How To: Prepare for the GMAT

The higher you score on your entrance exams, the more competitive your b-school application will be. While some programs accept both GRE and GMAT scores, this is not always the case. Here are some tips we’ve gathered from successful GMAT test takers, which are helpful to consider regardless of which exam you take.

The higher you score on your entrance exams, the more competitive your b-school application will be. While some programs accept both GRE and GMAT scores, this is not always the case. Find out which entrance exam your targeted business schools prefer before you begin the test prep process.

Here are some tips we’ve gathered from successful GMAT test takers, which are helpful to consider regardless of which exam you take.

Planning

Create a timeline for yourself by knowing the application deadlines for your targeted business schools. Work backwards to plan enough time to study, take the test, get your scores back, and complete your applications before the deadline.

Review the class profiles of your target schools to determine the average score of admitted applicants. This information will give you a goal to aim for. The W. P. Carey School has class profiles on its website for many of its MBA and specialized master's programs:

MBA class profiles

• Full-time MBA
• Professional Flex MBA
• Online MBA
• Executive MBA

Specialized master's programs class profiles

• Accountancy
• Business Analytics
• Finance
• Global Logistics
• Information Management
• Real Estate Development
• Taxation

Take a practice or diagnostic test to get a sense of your current score range. This will help you set your goal and know how much study time you should plan for.

Practice

It has likely been a while since you took a standardized test, so it is best to invest time preparing. There are many ways to access and practice taking the GMAT:

• On mba.com you can download free software that will help you become familiar with the format of the actual exam. Look at sample questions for each of the three test sections: a qualitative multiple choice section, a verbal multiple choice section, and two 30-minute essays.
• Purchase an official guide, study book, or GMAT practice tests for extra review and practice.
• Review and memorize some of the commonly used mathematical formulas since it has likely been a while since you studied math. Revise and study one section of the test at a time.
• To study for the Analytical Writing Assessment section, practice writing an essay using the topics available on mba.com.

Other helpful hints

• Start your preparation well in advance.
• If you need a formalized, guided approach, enroll in a GMAT preparation course or hire a certified tutor to help you prepare.
• Master the easiest and basic lessons first, so you will become more confident in your GMAT test taking ability.
• Identify your weak areas and put a lot of time into practice questions in those areas.
• Organize a study group and work together. It is less boring and you will learn from each other.
• Practice reading so that your speed of reading will help you in the GMAT reading comprehension area.
• When solving the algebra questions where the answer is a formula, pick numbers and plug them into the answers to find the correct answer faster than working through the algebra.
• Do more practice questions!