. Before starting your preparation, there are few things to know about GMAT. These things will help you in your practice, and you can make an exam strategy with the help of these things.
In 2021, the GMAT exam is going to happen on the online platform. You should know how to prepare in different ways to appear in the GMAT online exam. Here are some suggestions for your GMAT exam 2021 preparation.
- Different Sections Of The Question Paper
Before appearing in any exam, you should know about the question pattern. It helps you in preparing accordingly. The question paper of GMAT contains four sections, which are analytical writing, integrated reasoning, quantitative assessment, and verbal. In analytical writing, your skills of critical analysis and communication ideas are examined.
You will be given one topic with an argument. You have to analyse the topic and the discussion. Then you have to establish proper reasoning behind the argument of the subject and critique it.
The second section is on integrated reasoning. In this section, you will be asked 12 analytical questions. The questions will measure the ability of yours for evaluating different information.
In quantitative assessment, you have to encounter data from a considerable portion. You will collect the data for analysing the whole thing properly by drawing a reasonable conclusion.
In the verbal part, your ability to read and analyse the written material will be examined. Your ability to understand the topic will be measured. Also, you have to evaluate the arguments on the subject and correct the given written material. According to these parts, you have to prepare for the exam. It would help if you prepared for all the parts differently.
- Scoring Process Of GMAT
There is a particular scoring process of the GMAT. Your score will be given in four sections. The question paper is divided into four parts. The scoring is divided into four parts based on the four sections. Analytical writing is scored from 0 to 6. Integrated reasoning is scored in between 1 and 8. Quantitative assessment is scored from 0 to 60. Verbal is also scored from 0 to 60.
Apart from these four sections’ score, you will be given a total score considering only the quantitative assessment and verbal section. The total score of the GMAT is between 200 to 800. You will be given a rank depending on your score in percentile. Around ⅔ of the GMAT aspirants get scores from the 400 to 600 range.
- Result Of GMAT
Before appearing in the GMAT exam, you should know the resulting system in detail. Pass or fail is not applicable in GMAT. It is all about your total score and rank in percentile. You will get admission to any business college for an MBA, depending on your rank of GMAT. Every business school determines a particular rank range in between which they will give admission to the students.
When you apply to a business school for admission, they will check your GMAT score and rank. If your rank is in between their rank range, you will only get entry to that school. You will receive your rank and score within 20 days of the exam. Your rank and score will be valid for up to 5 years.
You can apply in colleges using the same score and rank for five years. It would help if you prepared for an exam targeting the rank range of your dream business school.
- Difficulty Level According To Your Answer
There are questions from different difficulty levels in the exam. The question, which is arriving in front of you, will be selected by the computer. According to your answer to the previous question, the next question’s difficulty level will be chosen.
After you answer a question, the computer can adapt the questions to your skill depending on how you have responded to the previous question. If you answer a question correctly, the computer will analyse your answer and increase the next question’s difficulty level.
For example, if you answer a question of easy level correctly, your next question will be from the intermediate level. If you answer a question from the intermediate level, your next question will be from a difficult level. Also, if you cannot answer a question correctly, your next question’s difficulty level will be decreased.
- Strategy For GMAT 2021
Before appearing in any competitive exam, you should follow a proper exam strategy. This year’s GMAT exam will be held on online platforms. While preparing for GMAT, you should also set a plan for the online exam.
By taking several practice tests, you can have a better time management process. You can apply different methods to encounter the questions from other sections. As the quantitative assessment and verbal section include high scores, you should attempt questions from these parts first. This kind of strategy can be applied in the online GMAT exam.
- Difference Between Online And Offline Test
The GMAT exam can be taken on both online and offline platforms. For both platforms, protocols are different. The registration fee for the online exam is less than the offline exam. The time duration for the four sections is the same for online and offline exams. Considering different technical problems, you can take the online exam twice.
A whiteboard is used in the GMAT exam. For the online exam, you can choose between an online whiteboard and a physical whiteboard. This board is for note-taking and scratch works. You should be prepared with your preferable whiteboard option before the exam. The physical whiteboard must have a particular size.
Online and offline GMAT exams are almost the same except for the mode of delivering your answer. As 2021 is going to be held on an online platform, you should prepare accordingly. It would help if you took advantage of the online exam by scheduling the exam time at your convenience.
- Online Exam Structure
Before appearing in GMAT, you should know the online exam structure of GMAT. The test will have four parts- quantitative assessment, verbal, integrated reasoning, and analytical writing. You will get 62 minutes for solving 31 maths questions of quantitative assessment.
You will get 65 minutes to answer 35 verbal questions. 30 minutes will be available for the 12th questions of integrated reasoning. Another 30 minutes will be given for the analytical writing section. Around 3.5 hours will be available for the online test, including the breaks. Two breaks of each 8 minutes are available during the online test.
You will get a particular time for checking into the online platform before starting the exam. You will have to pass through a room scan to continue the exam. You will have to upload photos and videos of your exam area to resist cheating in the exam.
- Recreate Exam Environment During Preparation
Before appearing in the GMAT exam, you should give several practice tests. If you don’t want to be nervous in the exam hall, you should be prepared mentally for the exam environment. Several websites are offering to practice tests for GMAT every week.
There are some GMAT preparation software wherein questions are available with answers and explanations. You should take those practice tests and use the software for preparation. While taking the practice tests, you should be in the environment of the exam hall. You can fix a routine for the practice tests.
If you are taking the test at home, you should be careful about the exam duration and restrictions. You can recreate the exam environment during practice tests, which will help you in the exam hall with less tension.
- Business Schools Focus On Rank And Others
Business schools take admissions depending on several factors. They not only check your rank and score. They evaluate your answers to know your exact abilities and skills. The school is not just about from 200 to 800. The important thing is how you encountered the questions and solved them.
The schools will check your verbal, analysing, writing, communication skills before admission. It would be best if you prepared for the exam accordingly. Apart from the score of GMAT, the business schools assess integrated reasoning and analytical writing sections. These parts will be scored separately, and your ability will be examined.
Conclusion
As GMAT is a competitive exam for higher education, you should appear in the exam with proper preparation and strategies. The more you will practice, the better your preparation will be. Before appearing in the online GMAT exam 2021, you should keep in mind the things mentioned above. From now, you should start your GMAT exam preparation following a particular routine and planning.