Second Post

Take the GMAT



Sitting the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) has been the cause of many a sleepless night for aspiring MBA candidates. It shouldn’t be. With thorough preparation it is possible to excel.



What is it?

The GMAT is an internationally standardised test designed to assess your ability to handle business and management studies at graduate level. It doesn’t examine specific business knowledge, but seeks to gauge basic verbal, mathematical and analytical skills. The test is not compulsory at all business schools but 1,700 programmes use it and 1,000 require it.



What should I expect?

The GMAT is made up of three sections (quantitative reasoning, verbal reasoning and analytical writing) from which candidates receive four scores: quantitative, verbal, total and analytical writing. A computer adaptive test (CAT) is used which allows the questions to be selected in relation to your performance. If you get a question right the computer will select a more difficult one and vice versa.



In this way, you’ll encounter fewer and fewer questions that are especially easy or difficult for you as you proceed. This system can measure your abilities using a smaller number of questions than a non-adaptive test. In addition, the resulting scores have been found to be reliable in predicting academic success during the course of the MBA.



How to prepare

Before throwing yourself into revision find out if your school of choice has a minimum score in the GMAT. There are two main ways to get ready for the test:

Work on your own using special preparatory books.

Take preparatory classes.



The former has the obvious attraction of being cost-effective while the latter allows candidates to work within a more structured environment. There are numerous organisations that will help you prepare for the test, simply type in GMAT into any search engine. The test is available, year-round, at test centres throughout the world.



Don’t forget, it is up to you, not the business school, to book the test yourself!



What if I don’t get a good score?

It isn’t the end of the world if your results are not as good as anticipated. The GMAT is only one of the factors on which you are being assessed. If the other sections of your application stack up strongly, the admissions officer may not attach too much significance to a weak GMAT score.



There are many sample GMAT test papers available on-line to help your preparation. Have a look at the official website (mba.com) through which you can download free test and tutorial software.